Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁸⁹ LAMED. For ever, O Jehovah, thy word is settled in the heavens.

⁹⁰ Thy faithfulness is from generation to generation: thou hast established the earth, and it standeth.

⁹¹ By thine ordinances they stand this day; for all things are thy servants.

⁹² Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

⁹³ I will never forget thy precepts; for by them thou hast quickened me.

⁹⁴ I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.

⁹⁵ The wicked have awaited me to destroy me; [but] I attend unto thy testimonies.

⁹⁶ I have seen an end of all perfection: thy commandment is exceeding broad.

¹¹ And Micah the son of Gemariah the son of Shaphan heard out of the book all the words of Jehovah;

¹² and he went down to the king's house, into the scribe's chamber, and behold, all the princes were sitting there: Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

¹³ And Micah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read in the book in the ears of the people.

¹⁴ And all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thy hand the roll in which thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. And Baruch the son of Nerijah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.

¹⁵ And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. And Baruch read [it] in their ears.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when they heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said unto Baruch, We will certainly report to the king all these words.

¹⁷ And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words from his mouth?

¹⁸ And Baruch said unto them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote [them] with ink in the book.

¹⁹ And the princes said unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; that none may know where ye are.

²⁰ And they went in unto the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words in the ears of the king.

²¹ And the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll, and he fetched it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes that stood beside the king.

²² Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month, and with the fire-pan burning before him.

²³ And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four columns, he cut it with the scribe's knife, and cast it into the fire that was in the pan until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the pan.

²⁴ And they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, [neither] the king nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

²⁵ Moreover, Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll; but he would not hear them.

²⁶ And the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Jehovah hid them.

² Receive us: we have injured no one, we have ruined no one, we have made gain of no one.

³ I do not speak for condemnation, for I have already said that ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together.

⁴ Great [is] my boldness towards you, great my exulting in respect of you; I am filled with encouragement; I overabound in joy under all our affliction.

⁵ For indeed, when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but [we were] afflicted in every way; without combats, within fears.

⁶ But he who encourages those that are [brought] low, [even] God, encouraged us by the coming of Titus;

⁷ and not by his coming only, but also through the encouragement with which he was encouraged as to you; relating to us your ardent desire, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I the more rejoiced.

⁸ For if also I grieved you in the letter, I do not regret [it], if even I have regretted it; for I see that that letter, if even [it were] only for a time, grieved you.

⁹ Now I rejoice, not that ye have been grieved, but that ye have been grieved to repentance; for ye have been grieved according to God, that in nothing ye might be injured by us.

¹⁰ For grief according to God works repentance to salvation, never to be regretted; but the grief of the world works death.

¹¹ For, behold, this same thing, your being grieved according to God, how much diligence it wrought in *you*, but [what] excusing [of yourselves], but [what] indignation, but [what] fear, but [what] ardent desire, but [what] zeal, but [what] vengeance: in every way ye have proved yourselves to be pure in the matter.

¹² So then, if also I wrote to you, [it was] not for the sake of him that injured, nor for the sake of him that was injured, but for the sake of our diligent zeal for you being manifested to you before God.