Lectionary 13, Year A

⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people who stood in the LORD’s house, ⁶ even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so. May the LORD perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’s house, and all those who are captives, from Babylon to this place. ⁷ Nevertheless listen now to this word that I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people: ⁸ The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, of evil, and of pestilence. ⁹ The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet happens, then the prophet will be known, that the LORD has truly sent him.”

¹ I will sing of the loving kindness of the LORD forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. ² I indeed declare, “Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them.” ³ “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David, my servant, ⁴ ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build up your throne to all generations.’ ”

¹⁵ Blessed are the people who learn to acclaim you. They walk in the light of your presence, the LORD. ¹⁶ In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted. ¹⁷ For you are the glory of their strength. In your favor, our horn will be exalted. ¹⁸ For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹² Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace. ¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered. ¹⁸ Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰ For when you were servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. ²¹ What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²² But now, being made free from sin and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification and the result of eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.