Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Promise to Rule Well

A psalm of David.

¹⁹ The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this:

“‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says: ·What can you trust in now [On what do you base your confidence; Where does this confidence come from]? ²⁰ You say you have ·battle plans [strategy; counsel] and ·power [strength] for war, but your words ·mean nothing [are empty]. Whom are you ·trusting [relying/counting on] for help so that you ·turn [rebel] against me? ²¹ Look, you are depending on Egypt to help you, but Egypt is like a ·splintered [broken] ·walking stick [reed]. If you lean on it for help, it will stab your hand and ·hurt [pierce] you. So it will be with the king of Egypt for all those who depend on him. ²² You might say, “We are depending on the Lord our God,” but ·Hezekiah [^Ldid not Hezekiah…?] destroyed the Lord’s altars and ·the places of worship [^Lhigh places; 12:3]. Hezekiah told Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship only at this one altar in Jerusalem.”

²³ “‘Now make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with my ·master [lord], the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough men to ride them [^Ca taunt that Judah’s army was small]. ²⁴ You cannot ·defeat [repel] one of my ·master’s [lord’s] least important officers, so why do you depend on Egypt to give you chariots and ·horsemen [charioteers]? ²⁵ ·I have not [^LDo you think I have…?] come to attack and destroy this place without ·an order from the Lord [^Lthe Lord]. The Lord himself told me to come ·to [against] this country and destroy it.’”

Jerusalem Will Be Saved^(A)

19 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes [^Ca sign of mourning or distress] and put on ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; ^Calso a sign of mourning]. Then he went into the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. ² Hezekiah sent Eliakim, the ·palace [^Lking’s house] manager, and Shebna, the royal secretary, and the ·older [or elders of the] priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap] when they came to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. ³ They told Isaiah, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of ·sorrow [distress; trouble] and ·punishment [insults, rebuke] and ·disgrace [rejection], as when a child ·should [is ready to] be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it. ⁴ The king of Assyria sent his field commander to ·make fun of [defy; ridicule; insult] the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear what the commander said and will ·punish [rebuke] him for it. So pray for the ·few of us who are left alive [remnant that is left].”

⁵ When Hezekiah’s ·officers [officials] came to Isaiah, ⁶ he said to them, “Tell your ·master [lord] this: ·The Lord says [^TThus says the Lord], ‘Don’t be afraid of what you have heard. Don’t be frightened by the words the servants of the king of Assyria have ·spoken [used to blaspheme] against me. ⁷ Listen! I am going to put a spirit in the king of Assyria. He will hear a ·report [rumor; message] that will make him return to his own country, and I will cause him to ·die [^Lfall] by the sword there.’”

A Rich Man’s Question^(A)

¹⁸ A certain ·leader [ruler] asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ·have life forever [^Linherit eternal life]?”

¹⁹ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? ·Only God is good [^LNo one is good except one—God; ^CJesus is not denying his own divinity, but is challenging the man’s understanding of goodness]. ²⁰ You know the commands: ‘You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not ·tell lies [testify falsely] about your neighbor. Honor your father and mother [Ex. 20:12–16; Deut. 5:16–20].’”

²¹ But the leader said, “I have ·obeyed [kept carefully; guarded] all these commands since ·I was a boy [my youth].”

²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one more thing you ·need to do [lack]. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.” ²³ But when the man heard this, he became very sad, because he was ·very [extremely] rich.

²⁴ ·Jesus looked at him and [or When Jesus saw this reaction, he] said, “·It is very hard [^LHow hard it is…!] for ·rich people [^Lthose who have wealth] to enter the kingdom of God. ²⁵ [^LFor; Indeed] 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 [^Cmeaning it is impossible, by human effort; see v. 27].”

Who Can Be Saved?

²⁶ When the people heard this, they asked, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus answered, “The things impossible ·for people [humanly speaking] are possible for God.”

²⁸ Peter said, “Look, we have left ·everything [or our possessions; or our home] and followed you.”

²⁹ Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, all those who have left houses, wives, brothers [or siblings], parents, or children ·for [for the sake of] the kingdom of God ³⁰ will get much more in this ·life [age; ^Ltime]. And in the ·age [aeon; world] that is coming, they will have ·life forever [eternal life].”