Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴ Hear ye the word of Jehovah, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: ⁵ Thus saith Jehovah, What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? ⁶ Neither said they, Where is Jehovah that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of ^[a]the shadow of death, through a land that none passed through, and where no man dwelt? ⁷ And I brought you into a plentiful land, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. ⁸ The priests said not, Where is Jehovah? and they that handle the law knew me not: the ^[b]rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

⁹ Wherefore I will yet contend with you, saith Jehovah, and with your children’s children will I contend. ¹⁰ For pass over to the isles of Kittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently; and see if there hath been such a thing. ¹¹ Hath a nation changed its gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. ¹² Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith Jehovah. ¹³ For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

God’s goodness and Israel’s waywardness.

For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

13 Let love of the brethren continue. ² Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. ³ Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; them that are ill-treated, as being yourselves also in the body. ⁴ Let marriage be had in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. ^5 [a]Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, ^[b]I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee. ⁶ So that with good courage we say,

⁷ Remember them that had the rule over you, men that spake unto you the word of God; and considering the issue of their ^[d]life, imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, yea and ^[e]for ever.

¹⁵ Through him ^[a]then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name. ¹⁶ But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

14 And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him.

⁷ And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, ⁸ When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, ^[a]sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, ⁹ and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that ^[b]sit at meat with thee. ¹¹ For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

¹² And he said to him also that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest haply they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. ¹³ But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: ¹⁴ and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.