Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy

^12 (A)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the ^(B)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, ^(C)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who ^[a]was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ¹³ And he ^(D)burned the house of the Lord, the ^(E)king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. ¹⁴ So the entire army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard ^(F)tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard ^(G)took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the ^(H)deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. ¹⁶ But ^(I)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

¹⁷ Now the bronze ^(J)pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the ^(K)stands and the bronze ^[b](L)sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans smashed to pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸ They also took the ^(M)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the ^[c]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. ¹⁹ The captain of the guard also took the ^(N)bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the ^[d]pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver. ²⁰ The two pillars, the one ^[e]sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under ^[f]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was ^(O)beyond weight. ²¹ As for the pillars, the ^(P)height of each pillar was ^[g]eighteen cubits, and ^[h]it was twelve cubits in ^(Q)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. ²² Also, a ^(R)capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was ^[i]five cubits, with latticework and ^(S)pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. ²³ There were ninety-six ^[j]exposed pomegranates; all ^(T)the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.

²⁴ Then the captain of the guard took ^(U)Seraiah the chief priest and ^(V)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three ^[k](W)officers of the temple. ²⁵ He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven ^[l]of the ^(X)king’s advisers who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were found inside the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and ^(Y)brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ Then the king of Babylon ^(Z)struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was ^(AA)led into exile from its land.

²⁸ These are the people whom ^(AB)Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the ^[m]seventh year 3,023 Jews; ²⁹ in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; ³⁰ in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, ^(AC)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.

Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in ^(A)Pergamum write:

The One who has ^(B)the sharp two-edged sword says this:

¹³ ‘I know where you dwell, where ^(C)Satan’s throne is; and you hold firmly to My name, and did not deny ^(D)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My ^(E)witness, My ^(F)faithful one, who was killed among you, ^(G)where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But ^(H)I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the ^(I)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a ^[a]stumbling block before the sons of Israel, ^(J)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. ¹⁵ So you too, have some who in the same way hold to the teaching of the ^(K)Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(L)repent; or else ^(M)I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with ^(N)the sword of My mouth. ^17 (O)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(P)To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden ^(Q)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a ^(R)new name written on the stone ^(S)which no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(T)Thyatira write:

^(U)The Son of God, ^(V)who has ^[b]eyes like a flame of fire, and ^[c]feet like burnished bronze, says this:

¹⁹ ‘^(W)I know your deeds, and your love and faith, and service and ^[d]perseverance, and that your ^[e]deeds of late are greater than ^[f]at first. ²⁰ But ^(X)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman ^(Y)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they ^(Z)commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ^21 (AA)I gave her time to repent, and she ^(AB)does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who ^(AC)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of ^[g]her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children with ^[h]plague, and all the churches will know that I am He who ^(AD)searches the ^[i]minds and hearts; and ^(AE)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ²⁴ But I say to you, the rest who are in ^(AF)Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the ^(AG)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I ^(AH)place no other burden on you. ²⁵ Nevertheless ^(AI)what you have, hold firmly ^(AJ)until I come. ^26 (AK)The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds ^(AL)until the end, ^(AM)I will give him authority over the ^[j]nations; ²⁷ and he shall ^[k](AN)rule them with a rod of iron, ^(AO)as the vessels of the potter are shattered, as I also have received authority from My Father; ²⁸ and I will give him ^(AP)the morning star. ^29 (AQ)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’