Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴ Some of you were lost
in the scorching desert,
    far from a town.
⁵ You were hungry and thirsty
    and about to give up.
⁶ You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
    and he rescued you.
⁷ At once he brought you
    to a town.
⁸ You should praise the Lord
    for his love
and for the wonderful things
    he does for all of us.
⁹ To everyone who is thirsty,
    he gives something to drink;
to everyone who is hungry,
    he gives good things to eat.

⁴³ Be wise! Remember this
and think about the kindness
    of the Lord.

⁴ You chose kings and leaders
    without consulting me;
you made silver and gold idols
    that led to your downfall.
⁵ City of Samaria, I'm angry
because of your idol
    in the shape of a calf.
When will you ever
    be innocent again?
⁶ Someone from Israel built
that idol for you,
    but only I am God.
And so it will be smashed
    to pieces.^[c]

⁷ If you scatter wind
    instead of wheat,
you will harvest a whirlwind
    and have no wheat.
Even if you harvest grain,
    enemies will steal it all.

⁸ Israel, you are ruined,
and now the nations
    consider you worthless.
⁹ You are like a wild donkey
    that goes its own way.
You've run off to Assyria
    and hired them as allies.
¹⁰ You can bargain with nations,
    but I'll catch you anyway.
Soon you will suffer abuse
    by kings and rulers.

¹¹ Israel, you have built
many altars where you offer
    sacrifices for sin.
But these altars have become
    places for sin.
¹² My instructions for sacrifices
were written in detail,
    but you ignored them.
¹³ You sacrifice your best animals
    and eat the sacrificial meals,^[d]
but I, the Lord,
    refuse your offerings.
I will remember your sins
    and punish you.
Then you will return to Egypt.^[e]

¹⁴ Israel, I created you,
    but you forgot me.
You and Judah built palaces
    and many strong cities.^[f]
Now I will send fire to destroy
    your towns and fortresses.