Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
113 I hate ·disloyal [or double-minded] people,
but I love your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
115 Get away from me, you who do evil,
so I can ·keep [protect] my God’s commands.
116 ·Support [Uphold] me as you promised so I can live.
Don’t let me be embarrassed because of my hopes.
117 ·Help [Strengthen] me, and I will ·be saved [have victory].
I will always ·respect [care about] your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
118 You ·reject [treat as worthless] those who ·ignore [go astray from] your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements],
because their lies ·mislead them [leave them in the lurch].
119 You throw away the wicked of the world like ·trash [dross].
So I will love your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
120 ·I [L My flesh] ·shake [shudder] in ·fear [dread] of you;
I ·respect [fear] your ·laws [judgments].
121 I have done what is ·fair [just] and ·right [righteous].
Don’t leave me to ·those who wrong me [my oppressors/exploiters].
122 ·Promise that you will help me, [L Stand as security for/Guarantee good for] your servant.
Don’t let ·proud [arrogant] people ·wrong [oppress; exploit] me.
123 My eyes ·are tired from looking [fail; grow weak] for your ·salvation [victory]
and for your good promise.
124 ·Show your love to me, your servant [Deal with your servant according to your love/loyalty],
and teach me your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
125 I am your servant. ·Give me wisdom [Make me understand]
so I can ·understand [know] your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
126 Lord, it is time for you to do something,
because ·people have disobeyed your teachings [L your teachings/instructions/laws have been broken].
127 I love your commands
more than ·the purest gold [L gold, the finest gold].
128 I ·respect [or follow] all your ·orders [precepts],
so I hate ·lying [false] ways.
6 After David had ·killed [L struck] the Philistine, he and the men returned home. Women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul. They sang songs of joy, danced, and played tambourines and ·stringed [musical] instruments. 7 As they played, they sang,
“Saul has ·killed thousands of his enemies [T slain his thousands],
·but [and] David has ·killed [T slain his] tens of thousands.”
8 The women’s ·song upset [refrain/saying displeased/L was evil in the eyes/sight of] Saul, and he became very angry. He thought, “The women ·say David has killed [credit/ascribe to David] tens of thousands, but they ·say I have killed [credit/ascribe to me] only thousands. The only thing left for him to have is the kingdom!” 9 So Saul watched David closely from then on, because he was jealous.
10 The next day an ·evil [tormenting] spirit from God ·rushed upon [overwhelmed; seized; possessed] Saul, and he ·prophesied [or raved madly] in his house. David was playing the harp as he usually did, but Saul had a spear in his hand. 11 Saul threw the spear, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David ·escaped from [eluded] him twice.
12 The Lord was with David but had ·left [departed/withdrawn/turned away from] Saul. So Saul was afraid of David. 13 He sent David away and made him commander of a thousand soldiers. So David led them ·in battle [L out and back in]. 14 He ·had great success [prospered] in everything he did because the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw that David ·was very successful [greatly prospered], he ·feared [dreaded; was in awe of] David even more. 16 But all the people of Israel and Judah loved David because he led them ·well in battle [L out and back in].
Saul’s Daughter Marries David
17 Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will ·let you marry her [L give her to you as a wife]. ·All I ask is that you remain [or But first you must show yourself] brave [L for me] and fight the Lord’s battles.” Saul thought, “I won’t ·have to kill David [L raise a hand against him]. The Philistines will do that.”
18 But David answered Saul, saying, “Who am I? ·My family is not important enough [What is my father’s family in Israel…?] for me to become the king’s son-in-law.” 19 So, when the time ·came [should have come] for Saul’s daughter Merab to marry David, Saul gave her instead to Adriel of Meholah [L as a wife].
20 Now Saul’s other daughter, Michal, loved David. When they told Saul, ·he was pleased [L the matter was right in his eyes]. 21 He thought, “I will ·let her marry [L give her to] David. ·Then […so that] she will be a ·trap [snare] for him, and the ·Philistines will defeat him [L hand of the Philistines will be against him].” So Saul said to David ·a second time, “You may [You have a second chance to] become my son-in-law.”
22 And Saul ordered his servants to talk with David ·in private [secretly] and say, “Look, the king ·likes [is delighted with] you. His servants love you. You should ·be [become] his son-in-law.”
23 Saul’s servants said these words ·to [L in the ears of] David, but David answered, “Do you think it is ·easy [L a small/trivial thing] to become the king’s son-in-law? I am poor and ·unimportant [have no position/reputation; C David cannot afford to pay the expected dowry].”
24 When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25 Saul said, “Tell David, ‘The king doesn’t want ·money [L a dowry/bride price] for the bride. All he wants is a hundred Philistine foreskins to get ·even with [revenge on] his enemies.’” Saul planned to let ·the Philistines kill David [L David fall at the hands of the Philistines].
26 When Saul’s servants told this to David, ·he was pleased [he was happy/delighted; L the thing was right in the eyes of David] to become the king’s son-in-law. [L So before the days were expired/fulfilled…] 27 He and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought all their foreskins [L and counted them out] to ·Saul [the king] so he could be the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal for his wife. 28 Saul ·saw [realized; L saw and knew] that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David. 29 So he grew even more afraid of David, and he was David’s enemy ·all his life [from then on; L all the days].
30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to fight the Israelites, but every time, David was more ·skillful [successful; wise] than Saul’s officers. So he became ·famous [highly esteemed; L his name became extremely valuable].
The Storm
13 When a ·good [moderate; gentle] wind began to blow from the south, the men on the ship thought they ·could reach their goal [or had achieved their objective; or had the opportunity they were waiting for]. So they pulled up the anchor, and we sailed very close to the island of Crete. 14 But ·then [L not long after this] a ·very strong [violent; hurricane-like] wind named the “northeaster” came from ·the island [L it]. 15 The ship was caught in it and could not sail against it. So we stopped trying and ·let the wind carry us [L were driven along]. 16 When we went ·below [under the lee/shelter of] a small island named Cauda [C 23 miles off the south coast of Crete], we were barely able to bring in the lifeboat. 17 After the men took the lifeboat in, they tied ·ropes [or cables] ·around [or under] the ship to hold it together. The men were afraid that the ship would ·hit [run aground on] the sandbanks of Syrtis [C off the coast of North Africa], so they lowered the ·sail [or sea anchor; L gear] and let the wind carry the ship. 18 The next day the storm was blowing us so hard that the men threw out some of the cargo. 19 ·A day later [L On the third day] with their own hands they threw out the ship’s ·equipment [rigging; tackle; gear]. 20 When we could not see the sun or the stars for many days, and ·the storm was very bad [L no small storm raged], we lost all hope of being saved.
21 After ·the men [many] had ·gone without food [or lost their appetite] for a long time, Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, you should have ·listened to me [obeyed me; taken my advice]. You should not have sailed from Crete. Then you would not have all this trouble and loss. 22 But now I ·tell [urge; advise] you to ·cheer up [keep up your courage] because none of you will ·die [be lost]. Only the ship will be lost. 23 ·Last [L This] night an angel ·came to [L stood by] me from the God I belong to and worship. 24 The angel said, ‘Paul, do not be afraid. You must stand before Caesar. And God has ·promised you that he will save the lives of [graciously granted safety to] everyone sailing with you.’ 25 So men, have courage. [L For] I trust in God that everything will happen as ·his angel told me [L I have been told]. 26 But we will ·crash [run aground] on ·an [L some/a certain] island.”
27 On the fourteenth night we were still ·being carried [drifting; or being driven] around in the Adriatic Sea [C the sea between Greece and Italy including the central Mediterranean]. About ·midnight [L the middle of the night] the sailors thought we were close to land, 28 so they ·lowered a rope with a weight on the end of it into the water [took a sounding]. They found that the water was one hundred twenty feet deep [L twenty fathoms]. They went a little farther and ·lowered the rope again [took a sounding]. It was ninety feet [L fifteen fathoms] deep. 29 ·The sailors [L They] were afraid that we would ·hit the rocks [run aground], so they threw four anchors ·into the water [L from the stern] and prayed for daylight to come. 30 Some of the sailors wanted to leave the ship, and they lowered the lifeboat, pretending they were throwing more anchors from the ·front of the ship [bow]. 31 But Paul told the ·officer [centurion] and the other soldiers, “If these men do not stay in the ship, your lives cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the lifeboat fall into the water.
33 Just before dawn Paul ·began persuading [begged; encouraged; urged] all the people to ·eat something [L take food]. He said, “·For the past fourteen days [L Today is the fourteenth day] you have been ·waiting and watching [in suspense] and ·not eating [L going without food, taking nothing]. 34 Now I ·beg [urge; encourage] you to ·eat something [L take food]. You need it to ·stay alive [survive]. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads.” 35 After he said this, Paul took some bread and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating [C reflecting language associated with the Lord’s Supper]. 36 They all felt ·better [encouraged] and ·started eating [L took bread], too. 37 ·There were [L We were in all] two hundred seventy-six people on the ship. 38 When they had eaten all they wanted, they began making the ship lighter by throwing the ·grain [wheat] into the sea.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.