Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Tsadhe.

The Davidic Kingdom

¹⁴ ‘Behold, ^(A)days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will ^(B)fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time I will cause a ^(C)righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute ^(D)justice and righteousness on the earth. ¹⁶ In those days ^(E)Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the ^(F)Lord is our righteousness.’ ¹⁷ For thus says the Lord, ‘^[a]David shall ^(G)never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; ^18 [b]and the ^(H)Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to ^(I)prepare sacrifices ^[c]continually.’”

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁰ “Thus says the Lord, ‘If you can ^(J)break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, ²¹ then ^(K)My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. ²² As the ^(L)host of heaven cannot be counted and the ^(M)sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will ^(N)multiply the ^[d]descendants of David My servant and the ^(O)Levites who minister to Me.’”

²³ And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁴ “Have you not observed what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The ^(P)two families which the Lord chose, He has ^(Q)rejected them’? Thus they ^(R)despise My people, no longer are they as a nation ^[e]in their sight. ²⁵ Thus says the Lord, ‘If My ^(S)covenant for day and night stand not, and the ^[f]fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have ^(T)not established, ²⁶ then I would ^(U)reject the ^[g]descendants of Jacob and David My servant, ^[h]not taking from his ^[i]descendants ^(V)rulers over the ^[j]descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will ^(W)restore their ^[k]fortunes and will have ^(X)mercy on them.’”

Introduction

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of ^(B)Christ Jesus ^(C)by the will of God, and ^(D)Timothy our brother,

To ^(E)the church of God which is at ^(F)Corinth with all the ^[a]saints who are throughout ^(G)Achaia:

^2 (H)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

^3 (I)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and ^(J)God of all comfort, ⁴ who ^(K)comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in ^[b]any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For just ^(L)as the sufferings of Christ are ^[c]ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. ⁶ But if we are afflicted, it is ^(M)for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; ⁷ and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that ^(N)as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

⁸ For ^(O)we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our ^(P)affliction which came to us in ^[d](Q)Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; ^9 [e]indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; ¹⁰ who ^(R)delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, ^[f]He ^(S)on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, ¹¹ you also joining in ^(T)helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by ^(U)many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.