Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Chapter 18
The Potter’s Vessel.[a] 1 This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 Arise and go down to the potter’s house; there you will hear my word. 3 I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the wheel. 4 Whenever the vessel of clay he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making another vessel of whatever sort he pleased.(A) 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done?—oracle of the Lord. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.(B) 7 (C)At one moment I may decree concerning a nation or kingdom that I will uproot and tear down and destroy it; 8 but if that nation against whom I have decreed turns from its evil, then I will have a change of heart regarding the evil which I have decreed.(D) 9 At another moment, I may decree concerning a nation or kingdom that I will build up and plant it; 10 but if that nation does what is evil in my eyes, refusing to obey my voice, then I will have a change of heart regarding the good with which I planned to bless it.(E)
11 And now, tell this to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am fashioning evil against you and making a plan. Return, all of you, from your evil way; reform your ways and your deeds.(F)
Psalm 139[a]
The All-knowing and Ever-present God
1 For the leader. A psalm of David.
I
Lord, you have probed me, you know me:
2 you know when I sit and stand;[b](A)
you understand my thoughts from afar.
3 You sift through my travels and my rest;
with all my ways you are familiar.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
Lord, you know it all.
5 Behind and before you encircle me
and rest your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
far too lofty for me to reach.(B)
II
13 You formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.(A)
14 I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works!
My very self you know.
15 My bones are not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
fashioned in the depths of the earth.[a]
16 Your eyes saw me unformed;
in your book all are written down;(B)
my days were shaped, before one came to be.
III
17 How precious to me are your designs, O God;
how vast the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sands;
when I complete them, still you are with me.(C)
Address and Greeting. 1 [a]Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved and our co-worker,(A) 2 to Apphia our sister,[b] to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church at your house.(B) 3 Grace to you and peace[c] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(C)
Thanksgiving. 4 [d](D)I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, 5 as I hear of the love and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones,[e] 6 so that your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us[f] that leads to Christ.(E)
Plea for Onesimus. 7 For I have experienced much joy and encouragement[g] from your love, because the hearts of the holy ones have been refreshed by you, brother.(F) 8 Therefore, although I have the full right[h] in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 I rather urge you out of love, being as I am, Paul, an old man,[i] and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.(G) 10 I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment,(H) 11 who was once useless to you but is now useful[j] to [both] you and me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve[k] me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel,(I) 14 but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.(J) 15 Perhaps this is why he was away from[l] you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man[m] and in the Lord.(K) 17 So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. 18 [n]And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay. May I not tell you that you owe me your very self.(L) 20 Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
21 With trust in your compliance I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
25 Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, 26 (A)“If any one comes to me without hating his father[a] and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.(B) 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.(C) 28 Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? 29 Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him 30 and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ 31 Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 32 But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. 33 In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.(D)
The Simile of Salt.[b]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.