Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song for a Holiday
For the director of music. By the gittith. A psalm of Asaph.
81 Sing for joy to God, our strength;
shout out loud to the God of Jacob.
10 I, the Lord, am your God,
who brought you out of Egypt.
Open your mouth and I will feed you.
11 “But my people did not listen to me;
Israel did not want me.
12 So I let them go their stubborn way
and follow their own advice.
13 I wish my people would listen to me;
I wish Israel would live my way.
14 Then I would quickly defeat their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would bow before him.
Their punishment would continue forever.
16 But I would give you the finest wheat
and fill you with honey from the rocks.”
Jeremiah’s First Complaint
12 Lord, when I bring my case to you,
you are always right.
But I want to ask you about the justice you give.
Why are evil people successful?
Why do dishonest people have such easy lives?
2 You have put the evil people here
like plants with strong roots.
They grow and produce fruit.
With their mouths they speak well of you,
but their hearts are really far away from you.
3 But you know my heart, Lord.
You see me and test my thoughts about you.
Drag the evil people away like sheep to be butchered.
Set them aside for the day of killing.
4 How much longer will the land stay dried up
and the grass in every field be dead?
The animals and birds in the land have died,
because the people are evil.
Yes, they are even saying,
“God does not see what happens to us.”
The Lord’s Answer to Jeremiah
5 “If you get tired while racing against people,
how can you race against horses?
If you stumble in a country that is safe,
what will you do in the thick thornbushes along the Jordan River?
6 Even your own brothers and members of your own family
are making plans against you.
They are crying out against you.
Don’t trust them,
even when they say nice things to you!
7 “I have left Israel;
I have left my people.
I have given the people I love
over to their enemies.
8 My people have become to me
like a lion in the forest.
They roar at me,
so I hate them.
9 My people have become to me
like a speckled bird attacked on all sides by hawks.
Go, gather the wild animals.
Bring them to get something to eat.
10 Many shepherds have ruined my vineyards
and trampled the plants in my field.
They have turned my beautiful field
into an empty desert.
11 They have turned my field into a desert
that is wilted and dead.
The whole country is an empty desert,
because no one who lives there cares.
12 Many soldiers have marched over those barren hills.
The Lord is using the armies to punish that land
from one end to the other.
No one is safe.
13 The people have planted wheat,
but they have harvested only thorns.
They have worked hard until they were very tired,
but they have nothing for all their work.
They are ashamed of their poor harvest,
because the Lord’s terrible anger has caused this.”
Use God’s Gifts Wisely
7 The time is near when all things will end. So think clearly and control yourselves so you will be able to pray. 8 Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause people to forgive each other for many sins. 9 Open your homes to each other, without complaining. 10 Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. 11 Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.