Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

^4 (G)Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
    and put away your indignation toward us!
^5 (H)Will you be angry with us forever?
    Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
⁶ Will you not ^(I)revive us again,
    that your people may ^(J)rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.

^8 (K)Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
    for he will ^(L)speak peace to his people, to his ^(M)saints;
    but let them not ^(N)turn back to ^(O)folly.
⁹ Surely his ^(P)salvation is near to those who fear him,
    that ^(Q)glory may dwell in our land.

^10 (R)Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
    ^(S)righteousness and peace kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
    and righteousness looks down from the sky.
¹² Yes, ^(T)the Lord will give what is good,
    and our land ^(U)will yield its increase.
^13 (V)Righteousness will go before him
    and make his footsteps a way.

^4 (I)Yet let no one contend,
    and let none accuse,
    for with you is ^(J)my contention, O priest.^[a]
5 You shall stumble by day;
    the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;
    and I will destroy ^(K)your mother.
⁶ My people are destroyed ^(L)for lack of knowledge;
    ^(M)because you have rejected knowledge,
    I reject you ^(N)from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
    ^(O)I also will forget your children.

^7 (P)The more they increased,
    the more they sinned against me;
    ^(Q)I will change their glory into shame.
^8 (R)They feed on the sin^[b] of my people;
    they are greedy for their iniquity.
^9 (S)And it shall be like people, like priest;
    I will punish them for their ways
    and repay them for their deeds.
^10 (T)They shall eat, but not be satisfied;
    they shall play the whore, but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord
    to cherish ¹¹ whoredom, wine, and new wine,
    which ^(U)take away the understanding.
¹² My people ^(V)inquire of a piece of wood,
    and their walking staff gives them oracles.
For ^(W)a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
    and they have left their God to play the whore.
^13 (X)They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
    and burn offerings on the hills,
^(Y)under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
    because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters play the whore,
    and your brides commit adultery.
¹⁴ I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore,
    nor your brides when they commit adultery;
for ^(Z)the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
    and sacrifice with ^(AA)cult prostitutes,
and a people ^(AB)without understanding shall come to ruin.

¹⁵ Though you play the whore, O ^(AC)Israel,
    let not ^(AD)Judah become guilty.
^(AE)Enter not into ^(AF)Gilgal,
    nor go up to ^(AG)Beth-aven,
    and swear not, “As the Lord lives.”
¹⁶ Like a stubborn heifer,
    Israel is stubborn;
can the Lord now feed them
    like a lamb in a broad pasture?

^17 (AH)Ephraim is joined to idols;
    ^(AI)leave him alone.
¹⁸ When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring;
    ^(AJ)their rulers^[c] dearly love shame.
^19 (AK)A wind has wrapped them^[d] in its wings,
    and they shall ^(AL)be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

^(I)“‘May his camp become desolate,
    and let there be no one to dwell in it’;

^(J)“‘Let another take his office.’