Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Introduction to the Book of Consolation
30 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah.[a] 2 “The Lord God of Israel says,[b] ‘Write everything that I am about to tell you in a scroll.[c] 3 For I, the Lord, affirm[d] that the time will come when I will reverse the plight[e] of my people, Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring them back to the land I gave their ancestors[f] and they will take possession of it once again.’”[g]
Israel and Judah Will Be Delivered after a Time of Deep Distress
4 So here is what the Lord has to say about Israel and Judah.[h]
5 Yes,[i] here is what he says:
“You hear cries of panic and of terror;
there is no peace in sight.[j]
6 Ask yourselves this and consider it carefully:[k]
Have you ever seen a man give birth to a baby?
Why then do I see all these strong men
grabbing their stomachs in pain like[l] a woman giving birth?
And why do their faces
turn so deathly pale?
7 Alas, what a terrible time of trouble it is![m]
There has never been any like it.
It is a time of trouble for the descendants of Jacob,
but some of them will be rescued out of it.[n]
8 When the time for them to be rescued comes,”[o]
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[p]
“I will rescue you from foreign subjugation.[q]
I will deliver you from captivity.[r]
Foreigners will then no longer subjugate them.
9 But they will be subject to[s] the Lord their God
and to the Davidic ruler whom I will raise up as king over them.[t]
10 So I, the Lord, tell you not to be afraid,
you descendants of Jacob, my servants.[u]
Do not be terrified, people of Israel.
For I will rescue you and your descendants
from a faraway land where you are captives.[v]
The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.
They will be secure and no one will terrify them.[w]
11 For I, the Lord, affirm[x] that
I will be with you and will rescue you.
I will completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you.
But I will not completely destroy you.
I will indeed discipline you, but only in due measure.
I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.”[y]
The Lord Will Heal the Wounds of Judah
12 Moreover,[z] the Lord says to the people of Zion:[aa]
“Your injuries are incurable;
your wounds are severe.[ab]
13 There is no one to plead your cause.
There are no remedies for your wounds.[ac]
There is no healing for you.
14 All your allies have abandoned you.[ad]
They no longer have any concern for you.
For I have attacked you like an enemy would.
I have chastened you cruelly.
For your wickedness is so great
and your sin is so much.[ae]
15 Why do you complain about your injuries,
that your pain is incurable?
I have done all this to you
because your wickedness is so great
and your sin is so much.
16 But[af] all who destroyed you will be destroyed.
All your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plundered you will be plundered.
I will cause those who pillaged you to be pillaged.[ag]
17 Yes,[ah] I will restore you to health.
I will heal your wounds.
I, the Lord, affirm it![ai]
For you have been called an outcast,
Zion, whom no one cares for.”
5 And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then[a] he said to me, “Write it down,[b] because these words are reliable[c] and true.” 6 He also said to me, “It is done![d] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water[e] free of charge[f] from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers[g] will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells,[h] idol worshipers,[i] and all those who lie, their place[j] will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.[k] That[l] is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem Descends
9 Then[m] one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me,[n] saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!” 10 So[o] he took me away in the Spirit[p] to a huge, majestic mountain[q] and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 The city possesses[r] the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.[s] 12 It has[t] a massive, high wall[u] with twelve gates,[v] with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel[w] are written on the gates.[x] 13 There are[y] three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side.[z] 14 The[aa] wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel[ab] who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 16 Now[ac] the city is laid out as a square,[ad] its length and width the same. He[ae] measured the city with the measuring rod[af] at 1,400 miles[ag] (its length and width and height are equal). 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits[ah] according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s.[ai] 18 The city’s[aj] wall is made[ak] of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.[al] 19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated[am] with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate,[an] the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx,[ao] the sixth carnelian,[ap] the seventh chrysolite,[aq] the eighth beryl,[ar] the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase,[as] the eleventh jacinth,[at] and the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls—each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The[au] main street[av] of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 Now[aw] I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God—the All-Powerful[ax]—and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations[ay] will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur[az] into it. 25 Its gates will never be closed during the day[ba] (and[bb] there will be no night there).[bc] 26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth[bd] of the nations[be] into it, 27 but[bf] nothing ritually unclean[bg] will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable[bh] or practices falsehood,[bi] but only those whose names[bj] are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
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