Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹¹ “But, my people, Israel,
    you refused to listen,
and you would have nothing
    to do with me!
¹² So I let you be stubborn
and keep on following
    your own advice.

¹³ “My people, Israel,
if only you would listen
    and do as I say!
¹⁴ I, the Lord, would quickly
defeat your enemies
    with my mighty power.
¹⁵ Everyone who hates me
    would come crawling,
and that would be the end
    of them.
¹⁶ But I would feed you
    with the finest bread
and with the best honey^[a]
    until you were full.”

³ But you know, Lord,
how faithful I've always been,
    even in my thoughts.
So drag my enemies away
    and butcher them like sheep!

⁴ How long will the ground be dry
    and the pasturelands parched?
The birds and animals
    are dead and gone.
And all of this happened because
    the people are so sinful.
They even brag, “God can't see
    the sins we commit.”^[a]

⁹ My people are like a hawk
surrounded and attacked
    by other hawks.^[b]
Tell the wild animals
    to come and eat their fill.
¹⁰ My beautiful land is ruined
    like a field or a vineyard
trampled by shepherds
and stripped bare
    by their flocks.
¹¹ Every field I see lies barren,
    and no one cares.

¹² A destroying army
marches along desert roads
    and attacks everywhere.
They are my deadly sword;
    no one is safe from them.

¹³ My people, you planted wheat,
but because I was furious,
    I let only weeds grow.
You wore yourselves out
    and gained only shame!