◀ All Reading Plans / Book of Common Prayer / Ps. 55; Ps. 138 139:1–17 (18–23); Joshua 23:1–16; Rom. 15:25–33; Matt. 27:11–23 (New English Translation)

Prev Day

July 28, 2018

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

July 2018
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Return to today's reading

Book of Common Prayer

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

Duration: 861 days

Psalm 55

Psalm 55^[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song^[b] by David.

55 Listen, O God, to my prayer.
Do not ignore^[c] my appeal for mercy.
²Pay attention to me and answer me.
I am so upset^[d] and distressed,^[e] I am beside myself,^[f]
³because of what the enemy says,^[g]
and because of how the wicked^[h] pressure me,^[i]
for they hurl trouble^[j] down upon me^[k]
and angrily attack me.
⁴My heart beats violently^[l] within me;
the horrors of death overcome me.^[m]
⁵Fear and panic overpower me;^[n]
terror overwhelms^[o] me.
⁶I say,^[p] “I wish I had wings like a dove.
I would fly away and settle in a safe place.
⁷Look, I will escape to a distant place;
I will stay in the wilderness. (Selah)
⁸I will hurry off to a place that is safe
from the strong wind^[q] and the gale.”
⁹Confuse them,^[r] O Lord.
Frustrate their plans.^[s]
For I see violence and conflict in the city.
¹⁰Day and night they walk around on its walls,^[t]
while wickedness and destruction^[u] are within it.
¹¹Disaster is within it;
violence^[v] and deceit do not depart from its public square.
¹²Indeed,^[w] it is not an enemy who insults me,
or else I could bear it;
it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me,^[x]
or else I could hide from him.
¹³But it is you,^[y] a man like me,^[z]
my close friend in whom I confided.^[aa]
¹⁴We would share personal thoughts with each other;^[ab]
in God’s temple we would walk together among the crowd.
¹⁵May death destroy them.^[ac]
May they go down alive into Sheol.^[ad]
For evil is in their dwelling place and in their midst.
¹⁶As for me, I will call out to God,
and the Lord will deliver me.
¹⁷During the evening, morning, and noontime
I will lament and moan,^[ae]
and he will hear^[af] me.^[ag]
¹⁸He will rescue^[ah] me and protect me from those who attack me,^[ai]
even though^[aj] they greatly outnumber me.^[ak]
¹⁹God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago,
will hear and humiliate them.^[al] (Selah)
They refuse to change,
and do not fear God.^[am]
²⁰He^[an] attacks^[ao] his friends;^[ap]
he breaks his solemn promises to them.^[aq]
²¹His words are as smooth as butter,^[ar]
but he harbors animosity in his heart.^[as]
His words seem softer than oil,
but they are really like sharp swords.^[at]
²²Throw your burden^[au] upon the Lord,
and he will sustain you.^[av]
He will never allow the godly to be shaken.^[aw]
²³But you, O God, will bring them^[ax] down to the deep Pit.^[ay]
Violent and deceitful people^[az] will not live even half a normal lifespan.^[ba]
But as for me, I trust in you.

Footnotes

Psalm 55:1 sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.
Psalm 55:1 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 55:1 tn Heb “hide yourself from.”
Psalm 55:2 tn Or “restless” (see Gen 27:40). The Hiphil is intransitive-exhibitive, indicating the outward display of an inner attitude.
Psalm 55:2 tn Heb “in my complaint.”
Psalm 55:2 tn The verb is a Hiphil cohortative from הוּם (hum), which means “to confuse someone” in the Qal and “to go wild” in the Niphal. An Arabic cognate means “to be out of one’s senses, to wander about.” With the vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, the cohortative probably indicates the result or effect of the preceding main verb. Some prefer to emend the form to וְאֵהוֹמָה (v^eʾehomah), a Niphal of הוּם (hum), or to וְאֶהַמֶה (v^eʾehameh), a Qal imperfect from הָמָה (hamah, “to moan”). Many also prefer to take this verb with what follows (see v. 3).
Psalm 55:3 tn Heb “because of [the] voice of [the] enemy.”
Psalm 55:3 tn The singular forms “enemy” and “wicked” are collective or representative, as the plural verb forms in the second half of the verse indicate.
Psalm 55:3 tn Heb “from before the pressure of the wicked.” Some suggest the meaning “screech” (note the parallel “voice”; cf. NEB “shrill clamour”; NRSV “clamor”) for the rare noun עָקָה (ʿaqah, “pressure”).
Psalm 55:3 tn Heb “wickedness,” but here the term refers to the destructive effects of their wicked acts.
Psalm 55:3 tc The verb form in the MT appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוֹט (mot, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in the Kethib (consonantal text) of Ps 140:10, where the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read. Here in Ps 55:3 it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). It is odd for “rain down” to be used with an abstract object like “wickedness,” but in Job 20:23 God “rains down” anger (unless one emends the text there; see BHS).
Psalm 55:4 tn Heb “shakes, trembles.”
Psalm 55:4 tn Heb “the terrors of death have fallen on me.”
Psalm 55:5 tn Heb “fear and trembling enter into me.”
Psalm 55:5 tn Heb “covers.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the preceding imperfect.
Psalm 55:6 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the verbs in v. 5.
Psalm 55:8 tn Heb “[the] wind [that] sweeps away.” The verb סָעָה (saʿah, “sweep away”) occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 120).
Psalm 55:9 tn Traditionally בַּלַּע (balaʿ) has been taken to mean “swallow” in the sense of “devour” or “destroy” (cf. KJV), but this may be a homonym meaning “confuse” (see BDB 118 s.v. בַּלַּע; HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע). “Their tongue” is the understood object of the verb (see the next line).
Psalm 55:9 tn Heb “split their tongue,” which apparently means “confuse their speech,” or, more paraphrastically, “frustrate the plans they devise with their tongues.”
Psalm 55:10 tn Heb “day and night they surround it, upon its walls.” Personified “violence and conflict” are the likely subjects. They are compared to watchmen on the city’s walls.
Psalm 55:10 sn Wickedness and destruction. These terms are also closely associated in Ps 7:14.
Psalm 55:11 tn Or “injury, harm.”
Psalm 55:12 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 55:12 tn Heb “[who] magnifies against me.” See Pss 35:26; 38:16.
Psalm 55:13 sn It is you. The psalmist addresses the apparent ringleader of the opposition, an individual who was once his friend.
Psalm 55:13 tn Heb “a man according to my value,” i.e., “a person such as I.”
Psalm 55:13 tn Heb “my close friend, one known by me.”
Psalm 55:14 tn Heb “who together we would make counsel sweet.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the ongoing nature of the actions (the so-called customary use of the imperfect). Their relationship was characterized by such intimacy and friendship. See IBHS 502-3 §31.2b.
Psalm 55:15 tc The meaning of the MT is unclear. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads יַשִּׁימָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashimavet ʿalemo, “May devastation [be] upon them.”). The proposed noun יַשִּׁימָוֶת occurs only here and perhaps in the place name Beth Jeshimoth in Num 33:49. The Qere (marginal text) has יַשִּׁי מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashi mavet ʿalemo). The verbal form יַשִּׁי is apparently an alternate form of יַשִּׁיא (yashiʾ), a Hiphil imperfect from נָשַׁא (nashaʾ, “deceive”). In this case one might read “death will come deceptively upon them.” This reading has the advantage of reading מָוֶת (mavet, “death”) which forms a natural parallel with “Sheol” in the next line. The present translation is based on the following reconstruction of the text: יְשִׁמֵּם מָוֶת (y^eshimmem mavet). The verb assumed in the reconstruction is a Hiphil jussive third masculine singular from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be desolate”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix attached. This reconstruction assumes that (1) haplography has occurred in the traditional text (the original sequence of three mems [מ] was lost with only one mem remaining), resulting in the fusion of originally distinct forms in the Kethib, and (2) that עָלֵימוֹ (ʿalemo, “upon them”) is a later scribal addition attempting to make sense of a garbled text. The preposition עַל (ʿal) does occur with the verb שָׁמַם (shamam), but in such cases the expression means “be appalled at/because of” (see Jer 49:20; 50:45). If one were to retain the prepositional phrase here, one would have to read the text as follows: יַשִּׁים מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashim mavet ʿalemo, “Death will be appalled at them”). The idea seems odd, to say the least. Death is not collocated with this verb elsewhere.
Psalm 55:15 sn Go down alive. This curse imagines a swift and sudden death for the psalmist’s enemies.
Psalm 55:17 tn The first verb is clearly a cohortative form, expressing the psalmist’s resolve. The second verb, while formally ambiguous, should also be understood as cohortative here.
Psalm 55:17 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive normally appears in narrational contexts to indicate past action, but here it continues the anticipatory (future) perspective of the preceding line. In Ps 77:6 one finds the same sequence of cohortative + prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive. In this case as well, both forms refer to future actions.
Psalm 55:17 tn Heb “my voice.”
Psalm 55:18 tn The perfect verbal form is here used rhetorically to indicate that the action is certain to take place (the so-called perfect of certitude).
Psalm 55:18 tn Heb “he will redeem in peace my life from [those who] draw near to me.”
Psalm 55:18 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 55:18 tn Heb “among many they are against me.” For other examples of the preposition עִמָּד (ʿimmad) used in the sense of “at, against,” see HALOT 842 s.v.; BDB 767 s.v.; IBHS 219 §11.2.14b.
Psalm 55:19 tc Heb “God will hear and answer them, even [the] one who sits [from] ancient times.” The prefixed verbal from with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the anticipatory force of the preceding imperfect. The verb appears to be a Qal form from עָנָה (ʿanah, “to answer”). If this reading is retained, the point would be that God “answered” them in judgment. The translation assumes an emendation to the Piel וַיְעַנֵּם (vay^eʿannem; see 2 Kgs 17:20) and understands the root as עָנָה (ʿanah, “to afflict”; see also 1 Kgs 8:35).
Psalm 55:19 tn Heb “[the ones] for whom there are no changes, and they do not fear God.”
Psalm 55:20 sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.
Psalm 55:20 tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”
Psalm 55:20 tc The form should probably be emended to an active participle (שֹׁלְמָיו, shol^emayv) from the verbal root שָׁלַם (shalam, “be in a covenant of peace with”). Perhaps the translation “his friends” suggests too intimate a relationship. Another option is to translate, “he attacks those who made agreements with him.”
Psalm 55:20 tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”
Psalm 55:21 tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhmaʾot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhemʾah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (khal^equ, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.
Psalm 55:21 tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”
Psalm 55:21 tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”
Psalm 55:22 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here.
Psalm 55:22 tn The pronoun is singular; the psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually.
Psalm 55:22 tn Heb “he will never allow swaying for the righteous.”
Psalm 55:23 tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).
Psalm 55:23 tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).
Psalm 55:23 tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”
Psalm 55:23 tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”

Psalm 138:1-139:23

Psalm 138^[a]

By David.

138 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
before the heavenly assembly^[b] I will sing praises to you.
²I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name,
because of your loyal love and faithfulness,
for you have exalted your promise above the entire sky.^[c]
³When^[d] I cried out for help, you answered me.
You made me bold and energized me.^[e]
⁴Let all the kings of the earth give thanks^[f] to you, O Lord,
when they hear the words you speak.^[g]
⁵Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds,^[h]
for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent.^[i]
⁶Though the Lord is exalted, he looks after the lowly,
and from far away humbles^[j] the proud.
⁷Even when I must walk in the midst of danger,^[k] you revive me.
You oppose my angry enemies,^[l]
and your right hand delivers me.
⁸The Lord avenges me.^[m]
O Lord, your loyal love endures.
Do not abandon those whom you have made.^[n]

Psalm 139^[o]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you examine me^[p] and know me.
²You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
³You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;^[q]
you are aware of everything I do.^[r]
⁴Certainly^[s] my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.^[t]
⁵You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
⁶Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.^[u]
⁷Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence?^[v]
⁸If I were to ascend^[w] to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out^[x] in Sheol, there you would be.^[y]
⁹If I were to fly away^[z] on the wings of the dawn,^[aa]
and settle down on the other side^[ab] of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
¹¹If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me,^[ac]
and the light will turn to night all around me,”^[ad]
¹²even the darkness is not too dark for you to see,^[ae]
and the night is as bright as^[af] day;
darkness and light are the same to you.^[ag]
¹³Certainly^[ah] you made my mind and heart;^[ai]
you wove me together^[aj] in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.^[ak]
You knew me thoroughly;^[al]
¹⁵my bones were not hidden from you,
when^[am] I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth.^[an]
¹⁶Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.^[ao]
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence.^[ap]
¹⁷How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God!^[aq]
How vast is their sum total.^[ar]
¹⁸If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you.^[as]
¹⁹If only^[at] you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men!^[au]
²⁰They^[av] rebel against you^[aw] and act deceitfully;^[ax]
your enemies lie.^[ay]
²¹O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,
and despise those who oppose you?^[az]
²²I absolutely hate them;^[ba]
they have become my enemies.
²³Examine me, O God, and probe my thoughts.^[bb]
Test me, and know my concerns.^[bc]

Footnotes

Psalm 138:1 sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.
Psalm 138:1 tn The referent of the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.
Psalm 138:2 tc The MT reads, “for you have made great over all your name your word.” If retained, this must mean that God’s mighty intervention, in fulfillment of his word of promise, surpassed anything he had done prior to this. However, the statement is odd and several emendations have been proposed. Some read, “for you have exalted over everything your name and your word,” while others suggest, “for you have exalted over all the heavens your name and your word.” The translation assumes an emendation of “your name” to “your heavens” (a construction that appears in Pss 8:3 and 144:5). The point is that God has been faithful to his promise and the reliability of that promise is apparent to all. For a fuller discussion of these options, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 244.
Psalm 138:3 tn Heb “in the day.”
Psalm 138:3 tn Heb “you made me bold in my soul [with] strength.”
Psalm 138:4 tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in the following verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks…and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.
Psalm 138:4 tn Heb “the words of your mouth.”
Psalm 138:5 tn Heb “ways.”
Psalm 138:5 tn Heb “great.”
Psalm 138:6 tc The form of the verb is יְיֵדָע (y^eyedaʿ) commonly understood to be Qal of יָדַע I (yadaʿ), although the Qal should not have two yod’s. Most likely one י (yod) should be deleted as dittography, or the second should be read as a ו (vav) and the form be understood as a Hifil.tn The Hifil of יָדַע II (yadaʿ) means “to humiliate,” causative of the Qal “be submissive, humbled, quiet” (cf. Job 21:19; Prov 5:6; Isa 45:4; Jer 14:18; Hos 9:7). DCH supposes that the Qal can mean “to humiliate” in this verse. The more common homophonous root יָדַע means “to know,” sometimes with the nuance “to care for.” Alternatively the adjective גָּבֹהַּ (gavoah) can be understood as the subject, referring to God, “the exalted one cares for [the lowly] from a distance,” but the parallel thought in the next verse favors a contrast in this verse also.
Psalm 138:7 tn Or “distress.”
Psalm 138:7 tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”
Psalm 138:8 tn Heb “avenges on my behalf.” For the meaning “to avenge” for the verb גָּמַר (gamar), see HALOT 197-98 s.v. גמר.
Psalm 138:8 tn Heb “the works of your hands.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular, “work of your hands.”
Psalm 139:1 sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
Psalm 139:1 tn The statement is understood as generalizing—the psalmist describes what God typically does.
Psalm 139:3 tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זֶרֶת (zeret, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
Psalm 139:3 tn Heb “all my ways.”
Psalm 139:4 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 139:4 tn Heb “look, O Lord, you know all of it.”
Psalm 139:6 tn Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
Psalm 139:7 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
Psalm 139:8 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
Psalm 139:8 tn The verb יָצַע (yatzaʿ) is rare in the Bible (see Isa 58:5 also Hiphil, and Isa 1:14; Est 4:3 for Hophal examples). There are three main options for understanding this phrase. It may mean “to descend to Sheol,” as in the LXX. This takes the motion in the verb as very generic for this context and understands “Sheol” without a preposition as the default “to Sheol.” Many translations take it as spreading out [something] to act as a bed, couch, or area to lie down. It is uncertain that the idea of a bed has to be implied and this does not required to fit the other contexts. Or, as taken here, it may “to spread [oneself] out, to sprawl.” Each view has merits and it is difficult to decide because the are so few examples.
Psalm 139:8 tn Heb “look, you.”
Psalm 139:9 tn Heb “rise up.”
Psalm 139:9 sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
Psalm 139:9 tn Heb “at the end.”
Psalm 139:11 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (y^esukkeni), from the root שָׂכַך (sakhakh, “to cover,” an alternate form of סָכַך [sakhakh]), a reading assumed in the present translation.
Psalm 139:11 tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”
Psalm 139:12 tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
Psalm 139:12 tn Heb “shines like.”
Psalm 139:12 tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
Psalm 139:13 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 139:13 tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).
Psalm 139:13 tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.
Psalm 139:14 tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (palah) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (palaʾ; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נִפְלָאִים (niflaʾim), the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (niflaʾot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).
Psalm 139:14 tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yodaʿat), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yadaʿta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.
Psalm 139:15 tc The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (kaʾasher, “when”). The כ (kaf) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
Psalm 139:15 sn The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
Psalm 139:16 tn Heb “Your eyes saw my shapeless form.” The Hebrew noun גֹּלֶם (golem) occurs only here in the OT. In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow 222 s.v. גּוֹלֶם). The translation employs the dynamic rendering “when I was inside the womb” to clarify that the speaker was still in his mother’s womb at the time he was “seen” by God.
Psalm 139:16 tn Heb “and on your scroll all of them were written, [the] days [which] were formed, and [there was] not one among them.” This “scroll” may be the “scroll of life” mentioned in Ps 69:28 (see the note on the word “living” there).
Psalm 139:17 tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).
Psalm 139:17 tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.
Psalm 139:18 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.
Psalm 139:19 tn The Hebrew particle אִם (ʾim, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).
Psalm 139:19 tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”
Psalm 139:20 tn Heb “who.”
Psalm 139:20 tc Heb “they speak [of] you.” The suffixed form of the verb אָמַר (ʾamar, “to speak”) is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to יַמְרֻךָ (yamrukha), a Hiphil form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”; see Ps 78:40).
Psalm 139:20 tn Heb “by deceit.”
Psalm 139:20 tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The form נָשֻׂא (nasuʾ; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (nas^eʾu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (ʿarekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (ʿalekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 253).
Psalm 139:21 tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqom^emekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uv^emitqom^emekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed מ [mem] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew mss have it).
Psalm 139:22 tn Heb “[with] completeness of hatred I hate them.”
Psalm 139:23 tn Heb “and know my heart.”
Psalm 139:23 tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sarʿappay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.

Joshua 23

Joshua Challenges Israel to be Faithful

23 A long time^[a] passed after the Lord made Israel secure from all their enemies,^[b] and Joshua was very old.^[c] ²So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and told them: “I am very old. ³You saw everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your behalf, for the Lord your God fights for you.^[d] ⁴See, I have parceled out to your tribes these remaining nations,^[e] from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea^[f] in the west, including all the nations I defeated.^[g] ⁵The Lord your God will drive them out from before you and remove them,^[h] so you can occupy^[i] their land as the Lord your God promised^[j] you. ⁶Be very strong! Carefully obey^[k] all that is written in the law scroll of Moses so you won’t swerve from it to the right or the left, ⁷or associate with these nations that remain near^[l] you. You must not invoke or make solemn declarations by the names of their gods!^[m] You must not worship^[n] or bow down to them! ⁸But you must be loyal to^[o] the Lord your God, as you have been^[p] to this very day.

⁹“The Lord drove out from before you great and mighty nations; no one has been able to resist you^[q] to this very day. ¹⁰One of you makes a thousand run away,^[r] for the Lord your God fights for you,^[s] as he promised you he would.^[t] ¹¹Watch yourselves carefully! Love the Lord your God!^[u] ¹²But if you ever turn away and make alliances with^[v] these nations that remain near you,^[w] and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them,^[x] ¹³know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you;^[y] they will be a whip that tears^[z] your sides and thorns that blind^[aa] your eyes until you disappear^[ab] from this good land the Lord your God gave you.

¹⁴“Look, today I am about to die.^[ac] You know with all your heart and being^[ad] that not even one of all the faithful promises the Lord your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized—not one promise is unfulfilled!^[ae] ¹⁵But in the same way every faithful promise the Lord your God made to you has been realized,^[af] it is just as certain that if you disobey, then the Lord will bring on you every judgment^[ag] until he destroys you from this good land that the Lord your God gave you. ¹⁶If you violate the covenantal laws of the Lord your God which he commanded you to keep,^[ah] and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods,^[ai] then the Lord will be very angry with you and you will disappear^[aj] quickly from the good land that he gave to you.”

Footnotes

Joshua 23:1 tn Heb “many days.”
Joshua 23:1 tn Heb “the Lord had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around.”
Joshua 23:1 tn Heb “was old, coming into the days.” This expression, referring to advancing in years, also occurs in the following verse.
Joshua 23:3 tn Heb “for the Lord your God, he [is] the one who fights for you.”
Joshua 23:4 tn Heb “I have assigned by lots to you these remaining nations as an inheritance for your tribes.”
Joshua 23:4 tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
Joshua 23:4 tn Heb “from the Jordan and all the nations which I cut off and the Great Sea [at] the place where the sun sets.” The relationship of the second half of the verse, which mentions nations already conquered, to the first half, which speaks of “remaining nations,” is difficult to understand.
Joshua 23:5 tn The Hebrew text reads, “from before you.” This has not been included in the translation because it is redundant in English.
Joshua 23:5 tn Or “take possession of.”
Joshua 23:5 tn Heb “said to.”
Joshua 23:6 tn Heb “Be strong so you can be careful to do.”
Joshua 23:7 tn Heb “with.”
Joshua 23:7 tn Heb “and in the name of their gods you must not invoke and you must not make solemn declarations.” The words “and you must not make solemn declarations” are omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition to elucidate the immediately preceding command. The Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) without an object occurs only here and in Josh 6:26.
Joshua 23:7 tn Or “serve.”
Joshua 23:8 tn Heb “hug.”
Joshua 23:8 tn Heb “done.”
Joshua 23:9 tn Heb “not a man has stood before you.”
Joshua 23:10 tn Or “chases a thousand.”
Joshua 23:10 tn Heb “for the Lord your God, he [is] the one who fights for you.”
Joshua 23:10 tn Heb “as he said to you.”
Joshua 23:11 tn Heb “Watch carefully yourselves so as to love the Lord your God.”
Joshua 23:12 tn Heb “and hug.”
Joshua 23:12 tn Heb “the remnant of the these nations, these nations that are with you.”
Joshua 23:12 tn Heb “and go into them, and they into you.”
Joshua 23:13 tn Heb “be a trap and a snare to you.”
Joshua 23:13 tn Heb “in.”
Joshua 23:13 tn Heb “thorns in your eyes.”
Joshua 23:13 tn Or “perish.”
Joshua 23:14 tn Heb “go the way of all the earth.”
Joshua 23:14 tn Or “soul.”
Joshua 23:14 tn Heb “one word from all these words which the Lord your God spoke to you has not fallen, the whole has come to pass for you, one word from it has not fallen.”
Joshua 23:15 tn Heb “and it will be as every good word which the Lord your God spoke to you has come to pass.”
Joshua 23:15 tn Heb “so the Lord will bring every injurious [or “evil”] word [or “thing”] upon you.”
Joshua 23:16 tn Heb “when you violate the covenant of the Lord your God which he commanded you.”
Joshua 23:16 tn Heb “and you walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
Joshua 23:16 tn Or “perish.”

Romans 15:25-33

²⁵But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. ²⁶For Macedonia and Achaia are pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷For they were pleased to do this, and indeed they are indebted to the Jerusalem saints.^[a] For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are obligated also to minister to them in material things. ²⁸Therefore after I have completed this and have safely delivered this bounty to them,^[b] I will set out for Spain by way of you, ²⁹and I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of Christ’s blessing.

³⁰Now I urge you, brothers and sisters,^[c] through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf. ³¹Pray^[d] that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea and that my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, ³²so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. ³³Now may the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.^[e]

Matthew 27:11-23

Jesus and Pilate

¹¹Then^[a] Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him,^[b] “Are you the king^[c] of the Jews?” Jesus^[d] said, “You say so.”^[e] ¹²But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he did not respond. ¹³Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they are bringing against you?” ¹⁴But he did not answer even one accusation, so that the governor was quite amazed.

¹⁵During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd,^[f] whomever they wanted. ¹⁶At that time they had in custody a notorious prisoner named Jesus^[g] Barabbas. ¹⁷So after they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus^[h] Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?”^[i] ¹⁸(For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.)^[j] ¹⁹As^[k] he was sitting on the judgment seat,^[l] his wife sent a message^[m] to him:^[n] “Have nothing to do with that innocent man;^[o] I have suffered greatly as a result of a dream^[p] about him today.” ²⁰But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. ²¹The^[q] governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!” ²²Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?”^[r] They all said, “Crucify him!”^[s] ²³He asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!”

Footnotes

Matthew 27:11 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Matthew 27:11 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Matthew 27:11 sn “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate was interested in this charge because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.
Matthew 27:11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 27:11 sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 26:64.
Matthew 27:15 sn The custom of Pilate to release one prisoner is unknown outside the gospels in Jewish writings, but it was a Roman custom at the time and thus probably used in Palestine as well (cf. Matt 27:15; John 18:39).
Matthew 27:16 tc Although the external evidence for the inclusion of “Jesus” before “Barabbas” (in vv. 16 and 17) is rather sparse, being restricted virtually to mss of what was formally labeled the “Caesarean” text (Θ ƒ¹ 700* sy^s arm geo²; Or^mss), the omission of the Lord’s name in apposition to “Barabbas” is such a strongly motivated reading that it can hardly be original. There is no good explanation for a scribe unintentionally adding ᾿Ιησοῦν (Iēsoun) before Βαραββᾶν (Barabban), especially since Barabbas is mentioned first in each verse (thus dittography is ruled out). Further, the addition of τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν (ton legomenon Christon, “who is called Christ”) to ᾿Ιησοῦν in v. 17 makes better sense if Barabbas is also called “Jesus” (otherwise, a mere “Jesus” would have been a sufficient appellation to distinguish the two). Metzger notes that codex S, a tenth-century majuscule, along with a score of minuscules, have a marginal comment on this verse as follows: “In many ancient copies which I have met with I found Barabbas himself likewise called ‘Jesus.’” The attribution of this scholium is variously given as Anastasius, Chrysostom, or even Origen (TCGNT 56).
Matthew 27:17 tc Again, as in v. 16, the name “Jesus” is supplied before “Barabbas” in Θ ƒ¹ 700* sy^s Or^mss (Θ 700* lack the article τόν [ton] before Βαραββᾶν [Barabban]). The same argument for accepting the inclusion of “Jesus” as the earlier reading in the previous verse applies here as well.
Matthew 27:17 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
Matthew 27:18 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
Matthew 27:19 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 27:19 tn Or “the judge’s seat.”sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bēma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and usually furnished with a seat. It was used by officials in addressing an assembly or making official pronouncements, often of a judicial nature.
Matthew 27:19 tn The word “message” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Matthew 27:19 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Matthew 27:19 tn The Greek particle γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated here.
Matthew 27:19 tn Or “suffered greatly in a dream.” See the discussion on the construction κατ᾿ ὄναρ (kat’ onar) in BDAG 710 s.v. ὄναρ.
Matthew 27:21 tn Grk “answering, the governor said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 27:22 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
Matthew 27:22 tn Grk “Him—be crucified!” The third person imperative is difficult to translate because English has no corresponding third person form for the imperative. The traditional translation “Let him be crucified” sounds as if the crowd is giving consent or permission. “He must be crucified” is closer, but it is more natural in English to convert the passive to active and simply say “Crucify him.”sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 55[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song[b] by David.

Footnotes

Psalm 138[a]

By David.

Psalm 139[o]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Footnotes

Joshua Challenges Israel to be Faithful

Footnotes

Footnotes

Jesus and Pilate

Footnotes

Psalm 55^[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song^[b] by David.

Psalm 138^[a]

Psalm 139^[o]