◀ All Reading Plans / The Daily Audio Bible / 1 Samuel 24-25; John 10:22-42; Psalm 116; Proverbs 15:20-21 (New English Translation)

Prev Day

May 19, 2017

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

May 2017
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Return to today's reading

The Daily Audio Bible

This reading plan is provided by Brian Hardin from Daily Audio Bible.

Duration: 731 days

Today's audio is from the ESV. Switch to the ESV to read along with the audio.

1 Samuel 24-25

David Spares Saul’s Life

24 (24:2) When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “Look, David is in the desert of En Gedi.” ²So Saul took 3,000 select men from all Israel and went to find^[a] David and his men in the region of^[b] the rocks of the mountain goats.^[c] ³He came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave. Saul went into it to relieve himself.^[d]

Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave. ⁴David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.’”^[e] So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul’s robe. ⁵Afterward David’s conscience bothered him^[f] because he had cut off an edge of Saul’s robe. ⁶He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me far away from doing such a thing to my lord, who is the Lord’s chosen one,^[g] by extending my hand against him. After all,^[h] he is the Lord’s chosen one.” ⁷David restrained his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and started down^[i] the road.

⁸Afterward David got up and went out of the cave. He called out to Saul, “My lord, O king!” When Saul looked behind him, David kneeled down and bowed with his face to the ground. ⁹David said to Saul, “Why do you pay attention when men say, ‘David is seeking to do you harm’? ¹⁰Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you—this very day—into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity^[j] on you and said, ‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s chosen one.’^[k] ¹¹Look, my father, and see the edge of your robe in my hand! When I cut off the edge of your robe, I didn’t kill you. So realize and understand that I am not planning^[l] evil or rebellion. Even though I have not sinned against you, you are waiting in ambush to take my life. ¹²May the Lord judge between the two of us, and may the Lord vindicate me over you, but my hand will not be against you. ¹³It’s like the old proverb says: ‘From evil people evil proceeds.’ But my hand will not be against you. ¹⁴Who has the king of Israel come out after? Who is it that you are pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea? ¹⁵May the Lord be our judge and arbiter. May he see and arbitrate my case and deliver me from your hands.”

¹⁶When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” Then Saul wept loudly.^[m] ¹⁷He said to David, “You are more innocent^[n] than I, for you have treated me well, even though I have tried to harm you. ¹⁸You have explained today how you have treated me well. The Lord delivered me into your hand, but you did not kill me. ¹⁹Now if a man finds his enemy, does he send him on his way in good shape? May the Lord repay you with good this day for what you have done to me. ²⁰Now look, I realize that you will in fact be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. ²¹So now swear to me in the Lord’s name^[o] that you will not kill^[p] my descendants after me or destroy my name from the house of my father.”

²²David promised Saul this on oath.^[q] Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

The Death of Samuel

25 Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the wilderness of Paran.^[r]

David Marries Abigail the Widow of Nabal

²There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy;^[s] he owned 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ³The man’s name was Nabal,^[t] and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both wise^[u] and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite.

⁴When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, ⁵he^[v] sent ten servants,^[w] saying to them,^[x] “Go up to Carmel to see Nabal and give him greetings in my name.^[y] ⁶Then you will say to my brother,^[z] ‘Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours! ⁷Now I hear that they are shearing sheep for you. When your shepherds were with us, we neither insulted them nor harmed them the whole time they were in Carmel. ⁸Ask your own servants; they can tell you! May my servants find favor in your sight, for we have come^[aa] at the time of a holiday. Please provide us—your servants^[ab] and your son David—with whatever you can spare.’”^[ac]

⁹So David’s servants went and spoke all these words to Nabal in David’s name. Then they paused. ¹⁰But Nabal responded to David’s servants, “Who is David, and who is this son of Jesse? This is a time when many servants are breaking away from their masters! ¹¹Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t even know where they came from!”

¹²So David’s servants went on their way. When they had returned, they came and told David^[ad] all these things. ¹³Then David instructed his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So each one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About 400 men followed David, while 200 stayed behind with the equipment.

¹⁴But one of the servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet^[ae] our lord, but he screamed at them. ¹⁵These men were very good to us. They did not insult us, nor did we sustain any loss during the entire time we were together^[af] in the field. ¹⁶Both night and day they were a protective wall for us the entire time we were with them, while we were tending our flocks. ¹⁷Now be aware of this, and see what you can do. For disaster has been planned for our lord and his entire household.^[ag] He is such a wicked person^[ah] that no one tells him anything!”

¹⁸So Abigail quickly took 200 loaves of bread, two containers^[ai] of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs^[aj] of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, and 200 lumps of pressed figs. She loaded them on donkeys ¹⁹and said to her servants, “Go on ahead of me. I will come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

²⁰Riding on her donkey, she went down under cover of the mountain. David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she encountered them. ²¹Now David had been thinking,^[ak] “In vain I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness. I didn’t take anything from him. But he has repaid my good with evil. ²²God will severely punish David,^[al] if I leave alive until morning even one male^[am] from all those who belong to him!”

²³When Abigail saw David, she got down quickly from the donkey, threw herself facedown before David, and bowed to the ground. ²⁴Falling at his feet, she said, “My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please let your female servant speak to you! Please listen to the words of your servant! ²⁵My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,’ and he is indeed foolish!^[an] But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent.^[ao]

²⁶“Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, it is the Lord who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal. ²⁷Now let this present^[ap] that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the servants who follow^[aq] my lord. ²⁸Please forgive the sin of your servant, for the Lord will certainly establish a lasting dynasty for my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord. May no evil be found in you all your days! ²⁹When someone sets out to chase you and to take your life, the life of my lord will be wrapped securely in the bag^[ar] of the living by the Lord your God. But he will sling away the lives of your enemies from the sling’s pocket! ³⁰The Lord will do for my lord everything that he promised you,^[as] and he will make^[at] you a leader over Israel. ³¹Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt^[au] for having poured out innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the Lord has granted my lord success,^[av] please remember your servant.”

³²Then David said to Abigail, “Praised^[aw] be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me! ³³Praised be your good judgment! May you yourself be rewarded^[ax] for having prevented me this day from shedding blood and taking matters into my own hands! ³⁴Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—he who has prevented me from harming you—if you had not come so quickly to meet me, by morning’s light not even one male belonging to Nabal would have remained alive!” ³⁵Then David took from her hand what she had brought to him. He said to her, “Go back^[ay] to your home in peace. Be assured that I have listened to you^[az] and responded favorably.”^[ba]

³⁶When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time^[bb] and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing^[bc] until morning’s light. ³⁷In the morning, when Nabal was sober,^[bd] his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed.^[be] ³⁸After about ten days the Lord struck Nabal down and he died.

³⁹When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Praised be the Lord who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal!^[bf] The Lord has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.”^[bg] Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife.

⁴⁰So the servants of David went to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, “David has sent us to you to bring you back to be his wife.” ⁴¹She arose, bowed her face toward the ground, and said, “Your female servant, like a lowly servant, will wash^[bh] the feet of the servants of my lord.” ⁴²Then Abigail quickly went and mounted her donkey, with five of her female servants accompanying her.^[bi] She followed David’s messengers and became his wife.

⁴³David had also married^[bj] Ahinoam from Jezreel; the two of them became his wives. ⁴⁴(Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.)

Footnotes

1 Samuel 24:2 tn Heb “to search [for].”
1 Samuel 24:2 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
1 Samuel 24:2 tn Or “the region of the Rocks of the Mountain Goats,” if this expression is understood as a place name (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV).
1 Samuel 24:3 tn Heb “to cover his feet,” an idiom (euphemism) for relieving oneself (cf. NAB “to ease nature”).
1 Samuel 24:4 tn Heb “is good in your eyes.”
1 Samuel 24:5 tn Heb “the heart of David struck him.”
1 Samuel 24:6 tn Heb “anointed.” Also at the end of this verse.
1 Samuel 24:6 tn Or “for.”
1 Samuel 24:7 tn Heb “went on.”
1 Samuel 24:10 tn Heb “it had pity,” apparently with the understood subject being “my eye,” in accordance with a common expression.
1 Samuel 24:10 tn Heb “anointed.”
1 Samuel 24:11 tn Heb “there is not in my hand.”
1 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “lifted his voice and wept.”
1 Samuel 24:17 tn Or “righteous” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “you are in the right”; NLT “are a better man than I am.”
1 Samuel 24:21 tn Heb “by the Lord.”
1 Samuel 24:21 tn Heb “cut off.”
1 Samuel 24:22 tn Heb “and David swore an oath to Saul.”
1 Samuel 25:1 tc The LXX reads “Maon” here instead of “Paran,” perhaps because the following account of Nabal is said to be in Maon (v. 2). This reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT). The MT, however, reads “Paran,” a location which would parallel this portion of David’s life with that of the nation Israel which also spent time in Paran (Num 10:12). Also, the desert of Paran was on the southern border of Judah’s territory and would be the most isolated location for hiding from Saul.
1 Samuel 25:2 tn Heb “great.”
1 Samuel 25:3 sn The name נָבָל (Nabal) means “foolish” or “senseless” in Hebrew, and as an adjective the word is used especially of persons who have no perception of ethical or religious claims. It is an apt name for this character, who certainly typifies such behavior.
1 Samuel 25:3 tn Heb “good of insight”; KJV “of good understanding”; NAB, NIV, TEV “intelligent”; NRSV “clever.”
1 Samuel 25:5 tn Heb “David”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun has been used in the translation.
1 Samuel 25:5 tn Or “young men.”
1 Samuel 25:5 tn Heb “and David said to the young men.”
1 Samuel 25:5 tn Heb “and inquire concerning him in my name in regard to peace.”
1 Samuel 25:6 tc The text is difficult here. The MT and most of the early versions support the reading לֶחָי (lekhai, “to life,” or “to the one who lives”). Some of the older English versions (KJV, ASV; cf. NKJV) took the expression to mean “to him who lives (in prosperity),” but this translation requires reading a good deal into the words. While the expression could have the sense of “Long life to you!” (cf. NIV, NJPS) or perhaps “Good luck to you!” this seems somewhat redundant in light of the salutation that follows in the context. The Latin Vulgate has fratribus meis (“to my brothers”), which suggests that Jerome understood the Hebrew word to have an ʾalef that is absent in the MT (i.e., לֶאֱחָי, leʾekhay). Jerome’s plural, however, remains a problem, since in the context David is addressing a single individual, namely Nabal, and not a group. However, it is likely that the Vulgate witnesses to a consonantal Hebrew text that is to be preferred here, especially if the word were to be revocalized as a singular rather than a plural. While it is impossible to be certain about this reading, the present translation essentially follows the Vulgate in reading “my brother” (so also NJB; cf. NAB, RSV, NRSV).
1 Samuel 25:8 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading בָּאנוּ (baʾnu, “we have come”) rather than the MT’s בָּנוּ (banu, “we have built”).
1 Samuel 25:8 tn This refers to the ten servants sent by David.
1 Samuel 25:8 tn Heb “whatever your hand will find.”
1 Samuel 25:12 tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1 Samuel 25:14 tn Heb “bless.”
1 Samuel 25:15 tn Heb “all the days we walked about with them when we were.”
1 Samuel 25:17 tn Heb “all his house” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB, NLT “his whole family.”
1 Samuel 25:17 tn Heb “he is a son of worthlessness.”
1 Samuel 25:18 tn Heb “skins.”
1 Samuel 25:18 sn The seah was a dry measure equal to one-third of an ephah, or not quite eleven quarts.
1 Samuel 25:21 tn Heb “said.”
1 Samuel 25:22 tc Heb “Thus God will do to the enemies of David and thus he will add.” Most of the Old Greek ms tradition has simply “David,” with no reference to his enemies. In OT imprecations such as the one found in v. 22 it is common for the speaker to direct malediction toward himself as an indication of the seriousness with which he regards the matter at hand. In other words, the speaker invites on himself dire consequences if he fails to fulfill the matter expressed in the oath. However, in the situation alluded to in v. 22 the threat actually does not come to fruition due to the effectiveness of Abigail’s appeal to David on behalf of her husband Nabal. Instead, David is placated through Abigail’s intervention. It therefore seems likely that the reference to “the enemies of David” in the MT of v. 22 is the result of a scribal attempt to deliver David from the implied consequences of this oath. The present translation follows the LXX rather than the MT here.
1 Samuel 25:22 tn Heb “one who urinates against a wall” (also in v. 34); KJV “any that pisseth against the wall.” At first this may seem to be a vulgar phrase because it refers to a bodily function and David is angry. But David uses the same phrase when he speaks in a conciliatory way to Abigail in v. 34. There is no clear point to his using a vulgar phrase in that context. Similarly for the narrator in 1 Kgs 16:11 and the Lord’s oracles in 1 Kgs 14:10; 21:21; 2 Kgs 9:8, any rhetorical reason for vulgarity is unclear. The phrase refers to males, is not with certainty crude, and the addition of the phrase “at a wall” does not communicate well in the modern setting. We we have chosen to simply use “male” for this phrase.
1 Samuel 25:25 tn Heb “and foolishness is with him.”
1 Samuel 25:25 tn Heb “my lord’s servants, whom you sent.”
1 Samuel 25:27 tn Heb “blessing.”
1 Samuel 25:27 tn Heb “are walking at the feet of.”
1 Samuel 25:29 tn Cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “bundle”; NLT “treasure pouch.”
1 Samuel 25:30 tn Heb “according to all which he spoke, the good concerning you.”
1 Samuel 25:30 tn Heb “appoint.”
1 Samuel 25:31 tn Heb “and this will not be for you for staggering and for stumbling of the heart of my lord.”
1 Samuel 25:31 tn Heb “and the Lord will do well for my lord.”
1 Samuel 25:32 tn Heb “blessed” (also in vv. 33, 39).
1 Samuel 25:33 tn Heb “blessed.”
1 Samuel 25:35 tn Heb “up.”
1 Samuel 25:35 tn Heb “your voice.”
1 Samuel 25:35 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face.”
1 Samuel 25:36 tn Heb “and the heart of Nabal was good upon him”; NASB, NRSV “Nabal’s heart was merry within him”; NIV “he was in high spirits”; NCV, TEV “was in a good mood”; CEV “was very drunk and feeling good.”
1 Samuel 25:36 tn Heb “and she did not tell him a thing, small or large.”
1 Samuel 25:37 tn Heb “when the wine had gone out from Nabal.”
1 Samuel 25:37 tn Heb “and his heart died within him and he became a stone.” Cf. TEV, NLT “stroke”; CEV “heart attack.” For an alternative interpretation than that presented above, see Marjorie O’Rourke Boyle, “The Law of the Heart: The Death of a Fool (1 Samuel 25),” JBL 120 (2001): 401-27, who argues that a medical diagnosis is not necessary here. Instead, the passage makes a connection between the heart and the law; Nabal dies for his lawlessness.
1 Samuel 25:39 tn Heb “who has argued the case of my insult from the hand of Nabal.”
1 Samuel 25:39 tn Heb “his servant he has held back from evil, and the evil of Nabal the Lord has turned back on his head.”
1 Samuel 25:41 tn Heb “Here is your maidservant, for a lowly servant to wash.”
1 Samuel 25:42 tn Heb “going at her feet.”
1 Samuel 25:43 tn Heb “taken.”

John 10:22-42

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

²²Then came the feast of the Dedication^[a] in Jerusalem. ²³It was winter,^[b] and Jesus was walking in the temple area^[c] in Solomon’s Portico.^[d] ²⁴The Jewish leaders^[e] surrounded him and asked,^[f] “How long will you keep us in suspense?^[g] If you are the Christ,^[h] tell us plainly.”^[i] ²⁵Jesus replied,^[j] “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds^[k] I do in my Father’s name testify about me. ²⁶But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give^[l] them eternal life, and they will never perish;^[m] no one will snatch^[n] them from my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,^[o] and no one can snatch^[p] them from my Father’s hand. ³⁰The Father and I^[q] are one.”^[r]

³¹The Jewish leaders^[s] picked up rocks again to stone him to death. ³²Jesus said to them,^[t] “I have shown you many good deeds^[u] from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?” ³³The Jewish leaders^[v] replied,^[w] “We are not going to stone you for a good deed^[x] but for blasphemy,^[y] because^[z] you, a man, are claiming to be God.”^[aa]

³⁴Jesus answered,^[ab] “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’?^[ac] ³⁵If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken),^[ad] ³⁶do you say about the one whom the Father set apart^[ae] and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? ³⁷If I do not perform^[af] the deeds^[ag] of my Father, do not believe me. ³⁸But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds,^[ah] so that you may come to know^[ai] and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” ³⁹Then^[aj] they attempted^[ak] again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches.^[al]

⁴⁰Jesus^[am] went back across the Jordan River^[an] again to the place where John^[ao] had been baptizing at an earlier time,^[ap] and he stayed there. ⁴¹Many^[aq] came to him and began to say, “John^[ar] performed^[as] no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man^[at] was true!” ⁴²And many believed in Jesus^[au] there.

Footnotes

John 10:22 tn That is, Hanukkah or the ‘Festival of Lights.’ The Greek name for the feast, τὰ ἐγκαίνια (ta enkainia), literally means “renewal” and was used to translate Hanukkah which means “dedication.” The Greek noun, with its related verbs, was the standard term used in the LXX for the consecration of the altar of the Tabernacle (Num 7:10-11), the altar of the temple of Solomon (1 Kgs 8:63; 2 Chr 7:5), and the altar of the second temple (Ezra 6:16). The word is thus connected with the consecration of all the houses of God in the history of the nation of Israel.sn The feast of the Dedication (also known as Hanukkah) was a feast celebrating annually the Maccabean victories of 165-164 b.c.—when Judas Maccabeus drove out the Syrians, rebuilt the altar, and rededicated the temple on 25 Kislev (1 Macc 4:41-61). From a historical standpoint, it was the last great deliverance the Jewish people had experienced, and it came at a time when least expected. Josephus ends his account of the institution of the festival with the following statement: “And from that time to the present we observe this festival, which we call the festival of Lights, giving this name to it, I think, from the fact that the right to worship appeared to us at a time when we hardly dared hope for it” (Ant. 12.7.6 [12.325]).
John 10:23 sn It was winter. The feast began on 25 Kislev, in November-December of the modern Gregorian calendar.
John 10:23 tn Grk “in the temple.”
John 10:23 tn Or “portico,” “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”sn Solomon’s Portico was a covered walkway formed by rows of columns supporting a roof and open on the inner side facing the center of the temple complex.
John 10:24 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. The question they ask Jesus (“Are you the Christ?”) is the same one they sent and asked of John the Baptist in the desert (see John 1:19-34). See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish people” in v. 19.
John 10:24 tn Grk “said to him.” This has been translated as “asked” for stylistic reasons.
John 10:24 tn Grk “How long will you take away our life?” (an idiom which meant to keep one from coming to a conclusion about something). The use of the phrase τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις (tēn psuchēn hēmōn aireis) meaning “to keep in suspense” is not well attested, although it certainly fits the context here. In modern Greek the phrase means “to annoy, bother.”
John 10:24 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
John 10:24 tn Or “publicly.”
John 10:25 tn Grk “answered them.”
John 10:25 tn Or “the works.”
John 10:28 tn Grk “And I give.”
John 10:28 tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”
John 10:28 tn Or “no one will seize.”
John 10:29 tn Or “is superior to all.”
John 10:29 tn Or “no one can seize.”
John 10:30 tn Grk “I and the Father.” The order has been reversed to reflect English style.
John 10:30 tn The phrase ἕν ἐσμεν (hen esmen) is a significant assertion with trinitarian implications. ἕν is neuter, not masculine, so the assertion is not that Jesus and the Father are one person, but one “thing.” Identity of the two persons is not what is asserted, but essential unity (unity of essence).
John 10:31 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrases “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in v. 24.
John 10:32 tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”
John 10:32 tn Or “good works.”
John 10:33 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here again the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrase “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in vv. 24, 31.
John 10:33 tn Grk “answered him.”
John 10:33 tn Or “good work.”
John 10:33 sn This is the first time the official charge of blasphemy is voiced openly in the Fourth Gospel (although it was implicit in John 8:59). Blasphemy in the NT has a somewhat broader meaning than mere utterances. It could mean to say something that dishonored God, but it could also involve claims to divine prerogatives (in this case, Jesus’ claim to oneness with the Father, v. 30). Such claims were viewed as usurping God’s majesty or honor. The remark here raised directly the issue of the identity of Jesus himself as God’s representative.
John 10:33 tn Grk “and because.”
John 10:33 tn Grk “you, a man, make yourself to be God.”
John 10:34 tn Grk “answered them.”
John 10:34 sn A quotation from Ps 82:6. Technically the Psalms are not part of the OT “law” (which usually referred to the five books of Moses), but occasionally the term “law” was applied to the entire OT, as here. The problem in this verse concerns the meaning of Jesus’ quotation from Ps 82:6. It is important to look at the OT context: The whole line reads “I say, you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.” Jesus will pick up on the term “sons of the Most High” in 10:36, where he refers to himself as the Son of God. The psalm was understood in rabbinic circles as an attack on unjust judges who, though they have been given the title “gods” because of their quasi-divine function of exercising judgment, are just as mortal as other men. What is the argument here? It is often thought to be as follows: If it was an OT practice to refer to men like the judges as gods, and not blasphemy, why did the Jewish authorities object when this term was applied to Jesus? This really doesn’t seem to fit the context, however, since if that were the case Jesus would not be making any claim for “divinity” for himself over and above any other human being—and therefore he would not be subject to the charge of blasphemy. Rather, this is evidently a case of arguing from the lesser to the greater, a common form of rabbinic argument. The reason the OT judges could be called gods is because they were vehicles of the word of God (cf. 10:35). But granting that premise, Jesus deserves much more than they to be called God. He is the Word incarnate, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world to save the world (10:36). In light of the prologue to the Gospel of John, it seems this interpretation would have been most natural for the author. If it is permissible to call men “gods” because they were the vehicles of the word of God, how much more permissible is it to use the word “God” of him who is the Word of God?
John 10:35 sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.
John 10:36 tn Or “dedicated.”
John 10:37 tn Or “do.”
John 10:37 tn Or “works.”
John 10:38 tn Or “works.”sn Jesus says that in the final analysis, the deeds he did should indicate whether he was truly from the Father. If the authorities could not believe in him, it would be better to believe in the deeds he did than not to believe at all.
John 10:38 tn Or “so that you may learn.”
John 10:39 tc It is difficult to decide between ἐζήτουν οὖν (ezētoun oun, “then they were seeking”; P⁶⁶ א A L W Ψ ƒ^1,13 33 pm lat), ἐζήτουν δέ (ezētoun de, “now they were seeking”; P⁴⁵ and a few versional witnesses), καὶ ἐζήτουν (kai ezētoun, “and they were seeking”; D), and ἐζήτουν (P^75vid B Γ Θ 700 pm). Externally, the most viable readings are ἐζήτουν οὖν and ἐζήτουν. Transcriptionally, the οὖν could have dropped out via haplography since the verb ends in the same three letters. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain the readings with δέ or καί if ἐζήτουν οὖν is autographic; such readings would more likely have arisen from the simple ἐζήτουν. Intrinsically, John is fond of οὖν, using it some 200 times. Further, this Gospel begins relatively few sentences without some conjunction. The minimal support for the δέ and καί readings suggests that they arose either from the lone verb reading (which would thus be prior to their respective Vorlagen but not necessarily the earliest reading) or through carelessness on the part of the scribes. Indeed, the ancestors of P⁴⁵ and D may have committed haplography, leaving later scribes in the chain to guess at the conjunction needed. In sum, the best reading appears to be ἐζήτουν οὖν.
John 10:39 tn Grk “they were seeking.”
John 10:39 tn Grk “he departed out of their hand.”sn It is not clear whether the authorities simply sought to “arrest” him, or were renewing their attempt to stone him (cf. John 10:31) by seizing him and taking him out to be stoned. In either event, Jesus escaped their clutches. Nor is it clear whether Jesus’ escape is to be understood as a miracle. If so, the text gives little indication and even less description. What is clear is that until his “hour” comes, Jesus is completely safe from the hands of men: His enemies are powerless to touch him until they are permitted to do so.
John 10:40 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 10:40 tn The word “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
John 10:40 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
John 10:40 tn Grk “formerly.”sn This refers to the city of Bethany across the Jordan River (see John 1:28).
John 10:41 tn Grk “And many.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
John 10:41 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
John 10:41 tn Grk “did.”
John 10:41 tn Grk “this one.”
John 10:42 tn Grk “in him.”

Psalm 116

Psalm 116^[a]

116 I love the Lord
because he heard my plea for mercy,^[b]
²and listened to me.^[c]
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.^[d]
³The ropes of death tightened around me,^[e]
the snares^[f] of Sheol confronted me.
I was confronted^[g] with trouble and sorrow.
⁴I called on the name of the Lord,
“Please, Lord, rescue my life!”
⁵The Lord is merciful and fair;
our God is compassionate.
⁶The Lord protects^[h] the untrained;^[i]
I was in serious trouble^[j] and he delivered me.
⁷Rest once more, my soul,^[k]
for the Lord has vindicated you.^[l]
⁸Yes,^[m] Lord,^[n] you rescued my life from death,
kept my eyes from tears
and my feet from stumbling.
⁹I will serve^[o] the Lord
in the land^[p] of the living.
¹⁰I had faith when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”
¹¹I rashly declared,^[q]
“All men are liars.”
¹²How can I repay the Lord
for all his acts of kindness to me?
¹³I will celebrate my deliverance,^[r]
and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁴I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people.
¹⁵The Lord values
the lives of his faithful followers.^[s]
¹⁶Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your female servant.^[t]
You saved me from death.^[u]
¹⁷I will present a thank offering to you,
and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people,
¹⁹in the courts of the Lord’s temple,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

Psalm 116:1 sn Psalm 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.
Psalm 116:1 tn Heb “I love because the Lord heard my voice, my pleas.” It is possible that “the Lord” originally appeared directly after “I love” and was later accidentally misplaced. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls that God heard his cry for help (note the perfect in v. 2a and the narrative in vv. 3-4).
Psalm 116:2 tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”
Psalm 116:2 tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”
Psalm 116:3 tn Heb “surrounded me.”
Psalm 116:3 tn The Hebrew noun מֵצַר (metsar, “straits; distress”) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. מֵצַר, “the straits of Sheol”; NIV “the anguish of the grave”; NRSV “the pangs of Sheol”). However, HALOT 624 s.v. מֵצַר suggests an emendation to מְצָדֵי (m^etsade, “snares of”), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.
Psalm 116:3 tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.
Psalm 116:6 tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the Lord.
Psalm 116:6 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Ps 19:7.
Psalm 116:6 tn Heb “I was low.”
Psalm 116:7 tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”
Psalm 116:7 tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ʿal) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).
Psalm 116:8 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 116:8 tn “Lord” is supplied here in the translation for clarification.
Psalm 116:9 tn Heb “walk before” (see Ps 56:13). On the meaning of the Hebrew idiom, see the notes at 2 Kgs 20:3/Isa 38:3.
Psalm 116:9 tn Heb “lands, regions.”
Psalm 116:11 tn Heb “I said in my haste.”
Psalm 116:13 tn Heb “a cup of deliverance I will lift up.” Perhaps this alludes to a drink offering the psalmist will present as he thanks the Lord for his deliverance. See v. 17.
Psalm 116:15 tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the Lord [is] the death of his godly ones.” The point is not that God delights in or finds satisfaction in the death of his followers! The psalmist, who has been delivered from death, affirms that the life-threatening experiences of God’s followers get God’s attention, just as a precious or rare object would attract someone’s eye. See Ps 72:14 for a similar expression of this belief.
Psalm 116:16 tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). It may used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant. Or it may be a reference to the psalmist’s own mother who also was a servant of the Lord.
Psalm 116:16 tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).

Proverbs 15:20-21

²⁰A wise child^[a] brings joy to his father,
but a foolish person^[b] despises^[c] his mother.
²¹Folly is a joy to one who lacks sense,^[d]
but one who has understanding^[e] follows an upright course.^[f]

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

The Daily Audio Bible

David Spares Saul’s Life

The Death of Samuel

David Marries Abigail the Widow of Nabal

Footnotes

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

Footnotes

Psalm 116[a]

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 116^[a]