Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
40 So the Lord became angry with his people
and ·hated [was disgusted with] his own ·children [L inheritance].
41 He ·handed them over to [L gave them over to the hand/power of] other nations
and let ·their enemies [L those who hated them] ·rule over [dominate] them.
42 Their enemies ·were cruel to [oppressed] them
and ·kept them [they were brought into subjection] under their ·power [L hand].
43 The Lord ·saved [rescued] his people many times,
but they continued to ·turn [rebel] against him.
So they ·became even more wicked [L were brought low by their iniquity].
44 But God saw their ·misery [distress]
when he heard their cry.
45 He remembered his ·agreement [treaty; covenant] with them,
and he felt ·sorry [compassion] for them because of his great ·love [loyalty].
46 He caused them to be ·pitied [shown mercy/compassion]
by those who held them captive.
47 Lord our God, ·save us [give us victory]
and ·bring us back [gather us] from other nations [C perhaps from the exile].
Then we will ·thank [praise] ·you [L your holy name]
and will ·gladly praise you [glory in your praise].
48 ·Praise [Bless] the Lord, the God of Israel.
He ·always was and always will be [is from everlasting to everlasting].
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
The Lord and the Idols
10 ·Family [L House] of Israel, ·listen to what [L hear the word that] the Lord says to you. 2 This is what he says:
“Don’t ·live like the people from [L learn the way/path of] other nations,
and don’t be ·afraid of [terrified by] special signs in the ·sky [heavens; C astrology],
even though the other nations are ·afraid [terrified] of them.
3 The ·customs [statutes; ordinances; requirements] of other people are ·worth nothing [meaningless; useless; L a breath].
·Their idols are just wood cut from the forest [L A tree from the forest is cut down],
shaped by a ·worker [craftsman] with his ·chisel [or ax; or adze; or blade].
4 They decorate their idols with silver and gold.
With hammers and nails they fasten them down
so they ·won’t fall over [can’t move].
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in ·melon [or cucumber] fields;
they cannot talk.
Since they cannot walk,
they must be carried.
Do not be afraid of those idols,
because they can’t hurt you,
and they ·can’t help you either [have no power to do good; Is. 40:18–20; 41:7, 29; 44:6–23; 46:5–7].”
6 Lord, there is no one like you.
You are great,
and your name is great and powerful.
7 ·Everyone should respect [L Who does not fear…?] you, King of the nations;
·you deserve respect [for it is your due].
Of all the wise people among the nations
and in all the kingdoms,
·none of them is as wise as you [L there is none like you].
8 Those wise people are stupid and foolish.
Their ·teachings [instructions] come from ·worthless [meaningless; useless] ·wooden idols [L pieces of wood].
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish [C Tarshish may have been in Spain (Tartessus) or an island in the eastern Mediterranean; Jonah 1:3]
and gold from Uphaz [C high quality],
so the idols are made by craftsmen and ·goldsmiths [smelters].
They put blue and purple clothes on the idols.
All these things are made by skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the only true God.
He is the only living God, the King forever.
The earth ·shakes [trembles] when he is angry,
and the nations cannot ·stand up to [endure] his anger.
11 “Tell them this message: ‘These gods did not make heaven and earth; they will ·be destroyed and disappear [perish] from heaven and earth [C this verse is in Aramaic, indicating it was a well known saying].’”
12 God made the earth by his power.
He used his wisdom to ·build [L establish] the world
and his understanding to stretch out the ·skies [heavens].
13 When he ·thunders [L gives forth his voice], the waters in the ·skies [heavens] ·roar [are in tumult].
He makes ·clouds [or mist] rise ·in the sky all over the earth [L from the ends of the earth].
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
14 People are so stupid and know so little.
·Goldsmiths [Smelters] are ·made ashamed [humiliated] by their idols,
because those ·statues are only false gods [L images are false].
They have no breath in them.
15 They are ·worth nothing [useless; meaningless; L a breath]; ·people make fun of them [laughable; a derision].
When they are judged, they will ·be destroyed [perish].
16 But Jacob’s [C another name for Israel] Portion [C referring to the Lord; God gives himself to Israel] is not like ·the idols [L these].
He ·made [L formed] everything,
and ·he chose Israel to be his special people [L Israel is the tribe of his inheritance].
The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is his name.
19 I am free and belong to no one. But I make myself a slave to all people to win as many as I can. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews. I myself am not ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. But to those who are ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law I became like a person who is ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. I did this to win those who are ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. 21 To those who are without the law [C Gentiles] I became like a person who is without the law. I did this to win those people who are without the law. (But really, I am not without God’s law—I am ·ruled by [L under] Christ’s law.) 22 To those who are weak [C in faith; 8:7–13], I became weak so I could win the weak. I have become all things to all people so I could save some of them in any way possible. 23 I do all this because of the ·Good News [Gospel] and so I can ·share in its blessings [or be a participant in it].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.