Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

² This was the Lord’s first message to Hosea. The Lord said, “Go, marry a prostitute who has had children as a result of her prostitution. Do this because the people in this country have acted like prostitutes—they have been unfaithful to the Lord.”

The Birth of Jezreel

³ So Hosea married Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Hosea. ⁴ The Lord said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel,^[a] because soon I will punish the family of Jehu for the people he killed at Jezreel Valley.^[b] Then I will put an end to the kingdom of the nation^[c] of Israel. ⁵ And at that time I will break Israel’s bow at Jezreel Valley.”

The Birth of Lo-Ruhamah

⁶ Then Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. The Lord said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhamah,^[d] because I will not show mercy to the nation of Israel anymore, nor will I forgive them. ⁷ But I will show mercy to the nation of Judah. I will save them, but I will not use bows or swords or war horses and soldiers to save them. I will save them by my own power.^[e]”

The Birth of Lo-Ammi

⁸ After Gomer had finished nursing Lo-Ruhamah, she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son. ⁹ Then the Lord said, “Name him Lo-Ammi,^[f] because you are not my people, and I am not your God.”

The Lord Speaks to the Nation of Israel

¹⁰ “In the future the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which you cannot measure or count. In the same place that God told them, ‘You are not my people,’ he will call them ‘children of the Living God.’

To the director: A song of praise from the Korah family.

Continue to Follow Christ Jesus

⁶ You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following him. ⁷ You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God.

⁸ Be sure you are not led away by the teaching of those who have nothing worth saying and only plan to deceive you. That teaching is not from Christ. It is only human tradition and comes from the powers that influence^[a] this world. ⁹ I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. ¹⁰ And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.

¹¹ In Christ you had a different kind of circumcision, one that was not done by human hands. That is, you were made free from the power of your sinful self. That is the kind of circumcision Christ does. ¹² When you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and you were raised up with him because of your faith in God’s power. God’s power was shown when he raised Christ from death.

¹³ You were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave all our sins. ¹⁴ Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.

Don’t Follow Rules That People Make

¹⁶ So don’t let anyone make rules for you about eating and drinking or about Jewish customs (festivals, New Moon celebrations, or Sabbath days). ¹⁷ In the past these things were like a shadow that showed what was coming. But the new things that were coming are found in Christ. ¹⁸ Some people enjoy acting as if they are humble and love to worship angels.^[a] They always talk about the visions they have seen. Don’t listen to them when they say you are wrong because you don’t do these things. It is so foolish for them to feel such pride, because it is all based on their own human ideas. ¹⁹ They don’t keep themselves under the control of the head. Christ is the head, and the whole body depends on him. Because of Christ all the parts of the body care for each other and help each other. So the body is made stronger and held together as God causes it to grow.

Jesus Teaches About Prayer^(A)

11 One time Jesus was out praying, and when he finished, one of his followers said to him, “John taught his followers how to pray. Lord, teach us how to pray too.”

² Jesus said to the followers, “This is how you should pray:

Ask God for What You Need^(B)

^5-6 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house very late at night and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please give me three loaves of bread.’ ⁷ Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Go away! Don’t bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’ ⁸ I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask. ⁹ So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. ¹⁰ Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. ¹¹ Do any of you have a son? What would you do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake? ¹² Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not! ¹³ Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.”