Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Destruction of the Temple^(A)

¹² On the tenth day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Nebuzaradan, adviser to the king and commander of his army, entered Jerusalem. ^13 (B)He burned down the Temple, the palace, and the houses of all the important people in Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and his soldiers tore down the city walls. ¹⁵ Then Nebuzaradan took away to Babylonia^[a] the people who were left in the city, the remaining skilled workers, and those who had deserted to the Babylonians. ¹⁶ But he left in Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and he put them to work in the vineyards and fields.

^17 (C)The Babylonians broke in pieces the bronze columns and the carts that were in the Temple, together with the large bronze tank, and they took all the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸ They also took away the shovels and the ash containers used in cleaning the altar, the tools used in tending the lamps, the bowls used for catching the blood from the sacrifices, the bowls used for burning incense, and all the other bronze articles used in the Temple service. ¹⁹ They took away everything that was made of gold or silver: the small bowls, the pans used for carrying live coals, the bowls for holding the blood from the sacrifices, the ash containers, the lampstands, the bowls used for incense, and the bowls used for pouring out wine offerings. ²⁰ The bronze objects that King Solomon had made for the Temple—the two columns, the carts, the large tank, and the twelve bulls that supported it—were too heavy to weigh. ^21-22 The two columns were identical: each one was 27 feet high and 18 feet around. They were hollow, and the metal was 3 inches thick. On top of each column was a bronze capital 7½ feet high, and all around it was a grillwork decorated with pomegranates, all of which was also made of bronze. ²³ On the grillwork of each column there were a hundred pomegranates in all, and ninety-six of these were visible from the ground.

The People of Judah Are Taken to Babylonia^(D)

²⁴ In addition, Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, took away as prisoners Seraiah the High Priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three other important Temple officials. ²⁵ From the city he took the officer who had been in command of the troops, seven of the king's personal advisers who were still in the city, the commander's assistant, who was in charge of military records, and sixty other important men. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan took them to the king of Babylonia, who was in the city of Riblah ²⁷ in the territory of Hamath. There the king had them beaten and put to death.

So the people of Judah were carried away from their land into exile. ²⁸ This is the record of the people that Nebuchadnezzar took away as prisoners: in his seventh year as king he carried away 3,023; ²⁹ in his eighteenth year, 832 from Jerusalem; ³⁰ and in his twenty-third year, 745—taken away by Nebuzaradan. In all, 4,600 people were taken away.

The Message to Pergamum

¹² “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

“This is the message from the one who has the sharp two-edged sword. ¹³ I know where you live, there where Satan has his throne. You are true to me, and you did not abandon your faith in me even during the time when Antipas, my faithful witness, was killed there where Satan lives. ^14 (A)But there are a few things I have against you: there are some among you who follow the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak how to lead the people of Israel into sin by persuading them to eat food that had been offered to idols and to practice sexual immorality. ¹⁵ In the same way you have people among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Now turn from your sins! If you don't, I will come to you soon and fight against those people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.

^17 (B)“If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

“To those who win the victory I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone on which is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

The Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

“This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes blaze like fire, whose feet shine like polished brass. ¹⁹ I know what you do. I know your love, your faithfulness, your service, and your patience. I know that you are doing more now than you did at first. ^20 (C)But this is what I have against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a messenger of God. By her teaching she misleads my servants into practicing sexual immorality and eating food that has been offered to idols. ²¹ I have given her time to repent of her sins, but she does not want to turn from her immorality. ²² And so I will throw her on a bed where she and those who committed adultery with her will suffer terribly. I will do this now unless they repent of the wicked things they did with her. ^23 (D)I will also kill her followers, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who knows everyone's thoughts and wishes. I will repay each of you according to what you have done.

²⁴ “But the rest of you in Thyatira have not followed this evil teaching; you have not learned what the others call ‘the deep secrets of Satan.’ I say to you that I will not put any other burden on you. ²⁵ But until I come, you must hold firmly to what you have. ^26-28 (E)To those who win the victory, who continue to the end to do what I want, I will give the same authority that I received from my Father: I will give them authority over the nations, to rule them with an iron rod and to break them to pieces like clay pots. I will also give them the morning star.

²⁹ “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!