Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord Punishes the Guilty
1 Lord God, you punish
the guilty.
Show what you are like
and punish them now.
2 You judge the earth.
Come and help us!
Pay back those proud people
for what they have done.
3 How long will the wicked
celebrate and be glad?
4 All of those cruel people
strut and boast,
5 and they crush and wound
your chosen nation, Lord.
6 They murder widows,
foreigners, and orphans.
7 Then they say,
“The Lord God of Jacob
doesn't see or know.”
8 Can't you fools see?
Won't you ever learn?
9 God gave us ears and eyes!
Can't he hear and see?
10 God instructs the nations
and gives knowledge to us all.
Won't he also correct us?
11 (A) The Lord knows how useless
our plans really are.
12 Our Lord, you bless everyone
that you instruct and teach
by using your Law.
13 You give them rest
from their troubles,
until a pit can be dug
for the wicked.
14 You won't turn your back
on your chosen nation.
15 Justice and fairness
will go hand in hand,
and all who do right
will follow along.
16 Who will stand up for me
against those cruel people?
17 If you had not helped me, Lord,
I would soon have gone
to the land of silence.[a]
18 When I felt my feet slipping,
you came with your love
and kept me steady.
19 And when I was burdened
with worries,
you comforted me
and made me feel secure.
20 But you are opposed
to dishonest lawmakers
21 who gang up to murder
innocent victims.
22 You, Lord God, are my fortress,
that mighty rock[b]
where I am safe.
23 You will pay back my enemies,
and you will wipe them out
for the evil they did.
Israel Refused To Worship the Lord
18 The Lord said:
Jeremiah, the enemy army won't kill everyone in Judah. 19 And the people who survive will ask, “Why did the Lord our God do such terrible things to us?” Then tell them:
I am the Lord,
but you abandoned me
and worshiped other gods
in your own land.
Now you will be slaves
in a foreign country.
20 Tell these things to each other,
you people of Judah,
you descendants of Jacob.
21 (A) You fools! Why don't you listen
when I speak?
Why can't you understand
22 (B) that you should worship me
with fear and trembling?
I'm the one who made the shore
to hold back the ocean.
Waves may crash on the beach,
but they can come no farther.
23 You stubborn people have rebelled
and turned your backs on me.
24 You refuse to say,
“Let's worship the Lord!
He's the one who sends rain
in spring and autumn
and gives us a good harvest.”
25 That's why I cannot bless you!
* 26 A hunter traps birds
and puts them in a cage,
but some of you trap humans
and make them your slaves.
27 You are evil, and you lie and cheat
to make yourselves rich.
You are powerful
28 and prosperous,
but you refuse to help[a] the poor
get the justice they deserve.
29 You need to be punished,
and so I will take revenge.
30 Look at the terrible things
going on in this country.
I am shocked!
31 Prophets give their messages
in the name of a false god,[b]
my priests don't want
to serve me,[c]
and you—my own people—
like it this way!
But on the day of disaster,
where will you turn for help?
8 (A) Dear friends, don't forget that for the Lord one day is the same as 1,000 years, and 1,000 years is the same as one day. 9 The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.
10 (B) The day of the Lord's return will surprise us like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a loud noise, and the heat will melt the whole universe.[a] Then the earth and everything on it will be seen for what they are.[b]
11 Everything will be destroyed. So you should serve and honor God by the way you live. 12 You should look forward to the day when God judges everyone, and you should try to make it come soon.[c] On that day the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and everything else will melt in the heat. 13 (C) But God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth, where justice will rule. We are really looking forward to this!
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