Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
11 At that time ·this message will be given [L it will be said] to Judah and Jerusalem: “A hot wind blows from the bare hilltops [3:2] of the ·desert [wilderness] toward the ·Lord’s [L daughter of my] people. ·It is not a gentle wind to separate grain from chaff [L …not for winnowing or for cleansing]. 12 I feel a stronger wind than that. Now even I will announce judgments against ·the people of Judah [L them].”
22 The Lord says, “My people are ·foolish [stupid].
They do not know me.
They are stupid children;
they don’t understand.
They are ·skillful [wise] at doing evil,
but they don’t know how to do good.”
Disaster Is Coming
23 I looked at the earth,
and it ·had no form and was empty [was a formless void; Gen. 1:2].
I looked at the ·sky [L heavens],
and ·its light was gone [L there was no light].
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were shaking.
All the hills were ·trembling [rocking; reeling].
25 I looked, and there were no people.
Every bird in the ·sky [heavens] had ·flown away [L fled].
26 I looked, and the good, ·rich land [fertile land; land of plenty; orchards] had become a ·desert [wilderness].
All its towns had been destroyed
by the Lord and his great anger.
27 This is what the Lord says:
“All the land will be ruined,
but I will not ·completely destroy it [L make a complete end].
28 So the people in the land will ·cry loudly [mourn; wail],
and the ·sky [L heavens above] will grow dark [Is. 13:10; 34:4; Zech. 14:6; Mark 13:24–25],
because I have spoken and made a decision.
I will not change my mind; I will not turn back.”
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.
Thanks for God’s Mercy
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave me strength, because he ·trusted me [considered me trustworthy/faithful] and ·gave me this work of serving him [placed me in his service; appointed me to ministry]. 13 [Even though] In the past I ·spoke against Christ [L was a blasphemer] and persecuted him and ·did all kinds of things to hurt him [was an arrogant/insolent/violent man; Acts 8:3]. But God showed me mercy, because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 But the grace of our Lord ·was fully given [overflowed; abounded] to me, and with that grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 ·What I say is true [or This saying/word is trustworthy; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8], and ·you should fully accept it [L worthy of full acceptance; C what follows may be an early Christian hymn]: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the ·worst [L first; foremost]. 16 But [L for that reason] I was given mercy so that in me, the worst of all sinners, Christ Jesus could show that he has ·unlimited [immense; perfect; L all] patience. His patience with me made me an example for those who would believe in him and have ·life forever [eternal life]. 17 To the ·King who rules forever [eternal King; L King of the ages], ·who will never die [immortal; incorruptible], ·who cannot be seen [invisible], the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
A Lost Sheep, a Lost Coin(A)
15 The tax collectors [C who were despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion] and sinners all ·came [drew near] to listen to Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] began to ·complain [murmur; grumble]: “Look, this man ·welcomes [associates with; receives] sinners and even eats with them [C indicating social acceptance].”
3 ·Then [So] Jesus told them this ·story [parable]: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. ·Then he will [L Won’t he…?] leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the ·open field [wilderness; desert] and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it. 5 And when he finds it, he ·happily [joyfully] puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. He calls ·to [together] his friends and neighbors and says, ‘·Be happy [Rejoice] with me because I found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who ·changes his heart and life [repents], than over ninety-nine ·good [righteous; C self-righteous] people who don’t need to ·change [repent].
8 “[L Or] Suppose a woman has ten silver coins [C Greek: drachmas; each equal to about a day’s wage], but loses one. ·She will [Won’t she…?] light a lamp, sweep the house, and ·look [search] carefully for the coin until she finds it. 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘·Be happy [Rejoice] with me because I have found the ·coin [L drachma] that I lost.’ 10 In the same way, [L I tell you] there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner ·changes his heart and life [repents].”
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