Jer. 22:11–30

22:11 “‘For the Lord has spoken about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but was carried off into exile. He has said, “He will never return to this land. 12For he will die in the country where they took him as a captive. He will never see this land again.”

13“‘Sure to be judged is the king who builds his palace using injustice

and treats people unfairly while adding its upper rooms.

He makes his countrymen work for him for nothing.

He does not pay them for their labor.

14He says, “I will build myself a large palace

with spacious upper rooms.”

He cuts windows in its walls,

panels it with cedar, and paints its rooms red.

15Does it make you any more of a king

that you outstrip everyone else in building with cedar?

Just think about your father.

He was content that he had food and drink.

He did what was just and right.

So things went well with him.

16He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.

So things went well for Judah.’

The Lord says,

‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.

17But you are always thinking and looking

for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means.

Your eyes and your heart are set

on killing some innocent person

and committing fraud and oppression.’”

18So the Lord has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah:

“People will not mourn for him, saying,

‘This makes me sad, my brother!

This makes me sad, my sister!’

They will not mourn for him, saying,

‘Poor, poor lord! Poor, poor majesty!’

19He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey.

His body will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.

20“People of Jerusalem, go up to Lebanon and cry out in mourning.

Go to the land of Bashan and cry out loudly.

Cry out in mourning from the mountains of Moab.

For your allies have all been defeated.

21While you were feeling secure I gave you warning.

But you said, ‘I refuse to listen to you.’

That is the way you have acted from your earliest history onward.

Indeed, you have never paid attention to me.

22My judgment will carry off all your leaders like a storm wind!

Your allies will go into captivity.

Then you will certainly be disgraced and put to shame

because of all the wickedness you have done.

23You may feel as secure as a bird

nesting in the cedars of Lebanon.

But O how you will groan when the pains of judgment come on you.

They will be like those of a woman giving birth to a baby.”

24The Lord says, “As surely as I am the living God, you, Jeconiah, king of Judah, son of Jehoiakim, will not be the earthly representative of my authority. Indeed, I will take that right away from you. 25I will hand you over to those who want to take your life and of whom you are afraid. I will hand you over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his Babylonian soldiers. 26I will force you and your mother who gave you birth into exile. You will be exiled to a country where neither of you were born, and you will both die there. 27You will never come back to this land that you will long to return to!

28“This man, Jeconiah, will be like a broken pot someone threw away.

He will be like a clay vessel that no one wants.

Why will he and his children be forced into exile?

Why will they be thrown out into a country they know nothing about?

29O Land, land, land of Judah!

Listen to the Lord’s message.”

30The Lord says,

“Enroll this man in the register as though he were childless.

Enroll him as a man who will not enjoy success during his lifetime.

For none of his sons will succeed in occupying the throne of David

or ever succeed in ruling over Judah.”

Ps. 143

143:1 A psalm of David.

O Lord, hear my prayer.

Pay attention to my plea for help.

Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me.

2Do not sit in judgment on your servant,

for no one alive is innocent before you.

3Certainly my enemies chase me.

They smash me into the ground.

They force me to live in dark regions,

like those who have been dead for ages.

4My strength leaves me;

I am absolutely shocked.

5I recall the old days.

I meditate on all you have done;

I reflect on your accomplishments.

6I spread my hands out to you in prayer;

my soul thirsts for you in a parched land.(Selah)

7Answer me quickly, Lord.

My strength is fading.

Do not reject me,

or I will join those descending into the grave.

8May I hear about your loyal love in the morning,

for I trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

because I long for you.

9Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord.

I run to you for protection.

10Teach me to do what pleases you,

for you are my God.

May your kind presence

lead me into a level land.

11O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, revive me.

Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble.

12As a demonstration of your loyal love, destroy my enemies.

Annihilate all who threaten my life,

for I am your servant.

Acts 13:13–41

13:13 Then Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14Moving on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading from the law and the prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, “Brothers, if you have any message of exhortation for the people, speak it.” 16So Paul stood up, gestured with his hand and said,

“Men of Israel, and you Gentiles who fear God, listen: 17The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay as foreigners in the country of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18For a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave his people their land as an inheritance. 20All this took about 450 years. After this he gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22After removing him, God raised up David their king. He testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, who will accomplish everything I want him to do.’ 23From the descendants of this man God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just as he promised. 24Before Jesus arrived, John had proclaimed a baptism for repentance to all the people of Israel. 25But while John was completing his mission, he said repeatedly, ‘What do you think I am? I am not he. But look, one is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet!’ 26Brothers, descendants of Abraham’s family, and those Gentiles among you who fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us. 27For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him, and they fulfilled the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning him. 28Though they found no basis for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29When they had accomplished everything that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses to the people. 32And we proclaim to you the good news about the promise to our ancestors, 33that this promise God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; today I have fathered you.’ 34But regarding the fact that he has raised Jesus from the dead, never again to be in a state of decay, God has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and trustworthy promises made to David.’ 35Therefore he also says in another psalm, ‘You will not permit your Holy One to experience decay.’ 36For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, died, was buried with his ancestors, and experienced decay, 37but the one whom God raised up did not experience decay. 38Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you. 40Watch out, then, that what is spoken about by the prophets does not happen to you:

41‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish!

For I am doing a work in your days,

a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.’”