Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord Questions Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the ·storm [whirlwind; 9:17]. He said:
2 “Who is this that makes my ·purpose [L counsel; advice] ·unclear [L dark]
·by saying things that are not true [L with ignorant words]?
3 ·Be strong [Brace yourself; L Gird your loins] like a man!
I will ask you questions,
and you must ·answer [inform] me.
4 Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off ·how big it should be [L its measurements]? Surely you know!
Who stretched a ·ruler [line; C surveyor’s instrument] across it?
6 What were the earth’s foundations ·set on [L sunk in],
or who put its cornerstone in place
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the ·angels [L sons of god] shouted with joy?
34 “Can you ·shout an order [L raise your voice] to the clouds
·and [or so that you] cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Can you send lightning bolts on their way?
Do they come to you and say, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who put wisdom ·inside the mind [or in the ibis; C an animal associated with wisdom and representing Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom]
or understanding ·in the heart [or to the rooster]?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can ·pour water from the jars [L tilt the wineskins] of the ·sky [heavens]
38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clumps of dirt stick together?
39 “Do you hunt food for the lioness
to satisfy the hunger of the young lions
40 while they ·lie [crouch] in their dens
or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?
41 Who gives food to the ·birds [L raven]
when their young cry out to God
and wander about without food?
Praise to God Who Made the World
104 ·My whole being [T O my soul], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with ·glory [splendor] and ·majesty [beauty];
2 you ·wear [L wrap yourself in] light like a robe [Hab. 3:4; 1 John 1:5].
You stretch out the ·skies [heavens] like a tent [Is. 40:22].
3 You ·build your room above the clouds [L set the beams of your upper room on the waters].
You make the clouds your chariot [18:10–19; 68:4; Is. 19:1; Dan. 7:13–14; Luke 21:27; Rev. 1:7],
and you ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers,
and flames of fire are your ·servants [ministers; Heb. 1:7].
5 You ·built [founded] the earth on its foundations
so it can never be moved.
6 You covered the earth with ·oceans [L the deeps];
the water ·was above [L stood over] the mountains.
7 But at your ·command [reprimand; rebuke], the water ·rushed away [fled].
·When you thundered your orders [L At the sound of your thunder], it hurried away.
8 The mountains rose; the valleys sank.
The water went to the places you ·made [founded] for it.
9 You set borders for the seas that they cannot ·cross [pass],
so water will never cover the earth again [C as before the third day creation or during the Flood; Gen. 1:9–10; 9:9–17; Job 38:8–11; Prov. 8:29].
24 Lord, ·you have made many things;
with your wisdom you made them all [Prov. 8:22–31].
The earth is full of your ·riches [or creatures].
35 Let sinners be ·destroyed [obliterated] from the earth,
and let the wicked live no longer.
·My whole being [T O my soul], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
5 [L For] Every high priest is chosen from among ·the people [human beings; C to represent humans, the priest must himself be human] and is ·given the work of going before God for them [L appointed to represent people in things related to God] to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 Since he himself is weak [C subject to human frailty, both physical and moral], he is able to be gentle with those who ·do not understand [are ignorant] and who are ·doing wrong things [easily deceived; wayward; going astray]. 3 Because he is weak, the high priest must offer sacrifices for his own sins and also for the sins of the people [Lev. 16].
4 To be a high priest is an honor, but no one ·chooses himself for this work [takes this office by his own authority; L takes this honor for himself]. He must be ·called [chosen] by God as Aaron was [C Moses’ brother and Israel’s first high priest; Ex. 28:1]. 5 So also ·Christ [or the Messiah; C either a proper name or a title] did not ·choose himself to have the honor of being [L glorify/exalt himself by becoming] a high priest, but God ·chose [glorified; exalted] him. God said to him,
“You are my Son.
Today I have ·become your Father [T begotten you; Ps. 2:7].”
6 And in another Scripture God says,
“You are a priest forever,
·a priest like [L in the priestly order/line of] Melchizedek [Ps. 110:4].” [C See 7:1–10; Melchizedek was a priest and king in the time of Abraham; Gen. 14:17–24.]
7 ·While Jesus lived on earth [L In the days of his flesh/earthly life], he ·prayed to God and asked God for help [L offered prayers and petitions]. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because ·he trusted God [L of his reverence/devotion; C referring especially to Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane; Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:41, 44]. 8 Even though Jesus was ·the Son of God [or a son; C with all the rights and privileges of an heir], he learned obedience by what he suffered [C through total obedience to God, Jesus achieved the glorified or perfected state God originally intended for human beings; 2:3–9]. 9 And ·because his obedience was perfect [or having achieved perfection], he ·was able to give [L became the source/means of] eternal salvation to all who obey him. 10 In this way God ·made [designated; appointed] Jesus a high priest, ·a priest like [L in the priestly order/line of] Melchizedek [v. 6; Ps. 110:4].
Two Followers Ask Jesus a Favor(A)
35 Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want ·to ask you to do something for us [you to do whatever we ask].”
36 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They answered, “Let one of us sit at your right side and one of us sit at your left side in your glory [C the messianic kingdom].”
38 Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink? And can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that I must go through?” [C Both “cup” and “baptism” symbolize suffering, and perhaps God’s judgment experienced by Jesus on the cross; Jer. 25:15–29.]
39 They answered, “Yes, we can.”
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the same cup that I will drink, and you will be baptized with the same baptism that I must go through. 40 But ·I cannot choose [it is not for me to grant/say] who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When ·the other ten followers [L the ten] heard this, they began to be ·angry [indignant] with James and John.
42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of ·other nations [the Gentiles] love to ·show their power [lord it] over the people, and their ·important leaders [high officials; L great ones] love to ·use [exert] their authority [L over them]. 43 But it ·should not be [must not be; is not to be] that way among you. [Instead, L But] Whoever wants to become great among you must ·serve the rest of you like a servant [L be your servant]. 44 Whoever wants to become the first among you must ·serve all of you like a slave [L be your slave]. 45 In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people [Is. 53:12; John 11:49–50].”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.