Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
ל LAMED
89 (A)Forever, O Lord,
Your word [a]is settled in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it [b]abides.
91 They continue this day according to (B)Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.
92 Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.
94 I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will [c]consider Your testimonies.
96 (C)I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
The Scroll Read in the Temple
36 Now it came to pass in the (A)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 “Take a (B)scroll of a book and (C)write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against (D)all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of (E)Josiah even to this day. 3 It (F)may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may (G)turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
4 Then Jeremiah (H)called Baruch the son of Neriah; and (I)Baruch wrote on a scroll of a book, [a]at the instruction of Jeremiah, all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. 5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am confined, I cannot go into the house of the Lord. 6 You go, therefore, and read from the scroll which you have written [b]at my instruction, the words of the Lord, in the hearing of the people in the Lord’s house on (J)the day of fasting. And you shall also read them in the hearing of all Judah who come from their cities. 7 It may be that they will present their supplication before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way. For great is the anger and the fury that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.
9 Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem. 10 Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court at the (K)entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house, in the [c]hearing of all the people.
Prophecy and Tongues
14 Pursue love, and (A)desire spiritual gifts, (B)but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who (C)speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks (D)edification and (E)exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; [a]for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
Tongues Must Be Interpreted
6 But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by (F)revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching? 7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? 8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without [b]significance. 11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a [c]foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. 12 Even so you, since you are [d]zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the [e]edification of the church that you seek to excel.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.