Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
How Long, O Yahweh?
A Psalm of Asaph.
79 O God, the (A)nations have come into (B)Your inheritance;
They have defiled Your (C)holy temple;
They have (D)laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the (E)dead bodies of Your slaves for food to the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your holy ones to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem;
And there was (F)no one to bury them.
4 We have become a (G)reproach to our neighbors,
A mockery and derision to those around us.
5 (H)How long, O Yahweh? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your (I)jealousy (J)burn like fire?
6 (K)Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which (L)do not know You,
And upon the kingdoms which (M)do not call upon Your name.
7 For they have (N)devoured Jacob
And (O)laid waste his [a]abode.
14 Thus says Yahweh concerning all My (A)evil neighbors who (B)beat at the inheritance with which I have caused My people Israel to inherit, “Behold, I am about to uproot them from their land and will (C)uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will (D)return and have compassion on them; and I will (E)cause them to return, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 Then if they will really (F)learn the ways of My people, to (G)swear by My name, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ even as they taught My people to (H)swear by Baal, they will be (I)built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they will not listen, then I will (J)uproot that nation, uproot and make it perish,” declares Yahweh.
The Ruined Belt
13 Thus Yahweh said to me, “Go and (K)buy yourself a linen belt and put it around your loins, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the belt in accordance with the (L)word of Yahweh and put it around my loins. 3 Then the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the belt that you have bought, which is around your loins, and arise, go to [a]the (M)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, (N)as Yahweh had commanded me. 6 Now it happened that after many days Yahweh said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the belt which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was ruined; it was totally worthless.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Just so will I ruin the (O)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who (P)refuse to listen to My words, who (Q)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have walked after other gods to serve them and to worship them, let them be just like this belt which is totally worthless. 11 For as the belt clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah (R)cling to Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for a (S)name, for (T)praise, and for beauty; but they (U)did not listen.’
There Is None Righteous
3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that (A)they were entrusted with the (B)oracles of God. 3 What then? If (C)some [a]did not believe, does their [b]unbelief abolish the faithfulness of God? 4 (D)May it never be! Rather, let God be true and every man (E)a liar, as it is written,
5 But if our unrighteousness [d](G)demonstrates the righteousness of God, (H)what shall we say? Is the God who inflicts wrath unrighteous? ((I)I am speaking in human terms.) 6 (J)May it never be! For otherwise, how will (K)God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie (L)the truth of God abounded to His glory, (M)why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “(N)Let us do evil that good may come”? [e]Their condemnation is just.
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