Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
7 God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
8 You brought ·us out of Egypt as if we were a vine [L a vine out of Egypt; Gen. 49:22; Is. 5:1–7; 27:2–6; Jer. 2:21; 12:10; Ezek. 15:1–8; 19:10–14; Hos. 10:1].
You ·forced out [dispossessed] other nations and planted us in the land.
9 You cleared the ground for us.
We took root and filled the land.
10 We covered the mountains with our shade.
We had branches like the mighty cedar tree.
11 Our branches reached the Mediterranean Sea,
and our shoots went to the Euphrates River.
12 So why did you ·pull [break] down our walls?
Now everyone who passes by ·steals from us [picks our fruit].
13 Like ·wild pigs [L boars of the forest] they ·walk over us [ravage us; gobble us up];
like ·wild animals [L creatures of the field] they feed on us.
14 God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·come back [restore us].
Look down from heaven and see.
Take care of us, your vine.
15 You planted this ·shoot [root] with your own hands
and strengthened this child [C the king].
Jerusalem Is Surrounded
6 “·Run for your lives [Take refuge/shelter], ·people [L sons] of Benjamin!
·Run away [Take refuge/shelter] from Jerusalem!
Blow the ·war trumpet [ram’s horn] in the town of Tekoa [C about ten miles southeast of Jerusalem]!
Raise the warning flag over the town of Beth Hakkerem [C “House of Vineyards,” of uncertain location]!
·Disaster [Evil] is coming from the north [C Babylon];
terrible destruction is coming to you.
2 ·Jerusalem [L Daughter of Zion; C the location of the Temple], I ·will destroy you,
you who are fragile and gentle [or compare you to a delightful pasture].
3 Shepherds [C leaders of the attacking army] with their flocks will come against it [C Jerusalem].
They will set up their tents all around her,
each shepherd taking care of his own section.”
4 They say, “·Get ready to fight [L Consecrate yourselves for war; C against Jerusalem; ancient Near Eastern peoples performed religious rituals before battle]!
Get up! We will attack at noon!
·But it is already getting late [L Woe to us, for the day declines];
the evening shadows are growing long.
5 So get up! We will attack at night.
We will destroy ·the strong towers [L its palaces]!”
6 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“Cut down the trees [C around Jerusalem],
and ·build an attack ramp to the top of its walls [throw up a siege ramp].
This city must be punished.
Inside it is nothing but ·slavery [oppression]
7 Jerusalem ·pours out her evil [keeps its wickedness fresh]
as a well ·pours out its water [keeps its water fresh]
The sounds of violence and destruction are heard within her.
I can see the sickness and hurts ·of Jerusalem [always before me].
8 ·Listen to this warning [L Be instructed], Jerusalem,
or I will turn my back on you
and make your land an ·empty desert [L desolation]
where no one can live.”
9 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“·Gather [L Glean] the ·few people of Israel who are left alive [L remnant of Israel],
as ·you would gather the last grapes on a grapevine [L a vine; C Israel is often compared to a vine; Gen. 49:11–12, 22; Ps. 80:9–10; Is. 5:1–2].
·Check each vine again [L Return your hand over it again],
like ·someone who gathers grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak? Whom can I warn?
Who will listen to me?
·The people of Israel have closed ears [L Your ears have a foreskin; C are uncircumcised; a metaphor for not listening to God],
so they cannot ·hear my warnings [L pay attention].
·They don’t like the word of the Lord [L The word of the Lord is a reproach to them];
they ·don’t want to listen to it [L take no pleasure in it]!
The People Argue About Jesus
40 When the people heard Jesus’ words, some of them said, “This man really is the Prophet [1:21; C the “prophet like Moses” of Deut. 18:15–18].”
41 Others said, “He is the ·Christ [Messiah].”
Still others said, “The ·Christ [Messiah] will not come from Galilee. 42 The Scripture says that the ·Christ [Messiah] will come from David’s ·family [offspring; L seed; 2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 89:3–4; Is. 9:7; 55:3] and from Bethlehem, the ·town [village] where David lived [Mic. 5:2].” 43 So ·the people did not agree with each other [L there was a division in the crowd] about Jesus. 44 Some of them wanted to ·arrest [seize] him, but no one was able to ·touch [L lay a hand on] him.
Some Leaders Won’t Believe
45 [L Therefore] The Temple ·guards [police; officers] went back to the ·leading [T chief] priests and the Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring Jesus?”
46 The ·guards [police; officers] answered, “·The words he says are greater than the words of any other person who has ever spoken [L No one has ever spoken like this]!”
47 [L Therefore] The Pharisees answered them, “So Jesus has ·fooled [deceived; led astray] you also! 48 Have any of the ·leaders [rulers; authorities] or the Pharisees believed in him? No! 49 But ·these people [L this crowd], who know nothing about the law, are ·under God’s curse [accursed].”
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to see Jesus before [see 3:1–21], was in that group. He said, 51 “·Our law does not [L Does our law…?] judge a person without hearing him and knowing what he has done.”
52 They answered, “Are you from Galilee, too? ·Study the Scriptures, and you will learn [L Search and see] that no prophet comes from Galilee.”
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