Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hosea’s Wife and Family

² When a message from the Lord came to Hosea, the Lord told him,^[a] “Go marry a prostitute and have children with her,^[b] because the land is prostituting itself by departing from the Lord.” ³ So he went out and married Diblaim’s daughter Gomer. She conceived with him and gave birth to a son.

Naming the Children

⁴ The Lord told Hosea,^[c] “Name the child^[d] ‘Jezreel,’^[e] because in a little while I’ll avenge the blood that was shed by Jehu’s dynasty at Jezreel. I’ll put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. ⁵ At that time I’ll shatter the military strength^[f] of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

⁶ Gomer^[g] conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, so the Lord^[h] told Hosea,^[i] “Name her ‘Lo-ruhamah,’^[j] because I will no longer be showing mercy to the house of Israel, nor will I forgive them. ⁷ But I’ll have mercy on the house of Judah, and I’ll save them by the Lord their God—I will not save them by the bow, by the sword, by battle, by horses, or by cavalry.”

⁸ After Gomer^[k] had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived again and gave birth to a son, ⁹ so the Lord^[l] told Hosea,^[m] “Name him ‘Lo-ammi,’^[n] because you are not my people, and I will not be your God.^{[o] 10 [p]}Despite this, the number of the people of Israel will be like ocean sand, which can neither be measured nor counted. And the time will come when instead of it being said,^[q] ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said,^[r] ‘You are children of the living God.’

To the Director: A Psalm by the descendants of Korah.

Restore Us, God

Fullness of Life

⁶ So then, just as you have received the Messiah^[a] Jesus the Lord, continue to live dependent on him. ⁷ For you have been rooted in him and are being built up and strengthened in the faith, just as you were taught, while you continue to be thankful. ⁸ See to it that no one enslaves you through philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the basic principles of the world,^[b] and not according to the Messiah,^{[c] 9} because all the essence^[d] of deity inhabits him in bodily form. ¹⁰ And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. ¹¹ In union with him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without human^[e] hands by stripping off the corrupt nature by the circumcision performed by the Messiah.^{[f] 12} When you were buried with the Messiah^[g] in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ Even when you were dead because of your offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God^[h] made you alive with him when he forgave us all of our offenses, ¹⁴ having erased the charges that were brought against us, along with their obligations that were hostile to us. He took those charges away when he nailed them to the cross. ¹⁵ And when he had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.^[i]

¹⁶ Therefore, let no one judge you in matters of food and drink or with respect to a festival, a New Moon, or Sabbath days.^{[a] 17} These are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality^[b] belongs to the Messiah.^{[c] 18} Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels cheat you out of the prize by rejoicing about what he has seen.^[d] Such a person is puffed up for no reason by his carnal mind. ¹⁹ He does not hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, which is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God enables it.

Teaching about Prayer^(A)

11 Once Jesus^[a] was praying in a certain place. After he had finished, one of his disciples told him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

² So he told them, “Whenever you pray you are to say,

⁵ Then he told them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. ⁶ A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don’t have anything to serve him.’ ⁷ Suppose he answers from inside, ‘Stop bothering me! The door is already locked, and my children are here with us in the bedroom.^[g] I can’t get up and give you anything!’ ⁸ I tell you, even though that man^[h] doesn’t want to get up and give him anything because he is his friend, he will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

Ask, Search, Knock^(B)

⁹ So I say to you: Keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door^[i] will be opened for you, ¹⁰ because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door^[j] opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish,^[k] would give him a snake instead of the fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, would he give him a scorpion? ¹³ So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who keep asking him!”