Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God Wants True Worship
A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
50 The God of gods, the Lord, speaks.
He ·calls [proclaims to; summons] the earth from the rising to the setting sun.
2 God shines from ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple],
·whose beauty is perfect [L the perfection of beauty; 48:2; Lam. 2:15].
3 Our God comes, and he will not be silent.
A fire ·burns [consumes] in front of him [Heb. 12:29],
and a ·powerful storm [whirlwind; tempest] surrounds him [Is. 66:15].
4 He ·calls to [summons] the ·sky [heavens] above and to the earth
that he might judge his people.
5 He says, “Gather around, you ·who worship me [holy ones; saints],
who have made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with me, using a sacrifice [Ex. 24:5–8].”
6 God is the judge,
and even the ·skies say he is right [heavens proclaim his righteousness]. ·
7 God says, “My people, listen to me;
Israel, I will ·testify [witness] against you.
I am God, your God.
8 I do not ·scold [reprimand; rebuke] you for your sacrifices.
You always bring me your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17].
9 But I do not ·need [or accept] bulls from your ·stalls [L house]
or goats from your ·pens [folds],
10 because every animal of the forest is already mine.
The cattle on a thousand hills are mine.
11 I know every bird on the mountains,
and every living thing in the fields is mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
because the earth and ·everything in it [L its fullness] are mine.
13 ·I don’t [L Do I…?] eat the meat of bulls
or drink the blood of goats.
14 Give an ·offering to show thanks [thank offering] to God [Lev. 7:12; 22:29; Heb. 13:15].
Give God Most High what you have ·promised [vowed].
15 Call to me in times of ·trouble [distress].
I will ·save [rescue; T deliver] you, and you will ·honor [glorify] me.”
16 But God says to the wicked,
“Why do you ·talk about [recount] my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements]?
Why do you ·mention [L lift up on your mouth] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]?
17 You hate my ·teachings [instruction; discipline; Prov. 1:7]
and turn your back on what I say.
18 When you see a thief, you ·join [delight in; or run with] him.
·You take part in adultery [Your lot/portion is with adulterers].
19 You ·don’t stop your mouth from speaking evil [L send your mouth into evil],
and your tongue ·makes up lies [L is yoked to deception].
20 You sit around and speak against your brother
and ·lie [L give a stain/fault] about your mother’s son.
21 I have kept quiet while you did these things,
so you thought I was just like you.
But I will ·scold [reprimand; reprove] you
and ·accuse [indict] you ·to your face [L before your eyes].
22 “·Think about [Understand] this, you who forget God.
Otherwise, I will tear you apart,
and no one will ·save [protect] you.
23 Those people ·honor [glorify] me
who bring me ·offerings to show thanks [thank offerings; v. 14].
And I, God, will save those who ·do that [L go on my way/path].”
The People Should Show Mercy
7 In the fourth year Darius was king, on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is called Kislev [December 7, 518 bc], the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to Zechariah. 2 The city of Bethel sent Sharezer, Regem-Melech, and their men to ·ask the Lord a question [or seek the Lord’s favor]. 3 They went to the prophets and priests who were at the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. The men said, “For years in the fifth month of each year we have ·shown our sadness [mourned; wept] and fasted. Should we continue to do this?”
4 The ·Lord All-Powerful spoke his word [L word of the Lord All-Powerful/of Heaven’s Armies/T of hosts came] to me, saying, 5 “Tell the priests and the people in the land: ‘For seventy years you fasted and ·cried [mourned] in the fifth and seventh months, but ·that was not [L was it…?] really for me. 6 And when you ate and drank, ·it was really [L was it not…?] for yourselves. 7 Wasn’t this the same thing the Lord said through the ·earlier [former] prophets, when Jerusalem and the surrounding towns were at peace and wealthy, and people lived in the ·southern area [L Negev] and the ·western hills [or lowland; L Shephelah]?’”
8 And the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to Zechariah again, saying, 9 “This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: ‘·Do what is right and true [Administer true justice]. Be kind and ·merciful [compassionate] to each other. 10 Don’t ·hurt [oppress] widows and ·orphans [the fatherless], foreigners or the poor [Ex. 22:21–24; 23:9; Lev. 19:33–34; Deut 24:17–18]; don’t ·even think of doing evil to [or secretly plot evil against] somebody else.’
11 “But they refused to pay attention; they ·were stubborn [turned their backs; L gave a stubborn shoulder] and ·did not want to listen anymore [covered their ears]. 12 They made their hearts ·as hard as rock [like flint] and would not listen to the ·teachings [law; L Torah] of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. And they would not hear the words he sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] became very angry.
13 “‘When I called to them, they would not listen. So when they called to me, I would not listen,’ says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 14 ‘I scattered them like a ·hurricane [whirlwind] ·to other countries [among all the nations] they did not know. This good land was left so ·ruined behind them [desolate] that no one ·could live there [or traveled through it]. They had made the ·desired [pleasant] land ·a ruin [desolate; a wasteland].’”
5 I want to remind you of some things you already know ·well [fully]: Remember that the Lord[a] ·saved [rescued; delivered] his people by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. But later he destroyed all those who ·did not believe [were unfaithful]. 6 And remember the angels who did not keep their ·place of power [position of authority; L own domain/rule] but left their proper ·home [dwelling place]. The Lord has kept these angels in ·darkness [gloom; C the nether world or underworld; the place of the dead], bound with everlasting chains, to be judged on the great day [C the final day of judgment; 2 Pet. 2:4]. 7 Also remember the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah [C destroyed by God for their evil; Gen. 19; 2 Pet. 2:6] and the other towns around them. In the same way they were full of sexual sin and people who ·desired sexual relations that God does not allow [pursued sexual perversion; L departed after different flesh]. They suffer the punishment of eternal fire, as an ·example [warning] for all to see.
8 It is the same with these people [C the false teachers; v. 4]. They are guided by dreams ·and make themselves filthy with sin [and live immoral lives/pollute their bodies; or to defile the flesh]. They ·reject [despise] ·God’s authority [L authority] and ·speak against [insult; slander; blaspheme] ·the angels [celestial beings; L glorious ones; 2 Pet. 2:10–11]. 9 Not even the archangel Michael [C a leader among God’s angels; Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Rev. 12:7], when he ·argued [contended] with the devil ·about who would have [L about] the body of Moses, dared to ·judge the devil guilty [L bring a slanderous/blasphemous judgment]. Instead, he said, “The Lord ·punish [rebuke] you [C probably a story told in the Testament of Moses, a Jewish writing of the early first century ad].” 10 But these people ·speak against [slander; blaspheme] things they do not understand [2 Pet. 2:12]. And what they do know, ·by feeling [instinctively], like ·dumb [unreasoning; irrational] animals, are the very things that destroy them. 11 ·It will be terrible for them [L Woe to them!]. They have followed the way of Cain [C who murdered his brother Abel; Gen. 4], and ·for money [because of greed; L for wages] they have ·given themselves [poured themselves out] to doing the ·wrong [error] that Balaam did [Num. 22—24; 2 Pet. 2:15–16]. ·They have rebelled against God as Korah did, and like Korah, they surely will be destroyed [L In the rebellion of Korah, they were destroyed; Num. 16]. 12 They are like ·dirty spots [blemishes; or dangerous hidden reefs/rocks] in your ·special Christian meals you share [fellowship meals; love feasts]. They eat with you and have no ·fear [qualms; or shame], ·caring only for themselves [or shepherds feeding themselves]. They are clouds without ·rain [L water], which the wind blows around [2 Pet. 2:17]. They are autumn trees without fruit that are ·pulled out of the ground [uprooted]. So they are twice dead [C because they are both barren and uprooted; or perhaps a reference to both the physical and spiritual death of the false teachers]. 13 They are like wild waves of the sea, ·tossing up their own shameful actions like foam [L foaming up their own shame]. They are like ·stars that wander in the sky [C perhaps a reference to planets, whose variable positions, unlike those of the stars, provide mariners no guidance]. A place in the ·blackest darkness [L gloom of darkness; v. 7] has been kept for them forever [2 Pet. 2:17].
14 Enoch, the seventh descendant from Adam [C counting Adam first; Gen. 5:18–24], ·said [L prophesied] about these people: “·Look [T Behold], the Lord is coming with many thousands of his ·holy angels [L holy ones] to 15 judge every person. He is coming to ·punish [convict] ·all [every person/soul] who are against God for all ·the evil they have done against him [L their ungodly deeds committed in an ungodly manner]. And he will punish the ·sinners who are against God [ungodly sinners] for all the ·evil [harsh/defiant words; insults] they have said against him.” [C Jude appears to be quoting here from the nonbiblical Jewish book of 1 Enoch (1:9), although he may be drawing generally from Jewish tradition.]
16 These people ·complain and blame others [are grumblers and fault-finders], ·doing the evil things they want to do [L pursuing their own desires/lusts]. ·They brag about themselves [L Their mouths speak boastful words], and they ·flatter [impress; astound] others ·to get what they want [to gain an advantage; L for the sake of gain].
A Warning and Things to Do
17 [L But you] ·Dear friends [Beloved], remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ ·said before [predicted; prophesied; foretold; 2 Pet. 3:2]. 18 [L For] They said to you, “In the ·last times [end time] there will be ·people who laugh about God [scoffers; mockers], ·following [pursuing] their own ·evil [ungodly] ·desires [passions; lusts; 2 Pet. 3:3].” 19 These are the people who ·divide you [cause divisions], people ·whose thoughts are only of this world [who are worldly; or who live by natural instincts/desires], who do not have the Spirit [C living within them and guiding them].
20 But [L you] ·dear friends [beloved], ·use your most holy faith to build yourselves up [or build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith; C the whole body of true Christian doctrine and practice], praying ·in [in dependence on; or as directed by; or according to the will of] the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ ·to give you [that leads to] ·life forever [eternal life].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.