Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Prophet Speaks Out: No One Offers Comfort
1 [a]“Look how deserted Jerusalem is!
Once the city was crowded with people.
Once it was important among the nations.
Now it is a widow.
Once it was a princess among the provinces.
Now it does forced labor.
2 Jerusalem cries bitterly at night with tears running down its cheeks.
Out of all those who love the city, no one offers it comfort.
All of Jerusalem’s friends have betrayed it and become its enemies.
3 “Judah has been exiled after ⌞much⌟ suffering and harsh treatment.
Its ⌞people⌟ live among the nations; they find no rest.
Those who chased them caught up with them
in places where there was no way out.
4 “The roads to Zion are deserted.[b]
No one comes to the annual festivals.
No one passes through any of its gates.[c]
Its priests are groaning.
Its young women are made to suffer.
Zion is bitter.
5 Its opponents are now in control.
Its enemies have no worries.
The Lord made Zion suffer for its many rebellious acts.
Its children go ahead of their opponents into captivity.
6 All splendor has abandoned the people of Zion.
Its influential people were like deer that couldn’t find any pasture.
They ran without any strength ahead of the hunters.
19 Remember my suffering and my ⌞aimless⌟ wandering,
the wormwood and poison.
20 My soul continues to remember ⌞these things⌟ and is so discouraged.
The Prophet—a Man of Hope
21 “The reason I can ⌞still⌟ find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind:
22 the Lord’s mercy.
We were not completely wiped out.
His compassion is never limited.
23 It is new every morning.
His faithfulness is great.
24 My soul can say, ‘The Lord is my lot ⌞in life⌟.
That is why I find hope in him.’
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to anyone who seeks help from him.
26 “It is good to continue to hope and wait silently
for the Lord to save us.
137 By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and cried
as we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our lyres on willow trees.
3 It was there that those who had captured us demanded that we sing.
Those who guarded us wanted us to entertain them.
⌞They said,⌟ “Sing a song from Zion for us!”
4 How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget ⌞how to play the lyre⌟.
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I don’t remember you,
if I don’t consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
7 O Lord, remember the people of Edom.
Remember what they did the day Jerusalem ⌞was captured⌟.
They said, “Tear it down! Tear it down to its foundation.”
8 You destructive people of Babylon,
blessed is the one who pays you back
with the same treatment you gave us.
9 Blessed is the one who grabs your little children
and smashes them against a rock.
Greeting
1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will—a will that contains Christ Jesus’ promise of life.
2 To Timothy, my dear child.
Good will,[a] mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!
3 I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day when I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did. 4 I remember your tears and want to see you so that I can be filled with happiness. 5 I’m reminded of how sincere your faith is. That faith first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I’m convinced that it also lives in you.
Paul’s Advice for Timothy
6 You received a gift from God when I placed my hands on you ⌞to ordain you⌟. Now I’m reminding you to fan that gift into flames. 7 God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment. 8 So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord or be ashamed of me, his prisoner. Instead, by God’s power, join me in suffering for the sake of the Good News. 9 God saved us and called us to be holy, not because of what we had done, but because of his own plan and kindness.[b] Before the world began, God planned that Christ Jesus would show us God’s kindness. 10 Now with the coming of our Savior Christ Jesus, he has revealed it. Christ has destroyed death, and through the Good News he has brought eternal life into full view. 11 I was appointed to be a messenger of this Good News, an apostle, and a teacher.
12 For this reason I suffer as I do. However, I’m not ashamed. I know whom I trust. I’m convinced that he is able to protect what he had entrusted to me until that day.
13 With faith and love for Christ Jesus, consider what you heard me say to be the pattern of accurate teachings. 14 With the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, protect the Good News that has been entrusted to you.
The Apostles Ask for More Faith
5 Then the apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith.”
6 The Lord said, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.
7 “Suppose someone has a servant who is plowing fields or watching sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field, ‘Have something to eat’? 8 No. Instead, he tells his servant, ‘Get dinner ready for me! After you serve me my dinner, you can eat yours.’ 9 He doesn’t thank the servant for following orders. 10 That’s the way it is with you. When you’ve done everything you’re ordered to do, say, ‘We’re worthless servants. We’ve only done our duty.’ ”
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