Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 You removed a (A)vine from Egypt;
You (B)drove out the [a]nations and (C)planted it.
9 You (D)cleared the ground before it,
And it (E)took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And [b]the cedars of God with its (F)branches.
11 It was sending out its branches (G)to the sea
And its shoots to the Euphrates River.
12 Why have You (H)broken down its [c]hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
13 A boar from the forest (I)eats it away,
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.
14 God of armies, do (J)turn back;
(K)Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
15 The [d](L)shoot which Your right hand has planted,
And of the [e]son whom You have [f]strengthened for Yourself.
16 It is (M)burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish from the (N)rebuke of Your face.
17 Let (O)Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You (P)made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not (Q)turn back from You;
(R)Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 Lord God of armies, (S)restore us;
Make Your face shine upon us, [g]and we will be saved.
God Will Remove the Leaders
3 For behold, the Lord [a]God of armies (A)is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
Both supply and support, the entire supply of bread
And the entire supply of water;
2 (B)The mighty man and the warrior,
The judge and the prophet,
The diviner and the elder,
3 The captain of fifty and the esteemed person,
The counselor and the expert artisan,
And the skillful enchanter.
4 And I will make mere (C)boys their leaders,
And [b]mischievous children will rule over them,
5 And the people will be (D)oppressed,
Each one by another, and each one by his (E)neighbor;
The youth will assault the elder,
And the contemptible person will assault the one honored.
6 When a man (F)lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler!
And these ruins will be under your [c]authority,”
7 He will [d]protest on that day, saying,
“I will not be your [e](G)healer,
For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;
You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”
8 For (H)Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their [f](I)speech and their actions are against the Lord,
To (J)rebel against [g]His glorious presence.
9 [h]The expression of their faces testifies against them,
And they [i]display their sin like (K)Sodom;
They do not even conceal it.
Woe to [j]them!
For they have (L)done evil to themselves.
10 Say to the (M)righteous that it will go well for them,
For they will eat the fruit of their actions.
11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly for him,
For [k](N)what he deserves will be done to him.
12 My people! Their oppressors (O)treat them violently,
And women rule over them.
My people! (P)Those who guide you lead you astray
And confuse the direction of your paths.
God Will Judge
13 (Q)The Lord arises to contend,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord (R)enters into judgment with the elders and leaders of His people,
“It is you who have [l](S)devoured the vineyard;
The (T)goods stolen from the poor are in your houses.
15 What do you mean by (U)crushing My people
And [m]oppressing the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord [n]God of armies.
Judah’s Women Denounced
16 Moreover, the Lord said, “Because the (V)daughters of Zion are haughty
And walk with [o]heads held high and seductive eyes,
And go along with mincing steps
And jingle the anklets on their feet,
17 The Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs,
And the Lord will make their foreheads bare.”
32 But remember (A)the former days, [a]when, after being (B)enlightened, you endured a great (C)conflict of sufferings, 33 partly by being (D)made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming [b](E)companions with those who were so treated. 34 For you (F)showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted (G)joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves (H)a better and lasting possession. 35 Therefore, do not throw away your (I)confidence, which has a great (J)reward. 36 For you have need of (K)endurance, so that when you have (L)done the will of God, you may (M)receive [c]what was promised.
37 (N)For yet in a very little while,
(O)He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
38 (P)But My righteous one will live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
39 But [d]we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.
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