Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

129 “They have oftentimes afflicted me from my youth.” (may Israel now say)

² “They have oftentimes afflicted me from my youth. But they could not prevail against me.

³ “The plowers plowed upon my back and made long furrows.

⁴ “The righteous LORD has cut the cords of the wicked.

⁵ “Those who hate Zion shall be all ashamed and turned backward.

⁶ “They shall be as the grass on the housetops which withers before it comes forth.

⁷ “Of which the mower does not fill his hand, nor the gleaner his lap.

⁸ “Nor do those who pass by say, ‘The blessing of the LORD be upon you!’ or, ‘We bless you in the Name of the LORD!’” A song of degrees

¹⁴ Then Zedekiah the king sent and brought Jeremiah the Prophet to him, into the third entry of the House of the LORD. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”

¹⁵ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not kill me? And if I give you counsel, you will not hear me.”

¹⁶ So the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the LORD lives, Who made us these souls, I will not kill you or give you into the hands of those men who seek your life.”

¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you will go forth to the king of Babel’s princes, then your soul shall live. And this city shall not be burnt up with fire. And you and your House shall live.

¹⁸ ‘But if you will not go forth to the king of Babel’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans. And they shall burn it with fire. And you shall not escape out of their hands.’”

¹⁹ And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen before the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hands, and they mock me.”

²⁰ But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver you. Please listen to the Voice of the LORD which I speak to you. So shall it go well with you, and your soul shall live.

²¹ “But if you will refuse to go forth, this is the Word that the LORD has shown me:

²² ‘And behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babel’s princes. And those women shall say, “Your friends have misled you and have overcome you. Your feet were sunken in the mire. They have turned back.”

²³ ‘So they shall bring out all your wives, and your children, to the Chaldeans. And you shall not escape from their hands, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babel. And you shall cause this city to be burnt with fire.’”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die.

²⁵ “But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Declare to us, now, what you have said to the king and also what the king said to you. Do not hide it from us, and we will not kill you,’

²⁶ “then you shall say to them, ‘I humbly petitioned the king not to make me return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.’”

²⁷ Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him. And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So, they stopped speaking with him. For the matter was not heard.

²⁸ So Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

6 Do any of you dare, when having business against another, to be judged by the unjust, and not by the Saints?

² Do you not know that the Saints shall judge the world? If the world then shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

³ Do you not know that we shall judge the angels? How much more so things that pertain to this life?

⁴ If then you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set those up who are least-esteemed in the Church.

⁵ I speak this to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one, who can judge between his brothers?

⁶ But a brother goes to law with a brother, and then before unbelievers!

⁷ Therefore, it is now a total defeat for you, that you go to law with one another. Rather, why do you not suffer wrong? Rather, why do you not sustain harm?

⁸ But, you yourselves do wrong, and do harm, and that to your brothers!

⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor catamites, nor homosexuals,

¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers shall inherit the Kingdom of God.

¹¹ And such were some of you. But you are washed. But you are sanctified. But you are justified, in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.