Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer because of Troubles
44 O God, we have heard with our ears. Our fathers have told us what work You did in their days, in the days long ago. 2 With Your own hand You made the nations leave, and put our fathers in the land. You brought trouble upon the nations, and You spread them out. 3 It was not by their sword that they took the land. Their own arm did not save them. But it was Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You favored them.
4 You are my King, O God. Jacob wins because You say it must be so. 5 Through You we will push away those who hate us. Through Your name we will walk over those who rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust my bow, and my sword will not save me. 7 But You have saved us from those who fight against us. You have put to shame those who hate us. 8 In God we have had our pride all day long. And we will give thanks to Your name forever.
9 But now You have turned from us and have put us to shame. You do not go out with our armies. 10 You made us turn away from those who fight against us. And those who hate us have robbed us. 11 You give us up to be eaten like sheep. You have spread us out among the nations. 12 You sell Your people for nothing, and become no richer from their price. 13 You have made us a shame to our neighbors. Those around us laugh and make fun of us. 14 You have made us hated among the nations. The people laugh at us. 15 All day long my shame is with me and has become too much for me. 16 Those who talk against me, and who hate me are around me and want to punish me.
17 All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You. We have not been false to Your agreement. 18 Our heart has not turned away. And our steps have not turned from Your way. 19 But You have crushed us in a place of wild dogs, and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or put out our hands to a strange god, 21 would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. 22 But we are killed all day long because of You. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed. 23 Awake, O Lord! Why do You sleep? Rise up! Do not turn away from us forever. 24 Why do You hide Your face? Why do You forget our troubles and our suffering? 25 For our soul is brought down to the dust. Our body holds on to the earth. 26 Rise up and help us! Save us because of Your loving-kindness.
The People Are toTurn from Their Sin
6 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has hurt us but He will heal us. He has cut us but He will cover the sore. 2 After two days He will give us new life. He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him. 3 So keep on trying to know the Lord. His coming to us is as sure as the rising of the sun. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain giving water to the earth.”
4 “What should I do with you, Ephraim? What should I do with you, Judah? Your loving-kindness is like a morning cloud, and like the water on the grass in the early morning. 5 So I have cut them in pieces by the men who speak for Me. I have killed them by the words of My mouth. My punishments come upon you like lightning. 6 I want loving-kindness and not a gift to be given in worship. I want people to know God instead of giving burnt gifts. 7 But like Adam they have sinned against the agreement. They were not faithful to Me there. 8 Gilead is a city of wrong-doers, with blood in every footstep. 9 Like robbers lie in wait for a man, a group of religious leaders kill on the way to Shechem. For sure they have done a sinful thing. 10 I have seen a very bad thing among the people of Israel. Ephraim has left Me to worship false gods. Israel has made itself unclean.
30 What are we to say about these things? The people who are not Jews were not made right with God by the Law. They were made right with God because they put their trust in Him. 31 The Jews tried to be right with God by obeying the Law, but they did not become right with God. 32 Why? Because they did not put their trust in God. They tried to be right with God by working for it. They tripped over the most important Stone (Christ). 33 The Holy Writings say, “See! I put in Jerusalem a Stone that people will trip over. It is a Rock that will make them fall. But the person who puts his trust in the Rock (Christ) will not be put to shame.” (A)
10 Christian brothers, the desire of my heart and my prayer to God is that the Jews might be saved from the punishment of sin. 2 I know about them. They have a strong desire for God, but they do not know what they should about Him. 3 They have not known how God makes men right with Himself. Instead, they have tried to make their own way. They have not become right with God because they have not done what God said to do. 4 For Christ has put an end to the Law, so everyone who has put his trust in Christ is made right with God.
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