Jer. 2:14–28

2:14 “Israel is not a slave, is he?

He was not born into slavery, was he?

If not, why then is he being carried off?

15Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;

they raise their voices in triumph.

They have laid his land waste;

his cities have been burned down and deserted.

16Even the soldiers from Memphis and Tahpanhes

have cracked your skulls, people of Israel.

17You have brought all this on yourself, Israel,

by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path.

18What good will it do you then to go down to Egypt

to seek help from the Egyptians?

What good will it do you to go over to Assyria

to seek help from the Assyrians?

19Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.

Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you.

Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful

it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God,

to show no respect for me,”

says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

20“Indeed, long ago you threw off my authority

and refused to be subject to me.

You said, ‘I will not serve you.’

Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill

and under every green tree,

like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers.

21I 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?

22You 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,”

says the Sovereign Lord.

23“How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.

I have not paid allegiance to the gods called Baal.’

Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom!

Think about the things you have done there!

You are like a flighty, young female camel

that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.

24You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.

In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male.

No one can hold her back when she is in heat.

None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.

At mating time she is easy to find.

25Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out

and your throats become dry.

But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me

because I love those foreign gods and want to pursue them!’

26Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,

so the people of Israel will suffer dishonor for what they have done.

So will their kings and officials,

their priests and their prophets.

27They say to a wooden idol, ‘You are my father.’

They say to a stone image, ‘You gave birth to me.’

Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me.

Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’

28But where are the gods you made for yourselves?

Let them save you when you are in trouble.

The sad fact is that you have as many gods

as you have towns, Judah.

Ps. 119:89–96

119:89 ל (Lamed)

O Lord, your instructions endure;

they stand secure in heaven.

90You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations.

You established the earth and it stood firm.

91Today they stand firm by your decrees,

for all things are your servants.

92If I had not found encouragement in your law,

I would have died in my sorrow.

93I will never forget your precepts,

for by them you have revived me.

94I belong to you. Deliver me!

For I seek your precepts.

95The wicked prepare to kill me,

yet I concentrate on your rules.

96I realize that everything has its limits,

but your commands are beyond full comprehension.

Luke 24:1–12

24:1 Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices they had prepared. 2They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood beside them in dazzling attire. 5The women were terribly frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then the women remembered his words, 9and when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He bent down and saw only the strips of linen cloth; then he went home, wondering what had happened.