Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The God Who Always Wins
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. 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]. A song.
76 ·People in Judah know God [L God is known in Judah];
his ·fame [name] is great in Israel.
2 His Tent is in ·Jerusalem [L Salem; C shortened name of Jerusalem];
his ·home [abode] is on Mount Zion [Ps. 48].
3 There God broke the flaming arrows,
the shields, the swords, and the weapons of war. ·
4 God, how ·wonderful [glorious; awesome; or radiant] you are!
You are more ·splendid [majestic] than the ·hills full of animals [hills full of prey; or everlasting mountains].
5 The ·brave soldiers [L strong of heart] were ·stripped [plundered]
as they ·lay asleep in death [sleep their last sleep].
Not one ·warrior [valiant person]
·had the strength to stop it [L could lift their hand].
6 God of Jacob, ·when you spoke strongly [L at your rebuke/reprimand],
horses and riders ·fell dead [L were in deep sleep; or lay stupefied].
7 You are ·feared [awesome];
·no one [L who…?] can stand against you when you are angry.
8 From heaven you ·gave the decision [made your judgment heard],
and the earth was afraid and silent.
9 God, you ·stood [rose] up to judge
and to ·save [give victory to] the needy people of the earth. ·
10 ·People praise you for your anger against evil [or Human anger praises you].
·Those who live through your anger are stopped from doing more evil [Those who survive your wrath are restrained; L You gird the remains of wrath on you].
11 Make and keep your ·promises [vows] to the Lord your God.
From all around, gifts should come to the God ·we worship [L who is awesome].
12 God ·breaks [cuts off] the spirits of ·great leaders [princes];
the kings on earth fear him.
Egypt Becomes Weak
20 It was in the eleventh year [C since King Jehoiachin’s exile (1:2)], in the first month, on the seventh day of the month [C April 29, 587 bc]. The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 21 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], I have broken the ·powerful arm [L arm] of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. It has not been ·tied [bound] up, so it will not get well. It has not been wrapped with a bandage, so it will not be strong enough to hold a sword in war. 22 So this is what the Lord God says: [L Look; T Behold] I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong arm and the broken arm, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, spreading them among the countries. 24 I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh. Then ·when he faces the king of Babylon [L before him] he will ·cry out in pain [groan] like a ·dying [mortally wounded] person. 25 So I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong, but the arms of the king of Egypt will ·fall [become limp]. Then people will know that I am the Lord when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he ·uses it in war [wields it; extends it] against the land of Egypt. 26 Then I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, spreading them among the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Victory over the World
25 “I have told you these things ·indirectly in stories [in parables/figurative speech]. But ·the time [L the hour] will come when I will ·not [no longer] use ·stories like that [parables; figurative speech; 10:6] to tell you things; I will speak to you in plain words about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask the Father for things in my name. I mean, I will not need to ask the Father for you. 27 [L For] The Father himself loves you. He loves you because you loved me and believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then the ·followers [disciples] of Jesus said, “You are speaking ·clearly [plainly] to us now and are not using ·stories that are hard to understand [parables; figurative speech]. 30 We can see now that you know all things. ·You can answer a person’s question even before it is asked. [L You do not need anyone to question you.] This makes us believe you came from God.”
31 Jesus answered, “So now you believe? 32 Listen to me; ·a time [L an hour] is coming when you will be scattered, each to your own home [compare Zech. 13:7]. That time is now here. You will leave me alone, but I am ·never really [L not] alone, because the Father is with me.
33 “I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have ·trouble [persecution; suffering], but ·be brave [take courage/heart]! I have ·defeated [victory over; conquered; overcome] the world.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.