This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations. The entire chapter is included to provide context.
Information about the meaning the original Hebrew or Greek of what seem to be key words is provided in blue. That information is provided beneath the specific reading the words are contained in, and also collected towards the end of this post.
Excerpts collected in yellow tell us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. Excerpts collected in green tell us about something God wants us to do.
Reading I
The LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity. If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
mercy, kindness = חֶסֶד= ḥeseḏ
goodness, kindness, faithfulness; favour, good deed(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy; kindness (especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable), mercy; lovely appearance; of God: kindness, lovingkindness in condescending to the needs of his creatures; redemption from enemies and troubles;in preservation of life from death; in quickening of spiritual life; in redemption from sin; in keeping the covenants; fidelity; abundant, plenteous in kindness (goodness); greatness of thy mercy; everlasting; plural mercies, deeds of kindness, the historic displays of lovingkindness
desire, ardor; zeal; benignity, benevolence, pity, mercy; grace
trust, hope for = יָחַל= yāḥal
to wait, hope, expect; to be patient; tarry, trust
fear = יָרֵא= yare'
revere; to stand in awe of, be awed; reverence, honour, respect; to cause astonishment; tremble; venerate
waits = חָכָה = ḥāḵâ
to adhere to; hence, to await:—long, tarry
Reading II
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
hold fast = κρατέω = krateō
to be strong, mighty, to prevail; to retain; to have power, be powerful; be master of, to rule; to take hold of, take, seize; not discard or let go; to keep carefully and faithfully; to hold in check, restrain; to use strength, i.e. seize or retain;
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
rule, hold sway; conquer, prevail, get the upper hand; to be superior; prevail; get the better of; conquer, master; become master of, get possession of; seize, win and keep, esp.by force; hold up, support; hold in the hand; repair, make good
confidently = παρρησία= parrēsia
bold, boldness, boldly; unreservedness of utterance; the absence of fear in speaking boldly; confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, without any connection necessarily with speech;free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance;frankness, bluntness
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
outspokenness, frankness, freedom of speech; licence, permission; without fear; openly; liberality, lavishness
approach = προσέρχομαι = proserchomai
to come or go near to; draw near; approach
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
come or go to; approach, draw nigh; come in, surrender, capitulate; come forward to speak; appear before a tribunal; approach an official; have recourse to
receive = λαμβάνω = lambanō
to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it;to take up a thing to be carried; to take upon one's self;to take to one's self, lay hold upon, take possession of, i.e. to appropriate to one's self; catch at, reach after, strive to obtain; to receive a person, give him access to one's self; have, hold, obtain, receive; to take with one for future use
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
Take hold of, grasp, seize; take by violence, carry off as prize or booty; possess;catch, find out, detect; apprehend by the senses; apprehend with the mind, understand; determine, estimate; take in hand, undertake; have given one, get, receive;receive hospitably; receive as produce, profit; take hold of, lay hold on;seize and keep hold of, obtain possession of
mercy = ἔλεος = eleos
the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it; kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them; compassion (human or divine, especially active); readiness to help those in trouble
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
pity, mercy, compassion
find = εὑρίσκω = heyriskō
to find, either with previous search or without; to find out by enquiry, or to learn, discover; to find for oneself, to procure, get, obtain, with the suggestion of accomplishing the end which had been in view;to come upon, hit upon, to meet with; get, obtain, perceive, see
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
find out, discover; devise, invent; get, gain; bring about, acquire; fetch
grace = χάρις = charis
Beneficial, beneficent; that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness; good will, loving-kindness, favour; liberality; kindness which bestows upon one what he has not deserved; favors even upon the ill-deserving; merciful kindness; aid or succor
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
kindness, goodwill, for or towards one; partiality, favour; boon;
Richard Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament
that property in a thing which causes it to give joy; the favour and grace and goodness of man to man, to setting forth the favour, grace and goodness of God to man, and thus, of necessity, of the worthy to the unworthy, of the holy to the sinful; it is conferred freely, with no expectation of return, and finding its only motive in the bounty and free-heartedness of the giver
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"
They answered him, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"
They said to him, "We can."
Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared."
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
great = μέγας = megas
High, mighty; persons, eminent for ability, virtue, authority, power; things esteemed highly for their importance: of great moment, of great weight, importance; things to be esteemed highly for their importance; a thing to be highly esteemed for its excellence: excellent; splendid, prepared on a grand scale, stately;God's preeminent blessings; strong; large; used of intensity and its degrees; distinguished
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
Mighty; strong; of great importance; impressive; big; full grown; vast, high; very much, exceedingly
servant= διάκονος = diakonos
one who executes the commands of another; one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use; a waiter, one who serves food and drink; one who performs menial duties; those who advance others' interests even at the sacrifice of their own.; generally speaking, to be distinguished from doulos, "a bondservant, slave;" diakonos views a servant in relationship to his work; doulos views him in relationship to his master.
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
messenger, attendant, or official; servile
first = πρῶτος = protos
Best, chief; principal; first in rank, influence, honor
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
Before, in front; superior; foremost; first in order of existence, primary; highest
slave = δοῦλος = doulos
originally the lowest term in the scale of servitude, came also to mean "one who gives himself up to the will of another;" a slave, bondman, man of servile condition; devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests; a servant, attendant; serving, subject to
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
bondman or slave
served, serve = διακονέω = diakoneō
to be a servant, attendant, domestic, to serve, wait upon; to wait at a table and offer food and drink to the guests; to attend to anything, that may serve another's interests; wait upon (menially or as a host, friend, or (figuratively) teacher);supply food and the necessaries of life, to relieve one's necessities
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
minister, do service; render a service
give = δίδωμι = didōmi
bestow, the implied idea being that of giving freely; grant; offer; yield, produce; to supply, furnish, necessary things; to furnish, endue; to cause, profuse, give forth from one's self; minister; to give one to someone to care for his interests; give up for
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
give freely, to be ready to give, offer; provide well for
ransom = λύτρον = lytron
a means of loosing; the price for redeeming;something to loosen with, i.e. a redemption price(figuratively, atonement);
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
price of release; sum paid for redemption of a pledge; atonement; recompense for toil
What these readings tell us about God/His ways:
he gives his life as an offering for sin
the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many
their guilt he shall bear
your mercy
Upright is the word of the LORD
all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right
the kindness of the
your mercy
the eyes of the LORD are upon those whofear him
his kindness
To deliver them
your mercy
our help and our shield
your kindness
your mercy
we have a great high priest
sympathize with our weaknesses
has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin
mercy
grace for timely help
The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many
whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all
the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
give his life as a ransom for many
What these readings tell us to do:
place our trust in you
place our trust in you
fear him
hope for his kindness
place our trust in you
waits for the LORD
put our hope in you.
place our trust in you
hold fast to our confession
confidently approach the throne of grace
receive mercy
find grace
be your servant
be the slave of all
serve
give his life
