In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple.

Thus says the Lord:/ Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God;/ you have collapsed through your guilt./ Take with you words,/ and return to the Lord;/ Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,/ and receive what is good, that we may render/ as offerings the bullocks from our stalls./ Assyria will not save us,/ nor shall we have horses to mount;/ We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’/ to the work of our hands;/ for in you the orphan finds compassion.”/ I will heal their defection, says the Lord,/ I will love them freely;/ for my wrath is turned away from them./ I will be like the dew for Israel:/ he shall blossom like the lily;/ He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,/ and put forth his shoots./ His splendor shall be like the olive tree/ and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar./ Again they shall dwell in his shade/ and raise grain;/ They shall blossom like the vine,/ and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Thus says the Lord:/ When Israel was a child I loved him,/ out of Egypt I called my son./ The more I called them,/ the farther they went from me,/ Sacrificing to the Baals/ and burning incense to idols./ Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,/ who took them in my arms;/ I drew them with human cords,/ with bands of love;/ I fostered them like one/ who raises an infant to his cheeks;/ Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,/ they did not know that I was their healer.

Israel is a luxuriant vine/ whose fruit matches its growth./ The more abundant his fruit,/ the more altars he built;/ The more productive his land,/ the more sacred pillars he set up./ Their heart is false,/ now they pay for their guilt;/ God shall break down their altars/ and destroy their sacred pillars./ If they would say,/ “We have no king”—/ Since they do not fear the Lord,/ what can the king do for them?

Thus says the Lord:/ They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority;/ they established princes, but without my approval./ With their silver and gold they made/ idols for themselves, to their own destruction./ Cast away your calf, O Samaria!/ my wrath is kindled against them;/ How long will they be unable to attain/ innocence in Israel?/ The work of an artisan,/ no god at all,/ Destined for the flames—/ such is the calf of Samaria!

Thus says the Lord:/ I will allure her;/ I will lead her into the desert/ and speak to her heart./ She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,/ when she came up from the land of Egypt.

Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Thus says the Lord:/ Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,/ shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!/ See, your king shall come to you;/ a just savior is he,/ meek, and riding on an ass,/ on a colt, the foal of an ass./ He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,/ and the horse from Jerusalem;/ the warrior’s bow shall be banished,/ and he shall proclaim peace to the nations./ His dominion shall be from sea to sea,/ and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Thus says the Lord:/ On that day I will raise up/ the fallen hut of David;/ I will wall up its breaches,/ raise up its ruins,/ and rebuild it as in the days of old,/ That they may conquer what is left of Edom/ and all the nations that shall bear my name,/ say I, the Lord, who will do this./ Yes, days are coming,/ says the Lord,/ When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,/ and the vintager, him who sows the seed;/ The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains,/ and all the hills shall run with it./ I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel;/ they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,/ Plant vineyards and drink the wine,/ set out gardens and eat the fruits./ I will plant them upon their own ground;/ never again shall they be plucked/ From the land I have given them,/ say I, the Lord, your God.

Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.