Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Chapter 32
Promise of Restoration. 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah had been imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard that was attached to the royal palace.
3 King Zedekiah had ordered Jeremiah to be confined there, saying, “Why do you continue to prophesy in this manner? According to you, this is what the Lord says, ‘I intend to hand over this city to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.
6 Jeremiah replied: This word of the Lord was delivered to me: 7 Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you and say, “Purchase for yourself my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. As my closest relative, you have the first right of redemption.” 8 Then, just as the Lord had foretold, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, “Buy my field at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of redemption and possession is yours as next of kin. Therefore, purchase it for yourself.” I then knew that this was the word of the Lord.
9 Therefore, I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out the money to him—seventeen shekels of silver. 10 I signed the deed, sealed it, had it witnessed, and weighed the money on the scales. 11 Then I took the deed of purchase,[a] both the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions and the unsealed one, 12 and handed them over to Baruch, the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase and of all the Judeans who then happened to be sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
13 In their presence I gave the following instructions to Baruch: 14 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take the documents of the deed of purchase, both the sealed and the unsealed copies, and place them in an earthenware jar so that they may be preserved for a long period of time. 15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.
Psalm 91[a]
Security under God’s Protection
1 You who abide in the shelter of the Most High,[b]
who rest in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 say to the Lord, “You are my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I place my trust.”
3 He will rescue you from the snare of the fowler[c]
and from virulent pestilence.
4 With his feathers he will shelter you,[d]
and you will take refuge under his wings;
his faithfulness serves as a protective shield.
5 You will not fear the terror by night[e]
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the plague[f] that lays waste at midday.
14 [a]“Because he loves me, I will deliver him,
I will raise high[b] the one who acknowledges my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer,
and I will be with him in time of distress;
I will rescue him and cause him to be honored.[c]
16 I will reward him with a long life
and show him my salvation.”[d]
6 Godliness produces great gain, but only to those who are content. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out. 8 If we have food and clothing, let us be content with these.
9 However, those who want riches fall into temptations and are trapped into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 The love of money is the root of all evils, and in their desire for it some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many serious wounds.[a]
11 Fight the Good Fight. But as for you, man of God,[b] you must shun all this. Rather, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, fortitude, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your noble confession[c] of faith in the presence of many witnesses.
13 In the sight of God, who gave life to all things, and before Jesus Christ, who himself made that noble confession of faith in his testimony before Pontius Pilate, I charge you 14 to obey the commands of God without fault or failure until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will make manifest at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only ruler of all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 16 He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has seen him or is able to do so. To him be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
17 Right Use of Riches.[d] Instruct those who are rich in this world’s goods that they should not be proud, nor should they trust in the uncertainty of riches but rather in God who richly provides us with everything we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to do good and to be rich in good works, to be generous in giving and ready to share. 19 In this way, they will acquire the treasure of a good foundation for the future so that they will be able to grasp the life that is true life.
The Rich Man and Lazarus: A Warning
19 The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.[a]“There was a rich man who used to dress in purple garments and the finest linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who would have been grateful to be fed with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22 “Now the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In the netherworld,[b] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham, far off, and Lazarus by his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that during your lifetime you received many good things, while Lazarus suffered greatly. Now he is being comforted while you are in agony. 26 Moreover, between us and you a great chasm has been established, so that no one who wishes to do so can pass from our side to yours, nor can anyone pass from your side to ours.’
27 “ ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘to send him to my father’s house, 28 to warn my five brothers, lest they too end up in this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham responded, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’
30 “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 Abraham answered, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
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