Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

O God, Do Not Forsake Me

Zedekiah Reigns over Judah

^11 (A)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹² And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh his God; ^(B)he did not humble himself ^(C)before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke from the mouth of Yahweh. ^13 (D)He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. But ^(E)he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people were very unfaithful following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of Yahweh which He had set apart as holy in Jerusalem.

The Chaldeans Destroy Jerusalem

¹⁵ And Yahweh, the God of their fathers, ^(F)sent word to them ^[a]again and again by the hand of His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His habitation; ¹⁶ but they continually ^(G)mocked the messengers of God, ^(H)despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, ^(I)until the wrath of Yahweh arose against His people, until there was no remedy. ^17 (J)Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who killed their choice men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on choice man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand. ^18 (K)And all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king and of his officials, he brought them all to Babylon. ¹⁹ Then ^(L)they burned the house of God and tore down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. ²⁰ And those who had escaped from the sword he ^(M)took away into exile to Babylon; and ^(N)they were slaves to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, ^21 (O)to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until ^(P)the land had made up for its sabbaths. ^(Q)All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath ^[b](R)until seventy years were fulfilled.

^43 (A)On the next day, He desired to go into ^(B)Galilee, and He *found ^(C)Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “^(D)Follow Me.” ⁴⁴ Now ^(E)Philip was from ^(F)Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ^45 (G)Philip *found ^(H)Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom ^(I)Moses in the Law and also ^(J)the Prophets wrote—Jesus of ^(K)Nazareth, ^(L)the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ And Nathanael said to him, “^(M)Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” ^(N)Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said about him, “Behold, truly an ^(O)Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael *said to Him, “From where do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before ^(P)Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered Him, “^(Q)Rabbi, You are ^(R)the Son of God; You are the ^(S)King of Israel.” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see ^(T)the heavens opened and ^(U)the angels of God ascending and descending on ^(V)the Son of Man.”