Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer to Bring Israel Back
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies of the Agreement.” 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].
80 Shepherd of Israel, ·listen to us [give ear].
You ·lead [guide] the people of Joseph [C the northern empire of Israel] like a flock.
You sit on your throne between the ·gold creatures with wings [L cherubim; Ex. 25:18–22; 1 Kin. 8:7].
·Show your greatness [L Shine forth] 2 to the people of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
·Use [Arouse] your strength,
and come to ·save us [give us victory].
3 God, ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
4 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
how long will you ·be angry [L smoke/fume at us]
at the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed your people ·with tears [L the bread/food of tears];
you have made them drink ·many tears [tears by measure/L the third].
6 You made ·those around us fight over us [L us the strife of our neighbors],
and our enemies ·make fun of [ridicule] us.
7 God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
8 You brought ·us out of Egypt as if we were a vine [L a vine out of Egypt; Gen. 49:22; Is. 5:1–7; 27:2–6; Jer. 2:21; 12:10; Ezek. 15:1–8; 19:10–14; Hos. 10:1].
You ·forced out [dispossessed] other nations and planted us in the land.
9 You cleared the ground for us.
We took root and filled the land.
10 We covered the mountains with our shade.
We had branches like the mighty cedar tree.
11 Our branches reached the Mediterranean Sea,
and our shoots went to the Euphrates River.
12 So why did you ·pull [break] down our walls?
Now everyone who passes by ·steals from us [picks our fruit].
13 Like ·wild pigs [L boars of the forest] they ·walk over us [ravage us; gobble us up];
like ·wild animals [L creatures of the field] they feed on us.
14 God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·come back [restore us].
Look down from heaven and see.
Take care of us, your vine.
15 You planted this ·shoot [root] with your own hands
and strengthened this child [C the king].
16 Now it is cut down and burned with fire;
you destroyed us by ·your angry looks [L the rebuke of your face].
17 ·With your hand,
strengthen the one you have chosen for yourself [L Let your hand be on the man of your right hand; C the king].
18 Then we will not ·turn away from [deviate from; be disloyal to] you.
Give us life again, and we will call ·to you for help [L on your name].
19 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
A New Time Is Coming
17 “·Look [T Behold], I will ·make [create] new heavens and a new earth,
and people will not remember the ·past [former things]
or ·think about those things [bring them to heart/mind].
18 My people will be happy and joyful forever
because of the things I will ·make [create].
I will make a Jerusalem that is full of joy,
and I will make her people a delight.
19 Then I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and be delighted with my people.
There will never again be heard in that city
the sounds of ·crying [weeping] and ·sadness [crying].
20 There will never be a ·baby [infant] from that city
who lives only a few days.
And there will never be an older person
who doesn’t ·have a long life [L live out his days].
A person who ·lives a hundred years will be called young [or dies at a hundred years will still be considered a child],
and a person who dies before he is a hundred will be thought of as a ·sinner [or accursed].
21 In that city those who build houses will live there.
Those who plant vineyards will get to eat their grapes [C as opposed to times of conquest, when homes are confiscated and crops are stolen].
22 No more will one person ·build a house and someone else live there [L build and another inhabit].
One person will not ·plant a garden and someone else eat its fruit [L plant and another eat].
·My people will live a long time,
as trees live long [L For like the days of a tree
shall be the days of my people].
My chosen people will live there
and enjoy the ·things they make [L work of their hands].
23 They will ·never again work for nothing [not labor in vain].
They will never again give birth to children ·who die young [L doomed for misfortune/disaster].
All my people will be blessed by the Lord;
they and their ·children [descendants; seed] will be blessed.
24 I will ·provide for their needs [L answer] before they ·ask [call],
and I will ·help them [L hear] while they are still ·asking for help [L speaking].
25 The wolf and the lamb will ·eat together in peace [feed/graze together].
The lion will eat hay like an ox,
and ·a snake on the ground will not hurt anyone [the serpent’s food will be dust; Gen. 3:14].
They will not hurt or destroy each other
on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
18 “I will not leave you all alone like orphans [C orphans had little or no support in ancient society]; I will ·come back [L come] to you. 19 In a little while the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live, too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and that you are in me and I am in you. 21 Those who ·know [L have] my commands and ·obey [keep] them are the ones who love me, and my Father will love those who love me. I will love them and will ·show [reveal] myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot [C probably Judas son of James; Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13]) said, “But, Lord, ·why do [how is it that; what has happened that] you plan to ·show [reveal] yourself to us and not to the rest of the world?”
23 Jesus answered, “If people love me, they will ·obey my teaching [L keep my word]. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Those who do not love me do not ·obey my teaching [L keep my words]. This ·teaching [word] that you hear is not really mine; it is from my Father, who sent me.
25 “I have told you all these things while I ·am [remain; abide] with you. 26 But the ·Helper [Counselor; Advocate; see 14:15] will teach you ·everything [all things] and will ·cause you to remember [remind you of] all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name.
27 “I leave you peace [C the Greek word for “peace” reflects the Hebrew shalom, a typical Hebrew farewell; but Jesus’ peace, in the sense of wholeness, is also a characteristic of the messianic kingdom]; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going, but I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you should ·be happy [rejoice] that I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am. 29 I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when it happens, you will believe [13:19]. 30 I will not talk with you much longer, because the ·ruler [prince] of this world [C Satan] is coming. He has ·no power [no claim/hold; L nothing] over me, 31 but the world must know that I love the Father, so I do ·exactly what [just as] the Father ·told [commanded] me to do [C go to the cross].
“·Come now [L Get up; Rise up], let us go.
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