Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Lament over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.
For the choir director; according to [a]Shushan Eduth. A [b]Mikhtam of David, to teach; [c]when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
60 O God, (A)You have rejected us. You have [d](B)broken us;
You have been (C)angry; O, (D)restore us.
2 You have made the [e](E)land quake, You have split it open;
(F)Heal its breaches, for it totters.
3 You have [f](G)made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us [g]wine to (H)drink that makes us stagger.
4 You have given a (I)banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. [h]Selah.
5 (J)That Your (K)beloved may be delivered,
(L)Save with Your right hand, and answer [i]us!
6 God has spoken in His [j](M)holiness:
“I will exult, I will portion out (N)Shechem and measure out the valley of (O)Succoth.
7 “(P)Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
(Q)Ephraim also is the [k]helmet of My head;
Judah is My [l](R)scepter.
8 “(S)Moab is My washbowl;
Over (T)Edom I shall throw My shoe;
Shout loud, O (U)Philistia, because of Me!”
9 Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who [m]will lead me to Edom?
10 Have not You Yourself, O God, (V)rejected us?
And (W)will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
11 O give us help against the adversary,
For (X)deliverance [n]by man is in vain.
12 [o]Through God we shall (Y)do valiantly,
And it is He who will (Z)tread down our adversaries.
Ephraim’s Idolatry
13 (A)When Ephraim [a]spoke, there was trembling.
He (B)exalted himself in Israel,
But through (C)Baal he [b]did wrong and died.
2 And now they sin more and more,
And make for themselves (D)molten images,
Idols [c](E)skillfully made from their silver,
All of them the (F)work of craftsmen.
They say of them, “Let the [d]men who sacrifice kiss the (G)calves!”
3 Therefore they will be like the (H)morning cloud
And like dew which [e]soon disappears,
Like (I)chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor
And like (J)smoke from a [f]chimney.
4 Yet I have been the (K)Lord your God
Since the land of Egypt;
And you were not to know (L)any god except Me,
For there is no savior (M)besides Me.
5 I [g](N)cared for you in the wilderness,
(O)In the land of drought.
6 As they had their pasture, they became (P)satisfied,
And being satisfied, their (Q)heart became proud;
Therefore they (R)forgot Me.
7 So I will be (S)like a lion to them;
Like a (T)leopard I will [h]lie in wait by the wayside.
8 I will encounter them (U)like a bear robbed of her cubs,
And I will tear open [i]their chests;
There I will also (V)devour them like a lioness,
As a wild beast would tear them.
9 It is your destruction, O Israel,
[j]That you are (W)against Me, against your (X)help.
10 Where now is your (Y)king
That he may save you in all your cities,
And your (Z)judges of whom you [k]requested,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11 I (AA)gave you a king in My anger
And (AB)took him away in My wrath.
12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
His sin is (AC)stored up.
13 The pains of (AD)childbirth come upon him;
He is (AE)not a wise son,
For [l]it is not the time that he should (AF)delay at the opening of the womb.
14 Shall I (AG)ransom them from the [m]power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from death?
(AH)O Death, where are your thorns?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
(AI)Compassion will be hidden from My sight.
15 Though he (AJ)flourishes among the [n]reeds,
An (AK)east wind will come,
The wind of the Lord coming up from the wilderness;
And his fountain will (AL)become dry
And his spring will be dried up;
It will (AM)plunder his treasury of every precious article.
16 [o]Samaria will be held (AN)guilty,
For she has (AO)rebelled against her God.
(AP)They will fall by the (AQ)sword,
Their little ones will be (AR)dashed in pieces,
And their pregnant (AS)women will be ripped open.
2 (A)Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time (B)for us as well, that God will open up to us a (C)door for (D)the word, so that we may speak forth (E)the mystery of Christ, for which I have also (F)been imprisoned; 4 that I may make it clear (G)in the way I ought to speak.
5 [a](H)Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward (I)outsiders, [b](J)making the most of the opportunity. 6 (K)Let your speech always be [c]with grace, as though seasoned with (L)salt, so that you will know how you should (M)respond to each person.
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