Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Knows Everything
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
139 Lord, you have ·examined [investigated; searched] me
and know all about me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I ·get up [rise].
You ·know [understand] my thoughts ·before I think them [L from afar].
3 You ·know [L measure] ·where I go [L my path] and ·where I lie down [L my lying down].
You ·know [are familiar with] ·everything I do [L all my path].
4 Lord, even ·before I say a word [L when no word is on my tongue],
you already know ·it [L all of it].
5 You ·are all around me [L hem me in]—in front and in back—
and have put your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is ·amazing [wonderful; or overwhelming] to me;
it is ·more than I can understand [too high/unattainable. I am not able to grasp it; Rom. 11:33].
7 Where can I go to get away from your Spirit?
Where can I ·run [flee] from you?
8 If I ·go [climb] up to the heavens, you are there.
If I ·lie down [spread out; make my bed] in ·the grave [L Sheol; C the grave or the underworld], you are there.
9 If I rise with the ·sun in the east [L wings of the dawn]
and settle in the ·west beyond [L back of] the sea,
10 even there ·you [L your hand] would guide me.
With your right hand you would ·hold [grab; seize] me.
11 I could say, “The darkness will ·hide [cover] me.
Let the light around me turn into night.”
12 But even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night ·is as light as [shines like] the day;
darkness and light are the same to you.
23 God, ·examine [investigate; search; v. 1] me and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any ·bad thing [hurtful way] in me.
Lead me on the ·road to everlasting life [L everlasting/or ancient way].
The Lord Is the Only God
44 The Lord says, “·People of Jacob, you are my servants [L Jacob, my servant]. Listen to me!
·People of Israel, I chose you [L Israel, my chosen; 41:8].”
2 This is what the Lord says, who made you,
who formed you in ·your mother’s body [L the womb],
who will help you:
“·People of Jacob, my servants [L Jacob, my servant], don’t be afraid.
·Israel [L Jeshurun; C the location of the Temple; Deut. 32:15; 33:5, 26], I chose you.
3 I will pour out water for the thirsty land
and make streams flow on dry land.
I will pour out my Spirit ·into your children [on your descendants/offspring/seed]
and my blessing on your ·descendants [offspring].
4 ·Your children [L They] will ·grow [sprout up] like a tree in the grass,
like ·poplar trees [or willows] growing beside streams of water.
5 One person will say, ‘I belong to the Lord,’
and another will use the name Jacob.
Another will ·sign his name [or write on his hand] ‘I am the Lord’s,’
and another will ·use [call himself by] the name Israel.”
Our Salvation Is Great
2 ·So [For this reason] we must ·be more careful to follow [pay even closer attention to] what we ·were taught [have heard]. Then we will not ·stray [drift] away from the truth. 2 ·The teaching [L If/Since the message/word…] God spoke through angels [Acts 7:53] was shown to be ·true [firm; reliable], and ·anyone who did not follow it or obey it [every violation/transgression and disobedience] received the punishment that ·was earned [it deserved; was just]. 3 ·So surely we also will be punished [L How will we escape…?] if we ignore ·this [such a] great salvation. The Lord himself first ·told about [announced] this salvation, and those who heard him ·testified [confirmed to us] it was true. 4 God also ·testified to the truth of the message [joined in/confirmed their testimony] by using great signs, wonders, many kinds of ·miracles [acts of power], and by ·giving people [L the distribution/apportioning of] gifts through the Holy Spirit, ·just as he wanted [or however he desired].
Christ Became like Us
5 [L For] God did not ·choose angels to be the rulers of the new world that was coming [L subject the world to come to angels], which is what we have been talking about. 6 ·It is written in the Scriptures [L Someone has testified somewhere],
“·Why are people even important to you [L What is man/humanity that you remember/think about him/them]?
·Why do you take care of human beings [L Or the son of man/children of Adam that you care for/about them]?
7 You made ·them [or him] ·a little [or for a little while] lower than the angels
and crowned ·them [or him] with glory and honor.[a]
8 You ·put all things under their control [L subjected everything under his feet; Ps. 8:4–6].”
[L For] When God ·put everything under their control [L subjected everything to him], there was nothing left ·that they did not rule [uncontrolled; not subjected]. Still, [L now; at the present time] we do not yet see ·them [or him; C referring to humanity] ruling over everything. 9 But we see Jesus, who for a short time was made lower than the angels. This was so that, by God’s grace, he could ·die [L taste death] for everyone. And now, because he suffered and died, he is ·wearing a crown of [L crowned with] glory and honor. [C Jesus fulfills humanity’s destiny: to be crowned with glory and honor; Ps. 8 (cited above).]
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