Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Prayer for Mercy in Troubled Times
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Upon the ·sheminith [L eighth; C a reference to an eight-stringed instrument or possibly the manner of singing]. A psalm of David.
6 Lord, don’t ·correct [rebuke; reprove] me when you are angry;
don’t ·punish [discipline] me when you are ·very angry [enraged].
2 Lord, ·have mercy on [be gracious to] me because I ·am weak [languish; faint].
Heal me, Lord, because my bones ·ache [are in agony].
3 I ·am very upset [ache; am in agony].
Lord, how long will it be?
4 Lord, return and save me;
·save [rescue; T deliver] me because of your ·kindness [loyalty; covenant love].
5 Dead people don’t remember you;
those in ·the grave [or the underworld; L Sheol] don’t praise you.
6 I am ·tired [weary] ·of crying to you [L because of my moaning].
Every night ·my bed is wet [L I flood my pillow] with tears;
my bed is soaked from my crying.
7 My eyes are weak ·from so much crying [L because of my grief];
they are weak ·from crying about [L because of] my enemies.
8 Get away from me, all you who do evil,
because the Lord has heard my ·crying [supplication].
9 The Lord has heard my cry for help;
the Lord will ·answer [accept] my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and ·troubled [in agony; vv. 2–3].
They will turn and suddenly leave in shame.
16 “Now my life is ·almost over [L poured out in me];
my days are full of suffering.
17 At night my bones ache;
gnawing pains ·never stop [or do not let me lie down to sleep].
18 In his great power ·God [L he] grabs hold of my clothing
and ·chokes me with [or seizes me by] the collar of my coat.
19 He throws me into the mud,
and I become like dirt and ashes.
20 “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer;
I stand up, but you just look at me.
21 You have turned on me ·without mercy [with cruelty];
with your powerful hand you ·attacked [L hate] me.
22 You snatched me up and ·threw me into [L made me ride] the wind
and ·tossed me about [made me reel] in the storm.
23 I know you will bring me down to death,
to the ·place where all living people must go [L house appointed for all the living].
24 “Surely no one would hurt [or Should not one send his hand out to help…?] those who are ruined
when they cry for help in their time of trouble.
25 ·I cried [L Do I not cry…?] for those ·who were in trouble [whose day was hard];
·I have been very sad [L don’t I have pity…?] for ·poor [needy] people.
26 But when I hoped for ·good [or the best], only ·evil [or the worst] came to me;
when I ·looked [waited] for light, darkness came.
27 ·I never stop being upset [L My insides are brought to a boil and not stilled];
days of ·suffering [affliction] are ahead of me.
28 ·I have turned black, but not by the sun [or I walk around mourning, without passion].
I stand up in public and cry for help.
29 I have become a brother to ·wild dogs [jackals]
and a friend to ·ostriches [or eagle owls; C animals that live in the desolate wilderness].
30 My skin has become black and peels off,
as my ·body [L bones] burns with ·fever [heat].
31 My ·harp [lyre] is tuned to sing a sad song,
and my ·flute [reed pipe] is tuned to moaning.
46 Jesus went again to visit Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine [2:1–11]. One of the king’s important officers lived in the city of Capernaum, and his son was sick. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Jesus and ·begged [urged; asked] him to come to Capernaum and heal his son, because his son was almost dead. 48 Jesus said to him, “·You people must see signs and miracles before you will believe in me [L Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe; 2:23–25; 6:26].”
49 The [royal] officer said, “Sir, ·come [L come down] before my child dies.”
50 Jesus ·answered [said to him], “Go. Your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus told him [C he did not need “signs” and miracles] and went home. 51 On the way the man’s ·servants [slaves; bond-servants] came and met him and told him, “Your son is alive.”
52 [L So/Then] The man asked, “What ·time [hour] did my son begin to get well?”
They answered, “Yesterday at ·one o’clock [L the seventh hour; C hours were counted from dawn, about 6 AM] the fever left him.”
53 [L So/Then] The father knew that ·one o’clock was the exact time that [L in that hour] Jesus had said, “Your son will live.” So the man and all ·the people who lived in his house [his household] believed in Jesus.
54 That was the second ·miracle [L sign; C the first sign was turning water into wine; 2:1–11] Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
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