Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song of Ascents
God Defeats Israel’s Enemies
129 “Since my youth they have often persecuted me,”
let Israel repeat it,
2 “Since my youth they have often persecuted me,
yet they haven’t defeated me.
3 Wicked people[a] plowed over my back,
creating long-lasting wounds.”[b]
4 The Lord is righteous—
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.
5 Let all who hate Zion
be turned away and be ashamed.
6 May they become like a tuft of grass on a roof top,
that withers before it takes root—
7 not enough to fill one’s hand
or to bundle in one’s arms.
8 And may those who pass by never tell them,
“May the Lord’s blessing be upon you.
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Zedekiah Again Seeks Advice from Jeremiah
14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to him[a] at the third entrance to the Lord’s Temple. The king told Jeremiah, “I’m going to ask you something, and don’t hide anything from me.”
15 Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “When I tell you, you will surely put me to death, won’t you? And when I give you advice, you don’t listen to me.”
16 Then King Zedekiah, in secret, swore an oath to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who gave us this life to live, I won’t have you put to death, nor will I hand you over to these men who are seeking to kill you.”
17 So Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you will immediately surrender[b] to the officers[c] of the king of Babylon, then you will live, and this city won’t be burned with fire. Both you and your family will live. 18 But if you don’t surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Chaldeans, and they’ll burn it with fire. You won’t escape from their hands.’”
19 Then King Zedekiah told Jeremiah, “I’m afraid of the Judeans who have gone over to the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans[d] may turn me over to them,[e] and they may treat me harshly.”
20 Jeremiah said, “They won’t turn you over. Obey the Lord in what I’m telling you, and it will go well for you and you will live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender,[f] this is what the Lord has shown me: 22 Look, all the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon, and will say,
‘These friends of yours have mislead you
and overcome you.
Your feet have sunk down into the mire,
but they have turned away.’
23 “They’ll bring all your women and children out to the Chaldeans, and you won’t escape from their hand. Indeed, you will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.”
24 Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about these words and you won’t die. 25 If the officials hear that I’ve spoken with you, and they come to you and say,[g] ‘Tell us what you told the king, and what the king told you; don’t hide it from us, and we won’t put you to death,’ 26 then you are to say to them, ‘I was presenting my request to the king that I not be taken back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”
27 When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he replied to them exactly as the king had ordered him.[h] So they stopped speaking with him because the conversation had not been overheard. 28 Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Morality in Legal Matters
6 When one of you has a complaint against another, does he dare to take the matter before those who are unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 You know that the saints will rule the world, don’t you? And if the world is going to be ruled by you, can’t you handle insignificant cases? 3 You know that we will rule angels, not to mention things in this life, don’t you? 4 So if you have cases dealing with this life, why do you appoint as judges people who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to make you feel ashamed. Has it come to this, that there is not one person among you who is wise enough to settle disagreements between brothers?[a] 6 Instead, one brother goes to court against another brother, and before unbelieving judges,[b] at that! 7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves is already a defeat for you. Why not rather just accept the wrong? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves practice doing wrong and cheating others, and brothers at that!
9 You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, 10 thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God. 11 That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah[c] and by the Spirit of our God.
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