Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The World Should Praise the Lord
148 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the ·skies [heavens].
Praise him ·high above the earth [in the heights].
2 Praise him, all you ·angels [messengers].
Praise him, all ·you armies of heaven [his hosts; C the angelic army].
3 Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all you ·shining stars [L stars of light].
4 Praise him, ·highest heavens [L heaven of heavens]
and you waters above the ·sky [heavens].
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
because ·they were created by his command [L he commands and they were created; Gen. 1].
6 He ·put them in place [L made them stand] forever and ever;
he made a ·law [statute; requirement; ordinance] that will never ·change [pass].
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you large sea ·animals [monsters; C like Leviathan; 74:12–17; 104:26; Gen. 1:21; Job 3:8; 41; Is. 27:1] and all the ·oceans [deeps],
8 ·lightning [L fire] and hail, snow and ·mist [cloud; or smoke],
and stormy winds that ·obey him [L do his word],
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
crawling animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all ·nations [peoples],
princes and all ·rulers [judges] of the earth,
12 young men and women,
old people and ·children [youth].
13 Praise the name of the Lord,
because ·he [L his name] alone is ·great [exalted].
·He is more wonderful than [L His splendor is over] heaven and earth.
14 God has ·given his people a king [exalted/raised a horn over his people; C an animal’s horn symbolizes power].
He should be praised by all ·who belong to him [his saints/loyal ones];
he should be praised by the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], the people ·closest to his heart [L nearest to him].
Praise the Lord!
Being Wise or Foolish
9 Wisdom has built her house;
she has made its seven ·columns [pillars; C a large house].
2 She has ·prepared her food [L slaughtered her slaughter] and prepared [mixed] her wine;
she has set her table.
3 She has sent out her servant girls,
and she calls out from the highest place in the city [C the location of the Temple, indicating she symbolizes God].
4 She says to those who are ·uneducated [naive; immature; simpleminded],
“·Come in [Turn aside] here, you ·foolish people [who lack sense]!
5 Come and eat my food
and drink the wine I have ·prepared [mixed].
6 Stop your ·foolish [naive; immature; simpleminded] ways, and you will live;
take the road of understanding.
7 “If you ·correct [instruct; discipline] ·someone who makes fun of wisdom [a mocker], you will be insulted.
If you correct an evil person, you will ·get hurt [L be blemished].
8 Do not correct ·those who make fun of wisdom [mockers], or they will hate you.
But correct the wise, and they will love you.
9 ·Teach [L Give to] the wise, and they will become even wiser;
·teach [inform] ·good people [the righteous], and they will ·learn even more [L add to their learning].
10 “Wisdom begins with ·respect [fear; awe] for the Lord,
and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One.
11 ·If you live wisely [L Through/By me], you will live a long time;
wisdom will add years to your life.
12 The wise person is rewarded by wisdom,
but ·whoever makes fun of wisdom will suffer for it [L mockers will bear it alone].”
8 But do not forget [ignore; miss] this one thing, ·dear friends [L beloved]: To the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day [C our perception of time is not the same as God’s; Ps. 90:4]. 9 The Lord is not ·slow [or late] in doing what he promised—the way some people understand ·slowness [lateness; Hab. 2:3]. But God is being patient with you [Ex. 34:6]. He does not want anyone to ·be lost [perish], but he wants all people to ·change their hearts and lives [L come to repentance].
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief [C with surprise and danger]. The ·skies [heavens] will ·disappear [pass away; Matt. 5:18; 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; 21:33] with a loud noise. ·Everything in them [L The elements; C either everything in the cosmos or specifically the heavenly bodies] will be ·destroyed [or dissolved] by ·fire [heat; burning], and the earth and ·everything in it [or all the deeds done on it] will be exposed.[a] 11 In that way everything will be ·destroyed [or dissolved]. So what kind of people should you be? You should live holy lives and ·serve God [be godly/pious], 12 as you wait for and ·look forward to [strive for; or hurry; hasten] the coming of the day of God. When that day comes, the ·skies [or heavens] will be ·destroyed [or dissolved] with fire, and ·everything in them [the elements; 3:10] will melt with ·heat [fire; burning]. 13 But God made a promise to us [Is. 65:17; 66:22], and we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth where ·goodness [righteousness] ·lives [makes its home].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.