Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 91[a]
91 As for you, the one who lives[b] in the shelter of the Most High,[c]
and resides in the protective shadow[d] of the Sovereign One[e]—
2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,
my God in whom I trust—
3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter[f]
and from the destructive plague.
4 He will shelter you[g] with his wings;[h]
you will find safety under his wings.
His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.[i]
5 You need not fear the terrors of the night,[j]
the arrow that flies by day,
6 the plague that stalks in the darkness,
or the disease that ravages at noon.[k]
14 The Lord says,[a]
“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;
I will protect him[b] because he is loyal to me.[c]
15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him honor.
16 I will satisfy him with long life,[d]
and will let him see my salvation.”
Good Figs and Bad Figs
24 The Lord showed me two baskets of figs sitting before his temple. This happened after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported Jehoiakim’s son, King Jeconiah of Judah. He deported him and the leaders of Judah from Jerusalem, along with the craftsmen and metal workers, and took them to Babylon.[a] 2 One basket had very good-looking figs in it. They looked like those that had ripened early.[b] The other basket had very bad-looking figs in it, so bad they could not be eaten. 3 The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see figs. The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”
4 The Lord’s message came to me, 5 “I, the Lord, the God of Israel, say: ‘The exiles of Judah whom I sent away from here to the land of Babylon[c] are like those good figs. I consider them to be good. 6 I will look after their welfare[d] and will restore them to this land. There I will build them up and will not tear them down. I will plant them firmly in the land[e] and will not uproot them.[f] 7 I will give them the desire to acknowledge that I[g] am the Lord. I will be their God and they will be my people. For they will wholeheartedly[h] return to me.’
8 “I, the Lord, also solemnly assert: ‘King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people who remain in Jerusalem or who have gone to live in Egypt are like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.[i] 9 I will bring such disaster on them that all the kingdoms of the earth will be horrified. I will make them an object of reproach, a proverbial example of disaster. I will make them an object of ridicule, an example to be used in curses.[j] That is how they will be remembered wherever I banish them.[k] 10 I will bring war, starvation, and disease[l] on them until they are completely destroyed from the land I gave them and their ancestors.’”[m]
43 Then[a] they were all astonished at the mighty power[b] of God.
Another Prediction of Jesus’ Suffering
But while the entire crowd[c] was amazed at everything Jesus[d] was doing, he said to his disciples, 44 “Take these words to heart,[e] for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.”[f] 45 But they did not understand this statement; its meaning[g] had been concealed[h] from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet[i] they were afraid to ask him about this statement.
Concerning the Greatest
46 Now an argument started among the disciples[j] as to which of them might be[k] the greatest. 47 But when Jesus discerned their innermost thoughts,[l] he took a child, had him stand by[m] his side, 48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes[n] this child[o] in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.”[p]
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