Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Praise to God the King
A psalm of praise. Of David.
145 I ·praise your greatness [exalt you], my God the King;
I will ·praise [bless] ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
2 I will ·praise [bless] you every day;
I will praise ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and ·worthy of our praise [greatly to be praised; 48:1];
·no one can understand how great he is [L there is no searching out/limit to his greatness].
4 ·Parents [L A generation] will ·tell their children [L praise to a generation] what you have done.
They will ·retell [proclaim] your mighty acts,
5 ·wonderful majesty, and glory [L and the majestic glory of your splendor; C God’s manifest presence].
And I will ·think about [meditate on] your ·miracles [wonderful works].
6 They will tell about the ·amazing things you do [L might of your awesomeness],
and I will ·tell [recount] how great you are.
7 They will ·remember [bubble forth with] ·your great goodness [L the remembrance of your goodness]
and will sing about your ·fairness [righteousness].
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].
3 The shields of his soldiers are red [C either dyed red or splattered with blood];
the army is dressed in ·red [scarlet].
The metal on the chariots ·flashes like fire [shines; glistens]
·when [L on the day] they are ready to attack;
·their horses are excited [or their cypress spears are brandished].
4 The chariots ·race [storm; charge insanely] through the streets
and rush back and forth through the city squares.
They look like torches;
they run like lightning.
5 He [C probably the king of Assyria] ·calls [or remembers] his officers,
but they stumble on the way.
They hurry to the city wall,
and the ·shield [or siege tower] is put into place.
6 The river gates are thrown open,
and the palace ·is destroyed [collapses; dissolves; melts].
7 It has been ·announced [decreed] that ·the people of Nineveh [L she]
will be ·captured [exiled; or stripped; exposed] and carried away.
The slave girls moan like doves
and beat their breasts [C a sign of grief].
8 Nineveh is like a pool,
and now its water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” the people yell,
but no one turns back.
9 ·Take [Plunder] the silver!
·Take [Plunder] the gold!
There is no end to the treasure—
piles of wealth of every ·kind [precious/desirable thing].
10 ·Nineveh is robbed [L Empty!], ·ruined [desolate!], and destroyed.
·The people lose their courage [L Their hearts melt], and their knees knock.
·Stomachs ache [Bodies/Loins in anguish], and everyone’s face grows pale.
11 Where is the lions’ den [C the lion was a symbol of Assyria]
and the place where they feed their young?
Where did the lion, lioness, and cubs go
without being afraid?
12 The lion killed enough for his cubs,
·enough [L and strangled prey] for his ·mate [L lionesses].
He filled his cave with ·the animals he caught [prey];
he filled his den with ·meat he had killed [L torn (flesh)].
13 “I am against ·you, Nineveh [L you],”
says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,
and the sword will ·kill [devour] your young lions.
I will ·stop you from hunting down others on [L cut off your prey from] the earth,
and your messengers’ voices
will no longer be heard.”
5 ·Test [Examine] yourselves to see if you are ·living in [L in] the faith. ·Look closely at [Test; Examine] yourselves. ·You [L Or don’t you…?] know that Jesus Christ is in you—·unless [or if not,] you fail the test. 6 But I hope you will see that we ourselves have not failed the test. 7 We pray to God that you will not do anything ·wrong [evil]. It is not important ·to see [that people see; or for it to appear] that we have passed the test, but it is important that you do what is ·right [good], even if it seems we have failed. 8 [L For] We cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We ·are happy to be [rejoice whenever we are] weak, if you are strong, and we pray that you will become ·complete [mature; or fully equipped/restored]. 10 I am writing this while I am away from you so that when I come I will not have to be ·harsh [severe] in my use of authority. The Lord gave me this authority to build you up, not to tear you down.
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