Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

7 This word came to Yirmeyahu from Adonai: ² “Stand at the gate of the house of Adonai and proclaim this word: ‘Listen to the word of Adonai, all you from Y’hudah who enter these gates to worship Adonai! ³ Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: “Improve your ways and actions, and I will let you stay in this place. ⁴ Don’t rely on that deceitful slogan, ‘The temple of Adonai, the temple of Adonai — these [buildings] are the temple of Adonai.’ ⁵ No, but if you really improve your ways and actions; if you really administer justice between people; ⁶ if you stop oppressing foreigners, orphans and widows; if you stop shedding innocent blood in this place; and if you stop following other gods, to your own harm; ⁷ then I will let you stay in this place, in the land I gave to your ancestors forever and ever. ⁸ Look! You are relying on deceitful words that can’t do you any good. ⁹ First you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, offer to Ba‘al and go after other gods that you haven’t known. ¹⁰ Then you come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, ‘We are saved’ — so that you can go on doing these abominations! ¹¹ Do you regard this house, which bears my name, as a cave for bandits? I can see for myself what’s going on,” says Adonai. ¹² “Go to the place in Shiloh that used to be mine, that used to bear my name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Isra’el. ¹³ I spoke to you again and again, but you wouldn’t listen. I called you, but you wouldn’t answer. Now,” says Adonai, “because you have done all these things, ¹⁴ I will do to the house that bears my name, on which you rely, and to the place I gave you and your ancestors, what I did to Shiloh; ¹⁵ and I will drive you out of my presence, just as I drove out all your kinsmen, all the descendants of Efrayim.”’

⁸ You are glutted already? You are rich already? You have become kings, even though we are not? Well, I wish you really were kings, so that we might share the kingship with you! ⁹ For I think God has been placing us emissaries on display at the tail of the parade, like men condemned to die in the public arena: we have become a spectacle before the whole universe, angels as well as men. ¹⁰ For the Messiah’s sake we are fools, but united with the Messiah you are wise! We are weak, but you are strong; you are honored, but we are dishonored. ¹¹ Till this very moment we go hungry and thirsty, we are dressed in rags, we are treated roughly, we wander from place to place, ¹² we exhaust ourselves working with our own hands for our living. When we are cursed, we keep on blessing; when we are persecuted, we go on putting up with it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we continue making our appeal. We are the world’s garbage, the scum of the earth — yes, to this moment!