Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Avenges His Own
94 God of vengeance,
Lord God of vengeance,
display your splendor![a]
2 Stand up, judge of the earth,
and repay the proud.
3 How long will the wicked, Lord,
how long will the wicked continue to triumph?
4 When they speak, they spew arrogance.
Everyone who practices iniquity brags about it.[b]
5 Lord, they have crushed your people,
afflicting your heritage.
6 The wicked[c] kill widows and foreigners;
they murder orphans.
7 They say, “The Lord cannot see,
and the God of Jacob will not notice.”
8 Pay attention, you dull ones among the crowds!
You fools! Will you ever become wise?
9 The one who formed[d] the ear can hear, can he not?
The one who made the eyes can see, can he not?
10 The one who disciplines nations can rebuke them, can he not?
The one who teaches mankind can discern, can he not?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of human beings—
that they are futile.
12 How blessed is the man whom you instruct, Lord,
whom you teach from your Law,
13 keeping him calm when times are troubled
until a pit has been dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage.
15 Righteousness will be restored with justice,
and all the pure of heart will follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will stand for me against those who practice iniquity?
17 If the Lord had not been my helper,
I would have quickly become silent.
18 When I say that my foot is shaking,
your gracious love, Lord, will sustain me.
19 When my anxious inner thoughts become overwhelming,
your comfort encourages me.
20 Will destructive national leaders,[e]
who plan wicked things through misuse of the Law,
be allied with you?
21 They gather together against the righteous,
condemning the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord is my stronghold,
and my God, the rock, is my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sin;
he will annihilate them because of their evil.
The Lord our God will annihilate them.
A Terrible Drought in the Land
14 This is[a] this message from the Lord that came[b] to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
2 “Judah mourns, and her gates languish.
The people[c] mourn for the land,
and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.
3 Their nobles send their young people for water.
They go to the cisterns, but they find no water.
They return with their vessels empty.
They’re disappointed[d] and dismayed,
and they cover their heads in shame.[e]
4 The ground is cracked,
because there has been no rain in the land.
The farmers are disappointed,[f]
and they cover their heads in shame.[g]
5 Even the doe in the field gives birth
and then abandons her young[h]
because there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren hills.
They pant for air like jackals.
Their eyesight fails
because there is no vegetation.”
The People Cry for Help
7 Lord, even though our iniquities testify against us,
do something for the sake of your name.
Indeed, our apostasies are many,
and we have sinned against you.
8 Hope of Israel,
its deliverer in time of trouble,
why are you like a stranger[i] in the land,
like a traveler who sets up his tent for a night?
9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a strong man who can’t deliver?
You are among us, Lord,
and your name is the one by which we’re called.
Don’t abandon us!
God Responds to the Prophet
10 This is what the Lord says to these people:
“Yes, they do love to wander,
and they haven’t restrained their feet.
So the Lord won’t accept them now.
He will remember their iniquity
and punish their sin.”
17 “And deliver[a] this message to them:
‘Let tears run down my face,[b]
night and day, and don’t let them stop,
because my virgin daughter—my people—
will be broken with a powerful blow,
with a severe wound.
18 If I go out into the field,
I see those slain by the sword!
If I go into the city,
I see the ravages of the famine!
Indeed, both prophet and priest
ply their trade in the land,
but they don’t know anything.’”[c]
The People Plead to the Lord
19 Have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you struck us,
so that there is no healing for us?
We hoped for peace, but no good came,
for a time of healing, but there was only terror.
20 We acknowledge, Lord, our wickedness,
the guilt of our ancestors.
Indeed, we have sinned against you.
21 For the sake of your name[d] don’t despise us.
Don’t dishonor your glorious throne.
Remember, don’t break your covenant with us!
22 Can any of the worthless gods of the nations make it rain?
Can the heavens themselves bring forth showers?
Aren’t you the one who does this,[e]
Lord our God?
So we hope in you,
for you are the one who does all these things.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(A)
31 “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has asked permission to sift all of you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail. When you have come back, you must strengthen your brothers.”
33 Peter[a] told him, “Lord, I am ready to go even to prison and to die with you!”
Peter Denies Jesus(A)
54 Then they arrested him, led him away, and brought him to the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. 55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had taken their seats, Peter, too, sat down among them. 56 A servant girl saw him sitting by the fire, stared at him, and said, “This man was with him, too.”
57 But he denied it, “I don’t know him, woman!” he responded.
58 A little later, a man looked at him and said, “You are one of them, too.”
But Peter said, “Mister,[a] I am not!”
59 About an hour later, another man emphatically asserted, “This man was certainly with him, because he is a Galilean!”
60 But Peter said, “Mister,[b] I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just then, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
61 Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered the word from the Lord, and how he had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 So he went outside and cried bitterly.
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