Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
10 I am the Lord, your God,
the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.’
11 But my people did not obey me;[a]
Israel did not submit to me.[b]
12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires;[c]
they did what seemed right to them.[d]
13 If only my people would obey me![e]
If only Israel would keep my commands![f]
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,
and attack[g] their adversaries.”
15 (May those who hate the Lord[h] cower in fear[i] before him.
May they be permanently humiliated.)[j]
16 “I would feed Israel the best wheat,[k]
and would satisfy your appetite[l] with honey from the rocky cliffs.”[m]
The Lord Recalls Israel’s Earlier Faithfulness
2 The Lord’s message came to me, 2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you,[a] how devoted you were to me in your early years.[b] I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. 3 Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the firstfruits of a harvest to him.[c] All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the Lord.’”
Israel’s Reliance on Foreign Alliances (not on God)
14 “Israel is not a slave, is he?
He was not born into slavery, was he?[a]
If not, why then is he being carried off?
15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;
they raise their voices in triumph.[b]
They have laid his land waste;
his cities have been burned down and deserted.[c]
16 Even the soldiers[d] from Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls, people of Israel.[e]
17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel,[f]
by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path.[g]
18 What good will it do you[h] then[i] to go down to Egypt
to seek help from the Egyptians?[j]
What good will it do you[k] to go over to Assyria
to seek help from the Assyrians?[l]
19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.
Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you.[m]
Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful[n]
it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God,[o]
to show no respect for me,”[p]
says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[q]
The Lord Expresses His Exasperation at Judah’s Persistent Idolatry
20 “Indeed,[r] long ago you threw off my authority
and refused to be subject to me.[s]
You said, ‘I will not serve you.’[t]
Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill
and under every green tree,
like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers.[u]
21 I planted you in the land
like a special vine of the very best stock.
Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine
that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes?[v]
22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,”[w]
says the Sovereign Lord.[x]
A Request for James and John
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor.[a] 21 He said to her, “What do you want?” She replied,[b] “Permit[c] these two sons of mine to sit, one at your[d] right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus[e] answered, “You don’t know what you are asking![f] Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?”[g] They said to him, “We are able.”[h] 23 He told them, “You will drink my cup,[i] but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 Now[j] when the other ten[k] heard this,[l] they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. 26 It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave[m]— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom[n] for many.”
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