Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

³ God, take us back.
    Show us your kindness so we can be saved.

⁴ Lord God of heaven’s armies,
    how long will you be angry
    at the prayers of your people?
⁵ You have fed your people tears.
    You have made them drink many tears.
⁶ You made those around us fight over us.
    Our enemies make fun of us.

⁷ God of heaven’s armies, take us back.
    Show us your kindness so we can be saved.

⁸ You brought us out of Egypt as if we were a vine.
    You forced out other nations and planted us in the land.
⁹ You cleared the land for us.
    Like a vine, we took root and filled the land.
¹⁰ We covered the mountains with our shade.
    We had limbs like the mighty cedar tree.
¹¹ Our branches reached the Mediterranean Sea.
    And our shoots went to the Euphrates River.

¹² So why did you pull down our walls?
    Now everyone who passes by steals from us.
¹³ Like wild pigs they walk over us.
    Like wild animals they feed on us.

¹⁴ God of heaven’s armies, come back.
    Look down from heaven and see.
Take care of us, your vine.
¹⁵     You planted this shoot with your own hands.
    You raised and strengthened this child.
¹⁶ Now it is cut down and burned with fire.
    You destroyed us by your angry looks.
¹⁷ Help the man you have chosen.
    Make this human being strong for your service.
¹⁸ Then we will not turn away from you.
    Give us life again, and we will call to you for help.

¹⁹ Lord God of heaven’s armies, take us back.
    Show us your kindness so we can be saved.

My friend had a vineyard
    on a hill with very rich soil.
² He dug and cleared the field of stones.
    He planted the best grapevines there.
And he built a tower in the middle of it.
    He cut out a winepress as well.
He hoped good grapes would grow there.
    But only bad grapes grew.

³ My friend says, “You people living in Jerusalem,
    and you men of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.
⁴ What more could I have done for my vineyard?
    I did everything I could.
I hoped for good grapes to grow.
    But why were there only bad grapes?
⁵ Now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard:
I will remove the hedge,
    and it will be burned.
I will break down the stone wall,
    and it will be walked on.
⁶ I will ruin my field.
    It will not be trimmed or hoed.
    Weeds and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain on it.”

⁷ The vineyard belonging to the Lord of heaven’s armies
    is the nation of Israel.
The garden that the Lord loves
    is the men of Judah.
The Lord looked for justice, but there was only killing.
    The Lord hoped for right living, but there were only cries of pain.