Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A psalm by David.
143 O Lord, listen to my prayer.
Open your ears to hear my urgent requests.
Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.
2 Do not take me to court for judgment,
because there is no one alive
who is righteous in your presence.
3 The enemy has pursued me.
He has ground my life into the dirt.
He has made me live in dark places
like those who have died long ago.
4 That is why I begin to lose hope
and my heart is in a state of shock.
5 I remember the days long ago.
I reflect on all that you have done.
I carefully consider what your hands have made.
6 I stretch out my hands to you in prayer.
Like parched land, my soul thirsts for you. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord.
My spirit is worn out.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I will be like those who go into the pit.
8 Let me hear about your mercy in the morning,
because I trust you.
Let me know the way that I should go,
because I long for you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord.
I come to you for protection.
10 Teach me to do your will, because you are my God.
May your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 O Lord, keep me alive for the sake of your name.
Because you are righteous, lead me out of trouble.
12 In keeping with your mercy, wipe out my enemies
and destroy all who torment me,
because I am your servant.
Jeremiah Buys a Field
32 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah during Zedekiah’s tenth year as king of Judah. (This was Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year as king.) 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was blockading Jerusalem.
The prophet Jeremiah was locked up in the courtyard of the prison. This prison was in the palace of the king of Judah. 3 When King Zedekiah of Judah locked up Jeremiah, Zedekiah asked him, “Why are you prophesying? You are saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. He will talk to Nebuchadnezzar in person and look him in the eye. 5 Nebuchadnezzar will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and Zedekiah will stay there until I deal with him, declares the Lord. When you fight the Babylonians, you won’t win.’ ”
6 Jeremiah said, “The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 7 ‘Jeremiah, your cousin Hanamel, son of Shallum, is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth, because as the closest relative it is your responsibility to buy it.” ’
8 “Then, as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the prison. He said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. It is your responsibility to purchase it, because the rights of the closest relative belong to you. Buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that the Lord had spoken to me.
9 “So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and gave him the money. The field cost seven ounces of silver.
36 “You have said this about the city, ‘Because of wars, famines, and plagues it will be handed over to the king of Babylon.’ Now this is what the Lord God of Israel says: 37 I am going to gather the people from all the lands where I scattered them in my anger, fury, and terrifying wrath. I will bring them back to this place and make them live here securely. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them the same attitude and the same purpose so that they will fear me as long as they live. This will be for their own good and for the good of their children. 40 I will make an eternal promise [a] to them that I will never stop blessing them. I will make them fear me so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will enjoy blessing them. With all my heart and soul I will faithfully plant them in this land.
The Dead Come Back to Life(A)
23 On that day some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him, 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’ 25 There were seven brothers among us. The first married and died. Since he had no children, he left his widow to his brother. 26 The second brother also died, as well as the third, and the rest of the seven brothers. 27 At last the woman died. 28 Now, when the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers had been married to her.”
29 Jesus answered, “You’re mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power. 30 When people come back to life, they don’t marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven. 31 Haven’t you read what God told you about the dead coming back to life? He said, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ He’s not the God of the dead but of the living.”
33 He amazed the crowds who heard his teaching.
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