Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Book 5: Psalms 107–150
God Saves from Many Dangers
107 Thank the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
2 That is what those whom the Lord has ·saved [redeemed] should say.
He has ·saved [redeemed] them from the ·enemy [foe]
3 and has gathered them from other lands,
from east and west, north and south [Is. 51:11; C perhaps after the Babylonian exile].
33 He ·changed [turned; L set] rivers into a ·desert [wilderness]
and springs of water into ·dry [parched; thirsty] ground.
34 He made ·fertile [fruitful] land salty
because the people there did evil [Gen. 19].
35 He ·changed [turned; L set] the ·desert [wilderness] into pools of water
and ·dry [parched] ground into springs of water.
36 He had the hungry settle there
so they could ·build [establish] a city in which to live.
37 They ·planted seeds in the fields and vineyards [L sowed fields and planted vineyards],
and they had a ·good harvest [fruitful crop].
38 God blessed them, and they ·grew in number [multiplied greatly].
Their cattle did not ·become fewer [diminish].
39 Because of ·disaster [oppression], ·troubles [evil], and sadness,
·their families [L they] ·grew smaller [diminished] and ·weaker [were brought low].
40 He ·showed he was displeased with [L poured contempt on] their ·leaders [princes]
and made them wander in a pathless ·desert [waste].
41 But he lifted the ·poor [needy] out of their suffering
and ·made their families grow [L set their clans] like flocks of sheep.
42 ·Good people [The upright/virtuous] see this and are happy,
but the wicked ·say nothing [L shuts their mouths].
43 Whoever is wise will ·remember [keep; guard] these things
and will ·think about [consider] the ·love [loyalty] of the Lord.
Remember the Lord
8 Carefully obey every command I give you today. Then you will live and ·grow in number [multiply], and you will enter and ·take [possess] the land the Lord promised your ·ancestors [fathers; Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20]. 2 Remember ·how the Lord your God has led [all the way the Lord brought] you in the ·desert [wilderness] for these forty years, ·taking away your pride [humbling you] and testing you, because he wanted to know what was in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his commands. 3 He ·took away your pride [humbled you] when he let you get hungry, and then he fed you with manna [Ex. 16:31–36], which neither you nor your ·ancestors [fathers] had ever seen. This was to teach you that a person does not live on bread alone, but by everything the Lord says [Matt. 4:4]. 4 During these forty years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell. 5 Know in your heart that the Lord your God ·corrects [instructs; disciplines] you as a parent ·corrects [instructs; disciplines] a child.
6 Obey the commands of the Lord your God, ·living as he has commanded you [L going in his way] and ·respecting [fearing] him. 7 The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with ·rivers [wadis] and pools of water, with ·springs [deeps; underground water] that flow in the valleys and hills, 8 a land that has wheat and barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey. 9 It is a land where you will have ·plenty of food [L no scarcity of food/bread], where you will have everything you need, where the rocks are iron, and where you can ·dig [mine] copper out of the hills.
10 When you ·have all you want to eat [L eat and are satisfied], then ·praise [bless] the Lord your God for giving you a good land. 11 Be careful not to forget the Lord your God so that you ·fail to obey [do not keep] his commands, laws, and ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that I am giving to you today. 12 When you eat ·all you want [L and are satisfied] and build nice houses and live in them, 13 when your herds and flocks ·grow large [multiply] and your silver and gold ·increase [multiply], ·when you have more of everything [and all you have multiplies], 14 then your heart will ·become proud [L be lifted up/exalted]. You will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ·where you were slaves [L from the house of bondage]. 15 He led you through the ·large [vast] and ·terrible [awesome] ·desert [wilderness] that was dry and had no water, and that had ·poisonous [L burning] snakes and stinging insects. He gave you water from a ·solid [or flint] rock [Ex. 17:1–7] 16 and manna to eat in the ·desert [wilderness; Ex. 16:31–36]. Manna was something your ·ancestors [fathers] had never seen. He did this to ·take away your pride [humble you] and to test you, so things would go well for you in the end. 17 You might say ·to yourself [L in your heart/mind], “I am rich because of ·my own power and strength [L the power and strength of my hand; Ps. 30:6–7],” 18 but remember the Lord your God! It is he who gives you the power to become rich, keeping the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] he promised to your ·ancestors [fathers], as it is today.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and ·follow [L go after] other gods and ·worship [serve] them and bow down to them, I ·warn you [testify/witness to you] today that you will be destroyed. 20 Just as the Lord destroyed the other nations for you, you can be destroyed if you do not ·obey [L listen to the voice of] the Lord your God.
27 ·Together you [L You; C the Greek is plural] are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of that body. 28 In the church God has ·given a place first to [appointed/placed first] apostles, second to prophets, and third to teachers, then those who do ·miracles [acts of powers], those who have gifts of healing, those who can help others, those who are able to ·govern [lead], and those who can speak ·in different languages [or with ecstatic utterance; L different kinds of tongues; v. 10]. 29 ·Not all are apostles [L Not all are apostles, are they? C vv. 29–30 are all rhetorical questions assuming a negative answer]. Not all are prophets. Not all are teachers. Not all do miracles. 30 Not all have gifts of healing. Not all speak ·in different languages [or with ecstatic utterance; L in tongues]. Not all interpret those ·languages [L tongues]. 31 But ·you should truly want to have [eagerly desire; be zealous for] the greater gifts.
And now I will show you ·the best way of all [a better/superior way].
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