Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

² Let the people the Lord defended repeat these words.
They are the people he defended from the power of their enemies
³ and gathered from other countries,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
⁴ They wandered around the desert on a deserted road
without finding an inhabited city.
⁵ They were hungry and thirsty.
They began to lose hope.
⁶ In their distress they cried out to the Lord.
He rescued them from their troubles.
⁷ He led them on a road that went straight to an inhabited city.

⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord because of his mercy.
He performed his miracles for Adam’s descendants.
⁹ He gave plenty to drink to those who were thirsty.
He filled those who were hungry with good food.

⁴³ Let those who ⌞think⌟ they are wise
pay attention to these things
so that they may understand the Lord’s blessings.

⁴ “They chose their own kings, kings I didn’t approve.
They chose their own princes, princes I didn’t know.
They chose to make idols with their own silver and gold.
Because of this, they will be destroyed.
⁵ Get rid of your calf-shaped idol, Samaria.
My anger burns against these people.
How long will they remain unclean? ^[a]
6 Samaria’s calf-shaped idol was made in Israel.
Skilled workers made it.
It is not a god.
It will be smashed to pieces.

⁷ “The people of Israel plant the wind, but they harvest a storm.
A field of grain that doesn’t ripen will never produce any grain.
Even if it did produce grain, foreigners would eat it all.
⁸ Israel will be swallowed up.
It has already mixed in with the other nations.
It has become worthless.

⁹ “The people of Israel went to Assyria.
They were like wild donkeys wandering off alone.
The people of Ephraim sold themselves to their lovers.
¹⁰ Even though they sold themselves among the nations,
I will gather them now.
They will suffer for a while under the burdens of kings and princes.

¹¹ “The more altars that the people of Ephraim build
to make offerings to pay for their sins,
the more places they have for sinning.
¹² I have written many things for them in my teachings,
but they consider these things strange and foreign.
¹³ They offer sacrifices to me and eat the meat of sacrifices,
but I, the Lord, do not accept these sacrifices.
Now I will remember their wickedness
and punish them because of their sins.
They will go back to Egypt.
¹⁴ The people of Israel have built palaces,
and they have forgotten their maker.
The people of Judah have built many fortified cities.
I will send a fire on their cities and burn down their palaces.”