Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy

^12 (A)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the ^(B)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, ^(C)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, ^[a]who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ¹³ He ^(D)burned the house of the Lord, the ^(E)king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. ¹⁴ So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard ^(F)broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard ^(G)carried away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the ^[b](H)deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the artisans. ¹⁶ But ^(I)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and ^[c]plowmen.

¹⁷ Now the bronze ^(J)pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the ^(K)stands and the bronze ^(L)sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸ They also took away the ^(M)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the ^[d]pans and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. ¹⁹ The captain of the guard also took away the ^(N)bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the ^[e]pans and the drink offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. ²⁰ The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under ^[f]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was ^(O)beyond weight. ²¹ As for the pillars, the ^(P)height of each pillar was eighteen ^[g]cubits, and ^[h]it was twelve cubits in ^(Q)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. ²² Now a ^(R)capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and ^(S)pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. ²³ There were ninety-six ^[i]exposed pomegranates; all ^(T)the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the network all around.

²⁴ Then the captain of the guard took ^(U)Seraiah the chief priest and ^(V)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three ^[j](W)officers of the temple. ²⁵ He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven ^[k]of the ^(X)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 of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and ^(Y)brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ Then the king of Babylon ^(Z)struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was ^(AA)led away into exile from its land.

²⁸ These are the people whom ^(AB)Nebuchadnezzar carried away into exile: in the ^[l]seventh year 3,023 Jews; ²⁹ in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; ³⁰ in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, ^(AC)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.

Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in ^(A)Pergamum write:

The One who has ^(B)the sharp two-edged sword says this:

¹³ ‘I know where you dwell, where ^(C)Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny ^(D)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My ^(E)witness, My ^(F)faithful one, who was killed among you, ^(G)where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But ^(H)I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the ^(I)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, ^(J)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ¹⁵ So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the ^(K)Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(L)repent; or else ^(M)I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with ^(N)the sword of My mouth. ^17 (O)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(P)To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden ^(Q)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a ^(R)new name written on the stone ^(S)which no one knows but he who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(T)Thyatira write:

^(U)The Son of God, ^(V)who has ^[a]eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

¹⁹ ‘^(W)I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and ^[b]perseverance, and that your ^[c]deeds of late are greater than ^[d]at first. ²⁰ But ^(X)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman ^(Y)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they ^(Z)commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ^21 (AA)I gave her time to repent, and she ^(AB)does not want to repent of her immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her ^[e]on a bed of sickness, and those who ^(AC)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of ^[f]her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children with ^[g]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who ^(AD)searches the ^[h]minds and hearts; and ^(AE)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ²⁴ But I say to you, the rest who are in ^(AF)Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the ^(AG)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I ^(AH)place no other burden on you. ²⁵ Nevertheless ^(AI)what you have, hold fast ^(AJ)until I come. ^26 (AK)He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds ^(AL)until the end, ^(AM)to him I will give authority over the ^[i]nations; ²⁷ and he shall ^[j](AN)rule them with a rod of iron, ^(AO)as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; ²⁸ and I will give him ^(AP)the morning star. ^29 (AQ)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’