Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord Guards His People
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].
121 I ·look up [L raise my eyes] to the hills [C the hills surrounding Zion, the location of the Temple],
but where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth [Gen. 1].
3 He will not let ·you be defeated [L your feet be moved/slip].
He who ·guards [watches] you never sleeps.
4 He who ·guards [watches] Israel
never ·rests [sleeps] or ·sleeps [slumbers].
5 The Lord ·guards [watches] you.
The Lord is the shade ·that protects you from the sun [L at your hand, your right hand; 91:1].
6 The sun cannot ·hurt [L strike] you during the day,
and the moon cannot ·hurt [L strike] you at night.
7 The Lord will ·protect [guard; watch] you from all ·dangers [trouble; evil];
he will ·guard [watch] your life.
8 The Lord will ·guard [watch] you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
Ezekiel’s Vision of Living Creatures
1 It was the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month [C of Ezekiel’s life, or of Nabopolassar’s reign, or since King Josiah’s reforms]. I was by the Kebar ·River [Canal; C a branch of the Euphrates River south of Babylon] among the ·people who had been carried away as captives [exiles]. The ·sky [heavens] opened, and I saw visions of God.
2 It was the fifth day of the month of the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been ·a prisoner [in exile/captivity; C 593 bc; 2 Kin. 24:12, 15]. 3 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to Ezekiel son of Buzi in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1]. There ·he felt the power of the Lord [L the hand of the Lord was on him].
4 When I looked, I saw a ·stormy wind [windstorm] coming from the north [C storms often represent the presence of God; Jer. 23:19]. There was a great cloud with ·a bright light [or lightning flashing] around it and ·fire flashing out of [or brightness all around] it. Something that looked like glowing ·metal [or amber] was in the center of the fire. 5 Inside ·the cloud [or the fire; L its midst] was what looked like four living creatures [Rev. 4:6–8], who ·were shaped like [had the appearance of] humans, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight. Their feet were like a calf’s hoofs and ·sparkled [gleamed] like ·polished [burnished] bronze [Rev. 1:15]. 8 The living creatures had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and their wings touched each other. The living creatures did not turn when they moved, but each went straight ahead.
10 Their faces looked like this: Each living creature had ·a human face [or the face of a man] and the face of a lion on the right side and the face of an ox on the left side. And each one also had the face of an eagle. 11 That was what their faces looked like. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings that touched one of the other living creatures and two wings that covered its body. 12 Each went straight ahead. Wherever the ·spirit [or wind] would go, the living creatures would also go, without turning. 13 The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire went back and forth among the living creatures. It was ·bright [radiant], and lightning flashed from it. 14 The living creatures ·ran [darted] back and forth like ·bolts [flashes] of lightning.
15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground by each of the living creatures with its four faces. 16 The wheels and ·the way they were made [their construction/structure] ·were like this [had this appearance]: They looked like sparkling ·chrysolite [or topaz; or beryl]. All four of them looked the same, like one wheel ·crossways inside [L in the middle of] another wheel. 17 When they moved, they went in any one of the four directions, without turning as they went. 18 The rims of the wheels were high and ·frightening [or awesome] and were full of eyes all around.
19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the living creatures ·were lifted up [rose] from the ground, the wheels also ·were lifted up [rose]. 20 Wherever the ·spirit [or wind] would go, the living creatures would go. And the wheels ·were lifted up [rose] beside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved. When the living creatures stopped, the wheels stopped. And when the living creatures ·were lifted [rose] from the ground, the wheels ·were lifted [rose] beside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Now, ·over [stretched over] the heads of the living creatures was something like a ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform; Gen. 1:2] that sparkled like ·ice [crystal] and was ·frightening [or awesome]. 23 And under the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform] the wings of the living creatures were stretched out straight toward one another. Each living creature also had two wings covering its body. 24 I heard the sound of their wings, like the ·roaring sound of the sea [L sound of many waters], as they moved. It was like the voice of ·God Almighty [L the Almighty], a ·roaring sound [tumult] like a noisy army. When the living creatures stopped, they lowered their wings.
25 A voice came from above the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform] over the heads of the living creatures. When the living creatures stopped, they lowered their wings.
19 After he ate some food, his strength returned.
Saul Preaches in Damascus
Saul stayed with the ·followers of Jesus [disciples] in Damascus for ·a few [several; some] days. 20 ·Soon [Immediately; At once] he began to ·preach about [proclaim] Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “·Jesus [L This one; He] is the Son of God.”
21 All the people who heard him were amazed. They said, “·This is [L Isn’t this…?] the man who was in Jerusalem ·trying to destroy [raising havoc for; attacking] those who ·trust in [or worship; L call on] this name [C the name of Jesus; the name represents the person]! He came here to ·arrest [bind] them and take them back to the ·leading [T chief] priests.”
22 But Saul grew more ·powerful [capable; effective]. His proofs that Jesus is the Christ were so strong that ·his own people [L the Jews who lived] in Damascus ·could not argue with [were baffled/confounded by] him.
23 ·After many days [or Some time later], ·they [L the Jews] ·made plans [plotted] to kill Saul. 24 They were watching the city gates day and night [L in order to kill him], but Saul learned about their ·plan [plot]. 25 One night some ·followers [disciples] of Saul helped him leave the city by lowering him in a basket through an opening in the city wall [2 Cor. 11:32–33].
Saul Preaches in Jerusalem
26 When Saul went to Jerusalem [Gal. 1:18], he tried to ·join [associate with] the ·group of followers [disciples], but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he was really a ·follower [disciple]. 27 But Barnabas ·accepted [or took hold of] Saul and took him to the apostles. Barnabas explained to them that Saul had seen the Lord on the road and the Lord had spoken to Saul. Then he told them how ·boldly [fearlessly] Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.
28 And so Saul stayed with the ·followers [disciples], ·going everywhere [or going around openly with them; L going in and going out] in Jerusalem, preaching ·boldly [fearlessly] in the name of the Lord. 29 He would often talk and ·argue [debate] with the ·Jewish people who spoke Greek [L Hellenists; C Jews who spoke Greek and had returned to Israel after living abroad], but they were trying to kill him. 30 When the ·followers [L brothers] learned about this, they took Saul to Caesarea [C city on the Mediterranean coast] and from there sent him to Tarsus [9:11].
31 [Then; or Therefore] The church everywhere in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria [C areas that comprise ancient Israel] had a time of peace and ·became stronger [L was built up/edified]. ·Respecting the Lord by the way they lived [L Walking in the fear of the Lord], and being ·encouraged [comforted; exhorted] by the Holy Spirit, ·the group of believers [L it] continued to grow.
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