Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back on the road that leads to the ·desert [wilderness] around Damascus. Enter that city, and ·pour olive oil on [L anoint] Hazael to make him king over Aram [2 Kin. 8:7–15]. 16 Then ·pour oil on [L anoint] Jehu son of Nimshi to make him king over Israel [2 Kin. 9:1–13]. Next, ·pour oil on [L anoint] Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to ·make him a prophet in your place [succeed you as prophet; 2 Kin. 2:1–18].
Elisha Becomes a Prophet
19 So Elijah left that place and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with ·a team of oxen. He owned twelve teams of oxen and was plowing with the twelfth team [or twelve teams of oxen, and he with the twelfth]. Elijah came up to Elisha, took off his ·coat [T mantle], and put it on Elisha. 20 Then Elisha left his oxen and ran to follow Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and my mother good-bye,” Elisha said. “Then I will go with you.”
Elijah answered, “Go back. ·It does not matter to me [For what have I done to you?; or But consider what I have done to you].”
21 So Elisha went back and took his pair of oxen and ·killed [slaughtered; sacrificed] them. He used ·their wooden yoke [the plowing gear] for a fire [C symbolizing his turning from farming to a new calling as a prophet]. Then he cooked the meat and gave it to the people. After they ate it, Elisha left and followed Elijah and became his ·helper [servant; assistant].
The Lord Takes Care of His People
A miktam [C perhaps “inscription”] of David.
16 ·Protect [Guard] me, God,
because I ·trust [take refuge] in you.
2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord.
·Every good thing I have comes from you [I have no good apart from you].”
3 As for the ·godly people [holy ones; saints] in the ·world [or land],
they are the ·wonderful [noble] ones I ·enjoy [take pleasure in].
4 But those who ·turn to [run/hurry after] ·idols [other gods]
·will have much [multiply] pain.
I will not ·offer [pour out offerings of] blood to those idols
or even ·speak [L take on my lips] their names.
5 No, the Lord is ·all I need [L my portion and my cup].
·He takes care of me [L You hold my lot; C a device like the Urim and Thummim whereby God reveals one’s future; Ex. 28:30].
6 ·My share in life has been pleasant [L The boundary lines fall for me in pleasant places];
my ·part [inheritance] has been beautiful.
7 I ·praise [bless] the Lord because he advises me.
Even at night, ·I feel his leading [L my innards instruct me].
8 I keep the Lord before me always.
Because he is ·close by my side [L at my right hand],
I will not be ·hurt [L moved; Acts 2:25].
9 So ·I rejoice and am glad [L my heart exults and my glory/soul/or innards is glad].
Even my body ·has hope [dwells securely; Acts 2:26],
10 because you will not ·leave [abandon] me in ·the grave [or the underworld; L Sheol].
You will not let your ·holy one [saint; loyal one] ·rot [L see the Pit; C the grave; Acts 2:27; 13:35].
11 You will teach me ·how to live a holy [L the path of] life.
·Being with you will fill me with joy [L In your face/presence is the fullness of joy; Acts 2:28];
at your right hand I will find pleasure forever.
Keep Your Freedom
5 Christ set us free ·so that we could live in freedom [to a place of freedom; or by means of freedom; 4:31]. So stand strong. Do not ·change and go back into the slavery of the law [L submit/be fastened to a yoke of slavery].
13 My brothers and sisters, God called you to ·be free [L freedom], but do not use your freedom as an ·excuse to do what pleases [opportunity/occasion for] your ·sinful self [sinful nature; flesh]. [L But; Rather] Serve each other with love. 14 [L For] The whole law is ·made complete [summed up; fulfilled] in this one command: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself [Lev. 19:18].” 15 [L But] If you go on ·hurting each other and tearing each other apart [L biting and devouring one another], be careful, or you will completely ·destroy [or consume] each other.
The Spirit and Human Nature
16 So I tell you: ·Live [Walk] ·by following [guided by; in the power of; L by] the Spirit. Then you will not do what your ·sinful self [sinful nature; T flesh] ·wants [desires; craves]. 17 Our ·sinful self [sinful nature; T flesh] ·wants [desires] what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit ·wants [desires] what is against our ·sinful self [sinful nature; T flesh]. [L For] The two are ·against [opposed to; or hostile toward] each other, so you cannot do just what you ·please [want]. 18 But if the Spirit is leading you, you are not under the law.
19 The ·wrong things the sinful self does [works of the flesh/sinful nature] are ·clear [evident; obvious]: ·being sexually unfaithful [sexual immorality], ·not being pure [impurity], ·taking part in sexual sins [depravity; promiscuity], 20 ·worshiping gods [idolatry], ·doing witchcraft [sorcery], ·hating [hostility; antagonism], ·making trouble [discord; strife], being jealous, ·being angry [rage], ·being selfish [rivalries], ·making people angry with each other [dissensions], ·causing divisions among people [factions], 21 feeling envy, being drunk, ·having wild and wasteful parties [carousings; orgies], and doing other things like these. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not inherit God’s kingdom. 22 But the ·Spirit produces the fruit of [L fruit of the Spirit is] love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, ·faithfulness [or faith], 23 gentleness, self-control. ·There is no law that says these things are wrong [or No law can oppose such things]. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified ·their own sinful selves [the sinful nature; the flesh]. They have given up ·their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do [L its passions and desires]. 25 ·We [L If/Since we…] ·get our new life from the Spirit [live by the Spirit], so we should ·follow [be guided by; walk in step with] the Spirit.
A Town Rejects Jesus
51 When the time was coming near for Jesus to ·depart [ascend], he ·was determined to go to [resolutely set out for; L set his face toward] Jerusalem [Matt. 19:1–2; Mark 10:1]. 52 He sent some messengers ahead of him, who went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him. 53 But the people there would not ·welcome [receive] him, because he was ·set on going to [heading towards; L traveling with his face toward] Jerusalem [C Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim, not in Jerusalem]. 54 When James and John, ·followers [disciples] of Jesus, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and ·destroy [burn up; consume] those people[a] [2 Kin. 1:10]?”
55 But Jesus turned and ·scolded [rebuked] them. |And Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. 56 The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] did not come to destroy the ·souls [lives] of people but to save them.”|[b] Then they went to another town.
Following Jesus(A)
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you ·any place [wherever] you go.”
58 Jesus said to them, “The foxes have ·holes [dens] to live in, and the ·birds [L birds of the sky] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to ·rest [lay] his head.”
59 Jesus said to another man, “Follow me!”
But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the people who are [C spiritually] dead bury their own dead. You must go and ·tell about [proclaim] the kingdom of God.”
61 Another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.”
62 Jesus said, “Anyone who ·begins to plow a field [L puts a hand to the plow] but keeps looking back is ·of no use in [or not fit for] the kingdom of God.”
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