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Zechariah 11-14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Zechariah 11-14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 11
The Cry of Trees, Shepherds, and Lions
1 Open your doors, Lebanon,
that fire may devour your cedars!
2 Wail, cypress trees,
for the cedars are fallen,
the mighty are destroyed!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
for the dense forest is cut down!
3 Listen! the wailing of shepherds,
their glory has been destroyed.
Listen! the roaring of young lions,
the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
The Shepherd Narrative.[a](A) 4 Thus says the Lord, my God: Shepherd the flock to be slaughtered.(B) 5 For they who buy them slay them and are not held accountable; while those who sell them say, “Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich!” Even their own shepherds will not pity them. 6 For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the earth—oracle of the Lord.—Yes, I will deliver them into each other’s power, or into the power of their kings; they will crush the earth, and I will not deliver it out of their power.
7 So I shepherded the flock to be slaughtered for the merchants of the flock. I took two staffs: one I called Delight, and the other Union. Thus I shepherded the flock. 8 In a single month, I did away with the three shepherds, for I wearied of them, and they disdained me. 9 “I will not shepherd you,” I said. “Whoever is to die shall die; whoever is to be done away with shall be done away with; and those who are left shall devour one another’s flesh.”
10 Then I took my staff Delight and snapped it in two, breaking my covenant which I had made with all peoples. 11 So it was broken on that day. The merchants of the flock, who were watching me, understood that this was the word of the Lord. 12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, withhold them.”(C) And they counted out my wages,(D) thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, Throw it in the treasury—the handsome price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the Lord. 14 Then I snapped in two my second staff, Union, breaking the kinship between Judah and Israel.
15 The Lord said to me: This time take the gear of a foolish shepherd.(E) 16 For I am raising up a shepherd in the land who will take no note of those that disappear, nor seek the strays, nor heal the injured,(F) nor feed the exhausted; but he will eat the flesh of the fat ones and tear off their hoofs!
Oracle to the Worthless Shepherd
17 Ah! my worthless shepherd
who forsakes the flock!(G)
May the sword fall upon his arm
and upon his right eye;
His arm will surely wither,
and his right eye surely go blind!
Chapter 12
Oracles Concerning the Nations and Judah.[b] 1 An oracle:[c] The word of the Lord concerning Israel—oracle of the Lord, who spreads out the heavens, lays the foundations of the earth, and fashions the human spirit within:(H) 2 See, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling[d] for all peoples round about.(I) Judah will be besieged, even Jerusalem. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all peoples. All who attempt to lift it will injure themselves badly, though all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4 On that day—oracle of the Lord—I will strike every horse with fright, and its rider with madness. But over the house of Judah I will keep watch, while I strike blind all the horses of the peoples. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say to themselves, “The inhabitants of Jerusalem have their strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.”(J) 6 On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a brazier of fire in the woodland and like a burning torch among sheaves, and they will devour right and left all the surrounding peoples; but Jerusalem will again inhabit its own place.(K)
7 The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be exalted over Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David on that day; and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them.
9 On that day I will seek the destruction of all nations that come against Jerusalem.(L) 10 I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of mercy and supplication, so that when they look on him whom they have thrust through,[e](M) they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and they will grieve for him as one grieves over a firstborn.(N)
Catalogue of Mourners. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.[f] 12 And the land shall mourn, each family apart: the family of the house of David, and their women; the family of the house of Nathan, and their women; 13 the family of the house of Levi, and their women; the family of Shimei, and their women; 14 and all the rest of the families, each family apart, and the women apart.
Chapter 13
Oracles Concerning the End of False Prophecy.[g] 1 On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David[h] and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to purify from sin and uncleanness.(O)
2 On that day—oracle of the Lord of hosts—I will destroy the names of the idols from the land, so that they will be mentioned no more; I will also remove the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness from the land. 3 If any still prophesy, their father and mother who bore them will say, “You will not live, because you have spoken a lie in the name of the Lord.” Their father and mother who bore them will thrust them through when they prophesy.(P)
4 On that day, all prophets will be ashamed of the visions they prophesy; and they will not put on the hairy mantle[i] to mislead,(Q) 5 but each will say, “I am not a prophet. I am a tiller of the soil, for I have owned land since my youth.”(R) 6 And if anyone asks, “What are these wounds on your chest?”[j] each will answer, “I received these wounds in the house of my friends.”(S)
The Song of the Sword
7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the one who is my associate
—oracle of the Lord of hosts.
Strike the shepherd
that the sheep may be scattered;[k](T)
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In all the land—oracle of the Lord—
two thirds of them will be cut off and perish,
and one third will be left.
9 I will bring the one third through the fire;
I will refine them as one refines silver,(U)
and I will test them as one tests gold.
They will call upon my name, and I will answer them;(V)
I will say, “They are my people,”(W)
and they will say, “The Lord is my God.”
Chapter 14
Devastation and Rescue of Jerusalem. 1 [l]A day is coming for the Lord when the spoils taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 And I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle: The city will be taken, houses will be plundered, women raped; half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, fighting as on a day of battle.(X) 4 On that day God’s feet will stand[m] on the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem to the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west by a very deep valley,(Y) and half of the mountain will move to the north and half of it to the south. 5 You will flee by the valley between the mountains, for the valley between the mountains will reach to Azal. Thus you will flee as you fled because of the earthquake[n] in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.(Z) Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all his holy ones with him.(AA)
Jerusalem Restored. 6 On that day there will no longer be cold or frost. 7 There will be one continuous day—it is known to the Lord—not day and night, for in the evening there will be light. 8 On that day, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem,(AB) half to the eastern sea, and half to the western sea. This will be so in summer and in winter. 9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth;(AC) on that day the Lord will be the only one, and the Lord’s name the only one. 10 All the land will turn into a plain, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, which will stand exalted in its place—from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the first gate, to the Corner Gate and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 The city will be inhabited; never again will it be doomed. Jerusalem will dwell securely.(AD)
The Fate of Jerusalem’s Foes. 12 And this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that have fought against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.(AE) 13 On that day a great panic from the Lord will be upon them.(AF) They will seize each other’s hands, and their hands will be raised against each other. 14 Even Judah will fight against Jerusalem. The riches of all the surrounding nations will be gathered together—gold, silver, and garments—in great abundance. 15 Like the plague on human beings will be the plague upon the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and upon all the beasts that are in those camps.
The Future: Jerusalem, Judah, and the Nations. 16 Everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to bow down to the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the feast of Booths.[o](AG) 17 Should any of the families of the earth(AH) not go up to Jerusalem to bow down to the King, the Lord of hosts, then there will be no rain for them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, upon them will fall the plague,(AI) with which the Lord strikes the nations that do not go up to celebrate the feast of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the feast of Booths.
20 On that day, “Holy to the Lord”(AJ) will be written on the horses’ bells.[p] The pots in the house of the Lord will be as the basins before the altar. 21 Every pot[q] in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts. All who come to sacrifice will take them and cook in them. No longer will there be merchants in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.
Footnotes
- 11:4–17 This narrative has features of an allegory, a parable, and a commissioning narrative. The use of a symbolic action (vv. 7, 10, 14), however, places this text squarely in the tradition of classical prophecy. For example, the staff “Delight” signifies the Mosaic covenant, and the staff “Union” signifies the union of Israel and Judah. Breaking the staffs signifies the breaking of the Mosaic covenant (resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile) and the historical schism between north and south. In this narrative the prophet is the “shepherd” of God’s flock, which is to be slaughtered. The “three shepherds” of v. 8 represent either leaders responsible for the decay in Israelite society or false prophets (cf. vv. 15, 17 and 13:2–6). The service of the good shepherd is contemptuously valued at thirty pieces of silver, the legal indemnity for a gored slave (Ex 21:32). The prophet throws the money into the Temple treasury, showing how poorly God’s love is requited (cf. Mt 26:14–16; 27:5). With great rhetorical irony, payment is rejected. The entire wage-payment scenario may be regarded as another symbolic action, embedded within the primary action.
- 12:1–10 The oracles deal with (1) the status of Judah in relation to other political powers in the world that threaten its existence and (2) the reordering of Judah’s internal structures so that its future can be realized. That future is linked to the fortunes of the house of David, which is mentioned five times between 12:7 and 13:1 (12:7, 8, 10, 12; 13:1).
- 12:1 An oracle: part two of Second Zechariah begins with the same heading as that of part one (9:1; also Mal 1:1), suggesting two distinct blocks of material. The unusual cluster of introductory terms that follow the heading greatly intensifies the claim of prophetic authority, apparently an issue in postexilic prophecy.
- 12:2 Cup of reeling: like a cup filled with intoxicating drink, Jerusalem will cause the nations to stumble and fall (cf. Is 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15; 49:12; Lam 4:21).
- 12:10 They look on him…thrust through: another possible rendering is “they shall look to me concerning him…thrust through.” In either case, the victim is an enigmatic figure, perhaps referring to a Davidic descendant, a priestly leader, or even a true prophet. Some historical event, unknown to us from any surviving source, may underlie this reference. The Gospel of John applies this text to the piercing of Christ’s side after his death (19:37).
- 12:11 The mourning for the pierced victim in Jerusalem is compared to the annual ritual mourning in the plain of Megiddo over the death of the Phoenician fertility god, Hadadrimmon. According to others, Hadadrimmon is the name of a place near Megiddo, and the reference would then be to the mourning over the death of King Josiah at the hands of Pharaoh Neco in 609 B.C.; cf. 2 Kgs 23:29–30; 2 Chr 35:22–25.
- 13:1–6 False prophecy is a major theme of Second Zechariah (chaps. 9–14) and figures in many other passages (10:1–2; 11; 12:10). Problems of idolatry and false prophecy occurred in postexilic Judah as they had in preexilic times. The understanding of the role of the prophet as an intermediary was challenged because (1) there was no king in Jerusalem, and (2) the texts of earlier prophets were beginning to be accorded the authority of prophetic tradition.
- 13:1 For the house of David: anticipation that a cleansed leadership will enable the re-established monarchy to be rid of the misdeeds of its past.
- 13:4 Hairy mantle: worn by prophets as a sign of their calling, for example, Elijah (1 Kgs 19:13; 2 Kgs 1:8) and John the Baptist (Mt 3:4).
- 13:6 Wounds on your chest: lit., “wounds between your hands.” The false prophets, like the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs 18:28), apparently inflicted wounds on themselves. Here it seems that persons accused of false prophecy deny having inflicted wounds on themselves and instead claim that they have received them at the houses of their friends.
- 13:7 Strike the shepherd…may be scattered: in Matthew’s Gospel (26:31) Jesus makes use of this text before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and the flight of the disciples.
- 14:1–21 The marked eschatalogical thrust of Zec 9–14 culminates in this apocalyptic description, with its astonishing images of the day of the Lord. This last and longest chapter focuses on the restoration of Jerusalem and the return of the people of Zion so that the rest of the world will acknowledge God’s sovereignty. Four units constitute this chapter: vv. 1–5 concentrate on the destruction and rescue of Jerusalem and the escape of a remnant; vv. 6–11 describe the transformation of the climate and the topography of Jerusalem; vv. 12–15 depict the defeat of Jerusalem’s enemies; and vv. 16–21 outline a vision for the end time, in which even foreign nations will make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to acknowledge God’s universal reign.
- 14:4 God’s feet will stand: a remarkable anthropomorphic image adds emphasis to the traditional Old Testament scene of God appearing on a mountain and causing extreme reactions such as quaking, melting, shattering (see Ex 19:18; Ps 97:5; Hb 3:6). The Mount of Olives is split, which opens a way for those fleeing from the Lord’s appearance to escape from Jerusalem.
- 14:5 Earthquake: Amos 1:1 mentions an earthquake in the time of King Uzziah (cf. Is 6:4).
- 14:16 Feast of Booths: fall harvest festival, also known as the “festival of Ingathering” (Ex 23:16; 34:22) or “Booths” (Lv 23:33–36; Dt 16:13–15; 31:9–13). The singling out of this festival indicates its special status in the sacred calendar; it is frequently referred to as “the feast” (1 Kgs 8:1–2; 2 Chr 5:3; Ez 45:25).
- 14:20 Horses’ bells: even these bells, part of the trappings of animals used for war, will become holy in the end time, like the bells of the high priest’s garb (cf. Ex 28:34).
- 14:21 Every pot: vessels used for mundane food preparation will, in the end time, be as holy as Temple vessels.
Zechariah 11-14
New International Version
Zechariah 11-14
New International Version
11 Open your doors, Lebanon,(A)
so that fire(B) may devour your cedars!
2 Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen;
the stately trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks(C) of Bashan;
the dense forest(D) has been cut down!(E)
3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds;
their rich pastures are destroyed!
Listen to the roar of the lions;(F)
the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!(G)
Two Shepherds
4 This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.(H) 5 Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.(I) 6 For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors(J) and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”(K)
7 So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,(L) particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. 8 In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.
The flock detested(M) me, and I grew weary of them 9 and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.(N) Let those who are left eat(O) one another’s flesh.”
10 Then I took my staff called Favor(P) and broke it, revoking(Q) the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.
12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.(R)
13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver(S) and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.(T)
14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.
17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd,(U)
who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm(V) and his right eye!
May his arm be completely withered,
his right eye totally blinded!”(W)
Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed
12 A prophecy:(X) The word of the Lord concerning Israel.
The Lord, who stretches out the heavens,(Y) who lays the foundation of the earth,(Z) and who forms the human spirit within a person,(AA) declares: 2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup(AB) that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.(AC) Judah(AD) will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations(AE) of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock(AF) for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure(AG) themselves. 4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.(AH) 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong,(AI) because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot(AJ) in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume(AK) all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact(AL) in her place.
7 “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.(AM) 8 On that day the Lord will shield(AN) those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest(AO) among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God,(AP) like the angel of the Lord going before(AQ) them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations(AR) that attack Jerusalem.(AS)
Mourning for the One They Pierced
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a](AT) of grace and supplication.(AU) They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced,(AV) and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,(AW) and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.(AX) 11 On that day the weeping(AY) in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.(AZ) 12 The land will mourn,(BA) each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.(BB)
Cleansing From Sin
13 “On that day a fountain(BC) will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse(BD) them from sin and impurity.
2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols(BE) from the land, and they will be remembered no more,”(BF) declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets(BG) and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3 And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies(BH) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.(BI)
4 “On that day every prophet will be ashamed(BJ) of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment(BK) of hair(BL) in order to deceive.(BM) 5 Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.[c]’(BN) 6 If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body[d]?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’
The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered
7 “Awake, sword,(BO) against my shepherd,(BP)
against the man who is close to me!”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered,(BQ)
and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.(BR)
9 This third I will put into the fire;(BS)
I will refine them like silver(BT)
and test them like gold.(BU)
They will call(BV) on my name(BW)
and I will answer(BX) them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’(BY)
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.(BZ)’”
The Lord Comes and Reigns
14 A day of the Lord(CA) is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions(CB) will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.
2 I will gather all the nations(CC) to Jerusalem to fight against it;(CD) the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.(CE) Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.(CF) 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight(CG) against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.(CH) 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,(CI) east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split(CJ) in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake[e](CK) in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come,(CL) and all the holy ones with him.(CM)
6 On that day there will be neither sunlight(CN) nor cold, frosty darkness. 7 It will be a unique(CO) day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night.(CP) When evening comes, there will be light.(CQ)
8 On that day living water(CR) will flow(CS) out from Jerusalem, half of it east(CT) to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.(CU)
9 The Lord will be king(CV) over the whole earth.(CW) On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.(CX)
10 The whole land, from Geba(CY) to Rimmon,(CZ) south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up(DA) high from the Benjamin Gate(DB) to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate,(DC) and from the Tower of Hananel(DD) to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place.(DE) 11 It will be inhabited;(DF) never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.(DG)
12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike(DH) all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.(DI) 13 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic.(DJ) They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.(DK) 14 Judah(DL) too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected(DM)—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague(DN) will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.
16 Then the survivors(DO) from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship(DP) the King,(DQ) the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DR) 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship(DS) the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.(DT) 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord[f] will bring on them the plague(DU) he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DV) 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DW)
20 On that day holy to the Lord(DX) will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots(DY) in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls(DZ) in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy(EA) to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day(EB) there will no longer be a Canaanite[g](EC) in the house(ED) of the Lord Almighty.(EE)
Footnotes
- Zechariah 12:10 Or the Spirit
- Zechariah 12:10 Or to
- Zechariah 13:5 Or farmer; a man sold me in my youth
- Zechariah 13:6 Or wounds between your hands
- Zechariah 14:5 Or 5 My mountain valley will be blocked and will extend to Azel. It will be blocked as it was blocked because of the earthquake
- Zechariah 14:18 Or part, then the Lord
- Zechariah 14:21 Or merchant
Ben Sira 51:1-12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 51:1-12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 51
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
1 I give you thanks, Lord and King,[a]
I praise you, God my savior!
I declare your name, refuge of my life,(A)
2 because you have ransomed my life from death;
You held back my body from the pit,
and delivered my foot from the power of Sheol.(B)
You have preserved me from the scourge of the slanderous tongue,
and from the lips of those who went over to falsehood.
You were with me against those who rise up against me;
3 You have rescued me according to your abundant mercy(C)
From the snare of those who look for my downfall,
and from the power of those who seek my life.
From many dangers you have saved me,
4 from flames that beset me on every side,(D)
From the midst of fire till there was not a whiff of it,[b]
5 from the deep belly of Sheol,
From deceiving lips and painters of lies,
6 from the arrows of a treacherous tongue.
I was at the point of death,
my life was nearing the depths of Sheol;(E)
7 I turned every way, but there was no one to help;
I looked for support but there was none.(F)
8 Then I remembered the mercies of the Lord,
his acts of kindness through ages past;
For he saves those who take refuge in him,
and rescues them from every evil.
9 So I raised my voice from the grave;
from the gates of Sheol I cried for help.
10 I called out: Lord, you are my Father,
my champion, my savior!
Do not abandon me in time of trouble,
in the midst of storms and dangers.(G)
11 I will always praise your name
and remember you in prayer!
Then the Lord heard my voice,
and listened to my appeal.
12 He saved me from every evil
and preserved me in time of trouble.
For this reason I thank and praise him;
I bless the name of the Lord.[c]
Footnotes
- 51:1–30 This chapter contains two appendixes: a prayer (vv. 1–12) and an autobiographical poem praising wisdom (vv. 13–30).
- 51:4 So complete is the deliverance from fire that even the smell of smoke cannot be detected. Cf. Dn 3:27.
- 51:12
After this verse the Hebrew text gives the litany of praise contained below. It is similar to Ps 136. Though not found in any versions, and therefore of doubtful authenticity, the litany seems from internal evidence to go back to the time of Ben Sira.
Give praise to the Lord, for he is good, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to the God of glory, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to the Guardian of Israel, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to the creator of all things, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to the redeemer of Israel, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to God who gathers the dispersed of Israel, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to God who builds the city and sanctuary, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to God who makes a horn sprout forth for the house of David, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to God who has chosen the sons of Zadok as priests, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to the Shield of Abraham, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to the Rock of Isaac, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to the Mighty One of Jacob, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to God who has chosen Zion, for God’s love endures forever;
Give praise to the King, the king of kings, for God’s love endures forever.
He has lifted up the horn of his people! Let this be his praise from all the faithful,
From Israel, the people near to him. Hallelujah! (Cf. Ps 148:14.)
Philippians 2:5-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Philippians 2:5-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,[a]
6 Who,[b] though he was in the form of God,(A)
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.[c]
7 Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;[d]
and found human in appearance,(B)
8 he humbled himself,(C)
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.[e]
9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name[f]
that is above every name,(D)
10 that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,[g]
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,(E)
11 and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,[h]
to the glory of God the Father.(F)
Obedience and Service in the World.[i]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:5 Have…the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus: or, “that also Christ Jesus had.” While it is often held that Christ here functions as a model for moral imitation, it is not the historical Jesus but the entire Christ event that Phil 2:6–11 depict. Therefore, the appeal is to have in relations among yourselves that same relationship you have in Jesus Christ, i.e., serving one another as you serve Christ (Phil 2:4).
- 2:6–11 Perhaps an early Christian hymn quoted here by Paul. The short rhythmic lines fall into two parts, Phil 2:6–8 where the subject of every verb is Christ, and Phil 2:9–11 where the subject is God. The general pattern is thus of Christ’s humiliation and then exaltation. More precise analyses propose a division into six three-line stanzas (Phil 2:6; 7abc, 7d–8, 9, 10, 11) or into three stanzas (Phil 2:6–7ab, 7cd–8, 9–11). Phrases such as even death on a cross (Phil 2:8c) are considered by some to be additions (by Paul) to the hymn, as are Phil 2:10c, 11c.
- 2:6 Either a reference to Christ’s preexistence and those aspects of divinity that he was willing to give up in order to serve in human form, or to what the man Jesus refused to grasp at to attain divinity. Many see an allusion to the Genesis story: unlike Adam, Jesus, though…in the form of God (Gn 1:26–27), did not reach out for equality with God, in contrast with the first Adam in Gn 3:5–6.
- 2:7 Taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness: or “…taking the form of a slave. Coming in human likeness, and found human in appearance.” While it is common to take Phil 2:6, 7 as dealing with Christ’s preexistence and Phil 2:8 with his incarnate life, so that lines Phil 2:7b, 7c are parallel, it is also possible to interpret so as to exclude any reference to preexistence (see note on Phil 2:6) and to take Phil 2:6–8 as presenting two parallel stanzas about Jesus’ human state (Phil 2:6–7b; 7cd–8); in the latter alternative, coming in human likeness begins the second stanza and parallels 6a to some extent.
- 2:8 There may be reflected here language about the servant of the Lord, Is 52:13–53:12 especially Is 53:12.
- 2:9 The name: “Lord” (Phil 2:11), revealing the true nature of the one who is named.
- 2:10–11 Every knee should bend…every tongue confess: into this language of Is 45:23 there has been inserted a reference to the three levels in the universe, according to ancient thought, heaven, earth, under the earth.
- 2:11 Jesus Christ is Lord: a common early Christian acclamation; cf. 1 Cor 12:3; Rom 10:9. But doxology to God the Father is not overlooked here (Phil 2:11c) in the final version of the hymn.
- 2:12–18 Paul goes on to draw out further ethical implications for daily life (Phil 2:14–18) from the salvation God works in Christ.
Philippians 2:5-11
New International Version
Philippians 2:5-11
New International Version
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:(A)
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,(B)
did not consider equality with God(C) something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing(D)
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,(E)
being made in human likeness.(F)
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death(G)—
even death on a cross!(H)
Footnotes
- Philippians 2:6 Or in the form of
- Philippians 2:7 Or the form
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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