Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
40 [a]Then the anger of the Lord flared up against his people,
and he abhorred his own heritage.
41 He handed them over to the nations,
and their foes became their rulers.
42 Their enemies oppressed them
and kept them in subjection to their power.
43 Time and again he came to their rescue,
but they rebelled against his counsel
and sank low because of their sin.
44 Even so, he took pity on their distress
when he heard their cries.
45 He called to mind his covenant[b] with them,
and he relented because of his great mercy.
46 He aroused compassion for them
on the part of all their captors.
47 Save us, O Lord, our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in praising[c] you.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.[d]
Let all the people say, “Amen.”
Alleluia.[e]
Chapter 10
The True God. 1 Listen to the word that the Lord addresses to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:
Do not adopt the ways of the nations
or become frightened at the signs in the heavens,[a]
even though the nations are terrified of them.
3 For the carved images of the nations are powerless;
they are nothing more than wood cut from a forest,
fashioned with a knife by craftsmen
4 and embellished with silver and gold.
Then they are fastened with hammers and nails
to prevent them from toppling.
5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber field
they are unable to speak,
and they must be carried from place to place
since they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they can do no harm,
nor do they have any power to do good.
6 O Lord, there is no one like you;
you are great,
and great is the might of your name.
7 Who would not fear you,
O King of the nations?
This is your due.
Of all the wisest men in the nations
and throughout all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
8 They are all senseless and foolish,
and the idols they venerate are nothing but wood,
9 adorned with beaten silver from Tarshish
and gold from Ophir.
Their idols are the work of craftsmen and goldsmiths
and clothed with violet and purple;
all of them are the product of skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God and the everlasting King.
When confronted with his wrath the earth quakes,
and no nation can endure his fury.
11 Convey this message to them: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.
12 The Lord made the earth by his power,
established the world by his wisdom
and spread out the heavens by his understanding.
13 When his voice thunders forth,
the waters in the heavens are in tumult,
and he brings forth clouds
from the most remote areas of the earth.
He causes lightning to flash during the rainfall
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
14 Everyone is ignorant and devoid of knowledge;
every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for the figures he molds are fraudulent,
lacking even a semblance of breath.
15 They are worthless, worthy only of mockery;
when the time of judgment comes
they will no longer exist.
16 But not like these is the portion of Jacob,
for he is the Maker of all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his heritage;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
19 Although I am free and belong to no man, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. 20 To the Jews, I became like a Jew in order to win the Jews. To those under the Law, I became like one under the Law—although I myself am not under the Law—in order to win over those under the Law. 21 To those outside the Law, I became like one outside the Law—although I am not outside the Law of God but am subject to the Law of Christ—in order to win over those outside the Law. 22 To the weak, I have become weak in order to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, so that by every possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel so that I might share it with you.
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