August 17th, 2025, 20th Sunday in ordinary time.

A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah. In those days, the princes said to the king,

Jeremiah ought to be put to death. He is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city

and all the people by speaking such things to them.

He is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin.

King Zedekiah answered,

He is in your power, for the king could do nothing with them.

And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malkiah,

which was in the quarters of the guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the

cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. He bedmelak, a court official, went there from the palace and said to him,

My lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,

casting him into the cistern. He will die of famine on the spot, for there is no more food in the city.

Then the king ordered Ibedmilek the Quishite to take three men along with him and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he should die.

The word of the Lord. Lord, Lord, come to my aid, come to my aid.

Lord, come to my aid.

Lord, come for the Lord, and he stoop toward me.

Lord, come to my head, come to my aid.

The Lord heard my cry.

He drew me out of the pit of destruction,

out of the mud of the swamp.

He set my feet upon a crag, he made firm my steps.

Lord, come to my head, come to my aid.

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