Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Temple and City Plundered and Burned

^12 (A)Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month (^(B)which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), ^(C)Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ¹³ He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. ¹⁴ And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. ^15 (D)Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poor people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. ¹⁶ But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.

^17 (E)The ^(F)bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸ They also took away ^(G)the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the ^[a]bowls, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. ¹⁹ The basins, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the cups, whatever was solid gold and whatever was solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. ²⁰ The two pillars, one Sea, the twelve bronze bulls which were under it, and the carts, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—^(H)the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. ²¹ Now concerning the ^(I)pillars: the height of one pillar was eighteen ^[b]cubits, a measuring line of twelve cubits could measure its circumference, and its thickness was ^[c]four fingers; it was hollow. ²² A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a network and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar, with pomegranates was the same. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; ^(J)all the pomegranates, all around on the network, were one hundred.

The People Taken Captive to Babylonia

^24 (K)The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, ^(L)Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. ²⁵ He also took out of the city an ^[d]officer who had charge of the men of war, seven men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the principal scribe 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 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

^28 (M)These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: ^(N)in the seventh year, ^(O)three thousand and twenty-three Jews; ^29 (P)in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons; ³⁰ in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five persons. All the persons were four thousand six hundred.

The Compromising Church

¹² “And to the ^[a]angel of the church in Pergamos write,

‘These things says ^(A)He who has the sharp two-edged sword: ¹³ “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of ^(B)Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, ^(C)to eat things sacrificed to idols, ^(D)and to commit sexual immorality. ¹⁵ Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, ^[b]which thing I hate. ¹⁶ Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and ^(E)will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

¹⁷ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden ^(F)manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone ^(G)a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’

The Corrupt Church

¹⁸ “And to the ^[c]angel of the church in Thyatira write,

‘These things says the Son of God, ^(H)who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: ^19 (I)“I know your works, love, ^[d]service, faith, and your ^[e]patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. ²⁰ Nevertheless I have ^[f]a few things against you, because you allow ^[g]that woman ^(J)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, ^[h]to teach and seduce My servants ^(K)to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ²¹ And I gave her time ^(L)to ^[i]repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. ²² Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of ^[j]their deeds. ²³ I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who ^(M)searches^[k] the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

²⁴ “Now to you I say, ^[l]and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the ^(N)depths of Satan, as they say, ^(O)I ^[m]will put on you no other burden. ²⁵ But hold fast ^(P)what you have till I come. ²⁶ And he who overcomes, and keeps ^(Q)My works until the end, ^(R)to him I will give power over the nations—

as I also have received from My Father; ²⁸ and I will give him ^(T)the morning star.

²⁹ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’