Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord Saves 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]. Of David.
124 What if the Lord had not been on our side?
(Let Israel ·repeat this [L say].)
2 What if the Lord had not been on our side
when ·we were attacked [L people rose against us]?
3 When they were angry with us,
they would have swallowed us alive.
4 They would have been like ·a flood [L water] ·drowning [overflowing] us;
they would have ·poured [passed] over us like a ·river [torrent].
5 They would have ·swept us away [passed over us] like ·a mighty stream [raging waters].
6 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord,
who did not ·let them chew us up [L give us as prey to their teeth].
7 We escaped like a bird
from the ·hunter’s [fowler’s] trap.
The trap broke,
and we escaped.
8 Our help ·comes from [L is in the name of] the Lord,
who made heaven and earth [Gen. 1].
Daniel Taken to Babylon
1 During the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah [C 605 bc], Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon [C ruled 605–562 bc] came to Jerusalem and ·surrounded it with his army [besieged/L pressed it]. 2 The Lord ·allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jehoiakim king of Judah [L gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand; C God was in control, not Nebuchadnezzar]. Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the ·things [articles; utensils; C cups, forks, and other items used in ritual; 5:2–4; Ex. 27:9; 30:27; 31:8–9; Ezra 1:9–11] from the ·Temple [L house] of God, which he carried to ·Babylonia [L the land of Shinar] and put in the ·temple [L house of the treasury] of his ·gods [or god; C probably Marduk, the chief god of Babylon].
3 Then King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, ·his chief officer [or the chief of his eunuchs], to bring some of the ·men of Judah into his palace. He wanted them to be from important families, including the family of the king of Judah [L …sons of Israel, from the royal family and from the nobility]. 4 King Nebuchadnezzar wanted only ·young Israelite men [L children] who had ·nothing wrong with them [L no blemish; 2 Sam. 14:25; Song 4:4]. They were to be ·handsome [L of good appearance] and ·well educated [L skilled in all wisdom], ·capable of learning [L knowing knowledge] and understanding, and able to ·serve [L stand] in his palace [Gen. 41:33]. Ashpenaz was to teach them the language and ·writings [literature] of the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans; C probably Akkadian and Aramaic; the literature would include myths and legends as well as divination texts]. 5 The king ·gave the young men [L allotted/assigned to them] ·a certain amount of food and wine every day, just like the food he ate [L a daily ration of the royal food and wine he drank]. The young men were to be ·trained [educated] for three years, and then they would ·become servants of the king of Babylon [L stand before the king]. 6 Among those young men were Daniel [C “God is my judge”], Hananiah [C “The Lord is gracious to me”], Mishael [C “Who is like God”], and Azariah [C “The Lord is my helper”] from the ·people [L sons] of Judah.
7 Ashpenaz, the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs], gave them names [C Babylonian, that is Akkadian, names]. Daniel’s new name was Belteshazzar, Hananiah’s was Shadrach, Mishael’s was Meshach, and Azariah’s was Abednego [C the new names praised Babylonian gods].
8 Daniel ·decided [L set his heart] not to eat the king’s food or drink his wine because that would ·defile [contaminate] him [C perhaps would make him ritually unclean, but more likely because he depended on God to sustain him]. So he ·asked [sought] ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] for permission not to ·defile [contaminate] himself in this way.
9 God made Ashpenaz, the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs], want to be ·kind [loving] and ·merciful [gracious] to Daniel, 10 but ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my master, the king. He ·ordered me to give you this [L allotted/assigned your] food and drink. If you begin to look ·worse [thinner] than other ·young men [children; youth] your age, the king will see this. Then ·he will cut off my head because of you [L you will forfeit my head to the king].”
11 Daniel spoke to the ·guard [or attendant; steward] whom the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs] had ·appointed [allotted/assigned] over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please give us this test for ten days: Don’t give us anything but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare how we look with how the other ·young men [children; youth] look who eat the king’s ·food [rations]. See for yourself and then decide how you want to treat us, your servants.”
14 So the ·guard [or attendant; steward] ·agreed to test [L listened to them on this matter and tested] them for ten days. 15 After ten days they looked healthier and ·better fed [L their flesh was fatter] than all the ·young men [children; youths] who ate the king’s ·food [rations]. 16 So the ·guard [or attendant; steward] took away the king’s special food and wine, feeding them vegetables instead.
17 God gave these four ·young men [children; youths] ·wisdom [knowledge] and ·the ability to learn many things that people had written and studied [insight into wisdom and literature]. Daniel could also understand visions and dreams.
18 At the end of the ·time [L days] ·set for them by the king [L which the king said to bring them; v. 5], ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked to them and found that none of the young men were ·as good as [L like] Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So ·those four young men became the king’s servants [L they stood before the king]. 20 Every time the king ·asked them about [L sought from them] something important, they showed much wisdom and understanding. They were ten times better than all the ·magicians [enchanters] and ·fortune-tellers [diviners] in his kingdom! 21 So Daniel ·continued to be the king’s servant [was there] until the first year Cyrus was king.
Mary Praises God
46 Then Mary said,
“My soul ·praises [exalts; glorifies; magnifies] the Lord [1 Sam. 2:1–10];
47 my ·heart [spirit] rejoices in God my Savior [Ps. 35:9],
48 because he has ·shown his concern for [noticed; looked favorably on] his ·humble [lowly] servant girl [1 Sam. 1:11].
[L For look/T behold] From now on, all ·people [L generations] will ·say that I am [call me] blessed [Ps. 138:6],
49 because the ·Powerful [Mighty] One has done great things for me.
His name is holy.
50 ·God will show his mercy [L His mercy is/continues] ·forever and ever [L to generations and generations]
to those who ·worship and serve [L fear; reverence] him [Ps. 103:17].
51 He has done mighty deeds ·by his power [L with his arm; C a metaphor for strength].
He has scattered the people who are proud
·and think great things about themselves [or in the schemes they devise; L in the thoughts/intentions of their hearts].
52 He has brought down ·rulers [the powerful] from their thrones
and ·raised up [exalted] the ·humble [lowly].
53 He has filled the hungry with good things [Ps. 107:9]
and sent the rich away ·with nothing [empty-handed].
54 He has helped his servant, the people of Israel,
·remembering to show them [mindful of his] mercy
55 as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his ·children [descendants; L seed] forever [Gen. 17:7, 19].”
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