Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer of an Afflicted Man for Mercy on Himself and on Zion.
A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and [a]pours out his complaint before the Lord.
102 (A)Hear my prayer, O Lord!
And let my cry for help (B)come to You.
2 (C)Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;
(D)Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call (E)answer me quickly.
3 For my days (F)have been [b]consumed in smoke,
And my (G)bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart (H)has been smitten like [c]grass and has (I)withered away,
Indeed, I (J)forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the [d]loudness of my groaning
My (K)bones [e]cling to my flesh.
6 I [f]resemble a (L)pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.
7 I (M)lie awake,
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 My enemies (N)have reproached me all day long;
Those who [g](O)deride me [h]have used my name as a (P)curse.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
And (Q)mingled my drink with weeping
10 (R)Because of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have (S)lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a [i](T)lengthened shadow,
And [j]I (U)wither away like [k]grass.
12 But You, O Lord, [l](V)abide forever,
And Your [m](W)name to all generations.
13 You will (X)arise and have (Y)compassion on Zion;
For (Z)it is time to be gracious to her,
For the (AA)appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants [n]find pleasure in her stones
And feel pity for her dust.
15 [o]So the [p](AB)nations will fear the name of the Lord
And (AC)all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord has (AD)built up Zion;
He has (AE)appeared in His glory.
17 He has (AF)regarded the prayer of the [q]destitute
And has not despised their prayer.
8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your (A)prophets who are in your midst and your diviners (B)deceive you, and do not listen to [a](C)the dreams which [b]they dream. 9 For they (D)prophesy falsely to you in My name; (E)I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.
10 “For thus says the Lord, ‘When (F)seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My (G)good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the (H)plans that I [c]have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for (I)welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a (J)hope. 12 Then you will (K)call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will (L)listen to you. 13 You will (M)seek Me and find Me when you (N)search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be (O)found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will (P)restore your [d]fortunes and will (Q)gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will (R)bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’
15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up (S)prophets for us in Babylon’— 16 for thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who did (T)not go with you into exile— 17 thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the (U)sword, famine and pestilence, and I will make them like (V)split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with pestilence; and I will (W)make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a (X)curse and a horror and a (Y)hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have (Z)not listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by (AA)My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord. 20 You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have (AB)sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are (AC)prophesying to you falsely in My name, ‘Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will slay them before your eyes. 22 Because of them a (AD)curse will be [e]used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon (AE)roasted in the fire, 23 because they have (AF)acted foolishly in Israel, and (AG)have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have (AH)spoken words in My name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who (AI)knows and am a witness,” declares the Lord.’”
24 While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! [a]Your great (A)learning is [b]driving you mad.” 25 But Paul *said, “I am not out of my mind, (B)most excellent Festus, but I utter words [c]of sober truth. 26 For the king [d](C)knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a [e]corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you [f]do.” 28 Agrippa replied to Paul, “[g]In a short time you [h]will persuade me to [i]become a (D)Christian.” 29 And Paul said, “[j]I would wish to God, that whether [k]in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these (E)chains.”
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