Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob
and all families of the house of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
What fault did your ancestors find in me(A)
that they went so far from me,
followed worthless idols,(B)
and became worthless themselves?(C)
6 They stopped asking, “Where is the Lord(D)
who brought us from the land of Egypt,
who led us through the wilderness,(E)
through a land of deserts and ravines,
through a land of drought and darkness,[a]
a land no one traveled through
and where no one lived?”
7 I brought you to a fertile land(F)
to eat its fruit and bounty,
but after you entered, you defiled my land;(G)
you made my inheritance(H) detestable.
8 The priests quit asking, “Where is the Lord?”
The experts in the law no longer knew me,(I)
and the rulers(J) rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by[b] Baal(K)
and followed useless idols.(L)
9 Therefore, I will bring a case against you again.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
I will bring a case against your children’s children.(M)
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus[c](N) and take a look.
Send someone to Kedar(O) and consider carefully;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods?(P)
(But they were not gods!(Q))
Yet my people have exchanged their[d] Glory
for useless idols.(R)
12 Be appalled at this, heavens;(S)
be shocked and utterly desolated!
This is the Lord’s declaration.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.(A)
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.(B)
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel did not obey me.(C)
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own plans.(D)
13 If only my people would listen to me
and Israel would follow my ways,(E)
14 I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.”(F)
15 Those who hate the Lord
would cower to him;(G)
their doom would last forever.(H)
16 But he would feed Israel[a] with the best wheat.
“I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.”(I)
Final Exhortations
13 Let brotherly love(A) continue. 2 Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.(B) 3 Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated,[a] as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.[b] 4 Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.(C) 5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.[c](D) 6 Therefore, we may boldly say,
7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.(F) 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.(G)
Teachings on Humility
7 He told a parable(A) to those who were invited, when he noticed how they would choose the best places(B) for themselves: 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t sit in the place of honor, because a more distinguished person(C) than you may have been invited by your host. 9 The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.
10 “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored(D) in the presence of all the other guests.(E) 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”(F)
12 He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid. 13 On the contrary, when you host a banquet,(G) invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind.(H) 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid(I) at the resurrection of the righteous.”(J)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.