Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Nation Cries for Jerusalem
A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
79 God, nations have come against your ·chosen people [L inheritance].
They have ·ruined [profaned] your holy Temple.
They have turned Jerusalem into ·ruins [a dump; 2 Kin. 25:9–10].
2 They have given the bodies of your servants as food to the ·wild birds [L birds of the sky/heavens].
They have given the ·bodies [L flesh] of ·those who worship you [your faithful ones; saints] to the wild animals [Jer. 34:20].
3 They have spilled blood like water all around Jerusalem.
No one was left to bury the dead.
4 We are a ·joke [reproach; scorn] to the ·other nations [L residents];
·they [L the people around us] ·laugh [ridicule] and make fun of us.
5 Lord, how long?
Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like a fire?
6 ·Be angry with [L Pour out your wrath on] the nations that do not know you
and ·with [or on] the kingdoms that do not ·honor you [L call on your name].
7 They have ·gobbled up [devoured] the people of Jacob
and ·destroyed [desolated] their ·land [pasturage].
8 Don’t ·punish us for our past sins [L remember our former guilt].
Show your ·mercy [compassion] to us soon,
because we are ·helpless [very low]!
9 God our ·Savior [Victor], help us
·so people will praise you [L for the glory of your name].
·Save [Protect] us and ·forgive [atone for] our sins
·so people will honor you [L for your name].
14 This is what the Lord said to me: “Here is what I will do to all my wicked neighbors [C like Edom; Ps. 137:7; Obad. 10–14] who ·take [L touch] the ·land [L inheritance] I ·gave my people Israel [L made my people Israel inherit]. I will ·pull them up and throw them out of [L uproot them from] their land. And I will ·pull up [uproot] the ·people [L house] of Judah from among them. 15 But after I ·pull them up [uproot them; 1:10], I will ·feel sorry for [have compassion on] them again. I will ·bring [restore] each person back to his own ·property [inheritance] and to his own land. 16 I want them to learn their lessons well. In the past they taught my people to swear by Baal’s name. But if they will now learn to swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives…’ I will ·allow them to rebuild [build them up] among my people. 17 But if a nation will not listen to my message, I will ·pull it up [uproot] completely and destroy it,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Linen Belt
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen ·belt [loincloth; underwear; C priests like Jeremiah wore linen undergarments; Ex. 28:39; 39:27–29; Ezek. 44:17–18] and put it around your ·waist [loins]. Don’t let the ·belt [loincloth; underwear] ·get wet [be washed; be brought into water].”
2 So I bought a ·linen belt [loincloth; underwear], just as the Lord told me, and put it around my ·waist [loins]. 3 Then the Lord spoke his word to me a second time: 4 “Take the ·belt [loincloth; underwear] you bought and ·are wearing [L is on your loins], and go to Perath [C the name of the Euphrates River or a town near Jerusalem with a similar name (Josh. 18:23)]. Hide the ·belt [loincloth; underwear] there in a crack in the rocks.” 5 So I went to Perath and hid the ·belt [loincloth; underwear] there, just as the Lord ·told [commanded] me.
6 ·Many days later [L At the end of many days] the Lord said to me, “Now go to Perath [v. 4] and get the ·belt [loincloth; underwear] I ·told [commanded] you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the ·belt [loincloth; underwear] and took it from where I had hidden it. But now it was ruined; it was good for nothing.
8 Then the Lord spoke his word to me. 9 This is what the Lord said: “In the same way I will ·ruin [destroy; rot away] the pride of the people of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 These evil people refuse to listen to my ·warnings [L words]. They ·stubbornly do only what they want to do [L follow/go after their stubborn hearts], and they ·follow [L go after] other gods to serve and ·worship [bow down to] them. So they will become like this ·linen belt [loincloth; underwear]—good for nothing. 11 As a ·belt [loincloth; underwear] ·is wrapped tightly around [clings to] a person’s ·waist [loins], I ·wrapped the families of Israel and Judah around [L caused all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah to cling to] me,” says the Lord. “I did that so they would be my people and bring fame, praise, and ·honor [splendor] to me. But my people would not listen.
3 So what advantage does a Jew have? [L Or] Is there ·anything special [any benefit/advantage] about being circumcised? 2 Yes, there are great benefits in ·every way [or all different ways]. ·The most important thing is this [L First]: God ·trusted [entrusted] the Jews with his ·teachings [revelation; oracles]. 3 ·If [L What if] some Jews were not faithful to him, will their unfaithfulness ·stop God from doing what he promised [L nullify God’s faithfulness]? 4 ·No [Absolutely not; May it never be]! ·God will continue to be true even when every person is false [L Let God be true and every person a liar]. As the Scriptures say:
“So you will be ·shown to be right [justified] ·when you speak [L in your words],
and you will ·win your case in court [L prevail when you are judged; or prevail when you judge (sin); Ps. 51:4].”
5 But if ·what we do wrong [our unrighteousness] ·shows more clearly [highlights] ·that God is right [God’s righteousness], ·how can we say [L what shall we say?] that God is ·wrong [unrighteous; unjust] to ·punish [L inflict wrath on] us? (I am talking ·as people might talk [or in limited human terms].) 6 ·No [Absolutely not; May it never be; v. 4]! If God could not punish us, ·he could not [L how could he…?] judge the world.
7 A person might say, “When I lie, it really ·gives him [L increases his] glory, because my lie shows God’s truth. So why am I ·judged [condemned as] a sinner?” 8 It would be the same to say, “We should do evil so that good will come.” Some people ·find fault with [slander] us and say we teach this, but ·they are wrong and deserve the punishment they will receive [L their condemnation is just].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.