Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Vanity of Life.
For the choir director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)guard my ways
That I (B)may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refrained even from good,
And my [d]sorrow grew worse.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me to know (F)my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 “Behold, You have made (H)my days as handbreadths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man [e]at his best is [f]a mere (J)breath. [g]Selah.
6 “Surely every man (K)walks about as [h]a phantom;
Surely they make an (L)uproar for nothing;
He (M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 “(O)Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the (P)reproach of the foolish.
9 “I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 “(S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am [i]perishing.
11 “With (U)reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You (V)consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely (W)every man is a mere breath. Selah.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “(A)Hear the words of this (B)covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “(C)Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers in the (D)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the (E)iron furnace, saying, ‘(F)Listen to My voice, and [a]do according to all which I command you; so you shall be (G)My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to confirm the (H)oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I said, “(I)Amen, O Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, “(J)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘(K)Hear the words of this covenant and (L)do them. 7 For I solemnly (M)warned your fathers in the (N)day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, [b](O)warning persistently, saying, “(P)Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they (Q)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the (R)words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “A (S)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have (T)turned back to the iniquities of their [c]ancestors who (U)refused to hear My words, and they (V)have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have (W)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am (X)bringing disaster on them which they will (Y)not be able to escape; though they will (Z)cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will (AA)go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster. 13 For your gods are [d](AB)as many as your cities, O Judah; and [e]as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (AC)shameful thing, altars to (AD)burn incense to Baal.
14 “Therefore (AE)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will (AF)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
15 “What right has My (AG)beloved in My house
When (AH)she has done many vile deeds?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
[f]So that you can rejoice?”
16 The Lord called your name,
“A (AI)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the (AJ)noise of a great tumult
He has (AK)kindled fire on it,
And its branches are worthless.
17 The Lord of hosts, who (AL)planted you, has (AM)pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have [g]done to provoke Me by [h](AN)offering up sacrifices to Baal.
The Impartiality of God
2 Therefore you have (A)no excuse, [a](B)everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which (C)you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 And we know that the judgment of God [b]rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3 But do you suppose this, (D)O man, [c]when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of (E)the riches of His (F)kindness and (G)tolerance and (H)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But [d]because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart (I)you are storing up wrath for yourself (J)in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 (K)who will render to each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by (L)perseverance in doing good seek for (M)glory and honor and (N)immortality, (O)eternal life; 8 but to those who are (P)selfishly ambitious and (Q)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be (R)tribulation and distress [e]for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew (S)first and also of the Greek, 10 but (T)glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew (U)first and also to the Greek. 11 For (V)there is no partiality with God.
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