◀ All Reading Plans / Book of Common Prayer / Ps. 148 150; Ps. 91 92; Isa. 55:3–9; Col. 3:1–17; John 14:6–14 (New English Translation)

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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.

Duration: 861 days

Psalm 148

Psalm 148^[a]

148 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the sky.
Praise him in the heavens.
²Praise him, all his angels.^[b]
Praise him, all his heavenly assembly.^[c]
³Praise him, O sun and moon.
Praise him, all you shiny stars.^[d]
⁴Praise him, O highest heaven,
and you waters above the sky.^[e]
⁵Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he gave the command and they came into existence.
⁶He established them so they would endure;^[f]
he issued a decree that will not be revoked.^[g]
⁷Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,
⁸O fire and hail, snow and clouds,^[h]
O stormy wind that carries out his orders,^[i]
⁹you mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars,
¹⁰you animals and all you cattle,
you creeping things and birds,
¹¹you kings of the earth and all you nations,
you princes and all you leaders^[j] on the earth,
¹²you young men and young women,
you elderly, along with you children.
¹³Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty extends over the earth and sky.
¹⁴He has made his people victorious,^[k]
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise—
the Israelites, the people who are close to him.^[l]
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150

Psalm 150^[a]

150 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in the sky, which testifies to his strength!^[b]
²Praise him for his mighty acts;
praise him for his surpassing greatness!
³Praise him with the blast of the horn;
praise him with the lyre and the harp!
⁴Praise him with the tambourine and with dancing;
praise him with stringed instruments and the flute!
⁵Praise him with loud cymbals;
praise him with clanging cymbals!
⁶Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 91-92

Psalm 91^[a]

91 As for you, the one who lives^[b] in the shelter of the Most High,^[c]
and resides in the protective shadow^[d] of the Sovereign One^[e]—
²I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,
my God in whom I trust—
³he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter^[f]
and from the destructive plague.
⁴He will shelter you^[g] with his wings;^[h]
you will find safety under his wings.
His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.^[i]
⁵You need not fear the terrors of the night,^[j]
the arrow that flies by day,
⁶the plague that stalks in the darkness,
or the disease that ravages at noon.^[k]
⁷Though a thousand may fall beside you,
and a multitude on your right side,
it^[l] will not reach you.
⁸Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes—
you will see the wicked paid back.^[m]
⁹For you have taken refuge in the Lord,
my shelter, the Most High.
¹⁰No harm will overtake^[n] you;
no illness^[o] will come near your home.^[p]
¹¹For he will order his angels^[q]
to protect you in all you do.^[r]
¹²They will lift you up in their hands,
so you will not slip and fall on a stone.^[s]
¹³You will subdue^[t] a lion and a snake;^[u]
you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.
¹⁴The Lord says,^[v]
“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;
I will protect him^[w] because he is loyal to me.^[x]
¹⁵When he calls out to me, I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him honor.
¹⁶I will satisfy him with long life,^[y]
and will let him see my salvation.”

Psalm 92^[z]

A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.

92 It is fitting^[aa] to thank the Lord,
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High.^[ab]
²It is fitting^[ac] to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
and your faithfulness during the night,
³to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,
to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
⁴For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done.^[ad]
⁵How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate!^[ae]
⁶The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;
the fool does not understand this.^[af]
⁷When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten,^[ag]
it is so that they may be annihilated.^[ah]
⁸But you, O Lord, reign^[ai] forever.
⁹Indeed,^[aj] look at your enemies, O Lord.
Indeed,^[ak] look at how your enemies perish.
All the evildoers are scattered.
¹⁰You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox.^[al]
I am covered^[am] with fresh oil.
¹¹I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me;^[an]
I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me.^[ao]
¹²The godly^[ap] grow like a palm tree;
they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.^[aq]
¹³Planted in the Lord’s house,
they grow in the courts of our God.
¹⁴They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.^[ar]
¹⁵So they proclaim that the Lord, my Protector,
is just and never unfair.^[as]

Footnotes

Psalm 91:1 sn Psalm 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.
Psalm 91:1 tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”
Psalm 91:1 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
Psalm 91:1 sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).
Psalm 91:1 sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the Sovereign God of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.
Psalm 91:3 tn The word refers specifically to a fowler (or hunter of birds).
Psalm 91:4 tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).
Psalm 91:4 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural should be read. The final י (yod) of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod at the beginning of the next word).
Psalm 91:4 tn Traditionally the Hebrew term סֹחֵרָה (sokherah), which occurs only here in the OT, has been understood to refer to a buckler or small shield (see BDB 695 s.v.). But HALOT 750 s.v., on the basis of evidence from the cognate languages, proposes the meaning “wall.”
Psalm 91:5 tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).
Psalm 91:6 sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.
Psalm 91:7 tn Apparently the deadly disease mentioned in v. 6b is the understood subject here.
Psalm 91:8 tn Heb “retribution on the wicked.”
Psalm 91:10 tn Or “confront.”
Psalm 91:10 tn For this sense of the Hebrew term נגע see Ps 38:11.
Psalm 91:10 tn Heb “your tent.”
Psalm 91:11 tn Heb “for his angels he will command concerning you.”
Psalm 91:11 tn Heb “in all your ways.”
Psalm 91:12 tn Heb “so your foot will not strike a stone.”
Psalm 91:13 tn Heb “walk upon.”
Psalm 91:13 tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).
Psalm 91:14 tn The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the words which follow are the Lord’s oracle of assurance.
Psalm 91:14 tn Or “make him secure” (Heb “set him on high”).
Psalm 91:14 tn Heb “because he knows my name” (see Ps 9:10).
Psalm 91:16 tn Heb “length of days.”
Psalm 92:1 sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.
Psalm 92:1 tn Or “good.”
Psalm 92:1 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
Psalm 92:2 tn The words “it is fitting” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Verses 1-3 are actually one long sentence in the Hebrew text, but this has been divided up into two shorter sentences in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
Psalm 92:4 tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
Psalm 92:5 tn Heb “very deep [are] your thoughts.” God’s “thoughts” refer here to his moral design of the world, as outlined in vv. 6-15.
Psalm 92:6 tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (baʿar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
Psalm 92:7 tn Or “flourish.”
Psalm 92:7 tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”sn God allows the wicked to prosper temporarily so that he might reveal his justice. When the wicked are annihilated, God demonstrates that wickedness does not pay off.
Psalm 92:8 tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”
Psalm 92:9 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 92:9 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 92:10 sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “to exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 92:10 tn The Hebrew verb בָּלַל (balal) usually has the nuance “to mix.” Here it seems to mean “to smear” or “to anoint.” Some emend the form to בַּלֹּתַנִי (ballotani; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.”
Psalm 92:11 tn Heb “my eye gazes upon my walls.” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form שׁוּרָי shuray, “my walls”) should be emended to שׁוֹרְרָי (shor^eray, “my foes” or perhaps “those who rebel against me” or “those who malign me”). See HALOT 1454 s.v. שׁוֹרֵר and also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.
Psalm 92:11 tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”
Psalm 92:12 tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.
Psalm 92:12 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.
Psalm 92:14 tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
Psalm 92:15 tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the Lord, my rocky summit, and there is no injustice in him.”

Isaiah 55:3-9

³Pay attention and come to me.
Listen, so you can live.^[a]
Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to^[b] you,
just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David.^[c]
⁴Look, I made him a witness to nations,^[d]
a ruler and commander of nations.”
⁵Look, you will summon nations^[e] you did not previously know;
nations^[f] that did not previously know you will run to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,^[g]
for he bestows honor on you.
⁶Seek the Lord while he makes himself available;^[h]
call to him while he is nearby!
⁷The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle^[i]
and sinful people their plans.^[j]
They should return^[k] to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them,^[l]
and to their God, for he will freely forgive them.^[m]
⁸“Indeed,^[n] my plans^[o] are not like^[p] your plans,
and my deeds^[q] are not like^[r] your deeds,” says the Lord,
⁹“for just as the sky^[s] is higher than the earth,
so my deeds^[t] are superior to^[u] your deeds
and my plans^[v] superior to your plans.

Footnotes

Isaiah 55:3 tn The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive following the imperative indicates purpose/result.sn To live here refers to covenantal blessing, primarily material prosperity and national security (see vv. 4-5, 13, and Deut 30:6, 15, 19-20).
Isaiah 55:3 tn Or “an eternal covenant with.”
Isaiah 55:3 tn Heb “the reliable expressions of loyalty of David.” The syntactical relationship of חַסְדֵי (khasde, “expressions of loyalty”) to the preceding line is unclear. If the term is appositional to בְּרִית (b^erit, “covenant”), then the Lord here transfers the promises of the Davidic covenant to the entire nation. Another option is to take חַסְדֵי (khasde) as an adverbial accusative and to translate “according to the reliable covenantal promises.” In this case the new covenantal arrangement proposed here is viewed as an extension or perhaps fulfillment of the Davidic promises. A third option, the one reflected in the above translation, is to take the last line as comparative. In this case the new covenant being proposed is analogous to the Davidic covenant. Verses 4-5, which compare David’s international prominence to what Israel will experience, favors this view. In all three of these interpretations, “David” is an objective genitive; he is the recipient of covenantal promises. A fourth option would be to take David as a subjective genitive and understand the line as giving the basis for the preceding promise: “Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, because of David’s faithful acts of covenantal loyalty.”
Isaiah 55:4 sn Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness (cf. Pss 18:50 HT [18:49 ET]; 22:28 HT [22:27 ET]). See J. H. Eaton, Kingship in the Psalms (SBT), 182-84.
Isaiah 55:5 tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs in the next line indicate (note that both “know” and “run” are third plural forms).
Isaiah 55:5 tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs that follow indicate.
Isaiah 55:5 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
Isaiah 55:6 tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.
Isaiah 55:7 tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.
Isaiah 55:7 tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.
Isaiah 55:7 tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”
Isaiah 55:7 tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.
Isaiah 55:7 sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.
Isaiah 55:8 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).
Isaiah 55:8 tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).
Isaiah 55:8 tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.
Isaiah 55:8 tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).
Isaiah 55:8 tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.
Isaiah 55:9 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
Isaiah 55:9 tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).
Isaiah 55:9 tn Heb “are higher than.”
Isaiah 55:9 tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).

Colossians 3:1-17

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, ³for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ (who is your^[a] life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. ⁵So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth:^[b] sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion,^[c] evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.^[d] ⁷You also lived your lives^[e] in this way at one time, when you used to live among them. ⁸But now, put off all such things^[f] as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices ¹⁰and have been clothed with the new man^[g] that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it. ¹¹Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave^[h] or free, but Christ is all and in all.

Exhortation to Unity and Love

¹²Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy,^[i] kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, ¹³bearing with one another and forgiving^[j] one another, if someone happens to have^[k] a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.^[l] ¹⁴And to all these^[m] virtues^[n] add^[o] love, which is the perfect bond.^[p] ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body^[q] to this peace), and be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ^[r] dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace^[s] in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Footnotes

Colossians 3:4 tc Certain mss (B^[*^] D¹ H 0278 1175 1505 1739 2464 M sy sa) read ἡμῶν (hēmōn, “our”), while others (P⁴⁶ א C D* F G P Ψ 075 33 81 1881 al latt bo) read ὑμῶν (humōn, “your”). Internally, it is possible that the second person pronoun arose through scribal conformity to the second person pronoun used previously in v. 3 (ὑμῶν) and following in v. 4 (ὑμεῖς, humeis). But in terms of external criteria, the second person pronoun has superior ms support (though there is an Alexandrian split) and ἡμῶν may have arisen through accident (error of sight) or scribal attempt to universalize the statement since all Christians have Jesus as their life. See TCGNT 557.
Colossians 3:5 tn Grk “the members which are on the earth.” See BDAG 628 s.v. μέλος 1, “put to death whatever in you is worldly.”
Colossians 3:5 tn Or “lust.”
Colossians 3:6 tc The words ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας (epi tous huious tēs apeitheias, “on the sons of disobedience”) are lacking in P⁴⁶ B b sa Cl Ambst Hier, but are found in א A C D F G H I Ψ 075 0278 33 1175 1505 1739 1881 2464 M lat sy bo. The words are omitted by several English translations (NASB, NIV, ESV, TNIV). This textual problem is quite difficult to resolve. On the one hand, the parallel account in Eph 5:6 has these words, thus providing scribes a motive for adding them here. On the other hand, the reading without the words may be too hard: The ἐν οἷς (en |ois) of v. 7 seems to have no antecedent without υἱούς already in the text, although it could possibly be construed as neuter referring to the vice list in v. 5. Further, although the witness of B is especially significant, there are other places in which B and P⁴⁶ share errant readings of omission. Nevertheless, the strength of the internal evidence against the longer reading is at least sufficient to cause doubt here. The decision to retain the words in the text is less than certain. sn The expression sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” In this context it refers to “all those who are disobedient.” Cf. Eph 5:6.
Colossians 3:7 tn Grk “you also walked.” The verb περιπατέω (peripateō) is commonly used in the NT to refer to behavior or conduct of one’s life (L&N 41.11).
Colossians 3:8 tn The Greek article with τὰ πάντα (ta panta) is anaphoric, referring to the previous list of vices, and has been translated here as “all such things.”
Colossians 3:10 sn Put off all such things. The commands in vv. 8-9 are based on two reasons given in vv. 9-10—reasons which are expressed in terms of a metaphor about clothing oneself. Paul says that they have put off the old man and have put on the new man. Two things need to be discussed in reference to Paul’s statement. (1) What is the meaning of the clothing imagery (i.e., the “have put off” and “have been clothed”)? (2) What is the meaning of the old man and the new man? Though some commentators understand the participles “have put off” (v. 9) and “have been clothed” (v. 10) as imperatives (i.e., “put off!” and “put on!”), this use of participles is extremely rare in the NT and thus unlikely here. It is better to take them as having the semantic force of indicatives, and thus they give an explanation of what had happened to the Colossians at the time of their conversion—they had taken off the old man and put on the new when they trusted in Christ (cf. 1:4). While it is difficult to say for certain what the background to Paul’s “clothing” metaphor might be (whether it is primarily Jewish and comes from the OT, or primarily Gentile and comes from some facet of the Greco-Roman religious milieu), it is nonetheless clear, on the basis of Paul’s usage of the expression, that the old man refers to man as he is in Adam and dominated by sin (cf. Rom 6:6; Eph 4:22), while the new man refers to the Christian whose new sphere of existence is in Christ. Though the metaphor of clothing oneself primarily reflects outward actions, there is a distinct inward aspect to it, as the rest of v. 10 indicates: being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it. Paul’s point, then, is that Christians should take off their dirty clothing (inappropriate behavior) and put on clean clothing (behavior consistent with knowing Christ) because this has already been accomplished in a positional sense at the time of their conversion (cf. Gal 3:27 with Rom 13:14).
Colossians 3:11 tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.
Colossians 3:12 tn If the genitive construct σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ (splanchna oiktirmou) is a hendiadys then it would be “compassion” or “tenderheartedness.” See M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 161.
Colossians 3:13 tn For the translation of χαριζόμενοι (charizomenoi) as “forgiving,” see BDAG 1078 s.v. χαρίζομαι 3. The two participles “bearing” (ἀνεχόμενοι, anechomenoi) and “forgiving” (χαριζόμενοι) express the means by which the action of the finite verb “clothe yourselves” is to be carried out.
Colossians 3:13 tn Grk “if someone has”; the term “happens,” though not in the Greek text, is inserted to bring out the force of the third class condition.
Colossians 3:13 tn The expression “forgive others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. It is included in the translation to make the sentence complete and more comprehensible to the English reader.
Colossians 3:14 tn BDAG 365 s.v. ἐπί 7 suggests “to all these” as a translation for ἐπὶ πᾶσιν δὲ τούτοις (epi pasin de toutois).
Colossians 3:14 tn The term “virtues” is not in the Greek text, but is included in the translation to specify the antecedent and to make clear the sense of the pronoun “these.”
Colossians 3:14 tn The verb “add,” though not in the Greek text, is implied, picking up the initial imperative “clothe yourselves.”
Colossians 3:14 tn The genitive τῆς τελειότητος (tēs teleiotētos) has been translated as an attributive genitive, “the perfect bond.”
Colossians 3:15 tn Grk “in one body.” This phrase emphasizes the manner in which the believers were called, not the goal of their calling, and focuses upon their unity.
Colossians 3:16 tc Since “the word of Christ” occurs nowhere else in the NT, two predictable variants arose: “word of God” and “word of the Lord.” Even though some of the witnesses for these variants are impressive (κυρίου [kuriou, “of the Lord”] in א* I 1175 bo Cl; θεοῦ [theou, “of God”] in A C* 33 104 323 945 al), the reading Χριστοῦ (Christou, “of Christ”) is read by an excellent cross-section of witnesses (P⁴⁶ א² B C² D F G Ψ 075 1505 1739 1881 2464 M lat sa). On both internal and external grounds, Χριστοῦ is strongly preferred.
Colossians 3:16 tn Grk “with grace”; “all” is supplied as it is implicitly related to all the previous instructions in the verse.

John 14:6-14

⁶Jesus replied,^[a] “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.^[b] No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you have known me, you will know my Father too.^[c] And from now on you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸Philip said,^[d] “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.”^[e] ⁹Jesus replied,^[f] “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known^[g] me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?^[h] The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative,^[i] but the Father residing in me performs^[j] his miraculous deeds.^[k] ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me,^[l] believe because of the miraculous deeds^[m] themselves. ¹²I tell you the solemn truth,^[n] the person who believes in me will perform^[o] the miraculous deeds^[p] that I am doing,^[q] and will perform^[r] greater deeds^[s] than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name,^[t] so that the Father may be glorified^[u] in the Son. ¹⁴If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Footnotes

John 14:6 tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”
John 14:6 tn Or “I am the way, even the truth and the life.”
John 14:7 tc There is a difficult textual problem here: The statement reads either “If you have known (ἐγνώκατε, egnōkate) me, you will know (γνώσεσθε, gnōsesthe) my Father” or “If you had really known (ἐγνώκειτε, egnōkeite) me, you would have known (ἐγνώκειτε ἄν or ἂν ἤδειτε [egnōkeite an or an ēdeite]) my Father.” The division of the external evidence is difficult, but can be laid out as follows: The mss that have the perfect ἐγνώκατε in the protasis (P⁶⁶ [א D* W] 579 it) also have, for the most part, the future indicative γνώσεσθε in the apodosis (P⁶⁶ א D W [579] sa bo), rendering Jesus’ statement as a first-class condition. The mss that have the pluperfect ἐγνώκειτε in the protasis (A B C D¹ L Θ Ψ ƒ^1,13 33 M) also have, for the most part, a pluperfect in the apodosis (either ἂν ἤδειτε in B C* [L] Q Ψ 1 33 565 al, or ἐγνώκειτε ἄν in A C³ Θ ƒ¹³ M), rendering Jesus’ statement a contrary-to-fact second-class condition. The external evidence slightly favors the first-class condition, since there is an Alexandrian-Western alliance supported by P⁶⁶. As well, the fact that the readings with a second-class condition utilize two different verbs with ἄν in different positions suggests that these readings are secondary. However, it could be argued that the second-class conditions are harder readings in that they speak negatively of the apostles (so K. Aland in TCGNT 207); in this case, the ἐγνώκειτε…ἐγνώκειτε ἄν reading should be given preference. Although a decision is difficult, the first-class condition is to be slightly preferred. In this case Jesus promises the disciples that, assuming they have known him, they will know the Father. Contextually this fits better with the following phrase (v. 7b) which asserts that “from the present time you know him and have seen him” (cf. John 1:18).
John 14:8 tn Grk “said to him.”
John 14:8 tn Or “and that is enough for us.”
John 14:9 tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”
John 14:9 tn Or “recognized.”
John 14:10 tn The mutual interrelationship of the Father and the Son (ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί ἐστιν, egō en tō patri kai ho patēr en emoi estin) is something that Jesus expected even his opponents to recognize (cf. John 10:38). The question Jesus asks of Philip (οὐ πιστεύεις, ou pisteueis) expects the answer “yes.” Note that the following statement is addressed to all the disciples, however, because the plural pronoun (ὑμῖν, humin) is used. Jesus says that his teaching (the words he spoke to them all) did not originate from himself, but the Father, who permanently remains (μένων, menōn) in relationship with Jesus, performs his works. One would have expected “speaks his words” here rather than “performs his works”; many of the church fathers (e.g., Augustine and Chrysostom) identified the two by saying that Jesus’ words were works. But there is an implicit contrast in the next verse between words and works, and v. 12 seems to demand that the works are real works, not just words. It is probably best to see the two terms as related but not identical; there is a progression in the idea here. Both Jesus’ words (recall the Samaritans’ response in John 4:42) and Jesus’ works are revelatory of who he is, but as the next verse indicates, works have greater confirmatory power than words.
John 14:10 tn Grk “I do not speak from myself.”
John 14:10 tn Or “does.”
John 14:10 tn Or “his mighty acts”; Grk “his works.”sn Miraculous deeds is most likely a reference to the miraculous signs Jesus had performed, which he viewed as a manifestation of the mighty acts of God. Those he performed in the presence of the disciples served as a basis for faith (although a secondary basis to their personal relationship to him; see the following verse).
John 14:11 tn The phrase “but if you do not believe me” contains an ellipsis; the Greek text reads Grk “but if not.” The ellipsis has been filled out (“but if [you do] not [believe me]…”) for the benefit of the modern English reader.
John 14:11 tn Grk “because of the works.”sn In the context of a proof or basis for belief, Jesus is referring to the miraculous deeds (signs) he has performed in the presence of the disciples.
John 14:12 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
John 14:12 tn Or “will do.”
John 14:12 tn Grk “the works.”
John 14:12 tn Or “that I do.”sn See the note on miraculous deeds in v. 11.
John 14:12 tn Or “will do.”
John 14:12 tn Grk “greater works.”sn What are the greater deeds that Jesus speaks of, and how is this related to his going to the Father? It is clear from both John 7:39 and 16:7 that the Holy Spirit will not come until Jesus has departed. After Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit to indwell believers in a permanent relationship, believers would be empowered to perform even greater deeds than those Jesus did during his earthly ministry. When the early chapters of Acts are examined, it is clear that, from a numerical standpoint, the deeds of Peter and the other Apostles surpassed those of Jesus in a single day (the day of Pentecost). On that day more were added to the church than had become followers of Jesus during the entire three years of his earthly ministry. And the message went forth not just in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, but to the farthest parts of the known world. This understanding of what Jesus meant by “greater deeds” is more probable than a reference to “more spectacular miracles.” Certainly miraculous deeds were performed by the apostles as recounted in Acts, but these do not appear to have surpassed the works of Jesus himself in either degree or number.
John 14:13 tn Grk “And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.”
John 14:13 tn Or “may be praised” or “may be honored.”

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 148[a]

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Psalm 150[a]

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Psalm 91[a]

Psalm 92[z]

A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.

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Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

Exhortation to Unity and Love

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Psalm 148^[a]

Psalm 150^[a]

Psalm 91^[a]

Psalm 92^[z]