Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The King Is Coming
9 Rejoice greatly, ·people of Jerusalem [L Daughter Zion]!
Shout for joy, ·people of Jerusalem [L Daughter Jerusalem]!
[L Look; T Behold] Your king is coming to you.
He ·does what is right [is righteous/just], and he saves.
He is ·gentle [lowly; humble] and riding on a donkey,
on ·the colt [L a colt, the foal] of a donkey [Matt. 21:5; John 12:15].
10 I will ·take away [L cut off] the chariots from Ephraim
and the ·horses [warhorses] from Jerusalem.
The bows used in war will be broken.
The king will ·talk about [announce; bring] peace to the nations.
His ·kingdom [dominion; rule] will go from sea to sea,
and from the ·Euphrates River [L River] to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you, because of the blood of ·the agreement [my covenant/treaty] with you
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 You prisoners who have hope,
return to ·your place of safety [the fortress/stronghold].
Today I ·am telling you [announce; declare]
that I will ·give you back twice as much as before [return double what you lost].
8 The Lord is ·kind [gracious] and ·shows mercy [compassionate].
He ·does not become angry quickly [is slow to anger] but ·is full of love [has great loyalty].
9 The Lord is good to everyone;
he is ·merciful [compassionate] to all he has made [86:15; 103:8; Ex. 34:6–7; Neh. 9:17, 31; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2].
10 Lord, everything you have made will ·praise [bless] you;
·those who belong to you [your saints/loyal ones] will bless you.
11 They will tell about the glory of your kingdom
and will speak about your ·power [strength].
12 Then everyone will know the mighty things you do
and the glory and ·majesty [splendor] of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom ·will go on and on [L is an eternal kingdom],
and you will rule ·forever [L from generation to generation; Dan. 4:3].
The Lord ·will keep all his promises [L is faithful/true in all his words];
he is loyal to all he has made.[a]
14 The Lord ·helps [supports] those who have ·been defeated [L fallen]
and ·takes care of [L lifts up] those who are ·in trouble [bowed down].
15 [L For] I do not understand the things I do. [L For] I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, that means I agree that the law is good [C Paul’s acknowledgement that his behavior is wrong confirms the law’s righteous standards]. 17 But [L now] I am not really the one who is doing these hated things; it is sin living in me that does them. 18 ·Yes [L For…], I know that nothing good lives in me—I mean nothing good lives in ·the part of me that is earthly and sinful [my sinful self; my sinful nature; T my flesh]. [L For] I want to do the things that are good, but I ·do not [or cannot] do them. 19 [L For] I do not do the good things I want to do, but I do the ·bad [evil] things I do not want to do. 20 So if I do things I do not want to do, then I am not the one doing them. It is sin living in me that does those things.
21 So I ·have learned this rule [or find this principle/law at work]: When I want to do good, evil is ·there with me [present within me; close at hand]. 22 [L For] In ·my mind [my inmost self; L the person within], I ·am happy with [delight in] God’s law. 23 But I see ·another law [a different standard; or another power] working in my ·body [or outward actions; L members; parts], which makes war against the ·law [standards] that my mind accepts. That other ·law [standard; or power] working in my ·body [or outward actions; L members; parts] is the law of sin, and it makes me its prisoner. 24 What a ·miserable [wretched] man I am! Who will ·save [free; rescue; deliver] me from this ·body that brings me death [body doomed to die; or burden of death]? 25 ·I thank God for saving me [L Thanks be to God!] through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So [L then] in my mind I am a slave to God’s law, but in my ·sinful self [sinful nature; T flesh] I am a slave to the ·law [principle; or power] of sin.
16 “·What can I say about the people of this time? What are they like? [L To what shall I compare this generation?] They are like children sitting in the marketplace, who call out to each other,
17 ‘We played ·music [L the pipe/flute] for you, but you did not dance;
we sang a ·sad song [funeral song; dirge], but you did not ·cry [weep].’ [C The religious leaders wanted John to “dance” (lighten up his severe message) and wanted Jesus to “mourn” (follow their restrictive lifestyle).]
18 [L For] John came and did not eat or drink like other people. So people say, ‘He ·has [is possessed by] a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! ·He eats too much and drinks too much wine [L He’s a glutton and a drunkard], and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is ·proved to be right [vindicated] by ·what she does [or its deeds/actions/results; C Wisdom is personified as a woman (Prov. 8), her “children” being those who respond favorably to the message of John and Jesus].”
Jesus Offers Rest to People(A)
25 At that time Jesus said, “I ·praise [bless; thank; acknowledge] you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the people who are wise and ·smart [learned; intelligent]. But you have ·shown [revealed] them to ·those who are like little children [L little children; infants; C those with a childlike faith]. 26 Yes, Father, [L because] this is what ·you really wanted [pleased you].
27 “My Father has ·given [entrusted/committed to] me all things. No one knows the Son, except the Father. And no one knows the Father, except the Son and those whom the Son ·chooses [desires; intends] to ·tell [reveal it].
28 “Come to me, all of you who are ·tired [weary] and ·have heavy loads [overburdened; T heavy-laden] and I will give you rest. 29 ·Accept my teachings [L Take my yoke upon you] and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in ·spirit [heart], and you will find rest for your ·lives [souls; Jer. 6:16]. 30 ·The burden that I ask you to accept [L …because my yoke] is easy; ·the load I give you to carry [L and my burden] is light.”
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