Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise God Who Helps His People
147 Praise the Lord!
It is good to ·sing praises [make a psalm] to our God;
it is pleasant and ·good [L fitting] to praise him.
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem [51:18; 102:16; Is. 64:8–12];
he ·brings back [gathers; assembles] the ·captured [scattered; dispersed] Israelites [C perhaps a reference to those who returned after the Babylonian exile; Deut. 30:1–4; Is. 11:12].
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and ·bandages [binds up] their wounds.
4 He ·counts [L measures the number of] the stars
and ·names [L assigns names to] each one [Is. 40:26].
5 Our Lord is great and very powerful.
There is no limit to ·what he knows [L his understanding].
6 The Lord ·defends [supports] the ·humble [needy],
but he throws the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing ·praises [thanksgiving] to the Lord;
·praise [make a psalm to] our God with harps.
8 He ·fills [covers] the ·sky [heavens] with clouds
and ·sends [sets; establishes] rain to the earth
and makes grass ·grow [sprout] on the ·hills [mountains].
9 He gives food to cattle
and to the ·little birds [L young ravens] that call.
10 He ·is not impressed with [does not delight in] the strength of a horse,
nor does he take pleasure in ·human might [L the thighs of a person].
11 The Lord ·is pleased with [takes pleasure in] those who ·respect [fear] him [Prov. 1:7],
with those who ·trust [wait for; hope in] his ·love [loyalty].
20 He didn’t do this for ·any other [L all the] nation.
They don’t know his ·laws [judgments].
Praise the Lord!
False Gods Are Useless
46 Bel bows down and Nebo bends low [C important gods of Babylon].
Their ·idols [images] ·are carried by animals [L belong to beasts and cattle].
The statues are only heavy loads
carried by tired animals.
2 ·These gods will all ·bow [stoop and bow] down.
They cannot save themselves
but will all be carried away ·like prisoners [into captivity].
3 “·Family [L House] of Jacob, listen to me!
All ·you people from Israel who are still alive [the remnant of the house of Israel], listen!
I have carried you since you were born;
I have taken care of you from ·your birth [L the womb].
4 Even when you are old, I ·will be the same [L am he].
Even when your hair has turned gray, I will ·take care of [sustain; carry] you.
I made you and will carry you.
I will ·take care of [sustain; carry] and ·save [rescue] you.
5 “To whom can you compare me?
·No one [Who…?] is equal to me or ·like [comparable to] me.
6 Some people ·are rich with gold [L pour out gold from their bags]
and weigh their silver on the scales.
They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god.
Then they bow down and worship it.
7 They put it on their shoulders and carry it.
They set it in its place, and there it stands;
it cannot move from its place.
People may ·yell at [or cry out to] it, but it cannot answer.
It cannot save them from their troubles.
8 “Remember this, and ·do not forget it [be firm/steadfast]!
Think about these things, you ·who turn against God [rebels; transgressors].
9 Remember ·what happened long ago [L the former things of antiquity].
Remember that I am God, and there is no other God.
I am God, and there is no one like me.
10 From the beginning I told you what would happen in the end.
·A long time ago [From ancient times] I told you things that have not yet happened.
·When I plan something, it happens [L …saying, “My counsel will stand”].
What I want to do, I will do.
11 I am calling a man from the east to carry out my plan;
he will come like a ·hawk [bird of prey; eagle] from a country far away.
I will make what I have said come true;
I will do what I have planned.
12 Listen to me, you stubborn ·people [hearted],
who are far from ·what is right [righteousness].
13 I ·will soon do the things that are right [L am bringing my righteousness near].
·I will bring salvation soon[L It is not far away].
I will save ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]
·and bring glory to Israel [L Israel, my splendor/glory].”
Jesus Heals a Man’s Hand(A)
9 Jesus left there and went into their synagogue, 10 ·where [L and look/T behold] there was a man with a ·crippled [paralyzed; deformed; shriveled] hand. They were looking for a reason to ·accuse [bring charges against] Jesus, so they asked him, “Is it ·right [lawful] to ·heal [cure] on the Sabbath day?”
11 Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and it falls into a ·ditch [pit; hole] on the Sabbath day, ·you will [would you not…?] ·help [L grab it and lift] it out of the ditch. 12 ·Surely a human being is more important [L How much better is a person] than a sheep. So it is ·lawful [permitted] to do ·good things [good] on the Sabbath day.”
13 Then Jesus said to the man, “·Hold [Stretch] out your hand.” The man ·held [stretched] out his hand, and it ·became well again [was restored], ·like [L as healthy as] the other hand. 14 But the Pharisees left and ·made plans [plotted; conspired] to ·kill [destroy] Jesus.
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