Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

LAMEDH

¹¹ When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all Yahweh’s words, ¹² he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s room; and behold, all the princes were sitting there, Elishama the scribe, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. ¹³ Then Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. ¹⁴ Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come.”

So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came to them. ¹⁵ They said to him, “Sit down now, and read it in our hearing.”

So Baruch read it in their hearing.

¹⁶ Now when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said to Baruch, “We will surely tell the king of all these words.” ¹⁷ They asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us now, how did you write all these words at his mouth?”

¹⁸ Then Baruch answered them, “He dictated all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.”

¹⁹ Then the princes said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah go hide. Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

²⁰ They went in to the king into the court, but they had laid up the scroll in the room of Elishama the scribe. Then they told all the words in the hearing of the king. ²¹ So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the room of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king, and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king. ²² Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, and there was a fire in the brazier burning before him. ²³ When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. ²⁴ The king and his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, and didn’t tear their garments. ²⁵ Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. ²⁶ The king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Yahweh hid them.

² Open your hearts to us. We wronged no one. We corrupted no one. We took advantage of no one. ³ I say this not to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and live together. ⁴ Great is my boldness of speech toward you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I overflow with joy in all our affliction.

⁵ For even when we had come into Macedonia, our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side. Fightings were outside. Fear was inside. ⁶ Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, God, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you while he told us of your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.

⁸ For though I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you grieve, though just for a while. ⁹ I now rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to repentance. For you were grieved in a godly way, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing. ¹⁰ For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world produces death. ¹¹ For behold, this same thing, that you were grieved in a godly way, what earnest care it worked in you. Yes, what defense, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and vindication! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be pure in the matter. ¹² So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be revealed in you in the sight of God.