Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹¹ And when Micheas the son of Gamarias the son of Saphan had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord,

¹² He went down into the king's house to the secretary's chamber: and behold all the princes sat there, Elisama the scribe, and Dalaias the son of Semeias, and Elnathan the son of Achobor, and Gamarias the son of Saphan, and Sedecias the son of Hananias, and all the princes.

¹³ And Micheas told them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read out of the volume in the hearing of the people.

¹⁴ Therefore all the princes sent Judi the son of Nathanias, the son of Selemias, the son of Chusi, to Baruch, saying: Take in thy hand the volume in which thou hast read in the hearing of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Nerias took the volume in his hand, and came to them.

¹⁵ And they said to him: Sit down and read these things in our hearing. And Baruch read in their hearing.

¹⁶ And when they had heard all the words, they looked upon one another with astonishment, and they said to Baruch: We must tell the king all these words.

¹⁷ And they asked him, saying: Tell us how didst thou write all these words from his mouth.

¹⁸ And Baruch said to them: With his mouth he pronounced all these words as if he were reading to me: and I wrote in a volume with ink.

¹⁹ And the princes said to Baruch: Go, and hide thee, both thou and Jeremias, and let no man know where you are.

²⁰ And they went in to the king into the court: but they laid up the volume in the chamber of Elisama the scribe: and they told all the words in the hearing of the king.

²¹ And the king sent Judi that he should take the volume: who bringing it out of the chamber of Elisama the scribe, read it in the hearing of the king, and of all the princes that stood about the king.

²² Now the king sat in the winter house, In the ninth month: and there was a hearth before him full of burning coals.

²³ And when Judi had read three or four pages, he cut it with the penknife, and he cast it into the fire, that was upon the hearth, till all the volume was consumed with the fire that was on the hearth.

²⁴ And the king and all his servants that heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments.

²⁵ But yet Elnathan, and Dalaias, and Gamarias spoke to the king, not to burn. the book: and he heard them not.

²⁶ And the king commanded Jeremiel the son of Amelech, and Saraias the son of Ezriel, and Selemias the son of Abdeel, to take up Baruch the scribe, and Jeremias the prophet: but the Lord hid them.

² Receive us. We have injured no man, we have corrupted no man, we have overreached no man.

³ I speak not this to your condemnation. For we have said before, that you are in our hearts, to die together, and to live together.

⁴ Great is my confidence for you, great is my glorying for you. I am filled with comfort: I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation.

⁵ For also when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we suffered all tribulation; combats without, fears within.

⁶ But God, who comforteth the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus.

⁷ And not by his coming only, but also by the consolation, wherewith he was comforted in you, relating to us your desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced the more.

⁸ For although I made you sorrowful by my epistle, I do not repent; and if I did repent, seeing that the same epistle (although but for a time) did make you sorrowful;

⁹ Now I am glad: not because you were made sorrowful; but because you were made sorrowful unto penance. For you were made sorrowful according to God, that you might suffer damage by us in nothing.

¹⁰ For the sorrow that is according to God worketh penance, steadfast unto salvation; but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

¹¹ For behold this selfsame thing, that you were made sorrowful according to God, how great carefulness it worketh in you; yea defence, yea indignation, yea fear, yea desire, yea zeal, yea revenge: in all things you have shewed yourselves to be undefiled in the matter.

¹² Wherefore although I wrote to you, it was not for his sake that I did the wrong, nor for him that suffered it; but to manifest our carefulness that we have for you