Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles
29 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,
4 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were taken from Jerusalem into exile to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them.[a] Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so they may have sons and daughters. Increase in numbers there, don’t decrease. 7 Seek the welfare of the city to which I’ve exiled you and pray to the Lord for it, for your welfare depends on its welfare.’[b]
To the Director: A song. A Psalm.
A Song of Praise
66 Shout praise to God all the earth!
2 Sing praise about the glory of his name.[a]
Make his praise glorious.
3 Say to God: “How awesome are your works!
Because of your great strength
your enemies cringe before you.”
4 The whole earth worships you.
They sing praise to you.
They sing praise to your name.
5 Come and see the awesome works of God
on behalf of human beings:
6 He turned the sea into dry land.
Israel[b] crossed the river on foot;
let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules by his power forever,
his eyes watching over the nations.
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.
8 Bless our God, people,
and let the sound of his praise be heard.
9 He gives us life
and does not permit our feet to slip.
10 For you, God, tested us,
to purify us like fine silver.
11 You have led us into a trap[c]
and set burdens on our backs.
12 You caused men to ride over us.[d]
You brought us through fire and water,
but you led us to abundance.
8 Meditate on[a] Jesus, the Messiah,[b] who was raised from the dead and is a descendant of David. This is the gospel I tell others.[c] 9 Because of it I am experiencing trouble, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. However, God’s word is not chained. 10 For that reason, I endure everything for the sake of those who have been chosen so that they, too, may receive the salvation that is in the Messiah[d] Jesus, along with eternal glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy:[e]
In dying with the Messiah,[f]
true life we gain.[g]
12 Enduring, we with him will reign.
Who him denies,
he will disclaim.
13 Our faith may fail,
his never wanes—
That’s who he is,
he cannot change![h]
14 Remind others about these things, and warn them before God[i] not to argue over words. Arguing[j] does not do any good but only destroys those who are listening. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as an approved worker who has nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of truth with precision.
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
11 One day, Jesus[a] was traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee on the way to Jerusalem. 12 As he was going into a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance 13 and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 When Jesus[b] saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” While they were going, they were made clean. 15 But one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, came back and praised God with a loud voice. 16 He fell on his face at Jesus’[c] feet and thanked him. Now that man[d] was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Ten men were made clean, weren’t they? Where are the other nine? 18 Except for this foreigner, were any of them found to return and give praise to God?” 19 Then he told the man,[e] “Get up, and go home! Your faith has saved you.”[f]
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