Hosea 3 - 5, Mark 10:17-11:33, Psalm 30

Hosea Marries Again

3Then Yahweh said to me, “Go again, love a ¹woman who is loved by her companion and is an adulteress, even ^aas Yahweh loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin ^bcakes.” ²So I ^abargained for her for myself for fifteen ¹shekels of silver and a ²homer and a ³half of barley. ³Then I said to her, “You shall ^astay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a ¹man; so I will also be toward you.” ⁴For the sons of Israel will remain for many days ^awithout king or prince, ^bwithout sacrifice or sacred ^cpillar, and without ^dephod or ¹^,^ehousehold idols. ⁵Afterward the sons of Israel will ^areturn and seek Yahweh their God and ^bDavid their king; and ^cthey will come ¹in dread to Yahweh and to His goodness in the last days.

Yahweh’s Contention with Israel

4^aListen to the word of Yahweh, O sons of Israel,For Yahweh has a ^bcontention against the inhabitants of the land,Because there is ^cno truth or ¹lovingkindnessOr ^dknowledge of God in the land.²There is ^aswearing of oaths, ^bdeception, ^cmurder, ^dstealing, and ^eadultery.They break forth in violence so that ^fbloodshed ¹follows bloodshed.³Therefore the land ^amourns,And everyone who inhabits it languishesAlong with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,And also the fish of the sea ¹disappear.⁴Yet let no man ^acontend, and let no man offer reproof;Indeed, your people are like those who ^bcontend with the priest.⁵So you will ^astumble by day,And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;And I will destroy your ^bmother.⁶^aMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.Because you have ^brejected knowledge,I also will ^creject you from ministering as My priest.Since you have ^dforgotten the ^elaw of your God,I Myself also will forget your children.⁷The more they ^amultiplied, the more they sinned against Me;I will ^bchange their glory into disgrace.⁸They ^aeat the ¹sin of My peopleAnd ^blift up ²their soul toward their iniquity.⁹And it will be like people, ^alike priest;So I will ^bpunish them for their waysAnd cause their deeds to return to them.¹⁰^aThey will eat, but not be satisfied;They will ^bplay the harlot, but not break forth in number,Because they have ¹^,^cforsaken Yahweh to keep harlotry.¹¹Harlotry, ^awine, and new wine take away a heart of wisdom.¹²My people ^aask their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand declares to them;For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,And they have played the harlot, departing ¹from their God.¹³They offer sacrifices on the ^atops of the mountainsAnd ¹^,^bburn incense on the hills,^cUnder oak, poplar, and terebinthBecause their shade is good.Therefore your daughters play the harlot,And your ²brides commit adultery.¹⁴I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlotOr your ¹brides when they commit adultery,For the men themselves go apart with harlotsAnd offer sacrifices with ^acult prostitutes;So the people without understanding are ²ruined.¹⁵Though you, Israel, play the harlot,Do not let Judah become guilty;Also do not go to ^aGilgalNor go up to Beth-aven^bAnd swear the oath:“As Yahweh lives!”¹⁶Since Israel is ^astubbornLike a stubborn heifer,¹Can Yahweh now ^bfeed themLike a lamb in a large field?¹⁷Ephraim is joined to ^aidols;^bLet him alone.¹⁸Their drink gone;They play the harlot continually;^aTheir ¹rulers dearly love disgrace.¹⁹^aThe wind binds them up in its wings,And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Yahweh Withdraws from Israel

5Hear this, O priests!Give heed, O house of Israel!Give ear, O house of the king!For the judgment is for you,For you have been a ^asnare at MizpahAnd a net spread out on Tabor.²And the ^arevolters have ^bdug deep into slaughtering,But I will chastise all of them.³I ^aknow Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;For now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot;Israel has defiled itself.⁴Their deeds will not allow themTo return to their God.For a ^aspirit of harlotry is within them,And they ^bdo not know Yahweh.⁵Moreover, the ^apride of Israel answers against him,And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;^bJudah also has stumbled with them.⁶They will ^ago with their flocks and herdsTo seek Yahweh, but they will ^bnot find Him;He has ^cwithdrawn from them.⁷They have ^adealt treacherously against Yahweh,For they have borne ^bchildren of strangers.Now the ^cnew moon will devour them with their portions.⁸^aBlow the horn in ^bGibeah,The trumpet in Ramah.Make a loud shout at Beth-aven:“^cBehind you, Benjamin!”⁹Ephraim will become a ^adesolation in the ^bday of reproof;Among the tribes of Israel I ^cwill make known what is true.¹⁰The princes of Judah have become like those who ^amove a boundary;On them I will ^bpour out My wrath ^clike water.¹¹Ephraim is ^aoppressed, crushed in judgment,^bBecause he was determined to ¹walk after man’s command.¹²Therefore I am like a ^amoth to EphraimAnd like rottenness to the house of Judah.¹³Then Ephraim saw his sickness,And Judah his sore,So Ephraim went to ^aAssyriaAnd sent to ¹^,^bKing Jareb.But he is ^cunable to heal youOr to cure you of your sore.¹⁴For I will be ^alike a lion to EphraimAnd like a young lion to the house of Judah.^bI, even I, will tear to pieces and go away;I will carry away, and there will be ^cnone to deliver.¹⁵I will go away and return to My placeUntil they ¹^,^aacknowledge their guilt and seek My face;In their affliction they will ^bseek Me earnestly.

The Rich Young Ruler

¹⁷^aAnd as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and ^bknelt before Him, and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to ^cinherit eternal life?” ¹⁸And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹“You know the commandments, ‘^aDo not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept ^aall these things from my youth up.” ²¹And looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have ^atreasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” ²²But at these words ¹he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

²³And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “^aHow hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴And the disciples ^awere amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵“^aIt is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶And they were even more astonished, saying to ¹Him, “²Then who can be saved?” ²⁷Looking at them, Jesus *said, “^aWith people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

²⁸^aPeter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” ²⁹Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, ^athere is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, ³⁰¹except one who will receive one hundred times as much now in ²the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions—and in ^athe age to come, eternal life. ³¹“But ^amany who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection

³²^aAnd they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they ^bwere amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him: ³³“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^athe Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴“And they will mock Him and ^aspit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

A Request for Status

³⁵^aThen James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” ³⁶And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” ³⁷And they said to Him, “¹Grant that we ^amay sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” ³⁸But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^ato drink the cup that I drink, or ^bto be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹And they said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink ^ayou shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. ⁴⁰“But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; ^abut it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

⁴¹^aAnd hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. ⁴²And calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. ⁴³“But it is not this way among you, ^abut whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; ⁴⁴and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. ⁴⁵“For even the Son of Man ^adid not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His ¹life a ransom for many.”

Bartimaeus Regains His Sight

⁴⁶^aThen they *came to Jericho. And ^bas He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷And when he heard that it was Jesus the ^aNazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, ^bSon of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸And many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “^aSon of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the blind man, saying to him, “^aTake courage, get up! He is calling for you.” ⁵⁰And throwing off his outer garment, he jumped up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹And Jesus answered him and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “¹^,^aRabboni, I want to regain my sight!” ⁵²And Jesus said to him, “Go; ^ayour faith has ¹saved you.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

The Triumphal Entry

11^aAnd as they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and ^bBethany, near ^cthe Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, ²and *said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. ³“And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he ¹will send it back here.” ⁴And they went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. ⁵And some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶And they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. ⁷^aAnd they *brought the colt to Jesus and put their garments on it; and He sat on it. ⁸And many spread their garments in the road, and others spread leafy branches, having cut them from the fields. ⁹And those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna!^aBlessed is He who comes in the name of the ¹Lord;

¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;Hosanna ^ain the highest!”

¹¹^aAnd Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, ^bHe left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

The Barren Fig Tree

¹²^aAnd on the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. ¹³And seeing at a distance a fig tree that had leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴And He answered and said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

Jesus Drives Merchants from the Temple

¹⁵^aThen they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling ¹doves; ¹⁶and He was not permitting anyone to carry ¹merchandise through the temple. ¹⁷And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘^aMy house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? ^bBut you have made it a robbers’ ¹den.” ¹⁸And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and ^abegan seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for ^bthe whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

¹⁹^aAnd when evening came, ¹they were going out of the city.

²⁰^aAnd as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹And being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “^aRabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” ²²And Jesus answered and *said to them, “^aHave faith in God. ²³“^aTruly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says ¹is going to happen, it will be granted him. ²⁴“For this reason I say to you, ^aall things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. ²⁵“And whenever you ^astand praying, ^bforgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. ²⁶¹[“^aBut if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

²⁷Then they *came again to Jerusalem. ^aAnd as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders *came to Him, ²⁸and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” ²⁹And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰“Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” ³¹And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ³²“But if we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for everyone was regarding John to have been a real prophet. ³³And answering Jesus, they *said, “We do not know.” And Jesus *said to them, “Neither ¹will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

You Have Turned My Mourning into Dancing

A Psalm. A Song at the Dedication of the House. Of David.

I will ^aexalt You, O Yahweh, for You have ^blifted me up,And have not let my ^cenemies be glad over me.²O Yahweh my God,I ^acried to You for help, and You ^bhealed me.³O Yahweh, You have ^abrought up my soul from Sheol;You have kept me alive, ¹that I would not ^bgo down to the pit.⁴^aSing praise to Yahweh, you ^bHis holy ones,And ^cgive thanks for the ^dremembrance of His holy name.⁵For ^aHis anger is but for a moment,His ^bfavor is for a lifetime;Weeping may ^clast for the night,But a shout of joy comes in the morning.⁶Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,“I will ^anever be shaken.”⁷O Yahweh, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;You ^ahid Your face, I was dismayed.⁸To You, O Yahweh, I called,And to the Lord I made supplication:⁹“What profit is there in my blood, if I ^ago down to the pit?Will the ^bdust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?¹⁰“^aHear, O Yahweh, and be gracious to me;O Yahweh, be my ^bhelper.”¹¹You have turned for me ^amy mourning into dancing;You have ^bloosed my sackcloth and girded me with ^cgladness,¹²That my ¹^,^aglory may sing praise to You and not be silent.O Yahweh my God, I will ^bgive thanks to You forever.