Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁶ The judges and the other people told the priests and prophets, “Since Jeremiah only told us what the Lord our God had said, we don't think he deserves to die.”

¹⁷ Then some of the leaders from other towns stepped forward. They told the crowd that ^18 (A) years ago when Hezekiah^[a] was king of Judah, a prophet named Micah from the town of Moresheth had said:

¹⁹ Then the leaders continued:

No one put Micah to death for saying that. Instead, King Hezekiah prayed to the Lord with fear and trembling and asked him to have mercy. Then the Lord decided not to destroy Jerusalem, even though he had already said he would.

People of Judah, if Jeremiah is killed, we will bring a terrible disaster on ourselves.

^20-24 After these leaders finished speaking, an important man named Ahikam son of Shaphan spoke up for me as well. And so, I wasn't handed over to the crowd to be killed.

Uriah the Prophet

While Jehoiakim^[c] was still king of Judah, a man named Uriah son of Shemaiah left his hometown of Kiriath-Jearim and came to Jerusalem. Uriah was one of the Lord's prophets, and he was saying the same things about Judah and Jerusalem that I had been saying. And when Jehoiakim and his officials and military officers heard what Uriah said, they tried to arrest him, but he escaped to Egypt. So Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor and some other men after Uriah, and they brought him back. Then Jehoiakim had Uriah killed and his body dumped in a common burial pit.

An Approved Worker

¹⁴ Don't let anyone forget these things. And with God^[a] as your witness, you must warn them not to argue about words. These arguments don't help anyone. In fact, they ruin everyone who listens to them. ¹⁵ Do your best to win God's approval as a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message.

¹⁶ Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God. ¹⁷ That sort of talk is like a sore that won't heal. And Hymenaeus and Philetus have been talking this way ¹⁸ by teaching that the dead have already been raised to life. This is far from the truth, and it is destroying the faith of some people.

¹⁹ But the foundation God has laid is solid. On it is written, “The Lord knows who his people are. So everyone who worships the Lord must turn away from evil.”

²⁰ In a large house some dishes are made of gold or silver, while others are made of wood or clay. Some of these are special, and others are not. ²¹ This is also how it is with people. The ones who stop doing evil and make themselves pure will become special. Their lives will be holy and pleasing to their Master, and they will be able to do all kinds of good deeds.

²² Run from temptations that capture young people. Always do the right thing. Be faithful, loving, and easy to get along with. Worship with people whose hearts are pure. ²³ Stay away from stupid and senseless arguments. These only lead to trouble, ²⁴ and God's servants must not be troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers and very patient.

²⁵ Be humble when you correct people who oppose you. Maybe God will lead them to turn to him and learn the truth. ²⁶ They have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape.