Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴ In the place where you used to meet with us,
    your enemies have shouted, “We’ve won the battle!”
    They have set up their flags to show they have beaten us.
⁵ They acted like people cutting down a forest with axes.
⁶     They smashed all the beautiful wooden walls
    with their axes and hatchets.
⁷ They burned your temple to the ground.
    They polluted the place where your Name is.
⁸ They had said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!”
    They burned every place where you were worshiped in the land.
⁹ We don’t get signs from God anymore.
    There aren’t any prophets left.
    None of us knows how long that will last.

¹⁰ God, how long will your enemies make fun of you?
    Will they attack you with their words forever?
¹¹ Why don’t you help us? Why do you hold back your power?
    Use your strong power to destroy your enemies!

¹² God, you have been my king for a long time.
    You are the only God who can save anyone on earth.
¹³ You parted the waters of the Red Sea by your power.
    You broke the heads of that sea monster in Egypt.
¹⁴ You crushed the heads of the sea monster Leviathan.
    You fed it to the creatures of the desert.
¹⁵ You opened up streams and springs.
    You dried up rivers that flow all year long.
¹⁶ You rule over the day and the night.
    You created the sun and the moon.
¹⁷ You decided where the borders of the earth would be.
    You made both summer and winter.

¹⁸ Lord, remember how your enemies have made fun of you.
    Remember how foolish people have attacked you with their words.
¹⁹ Don’t hand over Israel, your dove, to those wild animals.
    Don’t forget your suffering people forever.
²⁰ Honor the covenant you made with us.
    Horrible things are happening in every dark corner of the land.
²¹ Don’t let your suffering people be put to shame.
    May those who are poor and needy praise you.

²² God, rise up. Stand up for your cause.
    Remember how foolish people make fun of you all day long.
²³ Pay close attention to the shouts of your enemies.
    The trouble they cause never stops.

“You can be sure that the great houses will become empty.
    The fine homes will be left with no one living in them.
¹⁰ A ten-acre vineyard will produce only six gallons of wine.
    360 pounds of seeds will produce only 36 pounds of grain.”

¹¹ How terrible it will be for those who get up early in the morning
    to start drinking!
How terrible for those who stay up late at night
    until they are drunk with wine!
¹² They have harps and lyres at their banquets.
    They have tambourines, flutes and wine.
But they don’t have any concern for the mighty acts of the Lord.
    They don’t have any respect for what his power has done.
¹³ So my people will be taken away as prisoners.
    That’s because they don’t understand what the Lord has done.
Their nobles will die of hunger.
    The rest of the people won’t have any water to drink.
¹⁴ So Death opens its jaws to receive them.
    Its mouth is open wide to swallow them up.
Their nobles and the rest of the people will go down into it.
    They will go there together with all those who have wild parties.
¹⁵ So people will be brought low.
    Everyone will be made humble.
    Those who brag will be brought down.
¹⁶ But the Lord who rules over all will be honored
    because he judges fairly.
The holy God will prove that he is holy
    by doing what is right.
¹⁷ Then sheep will graze as if they were in their own grasslands.
    Lambs will eat grass among the destroyed buildings
    where rich people used to live.

¹⁸ How terrible it will be for those who continue to sin
    and lie about it!
How terrible for those who keep on doing what is evil
    as if they were tied to it!
¹⁹ How terrible for those who say,
    “Let God hurry up and do what he says he will.
    We want to see it happen.
Let us see the plan of the Holy One of Israel.
    We want to know what it is.”

²⁰ How terrible it will be for those who say
    that what is evil is good!
How terrible for those who say
    that what is good is evil!
How terrible for those who say
    that darkness is light
    and light is darkness!
How terrible for those who say
    that what is bitter is sweet
    and what is sweet is bitter!

²¹ How terrible it will be for those who think they are wise!
    How terrible for those who think they are really clever!

²² How terrible it will be for those
    who are heroes at drinking wine!
How terrible for those
    who are heroes at mixing drinks!
²³ How terrible for those
    who take money to set guilty people free!
How terrible for those
    who don’t treat good people fairly!