Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ God of Hosts, turn us back, And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved.

⁸ A vine out of Egypt Thou dost bring, Thou dost cast out nations, and plantest it.

⁹ Thou hast looked before it, and dost root it, And it filleth the land,

¹⁰ Covered have been hills [with] its shadow, And its boughs [are] cedars of God.

¹¹ It sendeth forth its branches unto the sea, And unto the river its sucklings.

¹² Why hast Thou broken down its hedges, And all passing by the way have plucked it?

¹³ A boar out of the forest doth waste it, And a wild beast of the fields consumeth it.

¹⁴ God of Hosts, turn back, we beseech Thee, Look from heaven, and see, and inspect this vine,

¹⁵ And the root that Thy right hand planted, And the branch Thou madest strong for Thee,

6 Strengthen yourselves, sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem, And in Tekoa blow ye a trumpet, And over Beth-Haccerem lift ye up a flame, For evil hath been seen from the north, And great destruction.

² The comely and the delicate one I have cut off, The daughter of Zion.

³ Unto her come do shepherds and their droves, They have stricken tents by her round about, They have fed each [in] his own station.

⁴ Sanctify ye against her the battle, Rise, and we go up at noon. Wo to us, for turned hath the day, For stretched out are the shades of evening,

⁵ `Rise, and we go up by night, And we destroy her palaces.'

⁶ For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Cut down her wood, And pour out against Jerusalem a mount, She [is] the city to be inspected, Wholly -- she is oppression in her midst.

⁷ As the digging of a well, is [for] its waters, So she hath digged [for] her wickedness, Violence and spoil is heard in her, Before My face continually [are] sickness and smiting.

⁸ Be instructed, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul be alienated from thee, Lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.

⁹ Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They surely glean, as a vine, the remnant of Israel, Put back thy hand, as a gatherer to the baskets.

¹⁰ To whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear? Lo, their ear [is] uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it.

⁴⁰ Many, therefore out of the multitude, having heard the word, said, `This is truly the Prophet;'

⁴¹ others said, `This is the Christ;' and others said, `Why, out of Galilee doth the Christ come?

⁴² Did not the Writing say, that out of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem -- the village where David was -- the Christ doth come?'

⁴³ A division, therefore, arose among the multitude because of him.

⁴⁴ And certain of them were willing to seize him, but no one laid hands on him;

⁴⁵ the officers came, therefore, unto the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, `Wherefore did ye not bring him?'

⁴⁶ The officers answered, `Never so spake man -- as this man.'

⁴⁷ The Pharisees, therefore, answered them, `Have ye also been led astray?

⁴⁸ did any one out of the rulers believe in him? or out of the Pharisees?

⁴⁹ but this multitude, that is not knowing the law, is accursed.'

⁵⁰ Nicodemus saith unto them -- he who came by night unto him -- being one of them,

⁵¹ `Doth our law judge the man, if it may not hear from him first, and know what he doth?'

⁵² They answered and said to him, `Art thou also out of Galilee? search and see, that a prophet out of Galilee hath not risen;'