Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 20
For the worship leader. A song of David.
1 May the Eternal’s answer find you, come to rescue you,
when you desperately cling to the end of your rope.
May the name of the True God of Jacob be your shelter.
2 May He extend hope and help to you from His holy sanctuary
and support you from His sacred city of Zion.
3 May He remember all that you have offered Him;
may your burnt sacrifices serve as a prelude to His mercy.
[pause][a]
4 May He grant the dreams of your heart
and see your plans through to the end.
5 When you win, we will not be silent! We will shout
and raise high our banners in the great name of our God!
May the Eternal say yes to all your requests.
6 I don’t fear; I’m confident that help will come to the one anointed by the Eternal:
heaven will respond to his plea;
His mighty right hand will win the battle.
7 Many put their hope in chariots, others in horses,
but we place our trust in the name of the Eternal One, our True God.
8 Soon our enemies will collapse and fall, never to return home;
all the while, we will rise and stand firm.
9 Eternal One, grant victory to our king!
Answer our plea for help.
15 Eternal One: A voice rises from Ramah—
mourning and bitter weeping are heard day and night.
The voice is Rachel’s; she’s weeping for her children.
She will not be comforted,
for her children are no more.[a]
The setting is Ramah, a village a few miles north of Jerusalem, where exiles are assembled before the long march to Babylon. Later the prophet himself will spend time in this refugee camp awaiting his own exile (40:1). For now, he paints the picture of Rachel, one of the matriarchs of this nation, weeping for her children as they head off into captivity.
16 But listen to what the Eternal says:
Eternal One: Do not weep, Rachel—wipe the tears from your eyes—
for I promise I will reward you for what you have done.
Your children will return from this exile;
they will come back home from this enemy land.
17 There is hope for your future, I promise.
Your children will come home to their own land.
18 I have heard the cries of Ephraim, groaning, “You have disciplined me.
I was like an unruly calf, but You disciplined me.
Bring me back, so I can return home,
for You are my God, the Eternal.
19 After I had turned away from You, I repented.
I turned back toward You when I understood what I had done;
I slapped my thigh in shame and regret
for the disgraceful things I did when I was young.”
20 So I, the Eternal One, asked:
“Is this not Ephraim, My beloved son, My darling child?
As often as I speak against him, I have never forgotten him.
Even now, My heart longs for him;
I will surely show him mercy!”
21 Set up markers along the road;
put up guideposts so you can find your way home.
Pay attention to the highway, the road you take into exile.
Return by the same way, My virgin Israel;
return to your cities and villages.
22 How long will you drift this way and that,
My renegade daughter?
Take heart—for now the Eternal will do a new thing on the earth:
a woman will surround a man.[b]
41 When Jerusalem came into view, He looked intently at the city and began to weep.
Jesus: 42 How I wish you knew today what would bring peace! But you can’t see. 43 Days will come when your enemies will build up a siege ramp, and you will be surrounded and contained on every side.[a] 44 Your enemies will smash you into rubble and not leave one stone standing on another, and they will cut your children down too, because you did not recognize the day when God’s Anointed One visited you.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.