Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer for Safety
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of David when he was in the cave [C at Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1, 4) or En-Gedi (1 Sam. 24:1–22)]. A prayer.
142 I cry out to the Lord;
I ·pray [cry out] to the Lord for ·mercy [grace].
2 I pour out my ·problems [complaint] to him;
I tell him my ·troubles [distress].
3 When ·I am afraid [I am depressed; L my spirit is faint],
you, Lord, know ·the way out [L my way].
In the path where I walk,
·a trap is hidden [L they have hidden a trap] for me.
4 Look ·around me [L at/on my right hand] and see.
No one cares about me.
·I have no place of safety [L A place of refuge perishes from me];
no one ·cares if I live [L seeks for my soul].
5 Lord, I cry out to you.
I say, “You are my ·protection [refuge].
·You are all I want in this life [L …my portion in the land of the living].”
6 ·Listen [Pay attention] to my cry,
because I am ·helpless [brought very low].
·Save [Protect] me from those who are ·chasing [pursuing; persecuting] me,
because they are too strong for me.
7 ·Free me [L Bring me out] from my prison,
and then I will ·praise [thank] your name.
Then ·good [righteous] people will surround me,
because you have ·taken care of me [given me my reward].
Samaria and Israel to Be Punished
1 During the time that Jotham [C ruled 758–743 bc], Ahaz [C ruled 743–727 bc], and Hezekiah [C ruled 727–698 bc] were kings of Judah, the word of the Lord came to Micah, who was from Moresheth [C a town in southern Judah]. He saw these visions about Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear this, all you ·nations [peoples];
listen, earth and all you who live on it.
The Lord God will ·be a witness [bring charges] against you,
the Lord from his Holy Temple.
3 See, the Lord is coming out of his place;
he is coming down to ·walk on [tread upon] the ·tops of the mountains [heights of the earth].
4 The mountains will melt under him,
and the valleys will ·crack open [split apart],
like wax near a fire,
like water running down a hillside.
5 All this is because of Jacob’s ·sin [rebellion; transgression],
because of the sins of the ·nation [L house] of Israel.
What is ·the place of Jacob’s sin [L Jacob’s trangression]?
Isn’t it Samaria [C the capital of the northern empire]?
What is Judah’s ·place of idol worship [L high place; C a pagan worship site]?
Isn’t it Jerusalem [C Judah’s sin made the temple in Jerusalem no better than a pagan temple]?
A Life that Pleases God
4 [L Finally; or Now then; Furthermore] Brothers and sisters, we taught you how to ·live [walk] in a way that will please God, and you are living that way. Now we ask and ·encourage [urge; appeal to] you in the Lord Jesus to ·live that way [excel; abound] even more. 2 [L For] You know what ·we told [instructions/commands we gave] you to do ·by the authority of [L through] the Lord Jesus. 3 ·God wants you to be holy and [or For this is God’s will, your sanctification:] to stay away from sexual sins. 4 He wants each of you to ·learn to control your own body [or take a wife for yourself; or live with your own wife; L gain/possess his own vessel] in a way that is holy and honorable. 5 ·Don’t use your body for sexual sin [L …not in lustful passion] like the ·people [L Gentiles] who do not know God. 6 Also, do not ·wrong [exploit; transgress] or ·cheat [take advantage of] another ·Christian [L brother (or sister)] in this way. The Lord ·will punish people who do those [L is the avenger concerning these] things as we have already told you and ·warned [solemnly testified to] you. 7 [L For] God did not call us to ·a life of sin [L impurity], but to holiness. 8 ·So [Therefore] the person who ·refuses to obey [disregards; rejects; despises] this teaching is not simply ·disobeying [disregarding; rejecting; despising] ·a human being [human authority], but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
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