Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 Lord, the heavens praise you for your ·miracles [wonderful acts]
and for your ·loyalty [faithfulness] in the ·meeting [assembly] of your holy ones.
6 Who in ·heaven [the skies] ·is equal to [ranks with] the Lord?
None of the ·angels [gods; divine council/assembly; L sons of God; 82:1] is like the Lord.
7 When the ·holy ones [L council of holy ones] meet, it is God they fear.
He is more ·frightening [awesome] than all who surround him.
8 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], who is like you?
Lord, you are powerful and completely ·trustworthy [faithful].
9 You rule the ·mighty [raging; surging] sea
and ·calm [still] the ·stormy [rising] waves.
10 You crushed the Rahab [C a sea monster, representing chaos (Job 26:12; Is. 51:9) and in some contexts Egypt defeated at the Sea (87:4; Is. 30:7; Ezek. 29:3; 32:3)] like a corpse;
by your ·power [L strong arm] you scattered your enemies.
11 The ·skies [heavens] and the earth belong to you.
You ·made [founded] the world and ·everything in it [L its fullness].
12 You created the north and the south.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon [C majestic mountains] sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm has great power.
Your hand is strong; your right hand is lifted up.
14 Your ·kingdom [L throne] is ·built [established] on ·what is right and fair [righteousness and judgment/justice].
·Love [Loyalty] and ·truth [faithfulness] are ·in all you do [L before your face].
15 ·Happy [Blessed] are the people who know how to ·praise [shout to] you.
Lord, let them ·live [L walk] in the light of your ·presence [L face].
16 In your name they rejoice
and continually ·praise [exalt] your ·goodness [righteousness].
17 You are their ·glorious [beautiful] strength,
and in your ·kindness [favor] you ·honor our king [L lift up our horn; C symbol of power and here of the king].
18 Our shield [C the king] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 ·Once [Then], in a vision [2 Sam. 7:4], you spoke
to ·those who worship you [your faithful ones/saints].
You said, “I have ·given strength to [L set help on] a warrior;
I have raised up a ·young man [chosen one] from my people [1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22].
20 I have found my servant David;
I ·appointed him by pouring [L have anointed him with] holy oil on him [1 Sam. 16:1–13].
21 I will steady him with my hand
and strengthen him with my arm.
22 No enemy will ·make him give forced payments [make him pay tribute; or prevail over/or outwit him],
and wicked people will not ·defeat [afflict; humble] him.
23 I will ·crush [pound] his enemies in front of him;
I will ·defeat [strike down] those who hate him.
24 My ·loyalty [faithfulness] and ·love [loyalty] will be with him.
Through ·me [L my name] ·he will be strong [L his horn will be raised up; v. 17].
25 I will ·give him power [L set his hand] over the sea
·and control [L his right hand] over the rivers [C the waters represent chaos].
26 He will ·say [proclaim] to me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my ·Savior [Victor].’
27 I will make him my firstborn son,
the ·greatest [highest] king on earth [2:7; 2 Sam. 7:14].
28 My ·love [loyalty] will ·watch over [keep; guard] him forever,
and my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with him will ·never end [be faithful].
29 I will ·make his family continue [L set his seed forever],
and his ·kingdom [L throne] ·will last as long as the skies [L like the days of the skies/heavens].
30 “If his descendants ·reject [leave; abandon] my ·teachings [instructions; laws]
and do not ·follow [L walk in] my ·laws [judgments],
31 if they ·ignore [profane] my ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements]
and ·disobey [L do not keep/guard] my commands,
32 then I will punish their ·sins [transgressions] with a rod
and their ·wrongs [guilt] with ·a whip [lashes].
33 But I will not ·hold back [break; invalidate] my ·love [loyalty] from ·David [L him],
nor will I ·stop being loyal [L deal falsely with my faithfulness].
34 I will not ·break [profane; violate] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]
nor ·change [alter] what ·I have said [L came out of my lips].
35 Once and for all I have ·promised [sworn] by my holiness,
I will not lie to David.
36 His ·family [L seed] will go on forever.
His ·kingdom [L throne] will last before me like the sun.
37 It will ·continue [be established] forever, like the moon,
like a ·dependable [reliable; faithful] witness in the sky.” ·
Jerusalem Will Be Saved
51 The Lord says, “Listen to me,
those of you who ·try to live right [L pursue righteousness] and ·follow [seek] the Lord.
Look ·at [or to] the rock from which you were cut;
look ·at [or to] the stone quarry from which you were dug [C referring to their ancestors Abraham and Sarah; see v. 2].
2 Look at Abraham, your ·ancestor [father],
and Sarah, who gave birth to ·your ancestors [L you].
Abraham ·had no children [was just one person; L was one] when I called him [Gen. 12:1–3],
but I blessed him and ·gave him many descendants [L made him many].
3 So the Lord will comfort ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
he will ·show mercy to [comfort] ·those who live in [L all] her ruins.
He will change her ·deserts [wilderness] into ·a garden like Eden [L Eden];
he will make her ·empty lands [desert; arid plains] like the garden of the Lord.
·People there will be very happy [L Joy and gladness will be found in her];
·they will give thanks and sing songs [L thanksgiving and the voice of song].
4 “My people, listen to me;
my nation, pay attention to me.
·I will give the people my teachings [L Law/Instruction/Torah will go out from me],
and my ·decisions [justice] will be like a light to the ·people [nations].
5 ·I will soon show that I do what is right [L My righteousness/justice draws near].
·I will soon save you [L My salvation goes out].
·I will use my power and [L My arms will] judge the nations.
The ·faraway places [or islands; or coastlands] are ·waiting for [looking to; hoping in] me;
they wait for my ·power to help them [L arm].
6 ·Look up [L Lift your eyes] to the heavens [40:26].
Look at the earth below.
The skies will disappear like clouds of smoke.
The earth will ·become useless [wear out] like old clothes [Ps. 102:26],
and its people will die like flies.
But my salvation will continue forever,
and my ·goodness [righteousness] will never end.
7 “You people who know ·what is right [righteousness] should listen to me;
you people who ·follow my teachings [have my law/L Torah in your heart] should hear what I say.
Don’t be afraid of the ·evil things people say [L reproach/scorn of people],
and don’t be ·upset [discouraged; dismayed] by their insults.
8 Moths will eat those people as if they were clothes,
and worms will eat them as if they were wool.
But my goodness will continue forever,
and my salvation ·will continue from now on [L from generation to generation].”
9 Wake up, wake up, and ·use your [clothe yourself with] strength,
·powerful [L arm of the] Lord.
Wake up as you did in the ·old times [ancient days],
as you did ·a long time ago [L in generations everlasting].
·With your own power, you [L Were you not the one who…?] cut Rahab [C a mythical sea monster symbolizing chaos; 30:7; Ps. 89:10] into pieces
and ·killed [pierced] that ·sea monster [serpent; dragon; 27:1; Ps. 74:13–14].
10 ·You dried [L Did you not dry…?] up the sea
and the waters of the deep ocean.
You made a road through the deepest parts of the sea
for your ·people to cross over and be saved [or redeemed people to cross over; 43:16; Ex. 14:21; Ps. 106:9].
11 The people the Lord has ·freed [rescued; ransomed] will return
and enter ·Jerusalem [L Zion; v. 3] with ·joy [singing].
·Their happiness will last forever [L Everlasting joy will crown them/be on their head].
They will ·have [be overwhelmed/overtaken with] joy and gladness,
and all sadness and sorrow will ·be gone far [flee] away [35:10].
12 The Lord says, “·I [L I, even I] am the one who ·comforts you [40:1].
So why should you be afraid of people, who die?
·Why should you fear people [L …or the son of man; C human beings] who ·die [L is given up] like the grass [40:6]?
13 Have you forgotten the Lord who made you,
who stretched out the ·skies [heavens]
and ·made [L laid the foundations of] the earth [48:13]?
Why are you always afraid
of ·those angry people who trouble you [the anger/wrath of the oppressor]
and who ·want [seek; plan] to destroy?
But where ·are those angry people [is the anger/wrath of the oppressor] now?
14 ·People in prison [L Those who are burdened/stooped over] will soon be set free;
they will not die in prison,
and they will ·have enough food [not lack bread].
15 I am the Lord your God,
who stirs the sea and makes the waves roar.
My name is the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
16 I will ·give you the words I want you to say [L put my words in your mouth].
I will cover you with ·my hands and protect you [L the shadow of my hand].
I ·made [established] the heavens and [L laid the foundation of] the earth,
and I say to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; v. 3], ‘You are my people.’”
Jesus Is God’s Chosen Servant(A)
15 Jesus knew ·what the Pharisees were doing [L this], so he left that place. ·Many people [Large crowds] followed him, and he healed all who were sick. 16 But Jesus warned the people not to ·tell who he was [make him known]. 17 He did these things to ·bring about [fulfill] what Isaiah the prophet had said:
18 “·Here is [L Behold; Look!] my servant whom I have chosen.
·I love him [The one I love; My beloved], ·and I am pleased with him [L in whom my soul delights/is well pleased].
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will ·tell of my [proclaim] justice to ·all people [the nations/Gentiles].
19 He will not ·argue [quarrel; fight] or ·cry out [shout];
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a ·crushed blade of grass [battered/bruised reed]
or ·put out [extinguish] ·even a weak flame [a flickering candle; L a smoldering wick]
until he ·makes justice win the [leads justice to] victory.
21 In ·him [L his name] will the ·Gentiles [nations; non-Jewish people] ·find [put their] hope [Is. 42:1–4].”
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