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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 40

Psalm 40^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

40 I relied completely^[b] on the Lord,
and he turned toward me
and heard my cry for help.
²He lifted me out of the watery pit,^[c]
out of the slimy mud.^[d]
He placed my feet on a rock
and gave me secure footing.^[e]
³He gave me reason to sing a new song,^[f]
praising our God.^[g]
May many see what God has done,
so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord.^[h]
⁴How blessed^[i] is the one^[j] who trusts in the Lord^[k]
and does not seek help from^[l] the proud or from liars.^[m]
⁵O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;
you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us.^[n]
No one can thwart you.^[o]
I want to declare your deeds and talk about them,
but they are too numerous to recount.^[p]
⁶Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern.^[q]
You make that quite clear to me.^[r]
You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
⁷Then I say,
“Look, I come!
What is written in the scroll pertains to me.^[s]
⁸I want to do what pleases you,^[t] my God.
Your law dominates my thoughts.”^[u]
⁹I have told the great assembly^[v] about your justice.^[w]
Look, I spare no words.^[x]
O Lord, you know this is true.
¹⁰I have not failed to tell about your justice;^[y]
I spoke about your reliability and deliverance.
I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness.^[z]
¹¹O Lord, you do not withhold^[aa] your compassion from me.
May your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me!^[ab]
¹²For innumerable dangers^[ac] surround me.
My sins overtake me
so I am unable to see;
they outnumber the hairs of my head
so my strength fails me.^[ad]
¹³Please be willing, O Lord, to rescue me!
O Lord, hurry and help me!^[ae]
¹⁴May those who are trying to snatch away my life
be totally embarrassed and ashamed.^[af]
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed.^[ag]
¹⁵May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be humiliated^[ah] and disgraced.^[ai]
¹⁶May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you.
May those who love to experience^[aj] your deliverance say continually,^[ak]
“May the Lord be praised!”^[al]
¹⁷I am oppressed and needy.^[am]
May the Lord pay attention to me.^[an]
You are my helper and my deliverer.
O my God, do not delay.

Footnotes

Psalm 40:1 sn Psalm 40. The psalmist combines a song of thanksgiving for a recent act of divine deliverance (vv. 1-11) with a confident petition for renewed divine intervention (vv. 12-17).
Psalm 40:1 tn Heb “relying, I relied.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the verbal idea. The emphasis is reflected in the translation through the adverb “completely.” Another option is to translate, “I waited patiently” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).
Psalm 40:2 tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “cistern, pit”) is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun שָׁאוֹן (shaʾon, “roaring”) refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).
Psalm 40:2 tn Heb “from the mud of mud.” The Hebrew phrase translated “slimy mud” employs an appositional genitive. Two synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
Psalm 40:2 tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”
Psalm 40:3 sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.
Psalm 40:3 tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”
Psalm 40:3 tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the Lord.” The translation assumes that the initial prefixed verbal form is a jussive (“may many see”), rather than an imperfect (“many will see”). The following prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) conjunctive are taken as indicating purpose or result (“so that they might swear allegiance…and trust”) after the introductory jussive.
Psalm 40:4 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
Psalm 40:4 tn Heb “man.” See the note on the word “one” in Ps 1:1.
Psalm 40:4 tn Heb “who has made the Lord his [object of] trust.”
Psalm 40:4 tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”
Psalm 40:4 tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”
Psalm 40:5 tn Heb “many things you have done, you, O Lord my God, your amazing deeds and your thoughts toward us.” The precise meaning of the text is not clear, but the psalmist seems to be recalling the Lord’s miraculous deeds on Israel’s behalf (see Pss 9:1; 26:7), as well as his covenantal decrees and promises (see Ps 33:11).
Psalm 40:5 tn Heb “there is none arrayed against you.” The precise meaning of the text is unclear, but the collocation עָרַךְ אֶל (ʿarakh ʾel, “array against”) is used elsewhere of military (Judg 20:30; 1 Chr 19:17) or verbal opposition (Job 32:14).
Psalm 40:5 tn Heb “I will declare and I will speak, they are too numerous to recount.” The present translation assumes that the cohortatives are used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “Should I try to declare [them] and speak [of them]…” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortatives are part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.) Another option is to take the cohortatives as a declaration of the psalmist’s resolve to announce the truth expressed in the next line. In this case one might translate: “I will declare and speak [the truth]: They are too numerous to recount.”
Psalm 40:6 tn Heb “sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” The statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis (see Ps 51:16 as well). God is pleased with sacrifices, but his first priority is obedience and loyalty (see 1 Sam 15:22). Sacrifices and offerings apart from genuine allegiance are meaningless (see Isa 1:11-20).
Psalm 40:6 tn Heb “ears you hollowed out for me.” The meaning of this odd expression is debated (this is the only collocation of “hollowed out” and “ears” in the OT). It may have been an idiomatic expression referring to making a point clear to a listener. The LXX has “but a body you have prepared for me,” a reading which is followed in Heb 10:5.
Psalm 40:7 tn Heb “in the roll of the scroll it is written concerning me.” Apparently the psalmist refers to the law of God (see v. 8), which contains the commandments God desires him to obey. If this is a distinctly royal psalm, then the psalmist/king may be referring specifically to the regulations of kingship prescribed in Deut 17:14-20. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 315.
Psalm 40:8 tn Or “your will.”
Psalm 40:8 tn Heb “your law [is] in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.
Psalm 40:9 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Pss 22:25 and 35:18.
Psalm 40:9 tn Heb “I proclaim justice in the great assembly.” Though “justice” appears without a pronoun here, the Lord’s just acts are in view (see v. 10). His “justice” (צֶדֶק, tsedeq) is here the deliverance that originates in his justice; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just.
Psalm 40:9 tn Heb “Look! My lips I do not restrain.”
Psalm 40:10 tn Heb “your justice I have not hidden in the midst of my heart.”
Psalm 40:10 tn Heb “I have not hidden your loyal love and reliability.”
Psalm 40:11 tn Some (cf. NIV, NRSV) translate the verb as a request (“do not withhold”), but elsewhere in the psalms the second masculine singular prefixed form, when addressed to God and preceded by לֹא (loʾ), is always indicative in mood and never has the force of a prayer (see Pss 16:10; 22:2; 44:9 51:16-17; 60:10; 108:11; cf. NEB, NASB).
Psalm 40:11 tn In this line the psalmist makes the transition from confidence to petition (see v. 13). Since the prefixed verbal form in the preceding line is imperfect/indicative, one could take the verb in this line as imperfect as well and translate, “your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me” (cf. NEB). However, the כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the next verse, if causal (“because”), is best understood as introducing a motivating argument in support of a petition. For this reason v. 11b is best taken as a prayer with the prefixed form being understood as jussive (cf. NIV, NRSV). For parallels to the proposed construction (jussive followed by כִּי + perfect introducing motivating argument), see Ps 25:21, as well as Pss 10:2-3; 22:8.
Psalm 40:12 tn Or “sinful deeds.” The Hebrew term used here can have a nonmoral nuance (“dangers”) or a moral one (“sinful deeds”) depending on the context. The next line (see “my sins”) seems to favor the moral sense, but the psalmist also speaks of enemies shortly after this (v. 14).
Psalm 40:12 tn Heb “and my heart abandons me.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of emotional strength and courage. For a similar idea see Ps 38:10.
Psalm 40:13 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.
Psalm 40:14 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”
Psalm 40:14 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse (“may those…be…embarrassed and ashamed…may those…be turned back and ashamed”) are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
Psalm 40:15 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
Psalm 40:15 tn Heb “May they be humiliated according to their shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’”
Psalm 40:16 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the Lord.
Psalm 40:16 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
Psalm 40:16 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great” (cf. NRSV). See Ps 35:27.
Psalm 40:17 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
Psalm 40:17 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The Lord will pay attention to me” (cf. NRSV). The parallel in Ps 70:5 has, “O God, hurry to me!” For this reason some prefer to emend יַחֲשָׁב (yakhashav, “may he pay attention”) to חוּשָׁה (khushah, “hurry!”). The syntax of the Hebrew text is awkward; elsewhere when the Qal of חָשַׁב (khashav, “reckon; consider”) is collocated with the preposition ל (lamed) and a pronominal suffix there is an accompanying direct object or additional prepositional phrase/adverbial accusative (see Gen 15:6; 2 Sam 19:19; Job 13:24; 19:11; 33:10; Pss 32:2; 41:7; Amos 6:5).

Psalm 54

Psalm 54^[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song^[b] by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.”^[c]

54 O God, deliver me by your name.^[d]
Vindicate me^[e] by your power.
²O God, listen to my prayer.
Pay attention to what I say.^[f]
³For foreigners^[g] attack me;^[h]
ruthless men, who do not respect God, seek my life.^[i] (Selah)
⁴Look, God is my deliverer.^[j]
The Lord is among those who support me.^[k]
⁵May those who wait to ambush me^[l] be repaid for their evil.^[m]
As a demonstration of your faithfulness,^[n] destroy them.
⁶With a freewill offering I will sacrifice^[o] to you.
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
⁷Surely^[p] he rescues me from all trouble,^[q]
and I triumph over my enemies.^[r]

Footnotes

Psalm 54:1 sn Psalm 54. The psalmist asks God for protection against his enemies, confidently affirms that God will vindicate him, and promises to give thanks to God for his saving intervention.
Psalm 54:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.
Psalm 54:1 tn Heb “Is not David hiding with us?”sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm during the period when Saul was seeking his life. On one occasion the Ziphites informed Saul that David was hiding in their territory (see 1 Sam 23:19-20).
Psalm 54:1 tn God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character, which would instill fear in the psalmist’s enemies (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:17).
Psalm 54:1 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
Psalm 54:2 tn Heb “to the words of my mouth.”
Psalm 54:3 tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read זֵדִים (zedim, “proud ones”) rather than זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”). This is a case of confusing ד (dalet) and ר (resh). The term זֵדִים (zedim) occurs in parallelism with עָרִיצִים (ʿaritsim, “violent ones”) in Ps 86:14 and Isa 13:11. However, זָרִים (zarim) is parallel to עָרִיצִים in Isa 25:5; 29:5; Ezek 28:7; 31:12.
Psalm 54:3 tn Heb “rise against me.”
Psalm 54:3 tn Heb “and ruthless ones seek my life, they do not set God in front of them.”
Psalm 54:4 tn Or “my helper.”
Psalm 54:4 tn Or “sustain my life.”
Psalm 54:5 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.
Psalm 54:5 tn The Kethib (consonantal text) reads a Qal imperfect, “the evil will return,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Hiphil imperfect, “he will repay.” The parallel line has an imperative (indicating a prayer/request), so it is best to read a jussive form יָשֹׁב (yashov, “let it [the evil] return”) here.
Psalm 54:5 tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”
Psalm 54:6 tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve/vow to praise.
Psalm 54:7 tn Or “for,” indicating a more specific reason why he will praise the Lord’s name (cf. v. 6).
Psalm 54:7 tn The perfects in v. 7 are probably rhetorical, indicating the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance and his own vindication as if they were occurring or had already occurred.
Psalm 54:7 tn Heb “and on my enemies my eyes look.”

Psalm 51

Psalm 51^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba.^[b]

51 Have mercy on me, O God, because of^[c] your loyal love.
Because of^[d] your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts.^[e]
²Wash away my wrongdoing.^[f]
Cleanse me of my sin.^[g]
³For I am aware of^[h] my rebellious acts;
I am forever conscious of my sin.^[i]
⁴Against you—you above all^[j]—I have sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
So^[k] you are just when you confront me;^[l]
you are right when you condemn me.^[m]
⁵Look, I was guilty of sin from birth,
a sinner the moment my mother conceived me.^[n]
⁶Look,^[o] you desire^[p] integrity in the inner man;^[q]
you want me to possess wisdom.^[r]
⁷Cleanse me^[s] with hyssop^[t] and I will be pure;^[u]
wash me^[v] and I will be whiter than snow.^[w]
⁸Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven.^[x]
May the bones^[y] you crushed rejoice.^[z]
⁹Hide your face^[aa] from my sins.
Wipe away^[ab] all my guilt.
¹⁰Create for me a pure heart, O God.^[ac]
Renew a resolute spirit within me.^[ad]
¹¹Do not reject me.^[ae]
Do not take your holy Spirit^[af] away from me.^[ag]
¹²Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance.
Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey.^[ah]
¹³Then I will teach^[ai] rebels your merciful ways,^[aj]
and sinners will turn^[ak] to you.
¹⁴Rescue me from the guilt of murder,^[al] O God, the God who delivers me.
Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your righteousness.^[am]
¹⁵O Lord, give me the words.^[an]
Then my mouth will praise you.^[ao]
¹⁶Certainly^[ap] you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it;^[aq]
you do not desire a burnt sacrifice.^[ar]
¹⁷The sacrifice God desires is a humble spirit^[as]—
O God, a humble and repentant heart^[at] you will not reject.^[au]
¹⁸Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her.^[av]
Fortify^[aw] the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹Then you will accept^[ax] the proper sacrifices, burnt sacrifices and whole offerings;
then bulls will be sacrificed^[ay] on your altar.^[az]

Footnotes

Psalm 51:1 sn Psalm 51. The psalmist confesses his sinfulness to God and begs for forgiveness and a transformation of his inner character. According to the psalm superscription, David offered this prayer when Nathan confronted him with his sin following the king’s affair with Bathsheba (see 2 Sam 11-12). However, the final two verses of the psalm hardly fit this situation, for they assume the walls of Jerusalem have been destroyed and that the sacrificial system has been temporarily suspended. These verses are probably an addition to the psalm made during the period of exile following the fall of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. The exiles could relate to David’s experience, for they, like him, and had been forced to confront their sin. They appropriated David’s ancient prayer and applied it to their own circumstances.
Psalm 51:1 tn Heb “a psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him when he had gone to Bathsheba.”
Psalm 51:1 tn Or “according to.”
Psalm 51:1 tn Or “according to.”
Psalm 51:1 tn Traditionally “blot out my transgressions.” Because of the reference to washing and cleansing in the following verse, it is likely that the psalmist is comparing forgiveness to wiping an object clean (note the use of the verb מָחָה (makhah) in the sense of “wipe clean; dry” in 2 Kgs 21:13; Prov 30:20; Isa 25:8). Another option is that the psalmist is comparing forgiveness to erasing or blotting out names from a register (see Exod 32:32-33). In this case one might translate, “erase all record of my rebellious acts.”
Psalm 51:2 tn Heb “Thoroughly wash me from my wrongdoing.”
Psalm 51:2 sn In vv. 1b-2 the psalmist uses three different words to emphasize the multifaceted character and degree of his sin. Whatever one wants to call it (“rebellious acts,” “wrongdoing,” “sin”), he has done it and stands morally polluted in God’s sight. The same three words appear in Exod 34:7, which emphasizes that God is willing to forgive sin in all of its many dimensions. In v. 2 the psalmist compares forgiveness and restoration to physical cleansing. Perhaps he likens spiritual cleansing to the purification rites of priestly law.
Psalm 51:3 tn Heb “know.”
Psalm 51:3 tn Heb “and my sin [is] in front of me continually.”
Psalm 51:4 tn Heb “only you,” as if the psalmist had sinned exclusively against God and no other. Since the Hebrew verb חָטָא (hataʾ, “to sin”) is used elsewhere of sinful acts against people (see BDB 306 s.v. 2.a) and David (the presumed author) certainly sinned when he murdered Uriah (2 Sam 12:9), it is likely that the psalmist is overstating the case to suggest that the attack on Uriah was ultimately an attack on God himself. To clarify the point of the hyperbole, the translation uses “above all,” rather than the potentially confusing “only.”
Psalm 51:4 tn The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (l^emaʿan) normally indicates purpose (“in order that”), but here it introduces a logical consequence of the preceding statement. (Taking the clause as indicating purpose here would yield a theologically preposterous idea—the psalmist purposely sinned so that God’s justice might be vindicated!) For other examples of לְמַעַן indicating result, see 2 Kgs 22:17; Jer 27:15; Amos 2:7, as well as IBHS 638-40 §38.3.
Psalm 51:4 tn Heb “when you speak.” In this context the psalmist refers to God’s word of condemnation against his sin delivered through Nathan (cf. 2 Sam 12:7-12).
Psalm 51:4 tn Heb “when you judge.”
Psalm 51:5 tn Heb “Look, in wrongdoing I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.” The prefixed verbal form in the second line is probably a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive), stating a simple historical fact. The psalmist is not suggesting that he was conceived through an inappropriate sexual relationship (although the verse has sometimes been understood to mean that, or even that all sexual relationships are sinful). The psalmist’s point is that he has been a sinner from the very moment his personal existence began. By going back beyond the time of birth to the moment of conception, the psalmist makes his point more emphatically in the second line than in the first.
Psalm 51:6 sn The juxtaposition of two occurrences of “look” in vv. 5-6 draws attention to the sharp contrast between the sinful reality of the psalmist’s condition and the lofty ideal God has for him.
Psalm 51:6 tn The perfect is used in a generalizing sense here.
Psalm 51:6 tn Heb “in the covered [places],” i.e., in the inner man.
Psalm 51:6 tn Heb “in the secret [place] wisdom you cause me to know.” The Hiphil verbal form is causative, while the imperfect is used in a modal sense to indicate God’s desire (note the parallel verb “desire”).sn You want me to possess wisdom. Here “wisdom” does not mean “intelligence” or “learning,” but refers to moral insight and skill.
Psalm 51:7 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
Psalm 51:7 sn “Hyssop” was a small plant (see 1 Kgs 4:33) used to apply water or blood in purification rites (see Exod 12:22; Lev 14:4-6, 49-52; Num 19:6-18). The psalmist uses the language and imagery of such rites to describe spiritual cleansing through forgiveness.
Psalm 51:7 tn After the preceding imperfect, the imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates result.
Psalm 51:7 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
Psalm 51:7 sn I will be whiter than snow. Whiteness here symbolizes the moral purity resulting from forgiveness (see Isa 1:18).
Psalm 51:8 tn Heb “cause me to hear happiness and joy.” The language is metonymic: the effect of forgiveness (joy) has been substituted for its cause. The psalmist probably alludes here to an assuring word from God announcing that his sins are forgiven (a so-called oracle of forgiveness). The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request. The synonyms “happiness” and “joy” are joined together as a hendiadys to emphasize the degree of joy he anticipates.
Psalm 51:8 sn May the bones you crushed rejoice. The psalmist compares his sinful condition to that of a person who has been physically battered and crushed. Within this metaphorical framework, his “bones” are the seat of his emotional strength.
Psalm 51:8 tn In this context of petitionary prayer, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, expressing the psalmist’s wish or request.
Psalm 51:9 sn In this context Hide your face from my sins means “Do not hold me accountable for my sins.”
Psalm 51:9 tn See the note on the similar expression “wipe away my rebellious acts” in v. 1.
Psalm 51:10 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s motives and moral character.
Psalm 51:10 tn Heb “and a reliable spirit renew in my inner being.”
Psalm 51:11 tn Heb “do not cast me away from before you.”
Psalm 51:11 sn Your holy Spirit. The personal Spirit of God is mentioned frequently in the OT, but only here and in Isa 63:10-11 is he called “your/his holy Spirit.”
Psalm 51:11 sn Do not take…away. The psalmist expresses his fear that, due to his sin, God will take away the Holy Spirit from him. NT believers enjoy the permanent gift of the Holy Spirit and need not make such a request nor fear such a consequence. However, in the OT God’s Spirit empowered certain individuals for special tasks and only temporarily resided in them. For example, when God rejected Saul as king and chose David to replace him, the divine Spirit left Saul and came upon David (1 Sam 16:13-14). An alternative understanding of this verse is that the term Holy Spirit is simply metaphorical for the Lord’s presence, but this is unlikely given the other use of the term in Isa 63:10, where the Holy Spirit is personal and distinct from God himself.
Psalm 51:12 tn Heb “and [with] a willing spirit sustain me.” The psalmist asks that God make him the kind of person who willingly obeys the divine commandments. The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
Psalm 51:13 tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. This may be a vow or promise. If forgiven, the psalmist will “repay” the Lord by declaring God’s mercy and motivating other sinners to repent.
Psalm 51:13 tn Heb “your ways.” The word “merciful” is added for clarification. God’s “ways” are sometimes his commands, but in this context, where the teaching of God’s ways motivates repentance (see the next line), it is more likely that God’s merciful and compassionate way of dealing with sinners is in view. Thanksgiving songs praising God for his deliverance typically focus on these divine attributes (see Pss 34, 41, 116, 138).
Psalm 51:13 tn Or “return,” i.e., in repentance.
Psalm 51:14 tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.
Psalm 51:14 tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your righteousness.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” However, the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).
Psalm 51:15 tn Heb “open my lips.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
Psalm 51:15 tn Heb “and my mouth will declare your praise.”
Psalm 51:16 tn Or “For.” The translation assumes the particle is asseverative (i.e., emphasizing: “certainly”). (Some translations that consider the particle asseverative leave it untranslated.) If taken as causal or explanatory (“for”, cf. NRSV), the verse would explain why the psalmist is pleading for forgiveness, rather than merely offering a sacrifice.
Psalm 51:16 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative is used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “You do not want a sacrifice, should I offer [it]” (cf. NEB). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortative is part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.)
Psalm 51:16 sn You do not desire a burnt sacrifice. The terminology used in v. 16 does not refer to expiatory sacrifices, but to dedication and communion offerings. This is not a categorical denial of the sacrificial system in general or of the importance of such offerings. The psalmist is talking about his specific situation. Dedication and communion offerings have their proper place in worship (see v. 19), but God requires something more fundamental, a repentant and humble attitude (see v. 17), before these offerings can have real meaning.
Psalm 51:17 tn Heb “a broken spirit.”
Psalm 51:17 tn Heb “a broken and crushed heart.”
Psalm 51:17 tn Or “despise.”
Psalm 51:18 tn Heb “do what is good for Zion in your favor.”
Psalm 51:18 tn Or “Build.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
Psalm 51:19 tn Or “desire, take delight in.”
Psalm 51:19 tn Heb “then they will offer up bulls.” The third plural subject is indefinite.
Psalm 51:19 sn Verses 18-19 appear to reflect the exilic period, when the city’s walls lay in ruins and the sacrificial system had been disrupted.

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Presentation of the Firstfruits

26 When^[a] you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you occupy it and live in it, ²you must take the first of all the ground’s produce you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you, place it in a basket, and go to the place where he^[b] chooses to locate his name.^[c] ³You must go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, “I declare today to the Lord your^[d] God that I have come into the land that the Lord^[e] promised^[f] to our ancestors^[g] to give us.” ⁴The priest will then take the basket from you^[h] and set it before the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵Then you must affirm before the Lord your God, “A wandering^[i] Aramean^[j] was my ancestor,^[k] and he went down to Egypt and lived there as a foreigner with a household few in number,^[l] but there he became a great, powerful, and numerous people. ⁶But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome labor. ⁷So we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and he^[m] heard us and saw our humiliation, toil, and oppression. ⁸Therefore the Lord brought us out of Egypt with tremendous strength and power,^[n] as well as with great awe-inspiring signs and wonders. ⁹Then he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰So now, look! I have brought the first of the ground’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.” Then you must set it down before the Lord your God and worship before him.^[o] ¹¹You will celebrate all the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your family,^[p] along with the Levites and the resident foreigners among you.

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 26:1 tn Heb “and it will come to pass that.”
Deuteronomy 26:2 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
Deuteronomy 26:2 sn The place where he chooses to locate his name. This is a circumlocution for the central sanctuary, first the tabernacle and later the Jerusalem temple. See Deut 12:1-14 and especially the note on the word “you” in v. 14.
Deuteronomy 26:3 tc For the MT reading “your God,” certain LXX mss have “my God,” a contextually superior rendition followed by some English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, TEV). Perhaps the text reflects dittography of the kaf (כ) at the end of the word with the following preposition כִּי (ki).
Deuteronomy 26:3 tc The Syriac adds “your God” to complete the usual formula.
Deuteronomy 26:3 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
Deuteronomy 26:3 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 7, 15).
Deuteronomy 26:4 tn Heb “your hand.”
Deuteronomy 26:5 tn Though the Hebrew term אָבַד (ʾavad) generally means “to perish” or the like (HALOT 2-3 s.v.; BDB 1-2 s.v.; cf. KJV “a Syrian ready to perish”), a meaning “to go astray” or “to be lost” is also attested. The ambivalence in the Hebrew text is reflected in the versions where LXX Vaticanus reads ἀπέβαλεν (apebalen, “lose”) for a possibly metathesized reading found in Alexandrinus, Ambrosianus, ἀπέλαβεν (apelaben, “receive”); others attest κατέλειπεν (kateleipen, “leave, abandon”). “Wandering” seems to suit best the contrast with the sedentary life Israel would enjoy in Canaan (v. 9) and is the meaning followed by many English versions.
Deuteronomy 26:5 sn A wandering Aramean. This is a reference to Jacob whose mother Rebekah was an Aramean (Gen 24:10; 25:20, 26) and who himself lived in Aram for at least twenty years (Gen 31:41-42).
Deuteronomy 26:5 tn Heb “father.”
Deuteronomy 26:5 tn Heb “sojourned there few in number.” The words “with a household” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.
Deuteronomy 26:7 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 26:2.
Deuteronomy 26:8 tn Heb “by a powerful hand and an extended arm.” These are anthropomorphisms designed to convey God’s tremendously great power in rescuing Israel from their Egyptian bondage. They are preserved literally in many English versions (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
Deuteronomy 26:10 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 26:2.
Deuteronomy 26:11 tn Or “household” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); Heb “house” (so KJV, NRSV).

2 Corinthians 8:16-24

The Mission of Titus

¹⁶But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the same devotion^[a] I have for you, ¹⁷because he not only accepted our request, but since he was very eager,^[b] he is coming^[c] to you of his own accord.^[d] ¹⁸And we are sending^[e] along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in spreading the gospel.^[f] ¹⁹In addition,^[g] this brother^[h] has also been chosen by the churches as our traveling companion as we administer this generous gift^[i] to the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness to help.^[j] ²⁰We did this^[k] as a precaution so that no one should blame us in regard to this generous gift we are administering. ²¹For we are concerned about what is right not only before the Lord but also before men.^[l] ²²And we are sending^[m] with them our brother whom we have tested many times and found eager in many matters, but who now is much more eager than ever because of the great confidence he has in you. ²³If there is any question^[n] about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; if there is any question about our brothers, they are messengers^[o] of the churches, a glory to Christ. ²⁴Therefore show^[p] them openly before the churches the proof of your love and of our pride in you.^[q]

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 8:16 tn Or “eagerness.”
2 Corinthians 8:17 tn The comparative form of this adjective is used here with elative meaning.
2 Corinthians 8:17 tn This verb has been translated as an epistolary aorist.
2 Corinthians 8:17 tn Or “of his own free will.”
2 Corinthians 8:18 tn This verb has been translated as an epistolary aorist.
2 Corinthians 8:18 tn Grk “the brother of whom the praise in the gospel [is] throughout all the churches.”
2 Corinthians 8:19 tn Grk “gospel, and not only this, but.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.
2 Corinthians 8:19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the brother mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Corinthians 8:19 tn That is, the offering or collection being taken to assist impoverished Christians.
2 Corinthians 8:19 tn The words “to help” are not in the Greek text but are implied (see L&N 25.68).
2 Corinthians 8:20 tn “This” refers to sending the brother mentioned in 2 Cor 8:18 to Corinth along with Titus. The words “We did this” have no equivalent in the Greek text, but are necessary to maintain the thought flow in English. The Greek participle that begins v. 20 continues the sentence begun in v. 18 which concerns the sending of the other brother mentioned there.
2 Corinthians 8:21 sn An allusion to Prov 3:4.
2 Corinthians 8:22 tn This verb has been translated as an epistolary aorist.
2 Corinthians 8:23 tn Grk “If concerning Titus” (εἴτε ὑπὲρ Τίτου, eite huper Titou); the Greek sentence opens with an ellipsis which must be supplied: If [there is any question] about Titus.”
2 Corinthians 8:23 tn Grk “apostles.”
2 Corinthians 8:24 tc The sense of this translation is attested by the fact that most of the later mss, along with several early and significant ones (א C D² Ψ 0225 0243 1739 1881 M lat), have the imperative verb ἐνδείξασθε (endeixasthe) in place of the participle ἐνδεικνύμενοι (endeiknumenoi), which is found in B D* F G 33. Since an imperatival participle is more Hebraic in style, many scribes would not have understood the idiom as easily and would have been likely to change the participle to an imperative (so TCGNT 513-14). But there is no good reason why scribes would change the imperative into a participle. Thus, ἐνδεικνύμενοι is almost surely the wording of the original text.tn In the Greek text ἐνδεικνύμενοι (endeiknumenoi) is a present participle which is translated as an imperative verb (see BDF §468; ExSyn 650-52).
2 Corinthians 8:24 tn Or “our boasting about you.”

Luke 18:9-14

The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

⁹Jesus^[a] also told this parable to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down^[b] on everyone else. ¹⁰“Two men went up^[c] to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee^[d] and the other a tax collector.^[e] ¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this:^[f] ‘God, I thank^[g] you that I am not like other people:^[h] extortionists,^[i] unrighteous people,^[j] adulterers—or even like this tax collector.^[k] ¹²I fast twice^[l] a week; I give a tenth^[m] of everything I get.’ ¹³The tax collector, however, stood^[n] far off and would not even look up^[o] to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful^[p] to me, sinner that I am!’^[q] ¹⁴I tell you that this man went down to his home justified^[r] rather than the Pharisee.^[s] For everyone who exalts^[t] himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Footnotes

Luke 18:9 tn Grk “He”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 18:9 tn Grk “and despised.” This is a second parable with an explanatory introduction.
Luke 18:10 sn The temple is on a hill in Jerusalem, so one would go up to enter its precincts.
Luke 18:10 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
Luke 18:10 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
Luke 18:11 tn Or “stood by himself and prayed like this.” The prepositional phrase πρὸς ἑαυτόν (pros eauton, “to/about himself”) could go with either the aorist participle σταθείς (statheis, “stood”) or with the imperfect verb προσηύχετο (prosēucheto, “he prayed”). If taken with the participle, then the meaning would seem at first glance to be: “stood ‘by himself’,” or “stood ‘alone’.” Now it is true that πρός can mean “by” or “with” when used with intransitive verbs such as ἵστημι (histēmi, “I stand”; cf. BDAG 874 s.v. πρός 2.a), but πρὸς ἑαυτόν together never means “by himself” or “alone” in biblical Greek. On the other hand, if πρὸς ἑαυτόν is taken with the verb, then two different nuances emerge, both of which highlight in different ways the principal point Jesus seems to be making about the arrogance of this religious leader: (1) “prayed to himself,” but not necessarily silently, or (2) “prayed about himself,” with the connotation that he prayed out loud, for all to hear. Since his prayer is really a review of his moral résumé, directed both at advertising his own righteousness and exposing the perversion of the tax collector, whom he actually mentions in his prayer, the latter option seems preferable. If this is the case, then the Pharisee’s mention of God is really nothing more than a formality.
Luke 18:11 sn The Pharisee’s prayer started out as a thanksgiving psalm to God, but the praise ended up not being about God.
Luke 18:11 tn Here the plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anthrōpōn) is used as a generic and can refer to both men and women (NASB, NRSV, “people”; NLT, “everyone else”; NAB, “the rest of humanity”).
Luke 18:11 tn Or “swindlers” (BDAG 134 s.v. ἅρπαξ 2); see also Isa 10:2; Josephus, J. W. 6.3.4 [6.203].
Luke 18:11 sn A general category for “sinners” (1 Cor 6:9; Lev 19:3).
Luke 18:11 sn Note what the Pharisee assumes about the righteousness of this tax collector by grouping him with extortionists, unrighteous people, and adulterers.
Luke 18:12 sn The law only required fasting on the Day of Atonement. Such voluntary fasting as this practiced twice a week by the Pharisee normally took place on Monday and Thursday.
Luke 18:12 tn Or “I tithe.”
Luke 18:13 tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.
Luke 18:13 tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).
Luke 18:13 tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, hilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Pss 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).
Luke 18:13 tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.
Luke 18:14 sn The prayer that was heard and honored was the one given with humility; in a surprising reversal it was the tax collector who went down to his home justified.
Luke 18:14 tn Grk “the other”; the referent (the Pharisee, v. 10) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 18:14 sn Everyone who exalts himself. See Luke 14:11. Jesus often called for humility and condemned those who sought honor.

New English Translation (NET)

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 40[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Footnotes

Psalm 54[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song[b] by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.”[c]

Footnotes

Psalm 51[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba.[b]

Footnotes

Presentation of the Firstfruits

Footnotes

The Mission of Titus

Footnotes

The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

Footnotes

Psalm 40^[a]

Psalm 54^[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song^[b] by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.”^[c]

Psalm 51^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba.^[b]