Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹² In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was also the nineteenth year of King N’vukhadretzar, king of Bavel, N’vuzar’adan, the commander of the guard and a close associate of the king of Bavel, entered Yerushalayim. ¹³ He burned down the house of Adonai, the royal palace and all the houses in Yerushalayim — every notable person’s house he burned to the ground. ¹⁴ The whole army of the Kasdim, who were with the commander of the guard, broke down all the walls of Yerushalayim on every side. ¹⁵ N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard then deported some of the poor people, the remaining population of the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Bavel and the rest of the common people. ¹⁶ But N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard left behind some of the poor people of the land to be vineyard-workers and farmers.

¹⁷ The Kasdim smashed the bronze columns of the house of Adonai, also the trolleys and bronze Sea that were in the house of Adonai, and carried their bronze to Bavel. ¹⁸ They also took away the pots, shovels, snuffers, basins, pans, and all the bronze articles they had used in worship. ¹⁹ The commander of the guard took the cups, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, menorahs, pans and bowls — everything made of gold and everything made of silver. ²⁰ The bronze in the two columns, the one Sea, and the twelve bronze bulls under the bases, all of which Shlomo had made for the house of Adonai, was more than could be weighed. ²¹ As for the columns, the height of one column was thirty-one-and-a-half feet; it took a twenty-one-foot measuring line to go around it; and its thickness was four fingers — it was hollow. ²² On it was a capital of brass eight-and-three quarters feet high, with netting and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze; the second column was similar, also with pomegranates. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on the outside; while the total number of pomegranates in the netting was one hundred.

²⁴ The commander of the guard took [prisoner] S’rayah the chief cohen, Tz’fanyah the second-ranking cohen, and three doorkeepers. ²⁵ From the city he took an official in charge of the soldiers, seven close associates of the king who had been found in the city, the army commander’s secretary in charge of military conscription, and sixty of the common people found inside the city. ²⁶ N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Bavel in Rivlah. ²⁷ There in Rivlah, in the land of Hamat, the king of Bavel had them put to death. Thus Y’hudah was carried away captive out of his land.

²⁸ The numbers of people deported by N’vukhadretzar were as follows: in the seventh year, 3,023 persons from Y’hudah; ²⁹ in the eighteenth year of N’vukhadretzar, 832 persons from Yerushalayim; ³⁰ and in the twenty-third year of N’vukhadretzar, N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard deported 745 persons from Y’hudah; the total comes to 4,600 persons.

¹² “To the angel of the Messianic Community in Pergamum, write: ‘Here is the message from the one who has the sharp double-edged sword: ¹³ “I know where you are living, there where the Adversary’s throne is. Yet you are holding onto my name. You did not deny trusting me even at the time when my faithful witness Antipas was put to death in your town, there where the Adversary lives. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have some people who hold to the teaching of Bil‘am, who taught Balak to set a trap for the people of Isra’el, so that they would eat food that had been sacrificed to idols and commit sexual sin. ¹⁵ Likewise, you too have people who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore, turn from these sins. Otherwise, I will come to you very soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷ Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities. To him winning the victory I will give some of the hidden man. I will also give him a white stone, on which is written a new name that nobody knows except the one receiving it.”’

¹⁸ “To the angel of the Messianic Community in Thyatira, write: ‘Here is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like burnished brass: ¹⁹ I know what you are doing, your love, trust, service and perseverance. And I know that you are doing more now than before. ²⁰ But I have this against you: you continue to tolerate that Izevel woman, the one who claims to be a prophet, but is teaching and deceiving my servants to commit sexual sin and eat food that has been sacrificed to idols. ²¹ I gave her time to turn from her sin, but she doesn’t want to repent of her immorality. ²² So I am throwing her into a sickbed; and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great trouble, unless they turn from the sins connected with what she does; ²³ and I will strike her children dead! Then all the Messianic communities will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and that I will give to each of you what your deeds deserve. ²⁴ But to the rest of you in Thyatira, to those who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some people call the ‘deep things’ of the Adversary, I say this: I am not loading you up with another burden; ²⁵ only hold fast to what you have until I come. ²⁶ To him who wins the victory and does what I want until the goal is reached,

²⁸ just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. ²⁹ Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities.”’