Old Testament Lesson

Isa. 5:13-17, 24-25 (NRSV)

13Therefore my people go into exile without knowledge; their nobles are dying of hunger, and their
multitude is parched with thirst. 14Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond
measure; the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude go down, her throng and all who exult in her. 15People
are bowed down, everyone is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are humbled. 16But the LORD of
hosts is exalted by justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy by righteousness. 17Then the lambs shall
graze as in their pasture, fatlings and kids shall feed among the ruins. 24Therefore, as the tongue of fire
devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will become rotten, and their
blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the
word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he
stretched out his hand against them and struck them; the mountains quaked, and their corpses were like
refuse in the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.