Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

²⁷ “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that ^(A)I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. ²⁸ And it shall come to pass, that as I have ^(B)watched over them ^(C)to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them ^(D)to build and to plant, says the Lord. ^29 (E)In those days they shall say no more:

^30 (F)But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

A New Covenant

³¹ “Behold, the ^(G)days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that ^(H)I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, ^[a]though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. ^33 (I)But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: ^(J)I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their ^[b]hearts; ^(K)and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴ No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for ^(L)they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For ^(M)I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

מ MEM

¹⁴ But you must ^(A)continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known ^(B)the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

^16 (C)All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, ^(D)and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for ^[a]instruction in righteousness, ^17 (E)that the man of God may be complete, ^(F)thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Preach the Word

4 I ^(G)charge you ^[b]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(H)who will judge the living and the dead ^[c]at His appearing and His kingdom: ² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. ^(I)Convince, ^(J)rebuke, ^(K)exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ^3 (L)For the time will come when they will not endure ^(M)sound doctrine, ^(N)but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and ^(O)be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, ^(P)endure afflictions, do the work of ^(Q)an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men ^(A)always ought to pray and not lose heart, ² saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor ^[a]regard man. ³ Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ^[b]‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ ⁴ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ^5 (B)yet because this widow troubles me I will ^[c]avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And ^(C)shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you ^(D)that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”