Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ God of armies, restore us
And make Your face shine upon us, ^[a]and we will be saved.

⁸ You removed a ^(A)vine from Egypt;
You ^(B)drove out the ^[b]nations and ^(C)planted it.
⁹ You ^(D)cleared the ground before it,
And it ^(E)took deep root and filled the land.
¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And ^[c]the cedars of God with its ^(F)branches.
¹¹ It was sending out its branches ^(G)to the sea
And its shoots to the Euphrates River.
¹² Why have You ^(H)broken down its ^[d]hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
¹³ A boar from the forest ^(I)eats it away,
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.

¹⁴ God of armies, do ^(J)turn back;
^(K)Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
¹⁵ The ^[e](L)shoot which Your right hand has planted,
And of the ^[f]son whom You have ^[g]strengthened for Yourself.

²³ “^(A)How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the ^(B)Baals’?
Look at your way in the ^(C)valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel ^(D)running about senselessly on her ways,
²⁴ A ^(E)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
Who can turn her away in her mating season?
None who seek her will grow weary;
In her month they will find her.
²⁵ Keep your feet from being bare,
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘^(F)It is ^[a]hopeless!
No! For I have ^(G)loved strangers,
And I will walk after them.’

²⁶ “Like the shame of a ^(H)thief when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their leaders,
Their priests, and their prophets,
²⁷ Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their ^(I)backs to Me,
And not their faces;
But in the ^(J)time of their ^[b]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us!’
²⁸ But where are your ^(K)gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can ^(L)save you
In the time of your ^[c]trouble!
For ^(M)as many as the number of your cities
Are your gods, Judah.

²⁹ “Why do you contend with Me?
You have ^(N)all revolted against Me,” declares the Lord.
³⁰ “^(O)In vain I have struck your sons;
They did not accept discipline.
Your ^(P)sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
³¹ You generation, look to the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a ^(Q)land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘^(R)We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
³² Can a virgin forget her jewelry,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have ^(S)forgotten Me
For days without number.
³³ How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even to the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
³⁴ Also on your skirts is found
The ^(T)lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them ^(U)breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
³⁵ You said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will ^(V)enter into judgment with you
Because you ^(W)say, ‘I have not sinned.’
³⁶ Why do you ^(X)go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, ^(Y)you will be put to shame by Egypt,
Just as you were put to shame by ^(Z)Assyria.
³⁷ From this place as well you will go out
With ^(AA)your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected ^(AB)those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”