Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
12 But, Lord, you ·rule [L are enthroned] forever,
and your ·fame [memory] ·goes on and on [L throughout the generations].
13 You will ·come [L rise up] and have ·mercy [compassion] on ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple],
because the time has now come to be ·kind [gracious] to her;
the ·right [appointed] time has come.
14 Your servants ·love even [are pleased/delighted with] her stones;
they even ·care about [L have pity/compassion for] her dust.
15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings on earth ·will honor you [L your glory; C God’s manifest presence].
16 The Lord will rebuild ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
there his glory [C manifest presence] will be seen.
17 He will answer the prayers of the ·needy [lowly; L naked];
he will not ·reject [despise] their prayers.
18 Write these things for ·the future [L a future generation]
so that people who are not yet ·born [created] will praise the Lord.
19 The Lord looked down from his holy place above;
from heaven he ·looked [gazed] down at the earth.
20 He heard the ·moans [groans] of the prisoners,
and he ·freed [released] those sentenced to die.
21 The name of the Lord will be ·heard [recounted] in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
his praise ·will be heard there [L in Jerusalem].
22 People will ·come [gather] together,
and kingdoms will serve the Lord.
23 ·God has made me tired of living [He broke my strength in midcourse/L the way];
he has cut short my ·life [L days].
24 So I said, “My God, do not take me in the middle of my ·life [L days].
Your years ·go on and on [endure for generations].
25 In the beginning you ·made [founded] the earth,
and ·your hands made the skies [L the heavens are the work of your hands; Gen. 1].
26 They will be destroyed, but you will ·remain [endure].
They will all wear out like ·clothes [garments].
And, like clothes, you will change them
and throw them away.
27 But you ·never change [are the same/L he],
and your ·life [L years] will never end.
28 ·Our children [L The children of your servants] will live in your presence,
and their ·children [offspring; L seed] will remain with you.”
Job Answers Eliphaz
6 Then Job answered [L and said]:
2 “·I wish [or If only] my ·suffering [anguish; irritation] could be weighed
and my misery put on scales.
3 ·My sadness [L It] would be heavier than the sand of the seas.
No wonder my words ·seem careless [blurt out; are wild/rash].
4 [L For] The arrows of ·the Almighty [L Shaddai] are in me;
my spirit drinks in their poison;
God’s terrors ·are gathered [are ranged; enter into battle] against me.
5 ·A wild donkey does not bray when it has grass to eat [L Does not a wild donkey bray for grass?],
·and an ox is quiet when it has feed [L Does not an ox bellow for fodder?; C Job’s complaints are as natural as the sounds animals make when hungry].
6 ·Tasteless food is not [L Would tasteless food be…?] eaten without salt,
and ·there is no [L is there…?] flavor in the ·white of an egg [or juice of a weed; C Job’s “food” (his lot in life) is inedible].
7 I refuse to touch it;
such food makes me sick [C a word connected to menstruation and therefore ritual uncleanness; Lev. 15:19–30].
8 “How I wish that I might have what I ask for
and that God would give me what I hope for.
9 How I wish God would crush me
and reach out his hand to ·destroy me [cut me off].
10 Then I would have this ·comfort [consolation]
and be glad even in this unending pain,
because I would know I did not reject the words of the Holy One.
11 “·I do not have the [L What is my…?] strength to wait.
·There is nothing to hope for,
so why should I be patient [L What is my end that I should arrange my life]?
12 ·I do not [L Do I…?] have the strength of stone;
·my flesh is not [L is my flesh…?] bronze.
13 ·I have no power to help myself [L Is there no help for me?],
because ·success [resourcefulness] has been ·taken away [driven] from me.
Many People Follow Jesus(A)
7 Jesus left with his ·followers [disciples] for the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed him. 8 Also many people came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea [C located to the south], from the lands across the Jordan River, and from the area of Tyre and Sidon [C located to the north]. When they heard what Jesus was doing, many people came to him. 9 When Jesus saw the crowds, he told his ·followers [disciples] to get a boat ready for him to keep people from ·crowding against [crushing] him. 10 He had healed many people, so all the sick were pushing toward him to touch him. 11 When ·evil [defiling; L unclean; see 1:23] spirits [within people] saw Jesus, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But Jesus strongly ·warned [rebuked; ordered] them not to tell who he was.
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