Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer to Be Kept Safe
20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe. 2 May He send you help from the house of God, and give you strength from Zion. 3 May He remember all your gifts of grain given on the altar in worship. And may He be pleased with your burnt gifts.
4 May He give you the desire of your heart, and make all your plans go well. 5 We will sing for joy when you win. In the name of our God we will lift up our flags. May the Lord give you all the things you ask Him for.
6 Now I know that the Lord saves His chosen one. He will answer him from His holy heaven, with the saving power of His right hand. 7 Some trust in wagons and some in horses. But we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God. 8 They have fallen on their knees. But we rise up and stand straight. 9 O Lord, save! May the King answer us when we call.
The Lord Shows His Loving-Kindness on Israel
15 The Lord says, “The sound of crying and much sorrow is heard in Ramah. Rachel is crying for her children. She will not be comforted because they are dead.” 16 The Lord says, “Keep your voice from crying and your eyes from tears. For you will receive pay for your work,” says the Lord. “They will return from the land of those who hate them. 17 There is hope for your future,” says the Lord, “and your children will return to their own land. 18 I have heard Ephraim crying in sorrow, ‘You have punished me, and I was punished, like a calf that has not learned. Bring me back that I may return to my place, for You are the Lord my God. 19 For after I turned back, I was sorry for my sins. And after I was taught, I hit my upper leg in sorrow. I was ashamed and troubled, because I suffered the shame from what I did when I was young.’ 20 Is Ephraim My loved son? Is he the child of My joy? Yes, as many times as I have spoken against him, I still remember him. So My heart has a desire for him. For sure I will have loving-pity on him,” says the Lord.
21 “Set up marks on the road for yourself. Set up marks to lead you the right way. Remember the way you went, and return, O pure Israel. Return to your cities. 22 How long will you go here and there, O daughter without faith? For the Lord has made a new thing on the earth: A woman will keep a man safe.”
Jesus Cried as He Saw Jerusalem
41 When Jesus came near the city, He cried as He saw it. 42 He said, “If you had only known on this great day the things that make peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 The time is coming when those who hate you will dig earth and throw it up around you making a wall. They will shut you in from every side. 44 They will destroy you and your children with you. There will not be one stone on another. It is because you did not know when God visited you.”
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