Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Unbelieving Fool
For the director of music. Of David.
14 Fools say ·to themselves [L in their hearts],
“There is no God [C Psalm 53 largely parallels this psalm].”
·Fools are evil [L They are corrupt] and do ·terrible [detestable] things [Deut. 32:5];
there is no one who does anything good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven on all people
to see if anyone ·understood [L was wise/insightful],
if anyone was ·looking to God for help [seeking God].
3 But all have ·turned [wandered] away.
Together, everyone has become ·evil [perverse].
There is no one who does anything good,
not even one [Rom. 3:10–12].
4 Don’t ·the wicked [L those who do evil] ·understand [know]?
They ·destroy [consume; L eat] my people as if they were ·eating [consuming] bread.
They do not ·ask the Lord for help [call on the Lord].
5 But the wicked are ·filled [terrified] with terror,
because God is with ·those who do what is right [the company of the righteous].
6 The wicked ·upset [confuse; frustrate] the plans of the poor,
but the Lord ·will protect them [is their refuge].
7 I pray that ·victory [salvation] will come to Israel from Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple]!
May the Lord ·bring them back [restore the fortunes of his people; C perhaps at the end of the exile].
Then the people of Jacob will rejoice,
and the people of Israel will be glad.
War with the Ammonites and Arameans
10 When Nahash king of the ·Ammonites [L sons/descendants of Ammon] died, his son Hanun became king after him. 2 David said, “Nahash ·was loyal [showed kindness; C kept treaty obligations] to me, so I will ·be loyal [show kindness] to his son Hanun.” So David sent his ·messengers [L servants] to ·comfort [console; express sympathy/condolences to] Hanun about his father’s death.
David’s ·officers [L servants] went to the land of the ·Ammonites [L sons/descendants of Ammon]. 3 But the ·Ammonite leaders [L princes/commanders of the sons/descendants of Ammon] said to Hanun, their master, “Do you think David wants to honor your father by sending men to ·comfort [console; sympathize with] you? No! David sent them to ·study [explore; search] the city and spy it out and ·capture [overthrow] it!” 4 So Hanun ·arrested [seized] David’s ·officers [L servants]. To shame them he shaved off half their beards and cut off their clothes at the ·hips [L buttocks]. Then he sent them away.
5 When the people told David, he sent messengers to meet ·his officers [L the men] because they were ·very ashamed [humiliated]. King David said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then come home.”
9 Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we have ·continued [not ceased] praying for you, asking God ·that you will know fully what he wants [L to fill you with the knowledge of his will], ·and that you will have great [L in all] ·spiritual wisdom and understanding [or wisdom and understanding from the Spirit] 10 so that you will live the kind of life that ·honors [is worthy of] and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God. 11 ·God will strengthen you [L …being strengthened] with ·his own great power [L all power according to his glorious might] so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will ·be patient. 12 And you will joyfully give thanks [or …have patience with joy, 12 giving thanks] to the Father who has made you[a] able to have a share in ·all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light [L the inheritance of the saints/holy ones in the light]. 13 ·God [L …who] has ·freed [rescued; delivered] us from the ·power [authority; dominion] of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his ·dear [dearly loved; beloved] Son, 14 ·who purchased our freedom[b] [L in whom we have redemption] ·and forgave our sins [or which is the forgiveness of sins].
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