Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
I. The Prophet’s Marriage and Its Symbolism
Marriage of Hosea and Gomer. 2 When the Lord began to speak with Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: Go, get for yourself a woman of prostitution[a] and children of prostitution, for the land prostitutes itself,(A) turning away from the Lord.
3 So he went and took Gomer, daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the Lord said to him: Give him the name “Jezreel,”[b] for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed at Jezreel and bring to an end the kingdom of the house of Israel; 5 on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. The Lord said to him: Give her the name “Not-Pitied,”[c] for I will no longer feel pity for the house of Israel: rather, I will utterly abhor them. 7 [d]Yet for the house of Judah I will feel pity; I will save them by the Lord, their God; but I will not save them by bow or sword, by warfare, by horses or horsemen.(B)
8 After she weaned Not-Pitied, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then the Lord said: Give him the name “Not-My-People,”[e] for you are not my people, and I am not “I am” for you.
Psalm 85[a]
Prayer for Divine Favor
1 For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites.
I
2 You once favored, Lord, your land,
restored the captives of Jacob.(A)
3 You forgave the guilt of your people,
pardoned all their sins.
Selah
4 You withdrew all your wrath,
turned back from your burning anger.(B)
II
5 Restore us, God of our salvation;
let go of your displeasure with us.(C)
6 Will you be angry with us forever,
prolong your anger for all generations?(D)
7 Certainly you will again restore our life,
that your people may rejoice in you.
8 Show us, Lord, your mercy;
grant us your salvation.
III
9 [b]I will listen for what God, the Lord, has to say;
surely he will speak of peace
To his people and to his faithful.
May they not turn to foolishness!
10 Near indeed is his salvation for those who fear him;
glory will dwell in our land.
11 [c]Love and truth will meet;
justice and peace will kiss.(E)
12 Truth will spring from the earth;
justice will look down from heaven.(F)
13 Yes, the Lord will grant his bounty;
our land will yield its produce.(G)
14 Justice will march before him,
and make a way for his footsteps.
6 So, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, 7 rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.(A) 8 See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world[a] and not according to Christ.(B)
Sovereign Role of Christ. 9 (C)For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity[b] bodily, 10 and you share in this fullness in him, who is the head of every principality and power. 11 (D)In him[c] you were also circumcised with a circumcision not administered by hand, by stripping off the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ. 12 You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.(E) 13 (F)And even when you were dead [in] transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; 14 [d]obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross;(G) 15 despoiling the principalities and the powers, he made a public spectacle of them,(H) leading them away in triumph by it.[e]
Practices Contrary to Faith. 16 (A)Let no one, then, pass judgment on you in matters of food and drink or with regard to a festival or new moon or sabbath.[a] 17 These are shadows of things to come; the reality belongs to Christ.(B) 18 Let no one disqualify you, delighting in self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions,[b] inflated without reason by his fleshly mind,(C) 19 and not holding closely to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and bonds, achieves the growth that comes from God.(D)
Chapter 11
The Lord’s Prayer.(A) 1 [a]He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”[b] 2 [c]He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread[d]
4 and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”
Further Teachings on Prayer.(B) 5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ 7 and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
The Answer to Prayer.(C) 9 “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.(D) 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? 12 Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit[e] to those who ask him?”
Jesus and Beelzebul.(E)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.