Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God’s Works and Word
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
19 The heavens ·declare [recount; narrate] the glory [C the manifest presence] of God,
and the ·skies [firmament; dome; Gen. 1:6] ·announce [speak out] ·what his hands have made [L the works of his hands].
2 Day after day they ·tell the story [L bubble/pour forth speech];
night after night they ·tell it again [L declare knowledge].
3 They have no speech or words;
they have no voice to be heard.
4 But their ·message [L line] goes out through all the world;
their words go ·everywhere on [L to the ends of the] earth.
·The sky [Heaven; L In them] is like a ·home [L tent] for the sun.
5 The sun comes out like a bridegroom from his ·bedroom [L wedding chamber].
It rejoices like an ·athlete [strong man] eager to run a race.
6 The sun rises at one end of the ·sky [heavens]
and ·follows its path [L its circuit is] to the other end.
Nothing hides from its heat.
7 The ·teachings [laws; instructions] of the Lord are perfect;
they ·give new strength [T revive the soul].
The ·rules [testimonies] of the Lord ·can be trusted [are faithful/sure];
they make ·plain [simpleminded; immature] people wise [Prov. 1:4].
8 The orders of the Lord are ·right [virtuous];
·they make people happy [L rejoicing the heart].
The commands of the Lord are pure;
·they light up the way [L giving light to the eyes].
9 ·Respect [Fear] for the Lord [Prov. 1:7] is ·good [pure];
it will ·last [endure] forever.
The judgments of the Lord are true;
they are ·completely [altogether] ·right [righteous].
10 They are ·worth [desired; coveted] more than gold,
even ·the purest [fine] gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even the ·finest honey [L droppings of the honeycomb].
11 By them your servant is warned.
·Keeping [Observing] them brings great reward.
12 ·People cannot [L Who can…?] ·see [detect; L understand] their own ·mistakes [errors].
·Forgive [Clear] me for my ·secret [hidden] sins.
13 ·Keep me [L Restrain your servant] from ·the sins of pride [proud thoughts];
don’t let them ·rule [dominate] me.
Then I can be pure
and innocent of the greatest of sins.
14 ·I hope my ·words [L The words of my mouth] and ·thoughts [meditations of my heart] ·please [L be before] you.
Lord, you are my Rock, ·the one who saves me [L and my redeemer].
15 A ·gentle [soft; tender] answer ·will calm a person’s anger [L turns back/T away wrath],
but an ·unkind [painful; sharp] answer ·will cause more [raises] anger.
2 Wise people use knowledge when they speak,
but fools ·pour out [bubble forth with] foolishness.
3 The Lord’s eyes ·see everything [L are everywhere];
he watches both evil and good people.
4 ·As a tree gives fruit, healing words give life [L A healthy/healing tongue is a tree of life],
but ·dishonest [deceitful; perverse] words crush the spirit.
5 Fools ·reject [disdain] their ·parents’ [father’s] ·correction [discipline],
but anyone who ·accepts [guards] correction is wise.
6 Much ·wealth [treasure] is in the houses of ·good [righteous] people,
but evil people get nothing but trouble.
7 Wise people use their ·words [L lips] to ·spread [scatter; disperse] knowledge,
but there is no knowledge in the ·thoughts [hearts; minds] of fools.
8 The Lord ·hates [detests] the sacrifice that the wicked offer,
but he ·likes [favors] the prayers of ·honest people [people with integrity].
9 The Lord ·hates [detests] ·what evil people do [L the path of the wicked],
but he ·loves [favors] those who ·do what is right [pursue righteousness].
10 The person who ·quits doing what is right [L abandons the way] will be punished,
and the one who hates to be corrected will die.
11 ·The Lord knows what is happening in the world of the dead [L Sheol and Abaddon/Destruction are before the Lord],
so he surely knows the ·thoughts of the living [L human heart].
12 ·Those who make fun of wisdom [L Mockers] don’t like to be corrected;
they will not ·ask the wise for advice [L go to the wise].
13 ·Happiness makes a person smile [L A joyful heart brightens one’s face],
but ·sadness [L a troubled heart] can break a person’s spirit.
14 ·People with understanding want more [L Understanding hearts seek] knowledge,
but fools ·just want more [L feed on] foolishness.
15 Every day is hard for ·those who suffer [or the poor],
but a happy heart is like a continual feast.
16 It is better to ·be poor [have little] and ·respect [fear] the Lord
than to ·be wealthy [have great treasure] and ·have much trouble [turmoil].
17 It is better to eat vegetables with those who love you
than ·to eat meat [L an ox of the stall] with those who hate you.
17 It was by faith that Abraham, when God tested him, offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice [Gen. 22:1–10]. ·God made the promises to Abraham, but Abraham [L The one who received the promises] was ready to offer his ·own [unique; one of a kind; John 3:16] son as a sacrifice. 18 God had said, “·The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac [Through Isaac your offspring/seed will carry on your name; Gen. 21:12].” 19 Abraham ·believed [considered; reasoned] that God ·could [had the power to] raise the dead, and ·really [in one sense; in a manner of speaking; figuratively speaking], it was as if Abraham ·got [received] Isaac back from death.
20 It was by faith that Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau ·in regard to their future [L concerning things to come; Gen. 27]. 21 It was by faith that Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each one of Joseph’s sons [Gen. 49]. Then he ·worshiped [or bowed in reverent worship] as he leaned on the top of his ·walking stick [staff; Gen. 47:31].
22 It was by faith that Joseph, while he was dying, spoke about ·the Israelites leaving Egypt [L the exodus of the children/sons of Israel] and ·gave instructions [commanded] about ·what to do with his body [L his bones; Gen. 50:24–25; Ex. 13:19].
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