Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Call to Praise the Lord
117 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Exalt him, all you peoples!
2 For great is his gracious love toward us,
and the Lord’s faithfulness is eternal.
Hallelujah!
A Message of Consolation
30 This message came from the Lord to Jeremiah: 2 “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Write all the words that I’ve spoken to you in a book. 3 Indeed, the time[a] will come,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I’ll restore the security of my people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘I’ll bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors, and they’ll possess it.’”
4 These are the words that the Lord spoke about Israel and Judah:
5 “Indeed, this is what the Lord says:
‘We have heard a sound of terror
and of fear, and there is no peace.
6 Ask about this and think about it—
Can a man give birth to a child?
Why then do I see every strong man
with his hands on his thighs
like a woman giving birth,
and all their faces have turned pale?
7 Oh how terrible! That time[b] will be worse
than any like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be rescued from it.
8 On that day,’ declares the Lord
of the Heavenly Armies,
‘I’ll break the yoke[c] from your neck
and will tear off your restraints.[d]
Foreigners will no longer make you[e] serve them.[f]
9 Rather, they will serve the Lord their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
10 ‘My servant Jacob, don’t be afraid,’ declares the Lord,
‘and Israel, don’t be dismayed.
For I’ll deliver you from a distant place
and your descendants from the land of their captivity.
Jacob will return. He will be undisturbed and secure,
and no one will cause him to fear.
11 For I’ll be with you to save you,’
declares the Lord.
‘For I’ll put an end to all the nations
where I scattered you;
but I won’t make an end of you.
I’ll discipline you justly,
but I certainly won’t leave you unpunished.’
The Healing of Zion’s Wounds
12 “For this is what the Lord says:
‘Your injury won’t heal;
your wound is severe.
13 There is no one to plead your cause.
There is no medicine for your sore;[g]
no healing for you.
14 All your lovers have forgotten you;
they don’t seek you.
Indeed, I’ve struck you down
with the blow of an enemy,
with the punishment of a cruel foe[h]
because your wickedness is great,
and your sins are numerous.
15 Why do you cry out because of your injury?
Your wound won’t heal.
Because your wickedness is severe,
and your sins are numerous,
I’ve done all these things to you.
16 In addition, all who devour you will be devoured,
and all your oppressors—all of them—
will go into captivity.
Those who plunder you will become plunder,
and all who spoil you will become spoil.
17 Indeed, I’ll bring you healing,
and I’ll heal you of your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because they have called you an outcast
and have said,[i] “It is Zion, no one cares for her!”’”[j]
5 The one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!”
He said, “Write this: ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’”
6 Then he told me, “It has happened! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give a drink from the spring of the water of life to the one who is thirsty. 7 The person who overcomes[a] will inherit these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves[b] in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
The Vision of the New Jerusalem
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came to me and said, “Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.” 10 He carried me away in the Spirit to a large, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. 11 The glory of God was its radiance, and its light was like a valuable gem, like jasper, as clear as crystal. 12 It had a large, high wall with twelve gates. Twelve angels were at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the lamb were written on them.
15 The angel who[c] was talking to me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. 16 The city was cubic in shape: its length was the same as its width. He measured the city with his rod, and it measured at 12,000 stadia:[d]Its length, width, and height were the same. 17 He also measured its wall. According to the human measurement that the angel was using, it was 144 cubits.[e] 18 Its wall was made of jasper. The city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.
19 The foundations of the city wall were decorated with all kinds of gems: The first foundation[f] was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian,[g] the seventh chrysolite,[h] the eighth beryl,[i] the ninth topaz,[j] the tenth chrysoprase,[k] the eleventh jacinth[l] and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, and each gate was made of a single pearl. The street of the city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.
22 I saw no temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple. 23 The city doesn’t need any sun or moon to give it light, because the glory of God gave it light, and the lamb was its lamp. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut at the end of the[m] day—because there will be no night there. 26 People[n] will bring the glory and wealth[o] of the nations into it. 27 Nothing unclean, or anyone who does anything detestable, and no one who tells lies will ever enter it. Only those whose names[p] are written in the lamb’s Book of Life will enter it.[q]
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