Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
89 [a]Your word, O Lord, is everlasting;
it is firmly fixed in the heavens.[b]
90 Your faithfulness lasts through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
91 By your judgments all creatures continue to exist,
for they are all your servants.
92 [c]If your law had not been my delight,
I would have already perished in my misery.
93 Never will I forget your commands,
for through them you have given me life.
94 I am yours; save me,
for I seek your commandments.
95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I continue to ponder your decrees.
96 I have seen that every perfection is limited,
but your precept is unlimited.[d]
Mem
11 When Micaiah, the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord that had been read from the scroll, 12 he went down to the king’s palace and entered the scribe’s chamber, where all the officials were in session: 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 other officials.
13 After Micaiah had reported to them all that he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll to the people, 14 the officials then sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shemaliah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Come to us and bring with you the scroll that you read publicly to the people.” Holding the scroll in his hand, Baruch, the son of Neriah, came into their presence.
15 “Sit down,” they said to him, “and read it to us.” Baruch read it to them, 16 and when they had heard all the words, they turned to one another in alarm and said to Baruch, “We must certainly report this to the king.”
17 They then asked Baruch, “Please tell us how you came to write all these words. Were they dictated to you by Jeremiah?” 18 Baruch replied, “Jeremiah dictated all these words, and I wrote them down in ink on the scroll.” 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must go into hiding, and be extremely careful not to let anyone know where you are.”
20 Leaving the scroll in the room of Elishama the scribe, the officials then went to the court of the king, and they reported all that had occurred. 21 The king sent Jehudi for the scroll, and he brought it from the room of Elishama the scribe and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him.
22 Since it was the ninth month of the year, the king was sitting in his winter residence, and there was a fire burning in a brazier in front of him. 23 Each time Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king would cut them off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the fire in the brazier until the entire scroll was finally consumed in the brazier’s flames.
24 However, despite hearing all these words, neither the king nor any of his officials showed the slightest alarm, nor did they tear their garments. 25 And although Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, he refused to listen to them. 26 Then the king ordered his son Jerahmeel, and Seraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the Lord had hidden them.
Trust Reestablished. 2 Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I have already told you that your place in our hearts is secure, so that we will live together and we will die together. 4 I have great confidence in you, and I boast about you with intense pride. Despite all of our afflictions, I am greatly encouraged and overflowing with joy.
5 [a]Even when we arrived in Macedonia, we were unable to rest our bodies, for we were afflicted in every way: conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus— 7 and not merely by his arrival but also by the encouragement he received from you. He told us of your longing for me, your deep regrets, and your zeal for me, all of which cause me even greater joy.
8 Even if I did cause you sorrow with my letter, I do not regret it. I did regret this letter briefly, but, having come to realize that you were sorrowful only for a short time, 9 I now am able to rejoice, not because you were grieved but because your sorrow led to repentance. For you were sorrowful in a godly way and so received no harm because of us. 10 Such godly sorrow results in repentance that leads to salvation and causes no regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death.
11 For see what earnestness this godly sorrow has produced for you, what eagerness to repent, what indignation, what fear, what yearning, what zeal, what desire to see justice done. In every way, you have proved your innocence in this matter.
12 Therefore, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who committed the offense or on account of the one who was wronged, but rather that you should be fully aware of your zeal for us in the sight of God.
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