Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Samuel Goes to Bethlehem
16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you ·continue to feel sorry [mourn; grieve] for Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. Fill your ·container [flask; L horn] with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse who lives in Bethlehem, because I have ·chosen [selected; found myself] one of his sons to be king.”
2 But Samuel said, “·If [L How can…?] I go, Saul will hear the news and will try to kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a ·young calf [heifer] with you. Say, ‘I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. Then I will tell you what to do. You must ·appoint [anoint] the one I ·show you [indicate; designate; name; L tell you].”
4 Samuel did what the Lord told him to do. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of Bethlehem ·shook with fear [trembled]. They met him and asked, “Are you coming in peace?”
5 Samuel answered, “Yes, I come in peace. I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. ·Set yourselves apart to the Lord [Consecrate/Purify/Sanctify yourselves] and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he ·set Jesse and his sons apart to the Lord, [consecrated/purified/sanctified Jesse and his sons] and he invited them to come to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and he thought, “Surely, here stands before me the Lord’s ·appointed [anointed].”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t look at ·how handsome Eliab is [his appearance] or ·how tall he is [his height], because I have ·not chosen [rejected] him. God does not see ·the same way [as] people see. People look at ·the outside of a person [appearances; the outward appearance], but the Lord looks ·at [on] the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and told him to ·pass by [walk in front of] Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this man either.” 9 Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “No, the Lord has not chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons ·pass by [presented to] Samuel. But Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”
11 Then he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse answered, “I still have the youngest son. He is out taking care of the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
12 So Jesse sent and had his youngest son brought in. He was ·a fine boy, tanned [dark; ruddy], [L with beautiful eyes] and handsome.
The Lord said to Samuel, “·Go [Rise], ·appoint [anoint] him, because he is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the ·container [flask; L horn] of olive oil and ·poured it on Jesse’s youngest son to appoint [anointed] him in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Lord’s Spirit ·worked in [came powerfully upon] David. Samuel then went back to Ramah.
The Lord the Shepherd
A psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I ·have everything I need [L will lack nothing].
2 He ·lets me rest [makes me lie down] in green pastures.
He leads me to ·calm [quiet] water.
3 He ·gives me new strength [T renews my soul].
He leads me on paths that are ·right [righteous; or straight]
for the ·good [sake] of his ·name [reputation].
4 Even if I walk through ·a very dark valley [or the shadow of death],
I will ·not be afraid [T fear no evil],
because you are with me.
Your rod and your shepherd’s staff comfort me.
5 You prepare a ·meal [L table] for me
in ·front [the presence] of my enemies.
You ·pour oil of blessing on my head [anoint my head with oil; C oil was a means of refreshment in a hot, dry environment];
you ·fill my cup to overflowing [L make my cup overflow; C a cup of blessing].
6 Surely your goodness and ·love [loyalty; T mercy] will ·be with [pursue; T follow] me
all my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord ·forever [L for length of days].
8 In the past you were ·full of darkness [L darkness], but now you are ·full of light [L light] in the Lord. So ·live [walk] like children ·who belong to [living in; L of] the light. 9 ·Light brings [L For the fruit of the light is] every kind of goodness, ·right living [righteousness], and truth. 10 ·Try to learn [Discern; Test and prove] what pleases the Lord. 11 ·Have nothing to do with [Take no part in] the things done in darkness, which are ·not worth anything [L unfruitful]. But ·show that they are wrong [expose them]. 12 [L For] It is shameful even to talk about what those people do in secret. 13 But the light makes all things ·easy to see [visible; exposed], 14 and everything that is ·made easy to see [visible; exposed] ·can become [or becomes a; L is] light. This is why it is said:
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9 As Jesus ·was walking along [passed by; went along], he saw a man who had been born blind. 2 His ·followers [disciples] asked him, “·Teacher [L Rabbi], whose sin caused this man to be born blind—his own sin or his parents’ sin?” [C The disciples, like the friends of Job, viewed suffering as the result of a person’s own sins.]
3 Jesus answered, “It is not this man’s sin or his parents’ sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God’s ·power [L works] could be ·shown [displayed; revealed; manifest] in him. 4 While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the One who sent me. Night is coming [C Jesus’ death], when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world [see 8:12].”
6 After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground and made some mud with ·it [L the saliva] and ·put [spread; anointed] the mud on the man’s eyes [C the significance of the mud made with spit is unclear]. 7 Then he told the man, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (Siloam [C from a Hebrew word] means Sent.) So the man went, washed, and came back seeing.
8 The neighbors and some people who had earlier seen this man begging said, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
9 Some said, “He is the one,” but others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
The man himself said, “I am the man.”
10 [L Therefore] They asked him, “How [L then] ·did you get your sight [L were your eyes opened]?”
11 He answered, “The man named Jesus made some mud and ·put [spread; anointed] it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 They asked him, “Where is this man?”
“I don’t know,” he answered.
Pharisees Question the Healing
13 Then the people took to the Pharisees [C a religious party which strictly observed OT laws and later customs] the man who had been blind. 14 The day Jesus had made mud and healed his eyes was a Sabbath day [C on which no work was allowed]. 15 So now the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?”
He answered, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see.”
16 So some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man does not keep the Sabbath day [C according to rabbinic tradition neither kneading nor healing were permitted on the Sabbath], so he is not from God.”
But others said, “·A man who is a sinner can’t [L How can a man who is a sinner…?] do ·miracles [L signs] like these.” So ·they could not agree with each other [L there was a division among them].
17 [L Therefore; So; Then] They asked the man again, “What do you say about him, since it was your eyes he opened?”
The man answered, “He is a prophet.”
18 ·These leaders [L The Jews; C the Pharisees] did not believe that he had been blind and could now see again. So they sent for the ·man’s parents [L parents of the man who could now see] 19 and asked them, “Is this your son who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?”
20 [L Therefore; So] His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But we don’t know how he can now see. We don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself [C of legal age to give testimony].” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the ·elders [Jewish leaders; L Jews], who had already decided that anyone who ·said [confessed; acknowledged] Jesus was the ·Christ [Messiah] would be ·avoided [L put out of the synagogue; C an act of expulsion or excommunication]. 23 That is why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24 So for the second time, they called the man who had been blind. They said, “·You should give God the glory by telling the truth [L Give God the glory; C see Josh. 7:19 where this phrase is a command to tell the truth]. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25 [L So; Then] He answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see.”
26 [L So; Then] They asked, “What did he do to you? How did he ·make you see again [L open your eyes]?”
27 He answered them, “I already told you, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his ·followers [disciples] too?”
28 Then they ·insulted [ridiculed; reviled] him and said, “You are his ·follower [disciple], but we are ·followers [disciples] of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses [Ex. 33:11; Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10], but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
30 The man answered, “This is a very ·strange [astonishing; marvelous] thing. You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We all know that God does not listen to sinners, but he listens to anyone who ·worships [is devout; is godfearing] and ·obeys him [L does his will]. 32 Nobody has ·ever [or since the beginning of the world; L from the age/eternity] heard of anyone giving sight to a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 They answered, “You were born ·full of sin [or in utter sinfulness]! Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out [C of the synagogue; an act of excommunication].
Spiritual Blindness
35 When Jesus heard that they had ·thrown [cast; driven] him out [C of the synagogue], Jesus found him and said, “Do you ·believe [trust] in the Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14]?”
36 He asked, “Who is ·the Son of Man [L he], sir, so that I can ·believe [trust] in him?”
37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him. ·The Son of Man [L He] is the one talking with you.”
38 He said, “·Lord [C the same word is rendered “sir” in v. 36, but here may have a more solemn sense], I ·believe [trust]!” Then the man ·worshiped [prostrated himself before] Jesus.
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world ·so that the world could be judged [L for judgment]. I came so that the blind would see and so that those who see will become blind.” [C Those who acknowledge they are spiritually blind will see the truth; and those who think they see spiritually (the Jewish religious leaders) are actually blind; Is. 6:10; 42:19.]
40 Some of the Pharisees who were nearby heard Jesus say this and asked, “Are you saying we are blind, too?”
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you keep saying you see, your ·guilt [or sin] remains.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.