Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Book II: Psalms 42–72
42 (0) For the leader. A maskil of the descendants of Korach:
2 (1) Just as a deer longs for running streams,
God, I long for you.
3 (2) I am thirsty for God, for the living God!
When can I come and appear before God?
4 (3) My tears are my food, day and night,
while all day people ask me, “Where is your God?”
5 (4) I recall, as my feelings well up within me,
how I’d go with the crowd to the house of God,
with sounds of joy and praise from the throngs
observing the festival.
6 (5) My soul, why are you so downcast?
Why are you groaning inside me?
Hope in God, since I will praise him again
for the salvation that comes from his presence.
7 (6) My God, when I feel so downcast,
I remind myself of you
from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon,
from the hill Mizar.
8 (7) Deep is calling to deep
at the thunder of your waterfalls;
all your surging rapids and waves
are sweeping over me.
9 (8) By day Adonai commands his grace,
and at night his song is with me
as a prayer to the God of my life.
10 (9) I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
under pressure by the enemy?
11 (10) My adversaries’ taunts make me feel
as if my bones were crushed,
as they ask me all day long,
‘Where is your God?’ ”
12 (11) My soul, why are you so downcast?
Why are you groaning inside me?
Hope in God, since I will praise him again
for being my Savior and God.
8 A message came from Adonai-Tzva’ot: 2 “Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘I am extremely jealous on Tziyon’s behalf, and I am jealous for her with great fury.’ 3 Adonai says, ‘I am returning to Tziyon, and I will live in Yerushalayim. Then Yerushalayim will be called Truth City, Adonai-Tzva’ot’s Mountain, the Mountain of the Holy One. 4 Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘Old men and old women will once again sit in the open places of Yerushalayim, each one with his cane in his hand, because of their great age. 5 The city’s open places will also be full of boys and girls playing there.’ 6 Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘This may seem amazing to the survivors in those days, but must it also seem amazing to me?’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot. 7 Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘I will save my people from lands east and west; 8 I will bring them back, and they will live in Yerushalayim. They will be my people; and I will be their God, with faithfulness and justice.’
9 “Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘Take courage, you who are hearing only now, in these days, these words spoken by the prophets when the foundation was being laid for rebuilding the temple, the house of Adonai-Tzva’ot. 10 For prior to that time, there were wages neither for people nor for animals; moreover, it was unsafe for anyone to go out or come in, because of the enemy; for I set all people each against the other. 11 But from now on, I will not treat the remnant of this people as I did before,’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot. 12 ‘Now they will sow in peace, the vine will give its fruit, the ground will produce its yield, the sky will give its dew, and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 House of Y’hudah and house of Isra’el, just as you were formerly a curse among the nations, so now I will save you; and you will be a blessing. Don’t be afraid, but take courage!’
14 “For Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘Just as I resolved to do you harm when your forefathers provoked me,’ Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘and I did not relent; 15 so now, I resolve to do good to Yerushalayim and to the house of Y’hudah. Don’t be afraid! 16 These are the things you are to do: speak the truth to each other; in your courts, administer justice that is true and conducive to peace; 17 don’t plot harm against each other; and don’t love perjury; for all these are things I hate,’ says Adonai.”
14 Yeshua went to Kefa’s home and there saw Kefa’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she got up and began helping him.
16 When evening came, many people held in the power of demons were brought to him. He expelled the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill. 17 This was done to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Yesha‘yahu,
“He himself took our weaknesses
and bore our diseases”[a]
28 When Yeshua arrived at the other side of the lake, in the Gadarenes’ territory, there came out of the burial caves two men controlled by demons, so violent that no one dared travel on that road. 29 They screamed, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” 30 Now some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged him, “If you are going to drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 “All right, go!” he told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, whereupon the entire herd rushed down the hillside into the lake and drowned. 33 The swineherds fled, went off to the town and told the whole story, including what had happened to the demonized men. 34 At this, the whole town came out to meet Yeshua. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their district.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.