Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Morning Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
5 Lord, ·listen [L give ear] to my words.
Understand my ·sadness [L moans; sighs].
2 ·Listen [Pay attention] to my cry for help, my King and my God,
because I pray to you.
3 Lord, every morning you hear my voice.
Every morning, I ·tell you what I need [or prepare a sacrifice for you; L stretch out/arrange before you],
and I ·wait for your answer [L watch].
4 You are not a God who ·is pleased with the wicked [takes delight in evil];
·you do not live with those who do evil [L evil does not sojourn with you].
5 Those people who ·make fun of you [or boast] cannot stand before ·you [L your eyes].
You hate all those who do evil.
6 You destroy ·liars [L those who speak lies];
the Lord ·hates [despises] those ·who kill and trick others [L with bloodguilt and deceit].
7 Because of your great ·love [loyalty; covenant love],
I ·can [or will] come into your ·Temple [L house].
Because I ·fear you [hold you in awe],
I can ·worship [bow down] ·in [or toward] your holy Temple.
8 Lord, since I have many enemies,
·show me the right thing to do [L lead/guide me in your righteousness].
·Show me clearly how you want me to live [L Make your way straight before me].
9 My enemies’ mouths do not tell the truth;
·in their hearts they want to destroy others [L their innards are destruction].
Their throats are like open graves [Rom. 3:13];
they use their tongues for ·telling lies [flattery].
10 God, ·declare them guilty [L make them bear their iniquity]!
Let them fall ·into their own traps [or by their own advice].
·Send [Cast] them away because their ·sins [transgressions] are many;
they have ·turned [rebelled] against you.
11 But let everyone who ·trusts [finds refuge in] you ·be happy [rejoice];
let them sing glad songs forever.
·Protect [L Spread your protection on] those who love you
and ·who are happy because of you [L let those who love your name rejoice in you].
12 Lord, you bless those who ·do what is right [are righteous];
you ·protect them [L surround them with favor] like a shield.
All Nations Will Obey the Lord
56 This is what the Lord says:
“·Give justice to all people [Promote justice],
and ·do what is right [practice righteousness],
because my salvation ·will come to you soon [draws near].
Soon ·everyone will know that I do what is right [my righteousness will be revealed].
2 The person who ·obeys the law about [keeps from defiling] the Sabbath
will be blessed,
and the ·person [L son of man] who ·does no [keeps his hand from doing] evil
will be blessed.”
3 Foreigners who have ·joined [committed to] the Lord should not say,
“The Lord will ·not accept me with [L exclude/separate me from] his people [14:1].”
The eunuch should not say,
“·Because I cannot have children, the Lord will not accept me [L Look, I am a dry tree].”
4 This is what the Lord says:
“This is for the eunuchs who ·obey the law about the Sabbath [keep my Sabbaths]
and ·do what I want [choose what pleases me]
and ·keep [hold firmly to] my ·agreement [covenant]:
5 I will ·make their names remembered [L set up a memorial/monument and a name]
within my ·Temple [L house] and its walls.
It will be better for them than ·children [L sons and daughters].
I will give them a name that will last forever,
that will ·never be forgotten [L not be cut off].
6 As for the foreigners who ·join [commit themselves to] the Lord
to ·worship [minister to] him and love ·him [L his name],
to serve him,
to ·obey the law about [keep from defiling] the Sabbath,
and to ·keep [hold firmly to] my ·agreement [covenant]:
7 I will bring these people to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
The offerings and sacrifices
they place on my altar will ·please me [be accepted],
because my Temple will be called
a house for prayer for people from all nations [Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46].”
8 The Lord God says—
he who gathers the ·Israelites that were forced to leave their country [outcasts/exiles of Israel]:
“I will ·bring together [gather] other people
to join those who are already gathered.”
Jesus Helps a Gentile Woman(A)
24 Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre[a] [C a Gentile city on the coast north of Israel]. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden. 25 A woman whose daughter had an ·evil [defiling; L unclean] spirit in her heard that he was there. So she ·quickly [immediately] came to Jesus and ·fell [bowed] at his feet. 26 She was ·Greek [a Gentile; C “Greek” is sometimes used for any non-Jew; Rom. 1:16], born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She ·begged [kept asking] Jesus to ·force [drive; cast] the demon out of her daughter.
27 Jesus told the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and ·give [throw] it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.” [C “Children” refers to Israel; “dogs” to the Gentiles.]
28 But she answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table can eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then Jesus said, “Because of your answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
30 The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed; the demon was gone.
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