Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Prayer for the Nation
80 Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, You Who lead Joseph like a flock! You Who sit on Your throne above the angels, let Your light shine! 2 Stir up Your power in front of Ephraim and Benjamin and Manassah, and come to save us! 3 O God, bring us back to You. Make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of all, how long will You be angry with the prayers of Your people? 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears. And You have made them drink a big amount of tears. 6 You have made us an object of arguing to our neighbors. Those who hate us laugh among themselves. 7 O God of all, bring us back to You. Make Your face shine upon us, and we will be saved.
A Song of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing His praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands and those who live on them. 11 Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the towns where Kedar lives. Let the people of Sela sing. Let them call out for joy from the tops of the mountains. 12 Let them give honor to the Lord, and praise Him in the islands. 13 The Lord will go out like a powerful soldier. He will be ready like a man of war. He will call out, yes, He will call out a war cry. He will be strong against those who hate Him.
God Promises to Help His People
14 “I have been quiet for a long time. I have been quiet and have held Myself back. Now I will cry out like a woman giving birth. I will breathe hard and fast. 15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills, and dry up all their plants. I will make the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. 16 I will lead the blind by a way that they do not know. I will lead them in paths they do not know. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. And I will make the bad places smooth. These are the things I will do and I will not leave them.” 17 They will be turned back and be put to shame who trust in false gods, who say to these objects of worship, “You are our gods.”
Israel Is Blind and Cannot Hear
18 Listen, you who do not hear! And look, you blind, that you may see.
32 Remember how it was in those days after you heard the truth. You suffered much. 33 People laughed at you and beat you. When others suffered, you suffered with them. 34 You had loving-pity for those who were in prison. You had joy when your things were taken away from you. For you knew you would have something better in heaven which would last forever.
35 Do not throw away your trust, for your reward will be great. 36 You must be willing to wait without giving up. After you have done what God wants you to do, God will give you what He promised you. 37 The Holy Writings say, “In a little while, the One you are looking for will come. It will not be a long time now. 38 For the one right with God lives by faith. If anyone turns back, I will not be pleased with him.” (A) 39 We are not of those people who turn back and are lost. Instead, we have faith to be saved from the punishment of sin.
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