Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Tsade
God’s Righteous Decrees
137 Lord, you are righteous,
and your judgments are right.
138 You have ordered your decrees to us rightly,
and they are very faithful.
139 My zeal consumes me
because my enemies forget your words.
140 Your word is very pure,
and your servant loves it.
141 Though I may be small and despised,
I do not neglect your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an eternal righteousness,
and your instruction[a] is true.
143 Though trouble and anguish overwhelm me,
your commands remain my delight.
144 Your righteous decrees are eternal;
give me understanding, and I will live.
The Righteous Branch and the Davidic Covenant
14 “‘Look, the time is coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I’ll fulfill the good promise that I spoke concerning the house of Israel and Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I’ll cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he will uphold justice and righteousness in the land. 16 At that time Judah will be delivered and Jerusalem will dwell in safety. And this is the name people[a] will call it, “The Lord is Our Righteousness.”’ 17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never be without[b] a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will the Levitical priests be without[c] a man offering up burnt offerings, bringing in grain offerings, and offering sacrifices continuously[d] before me.’”
19 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you could break my covenant with the day and night[e] so that day and night wouldn’t occur at the proper time,[f] 21 then my covenant with my servant David might also be broken so that he wouldn’t have a son sitting on his throne, and so also with my servants the Levitical priests. 22 As the heavenly bodies[g] cannot be counted, and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I’ll multiply the descendants[h] of my servant David and the descendants of Levi who serve me.’”
23 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Haven’t you noticed what these people have been saying?—‘The Lord rejected the two families that he had chosen!’ They have contempt for my people and no longer consider them a nation. 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I had not established my covenant for day and night and the laws that govern[i] the heavens and earth, 26 then I might reject the descendants[j] of Jacob and my servant David by not taking some of his descendants as rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I’ll restore their fortunes, and I’ll have compassion on them.’”
Paul Greets the Church in Corinth
1 From:[a] Paul, an apostle of the Messiah[b] Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.
To: God’s church in Corinth, and to all the holy people[c] throughout Achaia.
2 May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[d] be yours!
The God of All Comfort
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah![e] He is our merciful Father and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God. 5 For as the Messiah’s[f] sufferings overflow into us, so also our comfort overflows through the Messiah.[g] 6 If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.
How God Rescued Paul
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living. 9 In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again, 11 as you also help us by your prayers for us. Then many people will thank God[h] on our behalf because of the favor shown us through the prayers of many.
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