Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
137 We were sitting by the rivers of Babylon.
We wept when we remembered what had happened to Zion.
2 On the nearby poplar trees
we hung up our harps.
3 Those who held us as prisoners asked us to sing.
Those who enjoyed hurting us ordered us to sing joyful songs.
They said, “Sing one of the songs of Zion to us!”
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while we are in another land?
5 Jerusalem, if I forget you,
may my right hand never be able to play the harp again.
6 If I don’t remember you,
may my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth so I can’t sing.
May it happen if I don’t consider Jerusalem
to be my greatest joy.
7 Lord, remember what the people of Edom did
on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down!” they cried.
“Tear it down to the ground!”
8 People of Babylon, you are sentenced to be destroyed.
Happy is the person who pays you back
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the person who grabs your babies
and smashes them against the rocks.
5 Lord, think about what has happened to us.
Look at the shame our enemies have brought on us.
2 The land you gave us has been turned over to outsiders.
Our homes have been given to strangers.
3 Our fathers have been killed.
Our mothers don’t have husbands.
4 We have to buy the water we drink.
We have to pay for the wood we use.
5 Those who chase us are right behind us.
We’re tired and can’t get any rest.
6 We put ourselves under the control of Egypt and Assyria
just to get enough bread.
7 Our people of long ago sinned.
And they are now dead.
We are being punished because of their sins.
8 Slaves rule over us.
No one can set us free
from their power.
9 We put our lives in danger just to get some bread to eat.
Robbers in the desert might kill us with their swords.
10 Our skin is as hot as an oven.
We are so hungry we’re burning up with fever.
11 Our women have been treated badly in Zion.
Our virgins have been treated badly in the towns of Judah.
12 Our princes have been hung up by their hands.
No one shows our elders any respect.
13 Our young men are forced to grind grain at the mill.
Our boys almost fall down
as they carry heavy loads of wood.
14 Our elders don’t go to the city gate anymore.
Our young men have stopped playing their music.
15 There isn’t any joy in our hearts.
Our dancing has turned into mourning.
16 All of our honor is gone.
How terrible it is for us because we have sinned!
17 So our hearts are weak.
Our eyes can’t see very clearly.
18 Mount Zion has been deserted.
Wild dogs are prowling all around on it.
19 Lord, you rule forever.
Your throne will last for all time to come.
20 Why do you always forget us?
Why have you deserted us for so long?
21 Lord, please bring us back to you.
Then we can return.
Make our lives like new again.
22 Or have you completely turned away from us?
Are you really that angry with us?
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears Out the Temple Courtyard
12 The next day as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Bethany, they were hungry. 13 Not too far away, he saw a fig tree. It was covered with leaves. He went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves. It was not the season for figs. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard him say it.
The Dried-Up Fig Tree
20 In the morning as Jesus and his disciples walked along, they saw the fig tree. It was dried up all the way down to the roots. 21 Peter remembered. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you put a curse on has dried up!”
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus said. 23 “What I’m about to tell you is true. Suppose someone says to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea.’ They must not doubt in their heart. They must believe that what they say will happen. Then it will be done for them. 24 So I tell you, when you pray for something, believe that you have already received it. Then it will be yours.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.