Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
LAMED ל
89 Forever, Adonai,
Your word stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness endures from generation to generation.
You established the earth, and it stands.
91 Your judgments stand today,
for all things are Your servants.
92 If Your Torah had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget Your precepts.
For with them You have kept me alive.
94 I am Yours, save me!
For I have sought out Your precepts.
95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me.
But I will study Your testimonies.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
yet Your commandment is boundless.
11 Now when Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan, had heard from the scroll all the words of Adonai, 12 he went down to the scribe’s chamber of the king’s palace. All the officials sat there—the scribe Elishama, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13 Then Micaiah reported to them all the words that he had heard Baruch reading out of the scroll in the ears of the people.
14 All the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying: “Bring in your hand the megillah which you read in the ears of the people and come.”
So Baruch son of Neriah brought the megillah in his hand and went to them. 15 Then they said to him: “Sit down now, and read it in our ears.” So Baruch read it in their ears.
16 After they had heard all the words, they turned to each other in fear, then said to Baruch: “We will surely report all these words to the king.” 17 They also asked Baruch, saying: “Tell us now, how did you write all these words? At his dictation?”
18 Then Baruch answered them: “He pronounced all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink into the scroll.”
19 Then the officials said to Baruch: “Go, hide yourself—you and Jeremiah—and let no one know where you are.”
20 Then they went to the king in the courtyard, after they had deposited the megillah in the chamber of the scribe Elishama. They reported all the words in the ears of the king.
21 So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the megillah, and he brought it out of the chamber of the scribe Elishama. Jehudi read it in the ears of the king and all the officials who were standing by the king.
22 Since it was the ninth month, the king was residing in the winter house, with a fireplace burning before him. 23 Now as soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns, he cut it with the scribe’s knife and tossed it into the fire that was in the fireplace, until the whole megillah was consumed in the fire in the fireplace. 24 Yet neither the king, nor any of his servants who heard all these words were afraid, nor tore their clothes. 25 Moreover Elnatan, Delaiah and Gemariah entreated the king not to burn the megillah, but he would not listen to them.
26 Then the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, along with Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah—but Adonai hid them.
Godly Sorrow and Joy
2 Make room for us in your hearts. We wronged no one, ruined no one, took advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts—to die together and to live together with you. 4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I have been filled with encouragement. I overflow with joy in all our troubles.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest. But we were hard pressed on every side—conflicts outside, fears within. 6 But God, who encourages the downcast, encouraged us with the arrival of Titus; 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the encouragement with which he was encouraged by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, and your deep concern for me—so that I rejoiced still more.
8 For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that my letter grieved you, but just for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to the point of repentance. For you were grieved according to God’s will, so that you might in no way suffer loss from us. 10 For the grief that God wills brings a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret. But the world’s grief brings death. 11 For see what this very thing—this grieving that God wills—has brought you! What diligence, what defense, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what rendering of justice! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for the sake of the wrongdoer or for the sake of the one who was wronged, but to make known to you your diligence for us in the sight of God.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.