Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 129
Protection of the Oppressed
A song of ascents.
1 Since my youth they have often attacked me—
let Israel say—
2 Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not prevailed against me.(A)
3 Plowmen plowed over my back;
they made their furrows long.(B)
4 The Lord is righteous;
He has cut the ropes of the wicked.(C)
5 Let all who hate Zion
be driven back in disgrace.(D)
6 Let them be like grass on the rooftops,
which withers before it grows up[a](E)
7 and can’t even fill the hands of the reaper
or the arms of the one who binds sheaves.(F)
8 Then none who pass by will say,
“May the Lord’s blessing be on you.”
We bless you in the name of Yahweh.(G)
Zedekiah’s Final Meeting with Jeremiah
14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the Lord’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something; don’t hide anything from me.”
15 Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, you will kill me, won’t you? Besides, if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.”
16 King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private,(A) “As the Lord lives, who has given us this life,(B) I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to take your life.”
17 Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon,(C) then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape from them.’”
19 But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am worried about the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to the Judeans to abuse me.”(D)
20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the voice of the Lord in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict[a] that the Lord has shown me: 22 ‘All the women[b] who remain in the palace of Judah’s king will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say:
Your trusted friends[c] misled[d] you
and overcame you.
Your feet sank into the mire,
and they deserted you.
23 All your wives and sons will be brought out to the Chaldeans.(E) You yourself will not escape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon and this city will burn down.’”
24 Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about these things or you will die. 25 If the officials hear that I have spoken with you(F) and come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king; don’t hide anything from us and we won’t kill you. Also, what did the king say to you?’ 26 then you will tell them, ‘I was bringing before the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”(G) 27 When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he reported the exact words to them the king had commanded, and they quit speaking with him because nothing had been heard. 28 Jeremiah remained in the guard’s courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured, and he was there when it happened.[e]
Lawsuits among Believers
6 If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court(A) before the unrighteous,[a] and not before the saints? 2 Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? 3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels—not to mention ordinary matters? 4 So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those[b] who have no standing(B) in the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame!(C) Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers?(D) 6 Instead, believer[c] goes to court against believer, and that before unbelievers!(E)
7 Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you.(F) Why not rather put up with injustice?(G) Why not rather be cheated?(H) 8 Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers! 9 Don’t you know that the unrighteous(I) will not inherit God’s kingdom?(J) Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,(K) adulterers,(L) or anyone practicing homosexuality,[d](M) 10 no thieves,(N) greedy(O) people, drunkards, verbally abusive people,(P) or swindlers(Q) will inherit God’s kingdom. 11 And some of you used to be like this.(R) But you were washed, you were sanctified,(S) you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
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