Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Prayer for Help.
A Psalm of Asaph.
79 O God, the (A)nations have [a]invaded (B)Your inheritance;
They have defiled Your (C)holy temple;
They have (D)laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the (E)dead bodies of Your servants for food to the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your godly ones to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem;
And there was (F)no one to bury them.
4 We have become a (G)reproach to our neighbors,
A scoffing and derision to those around us.
5 (H)How long, O Lord? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your (I)jealousy (J)burn like fire?
6 (K)Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which (L)do not know You,
And upon the kingdoms which (M)do not call upon Your name.
7 For they have (N)devoured Jacob
And (O)laid waste his [b]habitation.
8 (P)Do not remember [c]the iniquities of our forefathers against us;
Let Your compassion come quickly to (Q)meet us,
For we are (R)brought very low.
9 (S)Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of (T)Your name;
And deliver us and [d](U)forgive our sins (V)for Your name’s sake.
10 (W)Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Let there be known among the nations in our sight,
(X)Vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
11 Let (Y)the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your [e]power preserve [f]those who are (Z)doomed to die.
12 And return to our neighbors (AA)sevenfold (AB)into their bosom
[g]The (AC)reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
13 So we Your people and the (AD)sheep of Your [h]pasture
Will (AE)give thanks to You forever;
To all generations we will (AF)tell of Your praise.
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will assemble the (A)lame
And (B)gather the outcasts,
Even those whom I have afflicted.
7 “I will make the lame a (C)remnant
And the outcasts a strong nation,
And the (D)Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
From now on and forever.
8 “As for you, [a](E)tower of the flock,
[b]Hill of the daughter of Zion,
To you it will come—
Even the (F)former dominion will come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 “Now, why do you (G)cry out loudly?
Is there no king among you,
Or has your (H)counselor perished,
That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?
10 “(I)Writhe and labor to give birth,
Daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in childbirth;
For now you will (J)go out of the city,
Dwell in the field,
And go to Babylon.
(K)There you will be rescued;
(L)There the Lord will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.
11 “And now (M)many nations have been assembled against you
Who say, ‘Let her be polluted,
And let our eyes [c]gloat over Zion.’
12 “But they do not (N)know the thoughts of the Lord,
And they do not understand His purpose;
For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Arise and (O)thresh, daughter of Zion,
For your horn I will make iron
And your hoofs I will make bronze,
That you may (P)pulverize many peoples,
That you may (Q)devote to the Lord their unjust gain
And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Babylon Is Fallen
18 After these things I saw another (A)angel (B)coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was (C)illumined with his glory. 2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “[a](D)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She (E)has become a dwelling place of demons and a [b]prison of every (F)unclean spirit, and a [c]prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all the nations [d]have drunk of the (G)wine of the [e]passion of her immorality, and (H)the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the (I)merchants of the earth have become rich by the [f]wealth of her [g](J)sensuality.”
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “(K)Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; 5 for her sins have [h](L)piled up as high as heaven, and God has (M)remembered her iniquities. 6 (N)Pay her back even as she has paid, and [i]give back to her double according to her deeds; in the (O)cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. 7 (P)To the degree that she glorified herself and (Q)lived [j]sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘(R)I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ 8 For this reason (S)in one day her plagues will come, [k]pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be (T)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her (U)is strong.
Lament for Babylon
9 “And (V)the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and (W)lived [l]sensuously with her, will (X)weep and lament over her when they (Y)see the smoke of her burning, 10 (Z)standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘(AA)Woe, woe, (AB)the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in (AC)one hour your judgment has come.’
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.