Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
There Is a Time for Everything
3 There is a ·time [season] for everything,
and ·everything [every activity] ·on earth [L under heaven] has its ·special season [time].
2 There is a time to be born
and a time to die.
There is a time to plant
and a time to ·pull up plants [uproot what has been planted].
3 There is a time to kill
and a time to heal.
There is a time to ·destroy [tear down]
and a time to build.
4 There is a time to cry
and a time to laugh.
There is a time to ·be sad [mourn]
and a time to dance.
5 There is a time to throw away stones
and a time to gather them.
There is a time to ·hug [embrace]
and a time ·not to hug [to refrain from embracing].
6 There is a time to ·look for something [seek]
and a time to ·stop looking for it [L give up as lost; or lose].
There is a time to keep things
and a time to throw things away.
7 There is a time to tear apart
and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent
and a time to speak.
8 There is a time to love
and a time to hate.
There is a time for war
and a time for peace.
God Controls His World
9 ·Do [L What do] people really ·gain anything [profit] from their ·work [toil; 1:3]? 10 I saw the ·hard work [task] God has given people to ·do [keep them occupied; 1:13]. 11 God has ·given them a desire to know the future [L placed eternity/an awareness of time/or ignorance in their hearts]. He ·does everything just right and on time [L makes everything appropriate/beautiful in its time], but people can never ·completely understand what he is doing [L discover/find the work that God does from beginning to end; C humans cannot discern the “right time”]. 12 So I ·realize [know] that ·the best thing [L there is nothing better] for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. 13 God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their ·work [toil], which are gifts from God [2:24–26; 3:22; 5:18–20; 8:15; 9:7–10; C the little pleasures are distractions from the meaningless world].
The Lord’s Greatness
For the director of music. On the gittith [C perhaps a musical term or instrument]. A psalm of David.
8 Lord our Lord,
·Your name is the most wonderful name [L How majestic is your name] in all the earth [Ex. 3:14–15]!
·It brings you praise [L You have set your splendor/glory] in heaven above [Rom. 1:20].
2 ·You have taught children and babies
to sing praises to you [L Out of the mouth of babies and infants you have established/founded strength]
because of your enemies.
And so you silence your enemies
and those who try to get ·even [revenge].
3 I look at your heavens,
·which you made with [L the work of] your fingers.
I see the moon and stars,
which you ·created [L established; Gen. 1:17–18].
4 ·But why are people even important to you [L What are people that you remember them]?
Why do you take care of ·human beings [L the son of man]?
5 You made them a little lower than ·the angels [or God]
and crowned them with glory and honor [Gen. 1:26–27].
6 You ·put them in charge of [give them rule over] ·everything you made [L the work of your hands].
You put all things under their ·control [L feet; Heb. 2:6–8]:
7 all the sheep, the cattle,
and the ·wild animals [L beasts of the field],
8 the birds in the ·sky [heavens],
the fish in the sea,
and everything that ·lives under water [L passes/travels on the paths of the sea; Gen. 1:28; 9:1–3].
9 Lord our Lord,
·your name is the most wonderful [L how majestic is your] name in all the earth!
The New Jerusalem
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth [Is. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:13]. [L For] The first heaven and the first earth had ·disappeared [passed away], and there was no sea anymore [C the sea represents chaos and evil, so its absence indicates peace and security]. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem [C the believers’ eternal dwelling place; 3:12], coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride ·dressed [adorned] for her husband [19:7, 9]. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “[L Look; T Behold] Now God’s ·presence [dwelling; tabernacle] is with people, and he will ·live [dwell; tabernacle; John 1:14] with them, and they will be his people [Ex. 29:45; Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 37:27]. God himself will be with them and will be their God.[a] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes [7:17; Is. 25:8], and there will be no more death [Is. 25:8; 1 Cor. 15:54], ·sadness [mourning], crying, or pain, because ·all the old ways [the old order; L the first things] are gone.”
5 The One who was sitting on the throne [C Jesus] said, “Look! I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are ·true and can be trusted [L faithful/reliable and true].”
6 The One on the throne said to me, “It is ·finished [done; accomplished]. I am the Alpha and the Omega [C the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; 1:8], the Beginning and the End. I will give ·free water [L freely] from the spring of the water of life to anyone who is thirsty [Is. 55:1; John 7:37].
The King Will Judge All People
31 “The Son of Man will come again in his great glory [Dan. 7:13–14], with all his angels. He will ·be King and sit on his [L sit on his] ·great [glorious] throne. 32 All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them ·into two groups [L one from another] as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 The Son of Man will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, ·my Father has given you his blessing [L those blessed by my Father]. ·Receive [Inherit] the kingdom God has prepared for you ·since the world was made [L from the creation/foundation of the world]. 35 [L For; Because] I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was ·alone and away from home [a stranger], and you ·invited me into your house [welcomed/received me]. 36 I was ·without clothes [naked], and you ·gave me something to wear [clothed me]. I was sick, and you ·cared for [visited; looked after] me. I was in prison, and you ·visited [came to] me.’
37 “Then the ·good [righteous] people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you ·alone and away from home [a stranger] and ·invite you into our house [welcome/receive you]? When did we see you ·without clothes [naked] and ·give you something to wear [clothe you]? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and ·care for [come to] you?’
40 “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my ·people here [L brothers (and sisters)], you also did for me.’
41 “Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘·Go away [Depart] from me. You ·will be punished [are cursed]. Go into the ·fire that burns forever [eternal fire] that was prepared for the devil and his angels [C the demons]. 42 [L For; Because] I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was ·alone and away from home [a stranger], and you did not ·invite me into your house [welcome/receive me]. I was ·without clothes [naked], and you ·gave me nothing to wear [did not clothe me]. I was sick and in prison, and you did not ·care for [visit; look after] me.’
44 “Then those people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or ·alone and away from home [a stranger] or ·without clothes [naked] or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not ·help [serve; care for] you?’
45 “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, ·anything [to the extent] you refused to do for even the least of ·my people here [L these], you refused to do for me.’
46 “These people will go off to ·be punished forever [eternal punishment], but the ·good people [righteous] ·will go to live forever [to eternal life].”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.