Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
10 (A)I am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
(B)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have (C)none of Me.
12 (D)So I gave them over to [a]their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.
13 “Oh,(E) that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (F)The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him,
But their [b]fate would endure forever.
16 He would (G)have fed them also with [c]the finest of wheat;
And with honey (H)from the rock I would have satisfied you.”
Jeremiah’s Question
12 Righteous (A)are You, O Lord, when I plead with You;
Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.
(B)Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?
2 You have planted them, yes, they have taken root;
They grow, yes, they bear fruit.
(C)You are near in their mouth
But far from their [a]mind.
3 But You, O Lord, (D)know me;
You have seen me,
And You have (E)tested my heart toward You.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
And prepare them for (F)the day of slaughter.
4 How long will (G)the land mourn,
And the herbs of every field wither?
(H)The beasts and birds are consumed,
(I)For the wickedness of those who dwell there,
Because they said, “He will not see our final end.”
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,
Then how can you contend with horses?
And if in the land of peace,
In which you trusted, they wearied you,
Then how will you do in (J)the [b]floodplain of the Jordan?
6 For even (K)your brothers, the house of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you;
Yes, they have called [c]a multitude after you.
(L)Do not believe them,
Even though they speak [d]smooth words to you.
7 “I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage;
I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.
8 My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest;
It cries out against Me;
Therefore I have (M)hated it.
9 My [e]heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture;
The vultures all around are against her.
Come, assemble all the beasts of the field,
(N)Bring them to devour!
10 “Many (O)rulers[f] have destroyed (P)My vineyard,
They have (Q)trodden My portion underfoot;
They have made My [g]pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it (R)desolate;
Desolate, it mourns to Me;
The whole land is made desolate,
Because (S)no one takes it to heart.
12 The plunderers have come
On all the desolate heights in the wilderness,
For the sword of the Lord shall devour
From one end of the land to the other end of the land;
No flesh shall have peace.
13 (T)They have sown wheat but reaped thorns;
They have [h]put themselves to pain but do not profit.
But be ashamed of your harvest
Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
Serving for God’s Glory
7 But (A)the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for (B)“love will cover a multitude of sins.” 9 (C)Be hospitable to one another (D)without grumbling. 10 (E)As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, (F)as good stewards of (G)the manifold grace of God. 11 (H)If anyone speaks, let him speak as the [a]oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that (I)in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the [b]dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.