Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Love for the Law of the Lord

¹⁶ Then the leaders and the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man spoke to us in the name of the Lord our God; he should not be put to death.”

¹⁷ After that, some of the elders stood up and said to the people who had gathered, ^18 (A)“When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the prophet Micah of Moresheth told all the people that the Lord Almighty had said,

and the Temple hill will become a forest.’ ¹⁹ King Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not put Micah to death. Instead, Hezekiah honored the Lord and tried to win his favor. And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he said he would bring on them. Now we are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves.”

²⁰ (There was another man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim, who spoke in the name of the Lord against this city and nation just as Jeremiah did. ²¹ When King Jehoiakim and his soldiers and officials heard what Uriah had said, the king tried to have him killed. But Uriah heard about it; so he fled in terror and escaped to Egypt. ²² King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Achbor and some other men to Egypt to get Uriah. ²³ They brought him back to King Jehoiakim, who had him killed and his body thrown into the public burial ground.)

²⁴ But because I had the support of Ahikam son of Shaphan, I was not handed over to the people and killed.

An Approved Worker

¹⁴ Remind your people of this, and give them a solemn warning in God's presence not to fight over words. It does no good, but only ruins the people who listen. ¹⁵ Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. ¹⁶ Keep away from profane and foolish discussions, which only drive people farther away from God. ¹⁷ Such teaching is like an open sore that eats away the flesh. Two men who have taught such things are Hymenaeus and Philetus. ¹⁸ They have left the way of truth and are upsetting the faith of some believers by saying that our resurrection has already taken place. ^19 (A)But the solid foundation that God has laid cannot be shaken; and on it are written these words: “The Lord knows those who are his” and “Those who say that they belong to the Lord must turn away from wrongdoing.”

²⁰ In a large house there are dishes and bowls of all kinds: some are made of silver and gold, others of wood and clay; some are for special occasions, others for ordinary use. ²¹ Those who make themselves clean from all those evil things, will be used for special purposes, because they are dedicated and useful to their Master, ready to be used for every good deed. ²² Avoid the passions of youth, and strive for righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who with a pure heart call out to the Lord for help. ²³ But keep away from foolish and ignorant arguments; you know that they end up in quarrels. ²⁴ As the Lord's servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, ²⁵ who is gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth. ²⁶ And then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the Devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will.