Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for the Overthrow of Zion’s Enemies.
A Song of Ascents.
129 “[a]Many times they have [b](A)persecuted me from my (B)youth up,”
(C)Let Israel now say,
2 “[c]Many times they have [d]persecuted me from my youth up;
Yet they have (D)not prevailed against me.
3 “The plowers plowed upon my back;
They lengthened their furrows.”
4 The Lord (E)is righteous;
He has cut in two the (F)cords of the wicked.
5 May all who (G)hate Zion
Be (H)put to shame and turned backward;
6 Let them be like (I)grass upon the housetops,
Which withers before it [e]grows up;
7 With which the reaper does not fill his [f]hand,
Or the binder of sheaves his (J)bosom;
8 Nor do those who pass by say,
“The (K)blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
14 Then King Zedekiah (A)sent and [a]had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord; and the king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to (B)ask you something; do not hide anything from me.” 15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “(C)If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? Besides, if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in (D)secret saying, “As the Lord lives, who made this [b](E)life for us, surely I will not put you to death nor will I give you over to the hand of (F)these men who are seeking your [c]life.”
Interview with Zedekiah
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord (G)God of hosts, the (H)God of Israel, ‘If you will indeed (I)go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then [d]you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will [e]survive. 18 But if you will (J)not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city (K)will be given over to the hand of the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and (L)you yourself will not escape from their hand.’” 19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I (M)dread the Jews who have [f](N)gone over to the Chaldeans, for they may give me over into their hand and they will (O)abuse me.” 20 But Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over. Please [g](P)obey the Lord in what I am saying to you, that it may go (Q)well with you and [h](R)you may live. 21 But if you keep refusing to go out, this is the word which the Lord has shown me: 22 ‘Then behold, all of the (S)women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the [i]officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say,
“[j]Your close friends
Have misled and overpowered you;
While your feet were sunk in the mire,
They turned back.”
23 They will also bring out all your wives and your (T)sons to the Chaldeans, and (U)you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and (V)this city will be burned with fire.’”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die. 25 But if the (W)officials hear that I have talked with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us now what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you are to say to them, ‘I was (X)presenting my petition before the king, not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. So he reported to them in accordance with all these words which the king had commanded; and they ceased speaking with him, since the [k]conversation had not been overheard. 28 So Jeremiah (Y)stayed in the court of the guardhouse until the day that Jerusalem was captured.
Lawsuits Discouraged
6 Does any one of you, when he has a [a]case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and (A)not before the [b]saints? 2 Or (B)do you not know that (C)the [c]saints will judge (D)the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to [d]constitute the smallest law courts? 3 (E)Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, [e]do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5 (F)I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his (G)brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before (H)unbelievers?
7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. (I)Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your (J)brethren.
9 Or (K)do you not know that the unrighteous will not (L)inherit the kingdom of God? (M)Do not be deceived; (N)neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [f]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will (O)inherit the kingdom of God. 11 (P)Such were some of you; but you were (Q)washed, but you were (R)sanctified, but you were (S)justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.