Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 91
The Protection of the Most High
1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High
dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.(A)
2 I will say[a] concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust:(B)
3 He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,(C)
from the destructive plague.
4 He will cover you with his feathers;
you will take refuge under his wings.(D)
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.(E)
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,(F)
6 the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.(G)
The Good and the Bad Figs
24 After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported Jeconiah[a] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, the officials of Judah, and the craftsmen and metalsmiths(A) from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs(B) placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket contained very good figs, like early figs,(C) but the other basket contained very bad figs, so bad they were inedible. 3 The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
I said, “Figs! The good figs are very good, but the bad figs are extremely bad, so bad they are inedible.”
4 The word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah I sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will keep my eyes on them for their good(D) and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not demolish them; I will plant them and not uproot them.(E) 7 I will give them a heart to know me,(F) that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God because they will return to me with all their heart.(G)
8 “But as for the bad figs, so bad they are inedible,(H) this is what the Lord says: In this way I will deal with King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land or living in the land of Egypt.(I) 9 I will make them an object of horror(J) and a disaster to all the kingdoms of the earth, an example for disgrace, scorn, ridicule,(K) and cursing, wherever I have banished them.(L) 10 I will send the sword, famine, and plague(M) against them until they have perished from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.”
43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God.(A)
The Second Prediction of His Death
While everyone was amazed at all the things he was doing,(B) he told his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink in:[a] The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”(C)
45 But they did not understand this statement;(D) it was concealed from them so that they could not grasp it,(E) and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Who Is the Greatest?
46 An argument started among them about who was the greatest of them.(F) 47 But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts,[b](G) took a little child and had him stand next to him. 48 He told them, “Whoever welcomes[c] this little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.(H) For whoever is least among you—this one is great.”(I)
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