Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
6 Your throne, God, exists forever and ever,
and the scepter of your kingdom is a righteous scepter.
7 You love justice and hate wickedness.
That is why God, even your God, has anointed you
rather than your companions with the oil of gladness.
8 All your clothes are scented with[a] myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad.
9 The king’s daughters are among your honorable women;
the queen, dressed in gold from Ophir, has taken her place at your right hand.”
10 Listen, daughter! Consider and pay attention.
Forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will greatly desire your beauty.
Because he is your lord, you should bow in respect before him.
12 The daughter[b] of Tyre will come with[c] a wedding gift;
wealthy people will entreat your favor.
13 In her chamber,[d] the king’s daughter is glorious;
her clothing is embroidered with gold thread.
14 In embroidered garments
she is presented to the king.
Her virgin companions who follow her train
will be presented to you.
15 Filled with joy and gladness, they are presented
when they enter the king’s palace.
16 Your sons will take the place of your ancestors,
and you will set them up as princes in all the earth.
17 From generation to generation,
I will cause your name to be remembered.
Therefore people will thank you forever and ever.
Hosea Reconciles with His Wife
3 Then the Lord told me: “Go love your wife[a] again, even though she is being loved by another and is committing adultery. Love her the same way[b] the Lord loves the people of Israel, even though they look to other gods and love raisin cakes.”[c] 2 So I bought her back for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and one and a half omers[d] of barley.
3 I told her, “You will remain with me a long time,[e] you won’t be promiscuous, you won’t be involved with any man, and I’ll do the same.”[f]
4 Likewise, the people of Israel will dwell a long time[g] without a king, without a prince, without sacrifice, without sacred[h] pillars, and with neither ephod nor teraphim.[i] 5 Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come in awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.
23 I call upon God as a witness on my behalf that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.
Paul’s Painful Visit
2 Now[a] I decided not to pay you another painful visit. 2 After all, if I were to grieve you, who should make me happy but the person I am making sad? 3 This is the very reason I wrote you, so that when I did come I might not be made sad by those who should have made me happy. For I had confidence that all of you would share the joy that I have. 4 I wrote to you out of great sorrow and anguish of heart—along with many tears—not to make you sad but to let you know how much love I have for you.
Forgive the Person who Sinned
5 But if anyone has caused grief, he didn’t cause me any grief. To some extent—I don’t want to emphasize this too much—it has affected[b] all of you. 6 This punishment by the majority is severe enough for such a man. 7 So forgive and comfort him, or else he will drown in his excessive grief. 8 That’s why I’m urging you to assure him of your love. 9 I had also written to you to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in every way. 10 When you forgive someone, I do, too. Indeed, what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I did[c] in the presence of the Messiah[d] for your benefit, 11 so that we may not be outsmarted by Satan. After all, we are not unaware of his intentions.
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