Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,(A)
because he has visited
and provided redemption for his people.(B)
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us(C)
in the house of his servant David,(D)
70 just as he spoke by the mouth
of his holy prophets in ancient times;(E)
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of those who hate us.
72 He has dealt mercifully with our ancestors(F)
and remembered his holy covenant(G)—
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham,(H)
to grant that we,
74 having been rescued
from the hand of our enemies,
would serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness
in his presence all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High,(I)
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his ways,(J)
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins.(K)
78 Because of our God’s merciful compassion,
the dawn from on high(L) will visit us
79 to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,(M)
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Zedekiah’s Request Denied
21 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur(A) son of Malchijah and the priest Zephaniah(B) son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah, asking, 2 “Inquire of the Lord on our behalf, since King Nebuchadnezzar[a](C) of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will perform for us something like all his past wondrous works so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah answered, “This is what you are to say to Zedekiah: 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to repel the weapons of war in your hands,(D) those you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans[b] who are besieging you outside the wall, and I will bring them into the center of this city.(E) 5 I myself will fight against you(F) with an outstretched hand and a strong arm,(G) with anger, fury, and intense wrath. 6 I will strike the residents of this city, both people and animals. They will die in a severe plague. 7 Afterward—this is the Lord’s declaration—King Zedekiah of Judah, his officers, and the people—those in this city who survive the plague, the sword, and the famine—I will hand over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,(H) to their enemies, yes, to those who intend to take their lives. He will put them to the sword; he won’t spare them or show pity or compassion.’(I)
A Warning for the People
8 “But tell this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.(J) 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live and will retain his life like the spoils of war.(K) 10 For I have set my face against this city to bring disaster and not good(L)—this is the Lord’s declaration. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, who will burn it.’(M)
11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say this: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! 12 House of David, this is what the Lord says:
Administer justice every morning,
and rescue the victim of robbery
from his oppressor,(N)
or my anger will flare up like fire
and burn unquenchably
because of your evil deeds.
13 Beware! I am against you,(O)
you who sit above the valley,
you atop the rocky plateau—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
you who say, “Who can come down against us?(P)
Who can enter our hiding places?”
14 I will punish you according to what you have done(Q)—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
I will kindle a fire in your forest(R)
that will consume everything around it.’”(S)
23 Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.(A) 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model[a] of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us.(B) 25 He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another.(C) 26 Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages,(D) for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.(E) 27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment(F)— 28 so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,(G) will appear a second time,(H) not to bear sin, but[b] to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.(I)
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