Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
For the Director: On the Gittith. By Asaph.
Celebrating and Remembering God
81 Sing joyfully to God, our strength.
Raise a shout to the God of Jacob.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
open your mouth that I may fill it.
11 Yet my people didn’t obey my voice;
Israel didn’t submit to me.
12 So I allowed them[a] to continue in their stubbornness,
living by their own advice.
13 If only my people would obey me,
if only Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies.
I would turn against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord will cringe before him;
their punishment will be permanent.
16 But I will feed Israel[b] with the finest wheat,
satisfying you with honey from the rock.
The Broken Covenant
11 This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the words of this covenant, and convey them to the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. 3 You are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “Cursed is the person who does not listen to the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded to your ancestors on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace. I said, ‘Obey me and do everything[a] that I commanded you. Then you will be my people and I’ll be your God.’ 5 As a result, I’ll fulfill the oath that I made with your ancestors to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, just as is the case today.”’”
Then I answered, “So be it,[b] Lord.”
6 The Lord told me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. You are to say, ‘Listen to the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I’ve diligently warned your ancestors from the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt until now, regularly warning them,[c] saying, “Obey me!” 8 But they would not listen or turn their ear, and each of them stubbornly followed his own evil desires.[d] So I brought on them all the consequences[e] of this covenant that I commanded them to fulfill, but they did not.’”
9 The Lord told me, “Conspiracy has been found among the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old[f] who refused to listen to my words. They followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke my covenant which I made with their ancestors.”
11 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: “I’m about to bring disaster on them from which they won’t be able to escape. They’ll cry out to me, but I won’t listen to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they’ll be no help at all to them[g] in the time of their disaster. 13 Judah, you have as many gods as you have towns, and you have set up as many altars to the shameful idols as there are streets in Jerusalem. You burn incense to Baal on these altars.
14 “Jeremiah,[h] don’t pray for this people and don’t cry or pray for them. I won’t listen when they cry out to me because of their disaster.
15 “What right does my beloved have in my house,
when she has carried out many evil schemes?
Can sacrificial[i] flesh turn disaster away from you,
so you can rejoice?”
16 The Lord once called you a green olive tree,
with beautiful shape and fruit.
With a great roaring sound, he has set fire to it
and its branches will be destroyed.
17 The Lord of the Heavenly Armies who planted you has called for disaster on you because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, has provoked me by burning incense to Baal.”
When You are Wronged
8 Finally, all of you must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love as brothers, and be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not pay others back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, keep blessing them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.
10 “For the person who wants to love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit.
11 He must turn away from evil and do good.
He must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the Lord[a] watches the righteous,[b]
and he pays attention to their prayers.[c]
But the Lord[d] opposes those[e] who do wrong.”[f]
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