Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song of Trust in God
Of David.
27 The Lord is my light [18:28; 43:3; Is. 9:2; John 1:4, 9; 8:12; 1 John 1:5] and ·the one who saves me [my salvation].
·So why should I fear anyone [L Whom should I fear]?
The Lord ·protects [L is the stronghold/refuge of] my life.
·So why [L Of whom] should I be afraid?
2 Evil people may try to ·destroy my body [L approach me and devour/consume my flesh].
My enemies and those who hate me ·are overwhelmed and defeated [L stumble and fall].
3 If an army ·surrounds [L camps around] me,
·I [L my heart] will not be afraid.
If war ·breaks out [rises against me],
I will ·trust [have confidence in] ·the Lord [L in this; Rom. 8:31–39].
4 I ask only one thing from the Lord.
This is what I ·want [L seek after]:
Let me ·live [dwell] in the Lord’s house [C the sanctuary]
all the days of my life.
Let me see the Lord’s beauty
and ·look with my own eyes [L make inquiry; C discover God’s will] at his Temple.
5 ·During danger [L In the day of trouble] he will ·keep me safe [L hide me] in his shelter.
He will ·hide [conceal] me in his Holy Tent,
or he will ·keep me safe [L set me high] on a ·high mountain [L rock].
6 My head is higher than my enemies around me.
I will offer joyful sacrifices in his Holy Tent [C the Tabernacle].
I will sing and praise the Lord.
7 Lord, hear ·me [L my voice] when I ·call [pray];
have mercy and answer me.
8 My heart said of you, “Go, ·worship him [L seek his face].”
So I ·come to worship you [L seek your face], Lord.
9 Do not ·turn away [L hide your face] from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have helped me.
Do not push me away or ·leave me alone [abandon me],
God, my Savior.
10 If my father and mother ·leave [abandon] me,
the Lord will take me in.
11 Lord, teach me your ways,
and guide me ·to do what is right [L on a straight/right path]
because ·I have [L of my] enemies.
12 Do not hand me over to my enemies,
because ·they tell lies about [L false witnesses rise up against] me [Ex. 20:16]
and ·say they will hurt me [L they breathe out violence].
13 I truly believe
I will see the Lord’s goodness ·during my life [L in the land of the living].
14 ·Wait for [Hope in] the Lord’s help.
Be strong and let your heart be brave,
and ·wait for [hope in] the Lord’s help.
Judah Was Not Loyal to God
10 ·We all have the same [L Do we not have one….?] father; the ·same [one] God created us. So why do people ·break their promises to [betray] each other and ·show no respect for [profane; defile] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] our ·ancestors [fathers] made with God [Ex. 19–24]? 11 ·The people of Judah [L Judah] have ·broken their promises [been unfaithful]. They have done ·something God hates [an abomination/detestable thing] in Israel and Jerusalem: ·The people of Judah [L Judah] ·did not respect [desecrated] the ·Temple [sanctuary; or holy things] that the Lord loves, and the men of Judah married ·women who worship [L the daughter of] foreign gods. 12 Whoever does this might bring offerings to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], but the Lord will still cut that person off from the ·community of Israel [L tents of Jacob].
13 This is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with your tears. You ·cry [weep] and moan, because he does not ·accept [look with favor on] your offerings and is not pleased with what you bring. 14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord ·sees how you treated [L is the witness between you and] the wife ·you married when you were young [L of your youth]. You ·broke your promise [have been unfaithful] to her, even though she was your partner and ·you had an agreement with her [your wife by solemn covenant]. 15 ·God made [L Did not God make…?] husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit for his purpose—so they would have ·children who are true to God [godly offspring].
So ·be careful [L guard yourself in your spirit], and do not ·break your promise [be unfaithful] to the wife ·you married when you were young [L of your youth].
16 The Lord God of Israel says, “·I hate divorce. And I hate the person who [or The one who hates and divorces] ·does cruel things as easily as he puts on clothes [L covers his clothes in violence],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
So be ·careful [on your guard]. And do not ·break your trust [be unfaithful].
The Special Day of Judging
17 You have ·tired [wearied] the Lord with your words.
You ask, “How have we ·tired [wearied] him?”
You did it by saying, “·The Lord thinks [L In the Lord’s eyes] anyone who does evil is good, and he is pleased with them.” Or you asked, “Where is the God ·who is fair [of justice]?”
3 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way for me [Is. 40:3; Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27]. Suddenly, the Lord you are ·looking for [seeking] will come to his Temple; the messenger of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty], ·whom you want [in whom you delight], will come.”
Zechariah and Elizabeth
5 During the time ·Herod ruled Judea [L of Herod, king of Judea], there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to ·Abijah’s group [the priestly division/order of Abijah; C priests were divided into twenty-four divisions; 2 Chr. 31:2]. Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, came from the ·family [L daughters; C female descendants] of Aaron [C brother of Moses and first high priest of Israel; for a priest like Zechariah to marry a woman of priestly ancestry was a special blessing]. 6 [L Both] Zechariah and Elizabeth ·truly did what God said was good [L were righteous before God]. They ·did [followed; walked in] everything the Lord commanded and were ·without fault [blameless] in keeping his ·law [regulations; requirements]. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth ·could not have a baby [could not conceive; T was barren], and both of them were very old [Gen. 17:17; 18:11].
8 One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, because his ·group [order; division] was on duty. 9 According to the custom of the ·priests [L priesthood], he was chosen by lot [C similar to dice; used to determine God’s will] to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense [1 Chr. 6:49; Heb. 9:6]. 10 ·There were a great many people [L The whole multitude of the people were] outside praying at the ·time [L hour] the incense was offered. 11 Then an angel ·of [sent by] the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing on the right side of the incense ·table [altar]. 12 When he saw the angel, Zechariah was ·startled [shaken] and frightened. 13 But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. God has heard your ·prayer [petition]. Your wife, Elizabeth, will ·give birth to [bear for you] a son, and you will name him John. 14 He will bring you joy and ·gladness [delight], and many people will ·be happy [rejoice] because of his birth. 15 [L For; Because] John will be a great man ·for [in the eyes of; L before] the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer [C indicating he will be set apart to God for special service; Num. 6:3], and even ·from birth [or in his mother’s womb; 1:41, 44], he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will help many ·people [L of the children] of Israel return to the Lord their God [1 Kin. 18:37]. 17 He will go before ·the Lord [L him] in [the] spirit and power ·like [of] Elijah. He will ·make peace between parents and [L turn the hearts of parents/fathers back to] their children and will bring those who are not obeying God back to the ·right way of thinking [or wisdom of the righteous], ·to make a people ready [L to prepare a people who are fit/ready] for the ·coming of the Lord [L Lord; Mal. 4:5–6].”
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