Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
6 Your throne,(A) God, is[a] forever and ever;
the scepter of Your[b] kingdom is a scepter of justice.(B)
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;(C)
therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy
more than your companions.
8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments;
from ivory palaces harps bring you joy.(D)
9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women;(E)
the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir,
stands at your right hand.(F)
10 Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider:
forget your people and your father’s house,(G)
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Bow down to him, for he is your lord.(H)
12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people,
will seek your favor with gifts.(I)
A Plea to Repent
14 Israel, return to Yahweh your God,(A)
for you have stumbled in your sin.(B)
2 Take words of repentance with you(C)
and return to the Lord.
Say to Him: “Forgive all our sin
and accept what is good,
so that we may repay You
with praise[a] from our[b] lips.(D)
3 Assyria will not save us,(E)
we will not ride on horses,(F)
and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods!’(G)
to the work of our hands.(H)
For the fatherless receives compassion in You.”(I)
A Promise of Restoration
4 I will heal their apostasy;(J)
I will freely love them,(K)
for My anger will have turned from him.(L)
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;(M)
he will blossom like the lily(N)
and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.(O)
6 His new branches will spread,
and his splendor will be like the olive tree,(P)
his fragrance, like the forest of Lebanon.(Q)
7 The people will return and live beneath his shade.(R)
They will grow grain(S)
and blossom like the vine.
His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
Paul and the False Apostles
11 I wish you would put up with a little foolishness(A) from me. Yes, do put up with me.[a] 2 For I am jealous(B) over you with a godly jealousy,(C) because I have promised you in marriage to one husband—to present a pure(D) virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear that, as the serpent(E) deceived(F) Eve(G) by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure[b] devotion to Christ.(H) 4 For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus,(I) whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit,(J) which you had not received, or a different gospel,(K) which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!
5 Now I consider myself in no way inferior to the “super-apostles.”(L) 6 Though untrained in public speaking,(M) I am certainly not untrained in knowledge.(N) Indeed, we have always made that clear to you in everything. 7 Or did I commit a sin by humbling(O) myself so that you might be exalted,(P) because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?(Q) 8 I robbed other churches by taking pay from them to minister to you. 9 When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia(R) supplied my needs.(S) I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped[c] in the regions of Achaia.(T) 11 Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows I do!
12 But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny[d] the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as our equals in what they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles,(U) deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny[e] will be according to their works.(V)
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