Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy

¹² Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ¹³ He burned down the house of the Lord and the king’s palace and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house or important structure he set on fire. ¹⁴ So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took away into exile some of the poorest of the people, those who were left in the city [at the time it was captured], along with those who deserted to join the king of Babylon [during the siege] and the rest of the artisans. ¹⁶ But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

¹⁷ Now the Chaldeans broke into pieces the pillars of bronze which belonged to the house of the Lord, and the bronze pedestals [which supported the ten basins] and the [enormous] bronze Sea, which were in the house of the Lord, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸ They also took away the pots [for carrying away ashes] and the shovels and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. ¹⁹ The captain of the guard also took away the [small] bowls and the firepans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the incense cups and the bowls for the drink offerings—whatever was made of fine gold and whatever was made of fine silver. ²⁰ The two pillars, the one [enormous] Sea (basin), and ^[a]the twelve bronze bulls under the Sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these things was beyond weighing. ²¹ Concerning the pillars, the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits (twenty-seven feet), and a line [an ornamental molding] of twelve cubits (eighteen feet) went around its circumference; it was four fingers thick, and [the pillar was] hollow. ²² A capital of bronze was on [top of] it. The height of each capital was five cubits (seven and one-half feet), with a lattice-work and pomegranates around it, all of bronze. The second pillar also, with its pomegranates, was similar to these. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; and a hundred pomegranates were on the lattice-work all around.

²⁴ Then the captain of the guard took [as prisoners] Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest and the three doorkeepers. ²⁵ He also took out of the city one official who was overseer of the soldiers, and seven of the king’s advisers who were found in the city, and the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men who were still in the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was led away into exile from its own land.

²⁸ This is the number of people whom Nebuchadnezzar took captive and exiled: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews; ²⁹ in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, [he took captive] 832 persons from Jerusalem; ³⁰ in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the [Babylonian] guard took captive 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.

Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[a]Pergamum write:

“These are the words of Him who has and wields the sharp two-edged sword [in judgment]:

¹³ ‘I know where you dwell, [a place] where Satan sits enthroned. Yet you are holding fast to My name, and you did not deny ^[b]My faith even in the days of ^[c]Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed (martyred) among you, where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But I have a few things against you, because you have there some [among you] who are holding to the [corrupt] teaching of Balaam, who taught ^[d]Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, [enticing them] to eat things that had been sacrificed to idols and to commit [acts of sexual] ^[e]immorality.^{(A) 15} You also have some who in the same way are holding to the teaching of the ^[f]Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war and fight against them with the sword of My mouth [in judgment]. ¹⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], to him I will give [the privilege of eating] some of the ^[g]hidden manna, and I will give him a ^[h]white stone with a new name engraved on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.’^(B)

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[i]Thyatira write:

“These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes [that flash] like a flame of fire [in righteous judgment], and whose feet are like burnished [white-hot] bronze:^(C)

¹⁹ ‘I know your deeds, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your last deeds are more numerous and greater than the first. ²⁰ But I have this [charge] against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and she teaches and misleads My bond-servants so that they commit [acts of sexual] immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols.^{(D) 21} I gave her time to repent [to change her inner self and her sinful way of thinking], but she has no desire to repent of her immorality and refuses to do so. ^22 [j]Listen carefully, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her [I will bring] into great anguish, unless they repent of her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children (followers) with ^[k]pestilence [thoroughly annihilating them], and all the churches will know [without any doubt] that I am He who searches the ^[l]minds and hearts [the innermost thoughts, purposes]; and I will give to each one of you [a reward or punishment] according to your deeds.^{(E) 24} But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not explored and known the ^[m]depths of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you, ²⁵ except to hold tightly to what you have until I come. ²⁶ And he who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] and he who keeps My deeds [doing things that please Me] until the [very] end, to him I will give authority and power over the nations;^{(F) 27} and he shall shepherd and rule them with a rod of iron, as the earthen pots are broken in pieces, as I also have received authority [and power to rule them] from My Father;^{(G) 28} and I will give him the ^[n]Morning Star. ²⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’