Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Jeremiah Buys a Field

32 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. It came in the 10th year that Zedekiah was king of Judah. It was in the 18th year of the rule of Nebuchadnezzar. ² The armies of the king of Babylon were getting ready to attack Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was being held as a prisoner. He was kept in the courtyard of the guard. It was part of Judah’s royal palace.

³ Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had made Jeremiah a prisoner there. Zedekiah had said to him, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘The Lord says, “I am about to hand over this city to the king of Babylon. He will capture it.

⁶ Jeremiah said, “A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ⁷ ‘Hanamel is going to come to you. He is the son of your uncle Shallum. Hanamel will say, “Buy my field at Anathoth. You are my closest relative. So it’s your right and duty to buy it.” ’

⁸ “Then my cousin Hanamel came to me. I was in the courtyard of the guard. It happened just as the Lord had said it would. Hanamel said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth. It is in the territory of Benjamin. It is your right to buy it and own it. So buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the Lord’s message. ⁹ So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver for him. ¹⁰ I signed and sealed the deed of purchase. I had some people witness everything. And I weighed out the silver on the scales. ¹¹ There were two copies of the deed. One was sealed and the other wasn’t. The deed included the terms and conditions of the sale. ¹² I gave Baruch the copies of the deed. My cousin Hanamel saw me do this. The witnesses who had signed the deed were there too. So were all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard. Baruch was the son of Neriah. Neriah was the son of Mahseiah.

¹³ “I gave Baruch directions in front of all of them. I said, ¹⁴ ‘The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Take this deed of purchase. Take the sealed and unsealed copies. Put them in a clay jar. Then they will last a long time.” ¹⁵ The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” ’

⁶ You gain a lot when you live a godly life. But you must be happy with what you have. ⁷ We didn’t bring anything into the world. We can’t take anything out of it. ⁸ If we have food and clothing, we will be happy with that. ⁹ People who want to get rich are tempted. They fall into a trap. They are tripped up by wanting many foolish and harmful things. Those who live like that are dragged down by what they do. They are destroyed and die. ¹⁰ Love for money causes all kinds of evil. Some people want to get rich. They have wandered away from the faith. They have wounded themselves with many sorrows.

Paul Gives a Final Command to Timothy

¹¹ But you are a man of God. Run away from all these things. Try hard to do what is right and godly. Have faith, love and gentleness. Hold on to what you believe. ¹² Fight the good fight along with all other believers. Take hold of eternal life. You were chosen for it when you openly told others what you believe. Many witnesses heard you. ¹³ God gives life to everything. Christ Jesus told the truth when he was a witness in front of Pontius Pilate. In the sight of God and Christ, I give you a command. ¹⁴ Obey it until our Lord Jesus Christ appears. Obey it completely. Then no one can find fault with it or you. ¹⁵ God will bring Jesus back at a time that pleases him. God is the blessed and only Ruler. He is the greatest King of all. He is the most powerful Lord of all. ¹⁶ God is the only one who can’t die. He lives in light that no one can get close to. No one has seen him. No one can see him. Honor and power belong to him forever. Amen.

¹⁷ Command people who are rich in this world not to be proud. Tell them not to put their hope in riches. Wealth is so uncertain. Command those who are rich to put their hope in God. He richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ Command the rich to do what is good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. They must give freely. They must be willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way, they will store up true riches for themselves. It will provide a firm basis for the next life. Then they will take hold of the life that really is life.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “Once there was a rich man. He was dressed in purple cloth and fine linen. He lived an easy life every day. ²⁰ A man named Lazarus was placed at his gate. Lazarus was a beggar. His body was covered with sores. ²¹ Even dogs came and licked his sores. All he wanted was to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.

²² “The time came when the beggar died. The angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In the place of the dead, the rich man was suffering terribly. He looked up and saw Abraham far away. Lazarus was by his side. ²⁴ So the rich man called out, ‘Father Abraham! Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water. Then he can cool my tongue with it. I am in terrible pain in this fire.’

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember what happened in your lifetime. You received your good things. Lazarus received bad things. Now he is comforted here, and you are in terrible pain. ²⁶ Besides, a wide space has been placed between us and you. So those who want to go from here to you can’t go. And no one can cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “The rich man answered, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham. Send Lazarus to my family. ²⁸ I have five brothers. Let Lazarus warn them. Then they will not come to this place of terrible suffering.’

²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have the teachings of Moses and the Prophets. Let your brothers listen to them.’

³⁰ “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will turn away from their sins.’

³¹ “Abraham said to him, ‘They do not listen to Moses and the Prophets. So they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”