Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Safe in the Lord
91 Those who ·go to God Most High for safety [L dwell/sit in the shelter of God Most High]
will ·be protected by [lodge in the shade/shadow of] the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “You are my ·place of safety [refuge] and ·protection [fortress].
You are my God and I ·trust [have confidence in] you.”
3 God will ·save [protect] you from ·hidden traps [L the snare of the fowler]
and from deadly ·diseases [pestilence].
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you ·can hide [will find refuge; Deut. 32:11; Is. 31:5; Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34].
His ·truth [faithfulness] will be your shield and ·protection [buckler; C a small shield].
5 You will not fear any ·danger by [terror at] night
or an arrow that flies during the day.
6 ·You will not be afraid of diseases [L …or the pestilence] that ·come [walks; stalks] in the dark
or ·sickness [L stings] that ·strikes [devastates; overpowers] at noon.
14 The Lord says, “Whoever ·loves [desires] me, I will ·save [rescue].
I will ·protect [lift to safety] those who know ·me [L my name].
15 They will call to me, and I will answer them.
I will be with them in ·trouble [distress];
I will rescue them and ·honor [glorify] them.
16 I will ·give them a long, full life [L satisfy them with length of days],
and ·they will see how I can save [L show them my salvation/victory].”
False Prophets Will Be Punished
9 A message to the prophets:
My heart is ·broken [L shattered within me].
All my bones shake.
I’m like someone who is drunk,
like someone who has been ·overcome [inebriated] with wine.
This is because of the Lord
and his holy words.
10 The land [C of Judah] is full of people who are guilty of adultery.
Because of the curse the land ·is sad [mourns],
and the pastures of the ·desert [wilderness] have dried up.
The people [Their lives/L courses] are evil
and ·they use their power in the wrong way [L their power is not right].
11 “Both the prophets and the priests are ungodly.
I have found even in my own ·Temple [L house],” says the Lord.
12 “So their ·lives [L ways; paths] will be slippery and dark [C they will be in danger].
They will ·be defeated [L fall].
I will bring ·disaster [evil; trouble] on them
in the year I punish them,” says the Lord.
13 “I saw the prophets of Samaria [C capital of the northern kingdom destroyed in 722 bc]
do something ·wrong [disgusting].
Those prophets prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel away [Deut. 13:1–5].
14 And I have seen the prophets of Jerusalem
do ·terrible [shocking] things.
They are guilty of adultery
and ·live [walk] by lies.
They ·encourage [strengthen] ·evil people to keep on doing evil [L the hands of evildoers],
so the people don’t ·stop sinning [L turn back from their evil].
All of those people are like the city of Sodom.
The people of Jerusalem are like the city of Gomorrah to me [C sinful and soon to be punished; Gen. 18–19]!”
15 So this is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says about the prophets:
“I will make those prophets eat ·bitter food [L wormwood; C the bitter tasting leaves of a shrub; 9:15]
and drink poisoned water,
because the prophets of Jerusalem spread ·wickedness [godlessness]
through the whole country.”
16 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“Don’t ·pay attention [listen] to what those prophets are ·saying [prophesying] to you.
They are trying to ·fool [delude] you.
They talk about visions their own ·minds [L hearts] made up,
not ·about visions from me [L from the mouth of the Lord].
17 They say to those who ·hate [despise] me:
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’
They say to all those who ·are stubborn and do as they please [L walk in the stubbornness of their heart]:
‘Nothing ·bad [evil; disastrous] will happen to you.’
18 ·But none of these prophets has stood in the meeting of angels [L Who has stood in the assembly/council of the Lord…?; 1 Kin. 22:19–23; Job 1—2; 15:8; Ps. 82; Is. 6:1–3]
to see or hear the message of the Lord.
·None of them [L Who…?] has paid close attention to his message.
19 Look, the ·storm [whirlwind] of the Lord!
His anger will pour forth like a ·hurricane [storm; whirlwind].
It will come swirling down on the heads of those wicked people [30:23].
20 The Lord’s anger will not ·stop [turn back]
until he finishes what he plans to do.
When that day is over,
you will understand this clearly [30:24].
21 I did not send those prophets,
but they ran [C to tell their message].
I did not speak to them,
but they prophesied anyway.
22 But if they had stood in ·the meeting of angels [L my assembly/council],
they would have told my message to my people.
They would have turned the people from their evil ways
and from doing evil.
8 I am not commanding you to give. But I want to ·see [test; prove] if your love is true by comparing you with ·others that really want to help [L the zeal/eagerness of others]. 9 [L For] You know the ·grace [gift] of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor so that by his becoming poor you might become rich.
10 This is ·what I think you should do [L my opinion on this matter for your benefit]: Last year you were the first to want to give, and you were the first who gave. 11 So now finish the work you started. Then your ·“doing” [L completion] will be equal to your ·“wanting to do” [eager desire]. Give from what you have. 12 If you ·want [are eager/willing] to give, your gift will be accepted. It will be judged by what you have, not by what you do not have. 13 [L For] We do not want you to have ·troubles [hardships; trials] while other people ·are at ease [have relief], but we want everything to be equal [C giving is not intended to impoverish the giver, but to distribute God’s resources]. 14 At this time ·you have plenty and what you have [L your abundance] can help others who are in need. ·Then later, when they have plenty, they [or In the same way, their abundance] can help you when you are in need, and all will be equal [C Paul may be saying, (1) that the Jerusalem church may one day reciprocate by helping the Corinthians financially; or, (2) that the Corinthians’ financial gift will be reciprocated through Jerusalem’s spiritual gifts]. 15 As it is written in the Scriptures, “The person who gathered more did not have too much, nor did the person who gathered less have too little [Ex. 16:18].”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.