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First Reading: Jeremiah Chapter 37 and 38Jeremiah 37
37:1 Zedekiah's Vain Hope
(2 Kings 24:17; 2 Chron 36:10)
Now King Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim,
whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2 But neither
he nor his servants nor the people of the land gave heed to the words of the
LORD which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.
3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the
son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,"Pray now
to the LORD our God for us." 4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going among
the people, for they had not yet put him in prison. 5 Then Pharaoh's army came
up from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news
of them, they departed from Jerusalem.
6 Then the word of the LORD came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7 "Thus
says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Thus you shall say to the king of Judah,
who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: "Behold, Pharaoh's army which has
come up to help you will return to Egypt, to their own land. 8 And the Chaldeans
shall come back and fight against this city, and take it and burn it with fire."'
9 Thus says the LORD: 'Do not deceive yourselves, saying, "The Chaldeans
will surely depart from us," for they will not depart. 10 For though you
had defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there
remained only wounded men among them, they would rise up, every man in his tent,
and burn the city with fire.'"
11 Jeremiah Imprisoned
And it happened, when the army of the Chaldeans left the siege of Jerusalem
for fear of Pharaoh's army, 12 that Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into
the land of Benjamin to claim his property there among the people. 13 And when
he was in the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there whose name
was Irijah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah
the prophet, saying, "You are defecting to the Chaldeans!"
14 Then Jeremiah said, "False! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans."
But he did not listen to him.
So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the princes. 15 Therefore the princes
were angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him and put him in prison in the house
of Jonathan the scribe. For they had made that the prison.
16 When Jeremiah entered the dungeon and the cells, and Jeremiah had remained
there many days, 17 then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. The king asked
him secretly in his house, and said, "Is there any word from the LORD?"
And Jeremiah said, "There is." Then he said, "You shall be delivered
into the hand of the king of Babylon!"
18 Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What offense have I committed
against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put
me in prison? 19 Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying,
'The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land'? 20 Therefore
please hear now, O my lord the king. Please, let my petition be accepted before
you, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die
there."
21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah to the
court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread from
the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah
remained in the court of the prison.
Jeremiah 38
38:1 Jeremiah in the Dungeon
Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son
of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah
had spoken to all the people, saying, 2 "Thus says the LORD:'He who remains
in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who
goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him,
and he shall live.' 3 Thus says the LORD:'This city shall surely be given into
the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.'"
4 Therefore the princes said to the king, "Please, let this man be put
to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this
city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this
man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm."
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, "Look, he is in your hand. For the king
can do nothing against you." 6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into
the dungeon of Malchiah the king's son, which was in the court of the prison,
and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water,
but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.
7 Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king's house,
heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at
the Gate of Benjamin, 8 Ebed-Melech went out of the king's house and spoke to
the king, saying: 9 "My lord the king, these men have done evil in all
that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon,
and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no
more bread in the city." 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian,
saying, "Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet
out of the dungeon before he dies." 11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with
him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there
old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, "Please put these old
clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes." And Jeremiah did
so. 13 So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon.
And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
14 Zedekiah's Fears and Jeremiah's Advice
Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at
the third entrance of the house of the LORD. And the king said to Jeremiah,
"I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me."
15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I declare it to you, will you not surely
put me to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me."
16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, "As the LORD
lives, who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give
you into the hand of these men who seek your life."
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts,
the God of Israel: 'If you surely surrender to the king of Babylon's princes,
then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you
and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon's
princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they
shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.'"
19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews who
have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they
abuse me."
20 But Jeremiah said, "They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice
of the LORD which I speak to you. So it shall be well with you, and your soul
shall live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD
has shown me: 22'Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's
house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women
shall say:
"Your close friends have set upon you And prevailed against you;Your feet
have sunk in the mire,And they have turned away again."
23'So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans. You
shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king
of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.'"
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no one know of these words, and
you shall not die. 25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and
they come to you and say to you, 'Declare to us now what you have said to the
king, and also what the king said to you; do not hide it from us, and we will
not put you to death,' 26 then you shall say to them,'I presented my request
before the king, that he would not make me return to Jonathan's house to die
there.'"
27 Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him. And he told them according
to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with
him, for the conversation had not been heard. 28 Now Jeremiah remained in the
court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he was there
when Jerusalem was taken.
Second Reading: 1 Peter Chapter 5
1 Peter 5
5:1 Shepherd the Flock
The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness
of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by
compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being
lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when
the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not
fade away.
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of
you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
"God resists the proud,But gives grace to the humble."
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt
you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the
world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen,
and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 Farewell and Peace
By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you
briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which
you stand.
13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark
my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
SUPER HEROES OF THE BIBLE
PETER
Peter was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. His brother, Andrew, was also an apostle. Peter was one of the three who went up the mountain with Jesus when he was transfigured. Peter appears to have been a very outspoken person and in the midst of Jesus' trial denied they he knew him. However, as an apostle, Peter was the first to preach on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem and was a prominent leader in the Jerusalem Church along with James. According to Church tradition, both Peter and his wife suffered martyrdom for the Name of Christ.
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