Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A song of David.

God’s Love for Jerusalem

16 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem about the terrible things they have done. ³ You must say, ‘This is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem: Look at your history. You were born in Canaan. Your father was an Amorite. Your mother was a Hittite. ⁴ Jerusalem, on the day you were born, there was no one to cut your navel cord. No one put salt on you and washed you to make you clean. No one wrapped you in cloth. ⁵ No one felt sorry for you or took care of you. On the day you were born, your parents threw you out into the field, because no one wanted you.

⁶ “‘Then I passed by. I saw you lying there, kicking in the blood. You were covered with blood, but I said, “Please live!” Yes, you were covered with blood, but I said, “Please live!” ⁷ I helped you grow like a plant in the field. You grew and grew. You became a young woman: your periods began, your breasts grew, and your hair began to grow. But you were still bare and naked. ⁸ I looked you over. I saw you were ready for love, so I spread my clothes over you^[a] and covered your nakedness. I promised to marry you. I made the agreement^[b] with you, and you became mine.’” This is what the Lord God said.

⁹ “‘I washed you in water. I poured water over you to wash away the blood that was on you, and then I put oil on your skin. ^10 [c] I gave you a nice dress and soft leather sandals, a linen headband, and a silk scarf. ¹¹ I also gave you some jewelry. I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck. ¹² I gave you a nose ring, earrings, and a beautiful crown to wear. ¹³ You were beautiful in your gold and silver jewelry, and your linen, silk, and embroidered material. You ate the best foods. You were very, very beautiful, and you became the queen! ¹⁴ You became famous for your beauty, all because I made you so lovely!’” This is what the Lord God said.

3 So, do Jews have anything that others don’t have? Do they get any benefit from being circumcised? ² Yes, the Jews have many benefits. The most important one is this: God trusted the Jews with his teachings. ³ It is true that some Jews were not faithful to God. But will that stop God from doing what he promised? ⁴ No, even if everyone else is a liar, God will always do what he says. As the Scriptures say about him,

⁵ When we do wrong, that shows more clearly that God is right. So can we say that God does wrong when he punishes us? (That’s the way some people think.) ⁶ Of course not. If God could not punish us, how could he judge the world?

⁷ Someone might say, “When I lie, it really gives God glory, because my lie makes his truth easier to see. So why am I judged a sinner?” ⁸ It would be the same to say, “We should do evil so that good will come.” Many people criticize us, saying that’s what we teach. They are wrong, and they should be condemned for saying that.