Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer to Bring Israel Back
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies of the Agreement.” A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
80 Shepherd of Israel, ·listen to us [give ear].
You ·lead [guide] the people of Joseph [C the northern empire of Israel] like a flock.
You sit on your throne between the ·gold creatures with wings [L cherubim; Ex. 25:18–22; 1 Kin. 8:7].
·Show your greatness [L Shine forth] 2 to the people of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
·Use [Arouse] your strength,
and come to ·save us [give us victory].
3 God, ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
4 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
how long will you ·be angry [L smoke/fume at us]
at the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed your people ·with tears [L the bread/food of tears];
you have made them drink ·many tears [tears by measure/L the third].
6 You made ·those around us fight over us [L us the strife of our neighbors],
and our enemies ·make fun of [ridicule] us.
7 God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
8 You brought ·us out of Egypt as if we were a vine [L a vine out of Egypt; Gen. 49:22; Is. 5:1–7; 27:2–6; Jer. 2:21; 12:10; Ezek. 15:1–8; 19:10–14; Hos. 10:1].
You ·forced out [dispossessed] other nations and planted us in the land.
9 You cleared the ground for us.
We took root and filled the land.
10 We covered the mountains with our shade.
We had branches like the mighty cedar tree.
11 Our branches reached the Mediterranean Sea,
and our shoots went to the Euphrates River.
12 So why did you ·pull [break] down our walls?
Now everyone who passes by ·steals from us [picks our fruit].
13 Like ·wild pigs [L boars of the forest] they ·walk over us [ravage us; gobble us up];
like ·wild animals [L creatures of the field] they feed on us.
14 God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·come back [restore us].
Look down from heaven and see.
Take care of us, your vine.
15 You planted this ·shoot [root] with your own hands
and strengthened this child [C the king].
16 Now it is cut down and burned with fire;
you destroyed us by ·your angry looks [L the rebuke of your face].
17 ·With your hand,
strengthen the one you have chosen for yourself [L Let your hand be on the man of your right hand; C the king].
18 Then we will not ·turn away from [deviate from; be disloyal to] you.
Give us life again, and we will call ·to you for help [L on your name].
19 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
Hard Times Are Coming
9 You women who are ·calm [complacent] now,
·stand [rise] up and listen to ·me [L my voice].
You ·women [L daughters] who feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now,
hear what I say.
10 You women feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now,
but ·after one year [L in a year and some days] you will ·be afraid [shudder; tremble].
There will be no grape harvest
and no summer fruit to gather.
11 Women, you are ·calm [complacent] now, but you should shake with fear.
Women, you feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now, but you should tremble.
·Take [Strip] off your nice clothes
and put ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth] around your waist [C a sign of sorrow or despair].
12 Beat your breasts [C a sign of mourning or grief], ·because the fields that were pleasant are now empty [L for the pleasant fields].
·Cry, because the vines that once had fruit now have no more grapes [L …for the fruitful vine].
13 ·Cry for [L …for] the land of my people,
in which only thorns and weeds now grow [Gen. 3:18].
·Cry for [L …for] the city that once was happy
and for all the houses that once were filled with joy.
14 The ·palace [or fortress] will be ·empty [abandoned; deserted];
the ·noisy [bustling; populous] city will be abandoned.
·Strong cities and towers [or The citadel and the watchtower] will be empty.
Wild donkeys will love to live there, and sheep will go there to eat.
Things Will Get Better
15 This will continue until ·God pours his Spirit [L the Spirit is poured] from ·above [heaven; T on high] upon us.
Then the desert will be like ·rich farmland [a fertile/fruitful field]
and the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field] like a forest [29:17; 35:1, 2].
16 Justice will ·be found [L dwell] even in the desert,
and fairness will be found in the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field].
17 That fairness will bring peace,
and it will bring ·calm [quietness] and ·safety [trust; confidence] forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful places
and in ·safe [secure] homes
and in ·calm [quiet] places of rest.
19 Hail will destroy the forest,
and the city will be ·completely destroyed [brought down; laid low].
20 But you will be ·happy [blessed] as you plant seeds near every stream
and as you let [L the feet of] your cattle and donkeys wander freely.
17 But the wisdom that comes from ·God [L above; 3:15] is first of all pure, then peaceful [peace-loving], gentle [patient; considerate], and ·easy to please [or willing to yield; or open to reason]. This wisdom is ·always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others [L full of mercy and good fruits]. It is ·always fair [impartial] and ·honest [sincere; unhypocritical]. 18 ·People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right living [or Peacemakers who sow with peace will harvest a crop of justice/righteousness; Gal. 5:22–23].
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