Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
10 There shall be no foreign god among you;[a](A)
you shall not bow down to an alien god.
11 ‘I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth that I may fill it.’
12 But my people did not listen to my words;
Israel would not submit to me.
13 So I thrust them away to the hardness of their heart;
‘Let them walk in their own machinations.’(B)
14 O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways,(C)
15 In a moment I would humble their foes,
and turn back my hand against their oppressors.(D)
16 Those who hate the Lord will try flattering him,
but their fate is fixed forever.
Chapter 12
1 You would be in the right, O Lord,
if I should dispute with you;
even so, I must lay out the case against you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper,
why do all the treacherous live in contentment?(A)
2 You planted them; they have taken root,
they flourish and bear fruit as well.
You are upon their lips,
but far from their thoughts.(B)
3 Lord, you know me, you see me,
you have found that my heart is with you.(C)
Pick them out like sheep for the butcher,
set them apart for the day of slaughter.[a]
4 How long must the land mourn,
the grass of the whole countryside wither?
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it
beasts and birds disappear,
for they say, “God does not care about our future.”
5 If running against men has wearied you,
how will you race against horses?
And if you are safe only on a level stretch,
what will you do in the jungle of the Jordan?
6 Your kindred and your father’s house, even they betray you; they have recruited a force against you. Do not believe them, even when they speak fair words to you.(D)
The Lord’s Complaint
7 I have abandoned my house,
cast off my heritage;
The beloved of my soul I have delivered
into the hand of her foes.(E)
8 My heritage has become for me
like a lion in the thicket;
She has raised her voice against me,
therefore she has incurred my hatred.(F)
9 My heritage is a prey for hyenas,
is surrounded by vultures;
Come, gather together, all you wild animals,
come and eat!(G)
10 Many shepherds have ravaged my vineyard,
have trampled down my heritage;
My delightful portion they have turned
into a desert waste.(H)
11 They have made it a mournful waste,
desolate before me,
Desolate, the whole land,
because no one takes it to heart.
12 Upon every height in the wilderness
marauders have appeared.
The Lord has a sword that consumes
the land from end to end:
no peace for any living thing.(I)
13 They have sown wheat and reaped thorns,
they have tired themselves out for no purpose;
They are shamed by their harvest,
the burning anger of the Lord.
7 The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. 8 (A)Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.[a] 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining.(B) 10 As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.(C) 11 Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,(D) to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.[b]
IV. Advice to the Persecuted
Trial of Persecution.[c]
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.