Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

CAPH.

⁸¹ ¶ My soul faints with desire for thy salvation as I await thy word.

⁸² Mine eyes fail for thy spoken word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?

⁸³ ¶ For I am become like a wine skin in the smoke; yet I have not forgotten thy statutes.

⁸⁴ ¶ How many are the days of thy slave? When wilt thou execute judgment on those that persecute me?

⁸⁵ ¶ The proud have dug pits for me, but they do not proceed according to thy law.

⁸⁶ All thy commandments are of the same truth; they persecute me wrongfully; help me.

⁸⁷ They have almost consumed me upon earth, but I have not forsaken thy precepts.

⁸⁸ ¶ Cause me to live according to thy mercy, so I shall keep the testimony of thy mouth.

16 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

² Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.

³ For thus hath the LORD said concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that would be born in this place and concerning their mothers that would bare them and concerning their fathers that would beget them in this land

⁴ They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth; and they shall be consumed by the sword and by famine; and their carcasses shall be food for the fowls of heaven and for the beasts of the earth.

⁵ For thus hath the LORD said, Do not enter into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor comfort them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, said the LORD, even mercy and compassion.

⁶ Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:

⁷ neither shall they break the bread of mourning for them, to comfort themselves for their death; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

⁸ In the same manner thou shalt not go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.

⁹ For thus hath the LORD of the hosts, the God of Israel said: Behold, I will cause to cease in this place before your eyes and in your days, every voice of mirth and every voice of gladness, every voice of the bridegroom, and every voice of the bride.

¹⁰ ¶ And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt show this people all these things, they shall say unto thee, Why has the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin which we have committed against the LORD our God?

¹¹ Then thou shalt say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods and have served them and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law;

¹² and ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk each one after the imagination of his evil heart, not hearkening unto me:

¹³ Therefore I will cause you to be cast out of this land into a land that ye do not know, neither ye nor your fathers; and there ye shall serve other gods day and night; for I will not grant you mercy.

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently until it receives the early and latter rain.

⁸ Be ye also patient and confirm your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws near.

⁹ Complain not one against another, brethren, that ye not be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.

¹⁰ Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

¹¹ Behold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion.

¹² ¶ But above all things, my brethren, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; lest ye fall into condemnation.