Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
15 The Lord your God will ·give [L raise up for] you a prophet like me, who is one of your own ·people [relatives; brothers; C ultimately Jesus]. Listen to him [Acts 3:25–26; 7:37]. 16 This is what you asked the Lord your God to do when you were ·gathered [assembled] at ·Mount Sinai [Horeb; 1:6]. You said, “Don’t make ·us [L me] listen to the voice of the Lord ·our [L my] God again, and don’t make ·us [L me] look at this ·terrible [great] fire anymore, or ·we [L I] will die [5:23–27].”
17 So the Lord said to me, “What they have said is good. 18 So I will ·give [L raise up for] them a prophet like you, who is one of their own ·people [relatives; brothers]. I will ·tell him what to say [L put my words in his mouth], and he will tell them everything I command. 19 This prophet will speak for me; anyone who does not listen when he speaks in my name will ·answer [be accountable] to me. 20 But if a prophet ·says something I did not tell him to say as though he were speaking for me [L speaks presumptuously in my name a word I did not command him to speak], or if a prophet speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be killed [Jer. 28:15–17].”
Praise the Lord’s Goodness
111 Praise the Lord!
I will ·thank [praise] the Lord with all my heart
in the ·meeting of his good people [council of the upright/virtuous, in the assembly].
2 The ·Lord does great things [L deeds of the Lord are great];
those who enjoy them ·seek [study] them.
3 ·What he does is [L His deeds are] ·glorious [beautiful] and ·splendid [majestic],
and his ·goodness [righteousness] ·continues [stands] forever.
4 His ·miracles [wonderful acts] are ·unforgettable [remembered; well-known].
The Lord is ·kind [gracious] and ·merciful [compassionate].
5 He gives ·food [L prey] to those who fear him [Prov. 1:7].
He remembers his ·agreement [covenant; treaty] forever.
6 He has ·shown [proclaimed to] his people ·his power [L the power/strength of his deeds]
when he gave them the ·lands [L inheritance] of other nations [C the conquest; Josh. 1–12].
7 ·Everything he does is [L The deeds of his hands are] ·good [faithful; true] and ·fair [just];
all his ·orders [precepts] ·can be trusted [are faithful/true/reliable].
8 They will ·continue [endure; be unshakeable] forever.
They were made ·true [faithful] and ·right [virtuous; with integrity].
9 He ·sets his people free [L sent redemption to his people].
He ·made his agreement everlasting [L commanded his covenant/treaty forever].
·He [L His name] is holy and ·wonderful [awesome].
10 ·Wisdom begins with respect for [L The beginning/foundation of wisdom is fear of] the Lord [Prov. 1:7];
those who ·obey [L do] ·his orders [L them] have good ·understanding [insight].
He ·should be praised [endures; L stands] forever.
About Food Offered to Idols
8 Now ·I will write about [or concerning your question about; L concerning; see 7:1; 12:1; 16:1] meat that is sacrificed to idols. We know that “we all have knowledge [C probably a slogan used by the Corinthians; see 6:12, 13; 7:1; 8:4; 10:23].” Knowledge puffs you up with pride, but love builds up. 2 If you think you know something, you do not yet know as ·well as you should [L you ought to know]. 3 But if any person loves God, that person is known by God.
4 So ·this is what I say about [L concerning] eating meat sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is really nothing in the world, and we know there is ·only one God [no God but one; Deut. 4:35, 39; C these may be other slogans the church was using to justify their behavior; see v. 1]. 5 Even though there are things called gods, in heaven or on earth (and there are many “gods” and “lords”), 6 for us there is only one God—the Father. All things came from him, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord—Jesus Christ. All things were made through him, and we also ·were made [exist; live] through him.
7 But not all people know this. Some people are still so used to idols that when they eat meat, they still think of it as being sacrificed to an idol. Because their conscience is weak, when they eat it, ·they feel guilty [L their conscience is defiled]. 8 But food will not ·bring us closer [make us acceptable] to God. Refusing to eat does not make us ·less pleasing to God [any worse; L lacking], and eating does not make us ·better in God’s sight [any better; L abounding].
9 But be careful that ·your freedom [this right/authority of yours] does not ·cause those who are weak in faith to fall into sin [L become a stumbling block to the weak]. 10 Suppose one of you who has knowledge eats in an idol’s temple. Someone who ·is weak in faith [or has a weak conscience] might see you eating there and be ·encouraged [enboldened] to eat meat sacrificed to idols ·while thinking it is wrong to do so [or as a result of his weak conscience]. 11 This weak ·believer [L brother] for whom Christ died is ·ruined [destroyed] because of your “knowledge.” 12 When you sin against your brothers and sisters in Christ like this and ·cause them to do what they feel is wrong [L wound their weak conscience], you are also sinning against Christ. 13 So if the food I eat causes them to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again so that I will not cause any of them to ·sin [stumble; fall into sin].
Jesus Forces Out an Evil Spirit(A)
21 Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to Capernaum [C a town on the northwest shore of Lake Galilee; it became Jesus’ home base]. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught ·like [as] a person who had authority, not ·like [as] ·their teachers of the law [the scribes; C experts in the law of Moses]. 23 Just then, a man was there in the synagogue who had an ·evil [defiling; L unclean] spirit in him. [C Demons were viewed as “unclean” or defiling spirit-beings.] He shouted, 24 “Jesus ·of Nazareth [the Nazarene]! ·What do you want with us? [Let us alone!; What business do we have with each other? L What to us and to you?] Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”
25 Jesus ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the evil spirit, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” 26 The ·evil [defiling; L unclean] spirit ·shook the man violently [threw him into convulsions], gave a ·loud cry [shriek], and then came out of him.
27 The people were [L all] so amazed they asked each other, “What is happening here? This man is teaching something new, and with authority. He even gives ·commands [orders] to ·evil [defiling; L unclean; v. 23] spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And the ·news [report; fame] about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee.
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