Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Urgent Prayer for the Restored Favor of God(A)
To the Chief Musician. (B)Set to [a]“Lily of the Testimony.” A Michtam of David. For teaching. (C)When he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
60 O God, (D)You have cast us off;
You have broken us down;
You have been displeased;
Oh, restore us again!
2 You have made the earth tremble;
You have broken it;
(E)Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.
3 (F)You have shown Your people hard things;
(G)You have made us drink the wine of [b]confusion.
4 (H)You have given a banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
5 (I)That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and hear me.
6 God has (J)spoken in His holiness:
“I will rejoice;
I will (K)divide (L)Shechem
And measure out (M)the Valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
(N)Ephraim also is the [c]helmet for My head;
(O)Judah is My lawgiver.
8 (P)Moab is My washpot;
(Q)Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
(R)Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.”
9 Who will bring me to the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Is it not You, O God, (S)who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did (T)not go out with our armies?
11 Give us help from trouble,
(U)For the help of man is useless.
12 Through God (V)we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
God’s Charge Against Ephraim
12 “Ephraim has encircled Me with lies,
And the house of Israel with deceit;
But Judah still walks with God,
Even with the [a]Holy One who is faithful.
Ephraim’s Sins Rebuked by God
12 “Ephraim (A)feeds on the wind,
And pursues the east wind;
He daily increases lies and [b]desolation.
(B)Also they make a [c]covenant with the Assyrians,
And (C)oil is carried to Egypt.
2 “The(D) Lord also brings a [d]charge against Judah,
And will punish Jacob according to his ways;
According to his deeds He will recompense him.
3 He took his brother (E)by the heel in the womb,
And in his strength he (F)struggled with God.
4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept, and sought favor from Him.
He found Him in (G)Bethel,
And there He spoke to us—
5 That is, the Lord God of hosts.
The Lord is His (H)memorable name.
6 (I)So you, by the help of your God, return;
Observe mercy and justice,
And wait on your God continually.
7 “A cunning [e]Canaanite!
(J)Deceitful scales are in his hand;
He loves to oppress.
8 And Ephraim said,
(K)‘Surely I have become rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors
They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’
9 “But I am the Lord your God,
Ever since the land of Egypt;
(L)I will again make you dwell in tents,
As in the days of the appointed feast.
10 (M)I have also spoken by the prophets,
And have multiplied visions;
I have given [f]symbols [g]through the witness of the prophets.”
11 Though (N)Gilead has idols—
Surely they are [h]vanity—
Though they sacrifice bulls in (O)Gilgal,
Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.
12 Jacob (P)fled to the country of Syria;
(Q)Israel served for a spouse,
And for a wife he tended sheep.
13 (R)By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,
And by a prophet he was preserved.
14 Ephraim (S)provoked Him to anger most bitterly;
Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him,
(T)And return his reproach upon him.
The Christian Home(A)
18 (B)Wives, submit to your own husbands, (C)as is fitting in the Lord.
19 (D)Husbands, love your wives and do not be (E)bitter toward them.
20 (F)Children, obey your parents (G)in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
21 (H)Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
22 (I)Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 (J)And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 (K)knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; (L)for[a] you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and (M)there is no partiality.
Christian Graces; Final Greetings
4 Masters,(N) give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.