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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.

Ezra 1

The Decree of Cyrus

1 ^[a] In the first^[b] year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the Lord’s message spoken through^[c] Jeremiah,^[d] the Lord motivated^[e] King Cyrus of Persia to issue^[f] a proclamation^[g] throughout his kingdom and also to put it in writing. It read:^[h]

²“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:

“‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed^[i] me to build a temple^[j] for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³Anyone of^[k] his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. ⁴Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors^[l] with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem

⁵Then the leaders^[m] of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites—all those whose mind God had stirred—got ready^[n] to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. ⁶All their neighbors assisted them^[o] with silver utensils,^[p] gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention^[q] all the voluntary offerings.

⁷Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed^[r] in the temple of his gods. ⁸King Cyrus of Persia entrusted^[s] them to^[t] Mithredath^[u] the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar^[v] the leader of the Judahite exiles.^[w]

⁹The inventory^[x] of these items was as follows:

30 gold basins,^[y]
1,000 silver basins,
29 silver utensils,^[z]
¹⁰30 gold bowls,
410 other^[aa] silver bowls,
and 1,000 other vessels.

¹¹All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400.^[ab] Sheshbazzar brought them all along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Footnotes

Ezra 1:1 sn In addition to the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are two deuterocanonical books that are also called “Ezra.” Exactly how these books are designated varies in ancient literature. In the Septuagint (LXX) canonical Ezra is called Second Esdras, but in the Latin Vulgate it is called First Esdras. Our Nehemiah is called Third Esdras in some manuscripts of the LXX, but it is known as Second Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. (In the earliest LXX manuscripts Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as one book, as they were in some Hebrew manuscripts.) The deuterocanonical books of Ezra are called First and Fourth Esdras in the LXX, but Third and Fourth Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. The titles for the so-called books of Ezra are thus rather confusing, a fact that one must keep in mind when consulting this material.
Ezra 1:1 sn The first year of Cyrus would be ca. 539 b.c. Cyrus reigned in Persia from ca. 539-530 b.c.
Ezra 1:1 tc The MT reads מִפִּי (mippi, “from the mouth of”), but this should probably be emended to בְּפִי (b^efi, “by the mouth of”), which is the way the parallel passage in 2 Chr 36:22 reads. This is also reflected in the LXX, which is either reflecting an alternate textual tradition of בְּפִי or is attempting to harmonize Ezra 1:1 in light of 2 Chronicles.tn Heb “from the mouth of.”
Ezra 1:1 sn Cf. Jer 29:10; 25:11-14. Jeremiah had prophesied that after a time of seventy years the Jews would return “to this place.” How these seventy years are to be reckoned is a matter of debate among scholars. Some understand the period to refer to the approximate length of Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power, beginning either with the fall of Nineveh (612 b.c.) or with Nebuchadnezzar’s coronation (605 b.c.) and continuing till the fall of Babylon to the Persians in 539 b.c. Others take the seventy years to refer to the period from the destruction of the temple in 586 b.c. till its rebuilding in 516 b.c.
Ezra 1:1 tn Heb “stirred the spirit of.” The Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) has a broad range of meanings (see BDB 924-26 s.v.). Here, it probably refers to (1) “mind” as the seat of mental acts (e.g., Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9; Isa 29:24; 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 6) or (2) “will” as the seat of volitional decisions (e.g., Exod 35:5, 22; Pss 51:12, 14; 57:8; 2 Chr 29:31; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 7). So also in v. 5. The entire phrase “stirred the spirit” has been rendered as “motivated” to better reflect normal English.
Ezra 1:1 tn Heb “caused to pass.”
Ezra 1:1 tn Heb “a voice.” The Hebrew noun קוֹל (qol, “voice, sound”) has a broad range of meanings, including the metonymical (cause—effect) nuance “proclamation” (e.g., Exod 36:6; 2 Chr 24:9; 30:5; 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 10:7; Neh 8:15). See BDB 877 s.v. 3.a.2.
Ezra 1:1 tn Heb “in writing, saying.”sn For an interesting extrabiblical parallel to this edict see the Cyrus cylinder (ANET 315-16).
Ezra 1:2 tn Or “instructed.”
Ezra 1:2 tn Heb “house.” The Hebrew noun בַּיִת (bayit, “house”) is often used in reference to the temple of Yahweh (BDB 108 s.v. 1.a). This is also frequent elsewhere in Ezra and Nehemiah (e.g., Ezra 1:3, 4, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9).
Ezra 1:3 tn Heb “from all.”
Ezra 1:4 tn Heb “the men of his place.”
Ezra 1:5 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
Ezra 1:5 tn Heb “arose.”
Ezra 1:6 tn Heb “strengthened their hands.”
Ezra 1:6 tc The MT reads בִּכְלֵי־כֶסֶף (bikhle khesef, “with silver vessels”). However, part of the LXX manuscript tradition reads ἐν πᾶσιν ἀργυρίῳ (en pasin arguriō), which reflects an alternate Hebrew reading of בַּכֹּל־בַּכֶּסֶף (bakkol bakkesef, “everywhere, with silver”). The textual variant involves (1) simple omission of yod (י) between two words, a common scribal mistake; (2) haplography of the preposition bet (ב); and (3) an alternate vocalization tradition of the first term.
Ezra 1:6 tn Heb “besides” or “in addition to.”
Ezra 1:7 tn Heb “and he gave them.”
Ezra 1:8 tn Heb “brought them forth.”
Ezra 1:8 tn Heb “upon the hand of.”
Ezra 1:8 sn A Persian name meaning “gift of Mithras.” See HALOT 656 s.v. מִתְרְדָת.
Ezra 1:8 sn A Babylonian name with the probable meaning “Shamash protect the father.” See HALOT 1664-65 s.v. שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר.
Ezra 1:8 tn Heb “Sheshbazzar the prince to Judah”; TEV, CEV “the governor of Judah.”
Ezra 1:9 tn Heb “these are their number.”
Ezra 1:9 tn The exact meaning of the Hebrew noun אֲגַרְטָל (ʾagartal, which occurs twice in this verse) is somewhat uncertain. The lexicons suggest that it is related to a common Semitic root (the Hebrew derivative has a prosthetic prefixed א [aleph] and interchange between ג [gimel] and ק [kof]): Judean Aramaic and Syriac qartalla, Arabic qirtallat, Ethiopic qartalo, all meaning “basket” (BDB 173-74 s.v.; HALOT 11 s.v.). There is debate whether this is a loanword from Greek κάρταλλος (kartallos, “basket”), Persian hirtal (“leather bag”) or Hittite kurtal (“container”). The term is traditionally understood as a kind of vessel, such as “basket, basin” (BDB 173-74 s.v.; HALOT 11 s.v.); but some suggest “leather bag” or a basket-shaped container of some sort (P. Humbert, “En marge du dictionnaire hébraïque,” ZAW 62 [1950]: 199-207; DCH 1:118 s.v.). The LXX translated it as ψυκτήρ (psuktēr, “metal bowl”). The precise meaning depends on whether the nouns כֶּסֶף (kesef, “silver”) and זָהָב (zahav, “gold”), which follow each use of this plural construct noun, are genitives of content (“containers full of silver” and “containers full of gold”) or genitives of material (“silver containers” and “gold containers” = containers made from silver and gold). If they are genitives of content, the term probably means “baskets” or “leather bags” (filled with silver and gold); however, if they are genitives of material, the term would mean “basins” (made of silver and gold). Elsewhere in Ezra 1, the nouns כֶּסֶף (“silver”) and זָהָב (“gold”) are used as genitives or material, not genitives of content; therefore, the translation “gold basins” and “silver basins” is preferred.
Ezra 1:9 tn Heb “knives.” The Hebrew noun מַחֲלָפִים (makhalafim, “knives”) is found only here in the OT. While the basic meaning of the term is fairly clear, what it refers to here is unclear. The verb II חָלַף (khalaf) means “to pass through” (BDB 322 s.v. חָלַף) or “to cut through” (HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף; see also Judg 5:26; Job 20:24); thus, the lexicons suggest מַחֲלָפִים means “knives” (BDB 322 s.v. מַחֲלָף; HALOT 569 s.v. *מַחֲלָף). The related noun חֲלָפוֹת (khalafot, “knife”) is used in Mishnaic Hebrew (HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף), and חֲלִיפוֹת (khalifot, “knives”) appears in the Talmud. The noun appears in the cognate languages: Ugaritic khlpnm “(“knives”; UT 19) and Syriac khalofta (“shearing knife”; HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף). The Vulgate translated it as “knives,” while the LXX understood it as referring to replacement pieces for the offering basins. The English translations render it variously; some following the Vulgate and others adopting the approach of the LXX: “knives” (KJV, NKJV, NRSV), “censers” (RSV), “duplicates” (NASB), “silver pans” (NIV), “bowls” (TEV), “other dishes” (CEV). Verse 11 lists these twenty-nine objects among the “gold and silver vessels” brought back to Jerusalem for temple worship. The translation above offers the intentionally ambiguous “silver utensils” (the term מַחֲלָפִים [“knives”] would hardly refer to “gold” items, but could refer to “silver items”).
Ezra 1:10 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מִשְׁנִים (mishnim) is uncertain. The noun מִשְׁנֶה (mishneh) means “double, second” (BDB 1041 s.v.), “what is doubled, two-fold” (HALOT 650 s.v. מִשְׁנֶה 3). The translations reflect a diversity of approaches: “410 silver bowls of a second kind” (KJV, NASB, RSV margin), “410 other silver bowls” (NRSV) and “410 matching silver bowls” (NIV). BDB 1041 s.v. משׁנה 3.a suggests it was originally a numeral that was garbled in the transmission process, as reflected in the LXX: “two thousand” (so RSV “two thousand four hundred and ten bowls of silver”). The BHS editor suggests revocalizing the term to מְשֻׁנִים (m^eshunim, “changed”).
Ezra 1:11 sn The total number as given in the MT does not match the numbers given for the various items in v. 9. It is not clear whether the difference is due to error in textual transmission or whether the constituent items mentioned are only a selection from a longer list, in which case the total from that longer list may have been retained. The numbers provided in 1 Esdras come much closer to agreeing with the number in Ezra 1:9-11, but this does not necessarily mean that 1 Esdras has been better preserved here than Ezra. 1 Esdras 2:13-15 (RSV) says, “The number of these was: a thousand gold cups, a thousand silver cups, twenty-nine silver censers, thirty gold bowls, two thousand four hundred and ten silver bowls, and a thousand other vessels. All the vessels were handed over, gold and silver, five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine, and they were carried back by Shesbazzar with the returning exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.”

1 Corinthians 16:1-9

A Collection to Aid Jewish Christians

16 With regard to the collection for the saints, please follow the directions that I gave to the churches of Galatia:^[a] ²On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside some income^[b] and save^[c] it to the extent that God has blessed you,^[d] so that a collection will not have to be made^[e] when I come. ³Then, when I arrive, I will send those whom you approve with letters of explanation to carry your gift to Jerusalem. ⁴And if it seems advisable that I should go also, they will go with me.

Paul’s Plans to Visit

⁵But I will come to you after I have gone through Macedonia—for I will be going through Macedonia— ⁶and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you can send me on my journey, wherever I go. ⁷For I do not want to see you now in passing, since I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows. ⁸But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, ⁹because a door of great opportunity stands wide open for me,^[f] but there are many opponents.

Matthew 12:15-21

God’s Special Servant

¹⁵Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there. Great^[a] crowds^[b] followed him, and he healed them all. ¹⁶But he sternly warned them not to make him known. ¹⁷This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:^[c]

¹⁸“Here is^[d] my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I take great delight.^[e]
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
²⁰He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,
until he brings justice to victory.
²¹And in his name the Gentiles^[f] will hope.”^[g]

New English Translation (NET)

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 37[a]

By David.

Footnotes

The Decree of Cyrus

The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem

Footnotes

A Collection to Aid Jewish Christians

Paul’s Plans to Visit

Footnotes

God’s Special Servant

Footnotes

Psalm 37^[a]