Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵ My soul, rest thou only in God, for my hope is from him.

⁶ He only is my rock and my saving health; he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

⁷ In God is my saving health and my glory; the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God.

⁸ ¶ Wait in him at all times; ye peoples, pour out your heart before him; God is our refuge. Selah.

⁹ Surely the sons of Adam are vanity, and the sons of nobles are a lie; to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

¹⁰ Trust not in violence and become not vain in the taking of spoil; if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

¹¹ God has spoken once; twice have I heard this that power belongs unto God.

¹² Also unto thee, O Lord, belongs mercy, for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

19 ¶ Thus hath the LORD said, Go and buy a potter’s earthen bottle, and take of the elders of the people and of the elders of the priests;

² and go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry by the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee.

³ Therefore thou shalt say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus saith the LORD of the hosts, God of Israel: Behold, I bring evil upon this place, such that whoever hears of it, his ears shall tingle.

⁴ Because they have forsaken me and have estranged this place; and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;

⁵ and have built high places unto Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto this same Baal, which I did not command, nor speak, neither did it come into my mind.

⁶ Therefore, behold, the days come, said the LORD, that this place shall no longer be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of the slaughter.

⁷ And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of those that seek their souls and I will give their carcasses to be food for the fowls of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth.

⁸ And I will make this city desolate and a hissing; every one that passes thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all its plagues.

⁹ And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and each one shall eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, with which their enemies and those that seek their souls shall straiten them.

¹⁰ ¶ Then thou shalt break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,

¹¹ and shalt say unto them, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said: Even so will I break this people and this city as one breaks a potter’s vessel that cannot be restored again; and they shall bury them in Tophet, for there shall be no other place to bury.

¹² Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to its inhabitants and even make this city as Tophet:

¹³ And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be as the place of Tophet, defiled, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of the heaven and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods.

¹⁴ Then Jeremiah returned from Tophet, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD’s house and said to all the people,

¹⁵ Thus hath the LORD of the hosts, God of Israel said: Behold, I bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have spoken against her because they have hardened their necks that they might not hear my words.

¹¹ And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:

¹² The merchandise of gold and of silver and of precious stones and of pearls and of fine linen and of purple and of silk and of scarlet and of all thyine wood and of all manner vessels of ivory and of all manner vessels of most precious wood and of brass and of iron and of marble

¹³ and cinnamon and odours and ointments and frankincense and wine and oil and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and of sheep, and of horses, and of chariots and of bodies and souls of men.

¹⁴ And the fruits of the desire of thy soul are departed from thee, and all the fat and excellent things are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

¹⁵ The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

¹⁶ and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls!

¹⁷ For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster and all the company in ships and sailors and as many as trade by sea stood afar off

¹⁸ and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city was like unto this great city!

¹⁹ And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which all that had ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her riches! for in one hour is she made desolate.

²⁰ Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your cause upon her.