Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Book 2: Psalms 42–72
Wishing to Be Near God
For the director of music. A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
42 As a deer ·thirsts [longs; T pants] for streams of water,
so ·I [T my soul] ·thirst [L longs] for you, God.
2 ·I [T My soul] thirst for the living God.
When can I go to ·meet with [L see] ·him [L the face of God]?
3 Day and night, my tears have been my food.
People are always saying,
“Where is your God?”
4 When I remember these things,
I ·speak with a broken heart [L pour out my soul].
I used to walk with the ·crowd [throng]
and lead them to ·God’s Temple [L the house of God]
with ·songs of praise [L the sound of praise and thanks, a crowd in procession].
5 Why ·am I so sad [L are you cast down, my soul]?
Why ·am I so upset [L are you groaning/in an uproar]?
I ·should [or will] ·put my hope in [wait for] God
and ·keep praising [or will again praise] him,
my ·Savior [Victor] and 6 my God.
·I am very sad [My soul is cast down].
So I remember you ·where the Jordan River begins [L from the land of Jordan],
·near the peaks of [L and from] Hermon and Mount Mizar [C far from the Temple where God made his presence known].
7 ·Troubles have come again and again [L Deep calls to deep], ·sounding like waterfalls [L at the sound of your torrents; C waters represent distress; 69:1–2].
Your waves and your breakers ·are crashing all around [L pass over] me.
8 The Lord ·shows [commands] his ·true love [loyalty; covenant love] every day.
At night I have a song,
and I pray to my living God.
9 I say to God, my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why am I ·sad [L going around in mourning]
and ·troubled [oppressed] by my enemies?”
10 My enemies’ ·insults [scorn] make me feel
as if my bones were ·broken [L murdered].
They are always saying,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why ·am I so sad [L are you cast down, my soul]?
Why ·am I so upset [are you groaning/in an uproar]?
I ·should [or will] ·put my hope in [wait for] God
and ·keep praising [or will again praise] him,
my ·Savior [Victor] and my God.
Jethro Visits Moses
18 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was the priest of Midian [2:15]. He heard about everything that God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites, and how the Lord had led the Israelites out of Egypt. 2 Now Moses had sent [L away] his wife Zipporah [2:21] to Jethro, his father-in-law [4:24–26], 3 along with his two sons. The first son was named Gershom [C sounds like Hebrew for “stranger there”], because when he was born, Moses said, “I am a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] in a foreign country.” 4 The other son was named Eliezer [C sounds like Hebrew for “my God is help”], because when he was born, Moses said, “The God of my father is my help. He saved me from ·the king of Egypt [L the sword of Pharaoh].”
5 So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife and his two sons and went to Moses. He was camped in the ·desert [wilderness] near the mountain of God [C Mount Sinai]. 6 Jethro had sent a message ahead to Moses that said, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. After the two men asked about each other’s ·health [well-being], they went into Moses’ tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to ·the king [L Pharaoh] and the Egyptians to help Israel. He told about all the ·problems [hardship] they had faced along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
9 Jethro ·was very happy to hear [rejoiced concerning] all the good things the Lord had done for Israel when he had saved them from the Egyptians. 10 He said, “·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord. He has saved you from the [L hand of the] Egyptians and [L the hand of] ·their king [L Pharaoh], and he has saved the people from the ·power [L hand] of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know the Lord is greater than all gods, because he did this to those who ·looked down on Israel [treated Israel with insolence/arrogance].” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, gave a whole burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and other sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to Moses’ father-in-law to eat ·the holy meal [L bread/food] together before God.
Paul’s Prayer
3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you. 5 I thank God for ·the help you gave me [L your partnership/participation] in ·spreading the Good News [L the Good News/Gospel] from the first day you believed until now. 6 God began doing a good work in you, and I am ·sure [confident; persuaded] he will continue it until it is ·finished [completed; perfected] ·when Jesus Christ comes again [L on the day of Christ Jesus; C the final day of judgment and reward].
7 And I know that I am right to think like this about all of you, because ·I have you in my [or you have me in your] heart. All of you ·share [are partners/co-sharers] in God’s grace with me while I am in ·prison [chains; C Paul is probably writing from house arrest in Rome, about ad 60; see Acts 28:30–31] and while I am defending and ·proving the truth of [confirming] the ·Good News [Gospel]. 8 [L For] God ·knows [L is my witness] that I ·want [long] to see you very much, because I love all of you with the ·love [affection] of Christ Jesus.
9 This is my prayer for you: that your love will ·grow [increase; abound] more and more; that you will have knowledge and ·understanding [insight; discernment] with your love; 10 that you will ·see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good [L discern/test and prove what is best]; that you will be pure and ·without wrong [blameless] ·for the coming [in the day; v. 6] of Christ; 11 that you will be filled with the ·good things produced in your life by Christ [L fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ] to bring glory and praise to God.
Paul’s Troubles Help the Work
12 I want you brothers and sisters to know that what has happened to me has helped to ·spread [advance] the ·Good News [Gospel]. 13 All the ·palace guards [imperial guard; L praetorium; C Caesar’s elite troops] and everyone else knows that I am in ·prison [chains] ·because I am a believer in [or for the cause of] Christ. 14 Because I am in prison, most of the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] have become more ·bold [confident] in the Lord and ·are not afraid [L dare without fear] to speak the word of God.
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