Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Hymn of Thanksgiving
A psalm of David.
138 Lord, I will ·thank [praise] you with all my heart;
I will ·sing [make a psalm] to you before the gods.
2 I will bow down facing your holy Temple,
and I will ·thank [praise] ·you [L your name] for your ·love [loyalty] and ·loyalty [faithfulness].
You have ·made your name and your word
greater than anything [L exalted your word above all your name].
3 On the day I ·called [prayed] to you, you answered me.
You ·made me strong and brave [L have emboldened/encouraged my soul with strength].
4 Lord, let all the kings of the earth ·praise [thank] you
when they hear the words ·you speak [L of your mouth].
5 They will sing about ·what the Lord has done [L the way of the Lord],
because the Lord’s glory [C his manifest presence] is great.
6 Though the Lord is ·supreme [exalted],
he ·takes care of [looks on] ·those who are humble [the lowly],
but he ·stays away from the proud [L perceives the proud from far away].
7 Lord, ·even when I have trouble all around me [L if I walk in the midst of distress],
you will keep me alive.
When my enemies are angry,
you will ·reach down [L send out your hand] and save me by your ·power [L right hand].
8 Lord, you ·do everything [fulfill/accomplish your plan] for me.
Lord, your ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
Do not ·leave [abandon; forsake] us, ·whom you made [L the work of your hands].
15 “‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day ·when the tree [L it; C Assyria] went down to ·the place of the dead [L Sheol], I ·made the deep springs cry loudly [or caused mourning]. I ·covered them [or closed the deep over it] and held back their rivers, and the great waters ·stopped flowing [were restrained]. I dressed Lebanon ·in black [or with gloom; C in mourning for the great tree], and all the trees in the countryside ·were sad about it [wilted; fainted]. 16 I made the nations ·shake with fear [tremble; quake] at the sound of the tree falling when I brought it down to ·the place of the dead [Sheol]. It went to join those who ·have gone down [descend] to the ·grave [pit; C the trees represent other great nations that have fallen]. Then all the trees of Eden and the best and ·most beautiful [choicest] trees of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were comforted in the ·place of the dead below the earth [underworld; world below]. 17 These trees had also gone down with the great tree to ·the place of the dead [L Sheol]. They joined those who were killed ·in war [L by the sword] and those among the nations who had lived under the great tree’s shade.
18 “‘·So no tree [L Which of the trees…?] in Eden is equal to you [C Egypt], in ·greatness [glory; splendor] and ·honor [greatness; majesty], but you will go down to join the trees of Eden in the ·place below the earth [underworld]. You will lie among ·unclean people [L the uncircumcised], with those who were killed ·in war [L by the sword].
“‘This is about Pharaoh and all his ·people [hordes; armies], says the Lord God.’”
12 [L For] We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with those who ·think they are very important [commend/promote themselves; 3:1]. They use themselves to measure themselves, and they judge themselves by what they themselves are. ·This shows that they know nothing [or What ignorance!; or What fools!]. 13 But we will not ·brag [boast] ·about things outside the work that was given us to do [L beyond the limits]. We will limit our ·bragging [boasting] to the ·work [sphere of ministry] that God gave us, ·and this includes our work with you [L which reaches even to you]. 14 [L For] We are not ·bragging too much [or going beyond our commission; L overreaching/overextending ourselves], as we would be if we had not already come to you. But we have come to you with the Good News of Christ [C Paul’s opponents claimed the Corinthians were their sphere of ministry; Paul counters that he first brought the Gospel to Corinth (Acts 18)]. 15 We limit our ·bragging [boasting] to the work that is ours, not what others have done. We hope that as your faith continues to grow, ·the scope of our work among you will greatly increase [or our work among you will greatly increase within the sphere/limits God has given us]. 16 ·We want to [L …so that we may] ·tell the Good News [preach the Gospel] in the areas beyond ·your city [L you]. We do not want to ·brag [boast] about work that has already been done in another person’s area. 17 But, “·If people want to brag, they should brag only [L Let the one who boasts, boast] about the Lord [Jer. 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:31].” 18 [L For] It is not those who ·say they are good [L commend/promote themselves; v. 12] who are ·accepted [approved] but those the Lord ·thinks are good [commends].
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