Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
6 ·Come to [Seek] the Lord and live,
or he will ·move [sweep through; L rush] like fire against the ·descendants [L house] of Joseph.
The fire will ·burn [consume; devour] Bethel [4:4],
and there will be no one to ·put it out [quench it].
7 You turn justice ·upside down [L into bitterness/or wormwood; C a bitter plant; 6:12],
and you throw on the ground ·what is right [rightousness; justice].
10 ·You [L They] hate those who ·speak in court against evil [L rebuke/reprove at the gate; C where court was held],
and ·you [L they] ·can’t stand [despise; detest] those who tell the truth.
11 You ·walk [trample; or levy a tax] on poor people,
·forcing them to give you [imposing a tax on their] grain.
You have built fancy houses of cut stone,
but you will not live in them.
You have planted ·beautiful [pleasant] vineyards,
but you will not drink the wine from them [Deut. 28:30].
12 I know your many ·crimes [trangressions],
your ·terrible [numerous; great] sins.
You ·hurt [oppress] ·people who do right [the righteous/innocent],
you take ·money to do wrong [bribes],
and you keep the poor from getting justice in ·court [L the gate; v. 10].
13 In such times the wise person will keep quiet,
because it is a ·bad [evil] time.
14 ·Try to do [Seek] good, not evil,
so that you will live,
and the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will be with you
just as you ·say [claim] he is.
15 Hate evil and love good;
·be fair in the courts [L establish justice in the gate; v. 10].
Maybe the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will ·be kind to [have mercy on; be gracious to] the ·people of Joseph who are left alive [remnant of Joseph; C a reference to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (Joseph’s sons), representing the northern kingdom].
12 ·Teach us [Make us know] ·how short our lives really are [L to count our days]
so that we ·may be wise [L gain a wise heart].
13 Lord, how long before you ·return [turn]
and show ·kindness [compassion] to your servants?
14 ·Fill [Satisfy] us with your ·love [loyalty] every morning.
Then we will sing and rejoice all our ·lives [L days].
15 We have seen years of ·trouble [harm; hurt].
Now give us as ·much [L many days of] joy as you gave us ·sorrow [affliction].
16 Show your servants ·the wonderful things you do [your miracles];
·show your greatness [your splendor/beauty] to their children.
17 Lord our God, ·treat us well [favor us].
·Give us success in what we do [L Establish the work of our hands for us];
·yes, give us success in what we do [L establish the work of our hands].
12 [L For] God’s word is alive and ·working [active; powerful; effective] and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It ·cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones [L penetrates until it divides even soul and spirit, joints and marrow]. And it ·judges [discerns] the ·thoughts [ideas] and ·feelings [attitudes; intentions] in our hearts. 13 ·Nothing in all the world [Nothing in all creation; or No creature] can be hidden from God. Everything is ·clear [naked] and ·lies open before him [L exposed to his eyes], and to him we must ·explain the way we have lived [give an account; answer].
Jesus Is Our High Priest
14 [L Therefore] Since we have a great high priest [2:17–18], Jesus the Son of God, who has ·gone into [ascended to; or passed through] ·heaven [or the heavens], let us hold ·on [firmly] to ·the faith we have [L the confession/profession; C of our faith]. 15 ·For our high priest is able [L For we do not have a high priest who is unable] to ·understand [sympathize with] our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. 16 Let us, then, ·feel very sure that we can come before [L confidently approach] God’s throne ·where there is grace [L of grace; C as opposed to a throne of judgment and condemnation]. There we can receive mercy and ·grace [L find grace] to help us ·when we need it [L at the right time].
A Rich Young Man’s Question(A)
17 As Jesus started ·to leave [on his way; on a journey], a man ran to him and ·fell on his knees [knelt] before Jesus. The man asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to ·have life forever [L inherit eternal life]?”
18 Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? ·Only God is good [No one is good except One—God; C Jesus is not denying his own divinity, but is challenging the man’s understanding of goodness]. 19 You know the commands: ‘You must not murder. You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery. You must not steal. You must not ·tell lies about your neighbor [testify falsely; T bear false witness]. You must not ·cheat [defraud]. Honor your father and mother’ [Ex. 20:12–16; Deut. 5:16–20].”
20 The man said, “Teacher, I have ·obeyed [kept carefully; guarded] all these things since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus, looking at the man, loved him and said, “There is one more thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
22 He was ·very sad [shocked; appalled] to hear Jesus say this, and he left ·sorrowfully [grieving], because he ·was rich [had many possessions].
23 Then Jesus looked [around] at his ·followers [disciples] and said, “How hard it will be for ·the rich [those with many possessions] to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The ·followers [disciples] were ·amazed [astonished] at what Jesus said. [C In Judaism wealth was generally viewed as a reward from God.] But he said again, “My children, it is very hard[a] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God [C meaning it is impossible, by human effort; see v. 27].”
26 They were even more ·surprised [amazed] and said to each other, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “·For people [Humanly speaking,] this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
28 Peter ·said [spoke up] to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, all those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or ·farms [fields] for me and for the ·Good News [Gospel] 30 will get more than they left. Here in ·this world [the present age] they will have a hundred times more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and ·fields [farms]. And with those things, ·they will also suffer for their belief [persecutions]. But in the ·age [world] that is coming they will have ·life forever [eternal life]. 31 Many who are first now will be last in the future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.”
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