Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

40 I waited patiently for God to help me; then he listened and heard my cry. ² He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path, and steadied me as I walked along. ³ He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me, and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in him. ⁴ Many blessings are given to those who trust the Lord and have no confidence in those who are proud or who trust in idols.

⁵ O Lord my God, many and many a time you have done great miracles for us, and we are ever in your thoughts. Who else can do such glorious things? No one else can be compared with you. There isn’t time to tell of all your wonderful deeds.

⁶ It isn’t sacrifices and offerings that you really want from your people. Burnt animals bring no special joy to your heart. But you have accepted the offer of my lifelong service.^{[a] 7} Then I^[b] said, “See, I have come, just as all the prophets foretold. ⁸ And I delight to do your will, my God, for your law is written upon my heart!”

14 O Israel, return to the Lord, your God, for you have been crushed by your sins. ² Bring your petition. Come to the Lord and say, “O Lord, take away our sins; be gracious to us and receive us, and we will offer you the sacrifice of praise. ³ Assyria cannot save us, nor can our strength in battle; never again will we call the idols we have made ‘our gods’; for in you alone, O Lord, the fatherless find mercy.”

⁴ “Then I will cure you of idolatry and faithlessness, and my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be forever gone! ⁵ I will refresh Israel like the dew from heaven; she will blossom as the lily and root deeply in the soil like cedars in Lebanon. ⁶ Her branches will spread out as beautiful as olive trees, fragrant as the forests of Lebanon. ⁷ Her people will return from exile far away and rest beneath my shadow. They will be a watered garden and blossom like grapes; they will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.

⁸ “O Ephraim! Stay away from idols! I am living and strong! I look after you and care for you. I am like an evergreen tree, yielding my fruit to you throughout the year. My mercies never fail.”

⁹ Whoever is wise, let him understand these things. Whoever is intelligent, let him listen. For the paths of the Lord are true and right, and good men walk along them. But sinners trying them will fail.

12 About that time, Jesus was walking one day through some grainfields with his disciples. It was on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of worship, and his disciples were hungry; so they began breaking off heads of wheat and eating the grain.

² But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Your disciples are breaking the law. They are harvesting on the Sabbath.”

³ But Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read what King David did when he and his friends were hungry? ⁴ He went into the Temple and they ate the special bread permitted to the priests alone. That was breaking the law too. ⁵ And haven’t you ever read in the law of Moses how the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? ⁶ And truly, one is here who is greater than the Temple! ⁷ But if you had known the meaning of this Scripture verse, ‘I want you to be merciful more than I want your offerings,’ you would not have condemned those who aren’t guilty! ⁸ For I, the Messiah,^[a] am master even of the Sabbath.”