Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Love Song Gone Sour
5 I[a] will sing to my love—
a song to my lover about his vineyard.[b]
My love had a vineyard
on a fertile hill.[c]
2 He built a hedge around it,[d] removed its stones,
and planted a vine.
He built a tower in the middle of it,
and constructed a winepress.
He waited for it to produce edible grapes,
but it produced sour ones instead.[e]
3 So now, residents of Jerusalem,
people[f] of Judah,
you decide between me and my vineyard!
4 What more can I do for my vineyard
beyond what I have already done?
When I waited for it to produce edible grapes,
why did it produce sour ones instead?
5 Now I will inform you
what I am about to do to my vineyard:
I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture,[g]
I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there.[h]
6 I will make it a wasteland;
no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground,[i]
and thorns and briers will grow there.
I will order the clouds
not to drop any rain on it.
7 Indeed,[j] Israel[k] is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the people[l] of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.
He waited for justice, but look what he got—disobedience![m]
He waited for fairness, but look what he got—cries for help![n]
8 You uprooted a vine[a] from Egypt;
you drove out nations and transplanted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;[b]
it took root,[c]
and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered by its shadow,
the highest cedars[d] by its branches.
11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea,[e]
and its shoots the Euphrates River.[f]
12 Why did you break down its walls,[g]
so that all who pass by pluck its fruit?[h]
13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it;[i]
the insects[j] of the field feed on it.
14 O God of Heaven’s Armies,[k] come back.
Look down from heaven and take notice.
Take care of this vine,
15 the root[l] your right hand planted,
the shoot you made to grow.[m]
16 It is burned[n] and cut down.
May those who did this die because you are displeased with them.[o]
17 May you give support to the one you have chosen,[p]
to the one whom you raised up for yourself.[q]
18 Then we will not turn away from you.
Revive us and we will pray to you.[r]
19 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,[s] restore us.
Smile on us.[t] Then we will be delivered.[u]
29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them[a] for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of[b] the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets. 33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice,[c] gained what was promised,[d] shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire,[e] escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness,[f] became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, 35 and women received back their dead raised to life.[g] But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life.[h] 36 And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, sawed apart,[i] murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth. 39 And these all were commended[j] for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.[k] 40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us.[l]
The Lord’s Discipline
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,[m] we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, 2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For[n] the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.[o]
Not Peace, but Division
49 “I have come[a] to bring[b] fire on the earth—and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism[c] to undergo,[d] and how distressed I am until it is finished! 51 Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division![e] 52 For from now on[f] there will be five in one household divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided,[g] father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Reading the Signs
54 Jesus[h] also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west,[i] you say at once, ‘A rainstorm[j] is coming,’ and it does. 55 And when you see the south wind[k] blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and there is. 56 You hypocrites![l] You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how[m] to interpret the present time?
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