Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Jeremiah’s Land Purchase
32 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah(A) king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.(B) 2 At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the guard’s courtyard(C) in the palace of the king of Judah. 3 Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying: “Why are you prophesying, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am about to hand this city over to Babylon’s king, and he will capture it.
6 Jeremiah replied, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Watch! Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, is coming to you to say, ‘Buy my field in Anathoth(A) for yourself, for you own the right of redemption(B) to buy it.’
8 “Then my cousin Hanamel came to the guard’s courtyard as the Lord had said and urged me, ‘Please buy my field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for you own the right of inheritance and redemption. Buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9 So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out to him the money(C)—17 shekels[a] of silver. 10 I recorded it on a scroll,(D) sealed it, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver in the scales. 11 I took the purchase agreement—the sealed copy with its terms and conditions and the open copy— 12 and gave the purchase agreement to Baruch(E) son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah. I did this in the sight of my cousin[b] Hanamel, the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement, and all the Judeans sitting in the guard’s courtyard.
13 “I instructed Baruch in their sight, 14 ‘This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Take these scrolls—this purchase agreement with the sealed copy and this open copy—and put them in an earthen storage jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’(F)
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)
3 He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net,(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)
6 But godliness with contentment is a great gain.(A)
7 For we brought nothing into the world,
and[a] we can take nothing out.(B)
8 But if we have food and clothing,[b]
we will be content with these.
9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root[c] of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith(C) and pierced themselves with many pains.
Fight the Good Fight
11 But you, man of God, run from these things,
and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith,
love,(D) endurance,(E) and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight(F) for the faith;
take hold of eternal life(G)
that you were called to
and have made a good confession about
in the presence of many witnesses.
13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all,(H) and of Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate,(I) I charge you 14 to keep the command without fault or failure until the appearing(J) of our Lord(K) Jesus Christ. 15 God will bring this about in His own time.(L) He is
the blessed and only(M) Sovereign,
the King of kings,(N)
and the Lord of lords,(O)
16 the only One who has immortality,
dwelling in unapproachable light;(P)
no one has seen or can see Him,(Q)
to Him be honor and eternal might.(R)
Amen.(S)
Instructions to the Rich
17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant(T) or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God,[d] who richly provides us with all things(U) to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works,(V) to be generous, willing to share,(W) 19 storing up for themselves a good reserve[e] for the age to come,(X) so that they may take hold of life that is real.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen,(A) feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate.(B) 21 He longed to be filled(C) with what fell from the rich man’s table,(D) but instead the dogs(E) would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.[a](F) The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment(G) in Hades,(H) he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’(I) he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony(J) in this flame!’
25 “‘Son,’[b] Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things,(K) just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here,(L) while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
27 “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn(M) them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;(N) they should listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”(O)
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