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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 37

Psalm 37^[a]

By David.

37 Do not fret^[b] when wicked men seem to succeed.^[c]
Do not envy evildoers.
²For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants.^[d]
³Trust in the Lord and do what is right.
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity.^[e]
⁴Then you will take delight in the Lord,^[f]
and he will answer your prayers.^[g]
⁵Commit your future to the Lord.^[h]
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.^[i]
⁶He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause.^[j]
⁷Wait patiently for the Lord!^[k]
Wait confidently^[l] for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner,^[m]
a man who carries out wicked schemes.
⁸Do not be angry and frustrated.^[n]
Do not fret. That only leads to trouble.
⁹Wicked men^[o] will be wiped out,^[p]
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land.^[q]
¹⁰Evil men will soon disappear;^[r]
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone.^[s]
¹¹But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity.^[t]
¹²Evil men plot against the godly^[u]
and viciously attack them.^[v]
¹³The Lord laughs in disgust^[w] at them,
for he knows that their day is coming.^[x]
¹⁴Evil men draw their swords
and prepare their bows,
to bring down^[y] the oppressed and needy,
and to slaughter those who are godly.^[z]
¹⁵Their swords will pierce^[aa] their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
¹⁶The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men,^[ab]
¹⁷for evil men will lose their power,^[ac]
but the Lord sustains^[ad] the godly.
¹⁸The Lord watches over the innocent day by day,^[ae]
and they possess a permanent inheritance.^[af]
¹⁹They will not be ashamed when hard times come;^[ag]
when famine comes they will have enough to eat.^[ah]
²⁰But^[ai] evil men will die;
the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated^[aj]—
they will go up in smoke.^[ak]
²¹Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous.^[al]
²²Surely^[am] those favored by the Lord^[an] will possess the land,
but those rejected^[ao] by him will be wiped out.^[ap]
²³The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable.^[aq]
²⁴Even if^[ar] he trips, he will not fall headlong,^[as]
for the Lord holds^[at] his hand.
²⁵I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen the godly abandoned,
or their children^[au] forced to search for food.^[av]
²⁶All day long they show compassion and lend to others,^[aw]
and their children^[ax] are blessed.
²⁷Turn away from evil. Do what is right.^[ay]
Then you will enjoy lasting security.^[az]
²⁸For the Lord promotes^[ba] justice,
and never abandons^[bb] his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure,^[bc]
but the children^[bd] of the wicked are wiped out.^[be]
²⁹The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
³⁰The godly speak wise words
and promote justice.^[bf]
³¹The law of their God controls their thinking;^[bg]
their^[bh] feet do not slip.
³²The wicked set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them.^[bi]
³³But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.^[bj]
³⁴Rely^[bk] on the Lord. Obey his commands.^[bl]
Then he will permit you^[bm] to possess the land;
you will see the demise of the wicked.^[bn]
³⁵I have seen ruthless, wicked people^[bo]
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil.^[bp]
³⁶But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared.^[bq]
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
³⁷Take note of the one who has integrity. Observe the upright.
For the one who promotes peace has a future.^[br]
³⁸Sinful rebels are totally destroyed;^[bs]
the wicked have no future.^[bt]
³⁹But the Lord delivers the godly;^[bu]
he protects them in times of trouble.^[bv]
⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked and delivers them,^[bw]
for they seek his protection.

Footnotes

Psalm 37:1 sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Psalm 37:1 tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.
Psalm 37:1 tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
Psalm 37:2 tn Heb “like green vegetation.”
Psalm 37:3 tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (raʿah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (ʾemunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.
Psalm 37:4 tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
Psalm 37:4 tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
Psalm 37:5 tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.
Psalm 37:5 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.
Psalm 37:6 tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
Psalm 37:7 tn Heb “Be quiet before the Lord!”
Psalm 37:7 tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (v^ehitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (v^etokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, y^ehvah) and (2) the final ל (lamed) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).
Psalm 37:7 tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
Psalm 37:8 tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
Psalm 37:9 tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
Psalm 37:9 tn Or “cut off, removed.”
Psalm 37:9 tn Heb “and those who wait on the Lord, they will possess the land.”
Psalm 37:10 tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”
Psalm 37:10 tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be [there].” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.
Psalm 37:11 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
Psalm 37:12 tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.
Psalm 37:12 tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.
Psalm 37:13 tn Heb “laughs.” As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter (see 2:4). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes the action from the perspective of an eye-witness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
Psalm 37:13 tn Heb “for he sees that his day is coming.” As the following context makes clear (vv. 15, 17, 19-20), “his day” refers to the time when God will destroy evildoers.
Psalm 37:14 tn Heb “to cause to fall.”
Psalm 37:14 tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.
Psalm 37:15 tn Heb “enter into.”
Psalm 37:16 tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.
Psalm 37:17 tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”
Psalm 37:17 tn The active participle here indicates this is characteristically true.
Psalm 37:18 tn Heb “the Lord knows the days of the innocent ones.” He “knows” their days in the sense that he is intimately aware of and involved in their daily struggles. He meets their needs and sustains them.
Psalm 37:18 tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”
Psalm 37:19 tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”
Psalm 37:19 tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”
Psalm 37:20 tn Or “for,” but Hebrew כִּי (ki) in this case would have to extend all the way back to v. 17a. Another option is to understand the particle as asseverative, “surely” (see v. 22).
Psalm 37:20 tc The meaning of the MT (כִּיקַר כָּרִים [kiqar karim], “like what is precious among the pastures/rams”) is uncertain. One possibility is to take the noun כָּרִים as “pastures” and interpret “what is precious” as referring to flowers that blossom but then quickly disappear (see v. 2 and BDB 430 s.v. יָקָר 3). If כָּרִים is taken as “rams,” then “what is precious” might refer to the choicest portions of rams. The present translation follows a reading in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QpPs37), כיקוד כורם (“like the burning of an oven”). The next line, which pictures the Lord’s enemies being consumed in smoke, supports this reading, which assumes confusion of the Hebrew letters ר (resh) and ד (dalet) at the end of the first word in the sequence.
Psalm 37:20 tn Heb “they perish in smoke, they perish.” In addition to repeating the verb for emphasis, the psalmist uses the perfect form of the verb to picture the enemies’ demise as if it had already taken place. In this way he draws attention to the certitude of their judgment.
Psalm 37:21 tn Heb “an evil [man] borrows and does not repay, but a godly [man] is gracious and gives.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The three active participles and one imperfect (“repay”) draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the two types.
Psalm 37:22 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.
Psalm 37:22 tn Heb “those blessed by him.” The pronoun “him” must refer to the Lord (see vv. 20, 23), so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Psalm 37:22 tn Heb “cursed.”
Psalm 37:22 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).
Psalm 37:23 tn Heb “from the Lord the steps of a man are established, and in his way he delights.” The second line qualifies the first. The man whose behavior is commendable in God’s sight is the one whose ways are established by God. Another option is that the second line refers to the godly man delighting in God’s “way,” namely the lifestyle which he prescribes for men. In this case one might translate, “The Lord grants success to the one who desires to obey his commands.”
Psalm 37:24 tn Other translation options for כִּי (ki) in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
Psalm 37:24 tn Heb “be hurled down.”
Psalm 37:24 tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.
Psalm 37:25 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
Psalm 37:25 tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.
Psalm 37:26 tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
Psalm 37:26 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
Psalm 37:27 tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).
Psalm 37:27 tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.
Psalm 37:28 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.
Psalm 37:28 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
Psalm 37:28 tn Or “protected forever.”
Psalm 37:28 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
Psalm 37:28 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
Psalm 37:30 tn Heb “The mouth of the godly [one] utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.
Psalm 37:31 tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
Psalm 37:31 tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.
Psalm 37:32 tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
Psalm 37:33 tn Heb “the Lord does not abandon him into his hand or condemn him when he is judged.” The imperfects draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic behavior in this regard.
Psalm 37:34 tn Or “wait.”
Psalm 37:34 tn Heb “keep his way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord. In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.
Psalm 37:34 tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.
Psalm 37:34 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
Psalm 37:35 tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.
Psalm 37:35 tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mitʿareh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (ʿarah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (ʿalah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (ʾezrakh, “native, full citizen”) refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.
Psalm 37:36 tn Heb “and he passes by and, look, he is not [there].” The subject of the verb “passes by” is probably indefinite, referring to any passerby. Some prefer to change the form to first person, “and I passed by” (cf. NEB; note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line).
Psalm 37:37 tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (ʾakharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).
Psalm 37:38 tn Or “destroyed together.” In this case the psalmist pictures judgment sweeping them away as a group.
Psalm 37:38 tn Heb “the end of evil men is cut off.” As in v. 37, some interpret אַחֲרִית (ʾakharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see Ps 109:13). The perfect verbal forms in v. 38 probably express general truths. Another option is that they are used emphatically to state with certitude that the demise of the wicked is as good as done.
Psalm 37:39 tn Heb “and the deliverance of the godly [ones] [is] from the Lord.”
Psalm 37:39 tn Heb “[he is] their place of refuge in a time of trouble.”
Psalm 37:40 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.

Deuteronomy 4:32-40

The Uniqueness of Israel’s God

³²Indeed, ask about the distant past, starting from the day God created humankind^[a] on the earth, and ask^[b] from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has ever been such a great thing as this, or even a rumor of it. ³³Have a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire, as you yourselves have, and lived to tell about it? ³⁴Or has God^[c] ever before tried to deliver^[d] a nation from the middle of another nation, accompanied by judgments,^[e] signs, wonders, war, strength, power,^[f] and other very terrifying things like the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? ³⁵You have been taught that the Lord alone is God—there is no other besides him. ³⁶From heaven he spoke to you in order to teach you, and on earth he showed you his great fire from which you also heard his words.^[g] ³⁷Moreover, because he loved^[h] your ancestors, he chose their^[i] descendants who followed them and personally brought you out of Egypt with his great power ³⁸to dispossess nations greater and stronger than you and brought you here this day to give you their land as your property.^[j] ³⁹Today realize and carefully consider that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below—there is no other! ⁴⁰Keep his statutes and commandments that I am setting forth^[k] today so that it may go well with you and your descendants and that you may enjoy longevity in the land that the Lord your God is about to give you as a permanent possession.”

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 4:32 tn The Hebrew term אָדָם (ʾadam) may refer either to Adam or, more likely, to “man” in the sense of the human race (“mankind,” “humankind”). The idea here seems more universal in scope than reference to Adam alone would suggest.
Deuteronomy 4:32 tn The verb is not present in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification. The challenge has both temporal and geographical dimensions. The people are challenged to (1) inquire about the entire scope of past history and (2) conduct their investigation on a worldwide scale.
Deuteronomy 4:34 tn The translation assumes the reference is to Israel’s God in which case the point is this: God’s intervention in Israel’s experience is unique in the sense that he has never intervened in such power for any other people on earth. The focus is on the uniqueness of Israel’s experience. Some understand the divine name here in a generic sense, “a god,” or “any god.” In this case God’s incomparability is the focus (cf. v. 35, where this theme is expressed).
Deuteronomy 4:34 tn Heb “tried to go to take for himself.”
Deuteronomy 4:34 tn Heb “by testings.” The reference here is the judgments upon Pharaoh in the form of plagues. See Deut 7:19 (cf. v. 18) and 29:3 (cf. v. 2).
Deuteronomy 4:34 tn Heb “by strong hand and by outstretched arm.”
Deuteronomy 4:36 tn Heb “and his words you heard from the midst of the fire.”
Deuteronomy 4:37 tn The concept of love here is not primarily that of emotional affection but of commitment or devotion. This verse suggests that God chose Israel to be his special people because he loved the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and had promised to bless their descendants. See as well Deut 7:7-9.
Deuteronomy 4:37 tc The LXX, Smr, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read a third person masculine plural suffix for the MT’s third person masculine singular, “his descendants.” Cf. Deut 10:15. Quite likely the MT should be emended in this instance.
Deuteronomy 4:38 tn Heb “(as) an inheritance,” that is, landed property that one can pass on to one’s descendants.
Deuteronomy 4:40 tn Heb “commanding” (so NRSV).

2 Corinthians 3

A Living Letter

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? We don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we?^[a] ²You yourselves are our letter,^[b] written on our hearts, known and read by everyone, ³revealing^[c] that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us,^[d] written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets^[e] but on tablets of human hearts.

⁴Now we have such confidence in God through Christ. ⁵Not that we are adequate^[f] in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy^[g] is from God, ⁶who made us adequate^[h] to be servants of a new covenant^[i] not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The Greater Glory of the Spirit’s Ministry

⁷But if the ministry that produced death—carved in letters on stone tablets^[j]—came with glory, so that the Israelites^[k] could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face^[l] (a glory^[m] which was made ineffective),^[n] ⁸how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be?^[o] ⁹For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation,^[p] how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness^[q] excel^[r] in glory! ¹⁰For indeed, what had been glorious now^[s] has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it.^[t] ¹¹For if what was made ineffective^[u] came with^[v] glory, how much more has what remains^[w] come in glory! ¹²Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness,^[x] ¹³and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites^[y] from staring^[z] at the result^[aa] of the glory that was made ineffective.^[ab] ¹⁴But their minds were closed.^[ac] For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read.^[ad] It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away.^[ae] ¹⁵But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,^[af] ¹⁶but when one^[ag] turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.^[ah] ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present,^[ai] there is freedom. ¹⁸And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord,^[aj] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another,^[ak] which is from^[al] the Lord, who is the Spirit.^[am]

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 3:1 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply (“No, we do not”) which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do we?”
2 Corinthians 3:2 tn That is, “letter of recommendation.”
2 Corinthians 3:3 tn Or “making plain.”
2 Corinthians 3:3 tn Grk “cared for by us,” an expression that could refer either to the writing or the delivery of the letter (BDAG 229 s.v. διακονέω 1). Since the following phrase refers to the writing of the letter, and since the previous verse speaks of this “letter” being “written on our [Paul’s and his companions’] hearts” it is more probable that the phrase “cared for by us” refers to the delivery of the letter (in the person of Paul and his companions).
2 Corinthians 3:3 sn An allusion to Exod 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; Deut 9:10-11.
2 Corinthians 3:5 tn Or “competent.”
2 Corinthians 3:5 tn Or “competence.”
2 Corinthians 3:6 tn Or “competent.”
2 Corinthians 3:6 sn This new covenant is promised in Jer 31:31-34; 32:40.
2 Corinthians 3:7 tn Grk “on stones,” but since this is clearly an allusion to the tablets of the Decalogue (see 2 Cor 3:3) the word “tablets” was supplied in the translation to make the connection clear.
2 Corinthians 3:7 tn Grk “so that the sons of Israel.”
2 Corinthians 3:7 sn The glory of his face. When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the tablets of the Decalogue, the people were afraid to approach him because his face was so radiant (Exod 34:29-30).
2 Corinthians 3:7 tn The words “a glory” are not in the Greek text, but the reference to “glory” has been repeated from the previous clause for clarity.
2 Corinthians 3:7 tn Or “which was transitory.” Traditionally this phrase is translated as “which was fading away.” The verb καταργέω in the corpus Paulinum uniformly has the meaning “to render inoperative, ineffective”; the same nuance is appropriate here. The glory of Moses’ face was rendered ineffective by the veil Moses wore. For discussion of the meaning of this verb in this context, see S. J. Hafemann, Paul, Moses, and the History of Israel (WUNT 81), 301-13. A similar translation has been adopted in the two other occurrences of the verb in this paragraph in vv. 11 and 13.
2 Corinthians 3:8 tn Grk “how will not rather the ministry of the Spirit be with glory?”
2 Corinthians 3:9 tn Grk “the ministry of condemnation”; translated as an objective genitive, “the ministry that produced condemnation.”
2 Corinthians 3:9 tn Grk “the ministry of righteousness”; translated as an objective genitive, “the ministry that produces righteousness.”
2 Corinthians 3:9 tn Traditionally, “abound.”
2 Corinthians 3:10 tn Grk “in this case.”
2 Corinthians 3:10 tn The words “of what replaced it” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to clarify the meaning.
2 Corinthians 3:11 tn Or “what was fading away.” See note on “which was made ineffective” in v. 7.
2 Corinthians 3:11 tn Or “through” (διά, dia).
2 Corinthians 3:11 tn Or “what is permanent.”
2 Corinthians 3:12 tn Or “we employ great openness of speech.”
2 Corinthians 3:13 tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”
2 Corinthians 3:13 tn Or “from gazing intently.”
2 Corinthians 3:13 tn Or “end.” The word τέλος (telos) can mean both “a point of time marking the end of a duration, end, termination, cessation” and “the goal toward which a movement is being directed, end, goal, outcome” (see BDAG 998-999 s.v.). The translation accepts the interpretation that Moses covered the glory of his face with the veil to prevent Israel from being judged by the glory of God (see S. J. Hafemann, Paul, Moses, and the History of Israel [WUNT 81], 347-62); in this case the latter meaning for τέλος is more appropriate.
2 Corinthians 3:13 tn Or “was fading away”; Grk “on the result of what was made ineffective.” The referent (glory) has been specified in the translation for clarity. See note on “which was made ineffective” in v. 7.
2 Corinthians 3:14 tn Grk “their minds were hardened.”
2 Corinthians 3:14 tn Grk “the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant”; the phrase “they hear” has been introduced (“when they hear the old covenant read”) to make the link with the “Israelites” (v. 13) whose minds were closed (v. 14a) more obvious to the reader.
2 Corinthians 3:14 tn Or “only in Christ is it eliminated.”
2 Corinthians 3:15 tn Grk “their heart.”
2 Corinthians 3:16 tn Or perhaps “when(ever) he turns,” referring to Moses.
2 Corinthians 3:16 sn An allusion to Exod 34:34. The entire verse may refer to Moses, viewing him as a type portraying the Jewish convert to Christianity in Paul’s day.
2 Corinthians 3:17 tn Grk “where the Spirit of the Lord is”; the word “present” is supplied to specify that the presence of the Lord’s Spirit is emphasized rather than the mere existence of the Lord’s Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18 tn Or “we all with unveiled faces beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 tn Grk “from glory to glory.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 tn Grk “just as from.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 tn Grk “from the Lord, the Spirit”; the genitive πνεύματος (pneumatos) has been translated as a genitive of apposition.

Luke 16:1-9

The Parable of the Clever Steward

16 Jesus^[a] also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations^[b] that his manager^[c] was wasting^[d] his assets. ²So^[e] he called the manager^[f] in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you?^[g] Turn in the account of your administration,^[h] because you can no longer be my manager.’ ³Then^[i] the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position^[j] away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig,^[k] and I’m too ashamed^[l] to beg. ⁴I know^[m] what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’^[n] ⁵So^[o] he contacted^[p] his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶The man^[q] replied, ‘100 measures^[r] of olive oil.’ The manager^[s] said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’^[t] ⁷Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man^[u] replied, ‘100 measures^[v] of wheat.’ The manager^[w] said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write 80.’^[x] ⁸The^[y] master commended the dishonest^[z] manager because he acted shrewdly.^[aa] For the people^[ab] of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries^[ac] than the people^[ad] of light. ⁹And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth,^[ae] so that when it runs out you will be welcomed^[af] into the eternal homes.^[ag]

Footnotes

Luke 16:1 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 16:1 tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”
Luke 16:1 sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.
Luke 16:1 tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).
Luke 16:2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the reports the man received about his manager.
Luke 16:2 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 16:2 sn Although phrased as a question, the charges were believed by the owner, as his dismissal of the manager implies.
Luke 16:2 tn Or “stewardship”; the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) is cognate with the noun for the manager (οἰκονόμος, oikonomos).
Luke 16:3 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the parable.
Luke 16:3 tn Grk “the stewardship,” “the management.”
Luke 16:3 tn Here “dig” could refer (1) to excavation (“dig ditches,” L&N 19.55) or (2) to agricultural labor (“work the soil,” L&N 43.3). In either case this was labor performed by the uneducated, so it would be an insult as a job for a manager.
Luke 16:3 tn Grk “I do not have strength to dig; I am ashamed to beg.”sn To beg would represent a real lowering of status for the manager, because many of those whom he had formerly collected debts from, he would now be forced to beg from.
Luke 16:4 tn This is a dramatic use of the aorist and the verse is left unconnected to the previous verse by asyndeton, giving the impression of a sudden realization.
Luke 16:4 sn Thinking ahead, the manager develops a plan to make people think kindly of him (welcome me into their homes).
Luke 16:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the manager’s decision.
Luke 16:5 tn Grk “summoning.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 16:6 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the first debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 16:6 sn A measure (sometimes translated “bath”) was just over 8 gallons (about 30 liters). This is a large debt—about 875 gallons (3000 liters) of olive oil, worth 1000 denarii, over three year’s pay for a daily worker.
Luke 16:6 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
Luke 16:6 sn The bill was halved (sit down quickly, and write fifty). What was the steward doing? This is debated. 1) Did he simply lower the price? 2) Did he remove interest from the debt? 3) Did he remove his own commission? It is hard to be sure. Either of the latter two options is more likely. The goal was clear: The manager would be seen in a favorable light for bringing a deflationary trend to prices.
Luke 16:7 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the second debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
Luke 16:7 sn The 100 measures here was 100 cors. A cor was a Hebrew dry measure for grain, flour, etc., of between 10-12 bushels (about 390 liters). This was a huge amount of wheat, representing the yield of about 100 acres, a debt of between 2500-3000 denarii.
Luke 16:7 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 16:7 sn The percentage of reduction may not be as great because of the change in material.
Luke 16:8 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 16:8 sn Is the manager dishonest because of what he just did? Or is it a reference to what he had done earlier, described in v. 1? This is a difficult question, but it seems unlikely that the master, having fired the man for prior dishonesty, would now commend those same actions. It would also be unusual for Jesus to make that point of the story the example. Thus it is more likely the reference to dishonesty goes back to the earliest events, while the commendation is for the cleverness of the former manager reflected in vv. 5-7.
Luke 16:8 sn Where this parable ends is debated: Does it conclude with v. 7, after v. 8a, after v. 8b, or after v. 9? Verse 8a looks as if it is still part of the story, with its clear reference to the manager, while 8b looks like Jesus’ application, since its remarks are more general. So it is most likely the parable stops after v. 8a.
Luke 16:8 tn Grk “sons” (an idiom).
Luke 16:8 tn Grk “with their own generation.”
Luke 16:8 tn Grk “sons.” Here the phrase “sons of light” is a reference to the righteous. The point is that those of the world often think ahead about consequences better than the righteous do.
Luke 16:9 tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).
Luke 16:9 tn Grk “they may welcome you.”
Luke 16:9 tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 37[a]

By David.

Footnotes

The Uniqueness of Israel’s God

Footnotes

A Living Letter

The Greater Glory of the Spirit’s Ministry

Footnotes

The Parable of the Clever Steward

Footnotes

Psalm 37^[a]