Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Our Hope—His Faithfulness

¹² Now in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month—which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard came into Jerusalem to represent the king of Babylon. ¹³ Then he burned the House of Adonai, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He burned every large house with fire. ¹⁴ Then all the Chaldean army, which was with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around.

¹⁵ Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and what remained of the craftsmen. ¹⁶ But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

¹⁷ The Chaldeans smashed the bronze pillars of the House of Adonai, the stands and the bronze sea that were in the House of Adonai, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸ The pots, the shovels, the wick trimmers, the basins, the pans, and all the bronze articles for Temple service, they also took away. ¹⁹ The cups, the fire-pans, the basins, the pots, the menorot, the pans, and the drink offering bowls—whatever was gold or silver—the captain of the guard took away.

²⁰ As for the two pillars, one sea, and twelve bronze bulls that were under the stands that King Solomon had made for the House of Adonai—all these articles had bronze beyond weighing. ²¹ The height of one pillar was 18 cubits and it was twelve cubits in circumference and four fingers in its thickness—it was hollow. ²² There was a bronze capital on it—the height of one capital was five cubits, with latticework and pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with pomegranates. ²³ There were 96 pomegranates on the outside; including all the pomegranates around the lattice, there were 100.

²⁴ Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the kohen gadol, and Zephaniah the second kohen, and the three doorkeepers. ²⁵ From the city he took an officer who had been appointed over the men of war as well as seven men who saw the king’s face, who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army, who enlisted people of the land, and 60 men of the people of the land who were found within the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

²⁷ The king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Then Judah was led away into exile from its land.

²⁸ These are the people whom Nebucha-dnez-zar carried away captive: in the seventh year 3,023 Jews; ²⁹ in Nebuchadnez-zar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; ³⁰ in the Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard exiled 745 of the Jews—all together 4,600 people.

Pergamum: Beware the Trap of Balaam

¹² To the angel of Messiah’s community in Pergamum write: “Thus says the One who has the sharp two-edged sword: ^{[a] 13} I know where you live—where satan’s throne is. Yet you continue to hold firm to My name, and you did not deny your faith in Me even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness, who was killed among you, where satan resides.

¹⁴ “But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who was teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before Bnei-Yisrael, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. ^{[b] 15} Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Repent then! If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of My mouth. ¹⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities. To the one who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna,^[c] and I will give him a white stone—and written on the stone a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.”^[d]

Thyatira: Do Not Tolerate Jezebel

¹⁸ To the angel of Messiah’s community in Thyatira write: “Thus says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like polished bronze: ¹⁹ I know your deeds and your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your last deeds are greater than the first.

²⁰ “But this I have against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel,^[e] who calls herself a prophetess—yet she is teaching and deceiving My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. ²¹ I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation—unless they repent of her doings. ²³ I will also strike her children with a deadly disease. Then all of Messiah’s communities will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts,^[f] and I will give to each of you according to your deeds.

²⁴ “But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to this teaching and have not learned the so-called ‘deep things’ of satan—I place on you no other burden. ²⁵ Only hold firm to what you have until I come. ²⁶ To the one who overcomes and guards My deeds until the end,

‘I will give him authority over the nations

²⁷ and he shall rule them with an iron rod,

as when clay pots are broken into pieces.’^[g]

²⁸ Even as I have received from My Father, so I will give him the morning star. ²⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities.”