Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for Rescue from the Treacherous.
A Song of [a]Ascents.
18 (A)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was (B)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (C)in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For it was (D)due to the anger of the Lord that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them out of His presence. And (E)Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem
25 (F)Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, (G)Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and (H)built a siege wall all around [a]it. 2 So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month (I)the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 (J)Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls that were beside (K)the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And [b]they went by way of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then (L)they captured the king and (M)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (N)Riblah, and he [c]passed sentence on him. 7 And (O)they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then (P)put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon.
Jerusalem Burned and Plundered
8 (Q)Now on the seventh day of the (R)fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And (S)he burned the house of the Lord, (T)the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. 10 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the bodyguards (U)tore down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, led into exile (V)the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the [d]people. 12 But the captain of the bodyguards left some of (W)the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
13 (X)Now the Chaldeans smashed to pieces the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and (Y)the bronze [e]Sea which were in the house of the Lord, and carried the [f]bronze to Babylon. 14 (Z)And they took away the pots, the shovels, the [g]shears, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils [h]which were used in temple service. 15 The captain of the bodyguards also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 16 The two pillars, the one Sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—[i](AA)the bronze of all these articles was too heavy to weigh. 17 (AB)The height of the one pillar was [j]eighteen cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was [k]three cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, same features with latticework.
18 Then the captain of the bodyguards took (AC)Seraiah the chief priest and (AD)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [l]doorkeepers. 19 And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and (AE)five [m]of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the [n]scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at (AF)Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. (AG)So Judah went into exile from its land.
The Order of Resurrection
20 But the fact is, Christ (A)has been raised from the dead, the (B)first fruits of those who (C)are asleep. 21 For since (D)by a man death came, by a Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For (E)as in Adam all die, so also in [a]Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ (F)the first fruits, after that (G)those who are Christ’s at (H)His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over (I)the kingdom to our (J)God and Father, when He has abolished (K)all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign (L)until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be (M)abolished is death. 27 For (N)He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “(O)All things are put in subjection,” it is clear that [b]this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When (P)all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that (Q)God may be all in all.
29 For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized [c]for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized [d]for them? 30 Why are we also (R)in danger every hour? 31 I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that (S)I die daily. 32 If [e]from human motives I (T)fought with wild beasts at (U)Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, (V)let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 (W)Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 (X)Sober up [f]morally and stop sinning, for some have (Y)no knowledge of God. (Z)I say this to your shame.
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