chevron-left All Reading Plans / M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan / Family: 2 Kings 14; 2 Timothy 4. Secret: Hosea 7; Psalms 120–122. (New English Translation)
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The classic M'Cheyne plan--read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels every day.
Duration: 365 days
New English Translation (NET)
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2 Kings 14

Amaziah’s Reign over Judah

14 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz,[a] Joash’s[b] son Amaziah became king over Judah. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother[c] was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what the Lord approved,[d] but not like David his ancestor had done. He followed the example of his father Joash.[e] 4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.

5 When he had secured control of the kingdom,[f] he executed the servants who had assassinated his father.[g] 6 But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the scroll of the law of Moses, “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do,[h] and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do.[i] A man must be put to death only for his own sin.”[j]

7 He defeated[k] 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day. 8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, “Come, let’s meet face to face.”[l] 9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal[m] of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn.[n] 10 You thoroughly defeated Edom,[o] and it has gone to your head![p] Gloat over your success,[q] but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?”[r] 11 But Amaziah would not heed the warning,[s] so King Jehoash of Israel attacked.[t] He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face[u] in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.[v] 13 King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He[w] attacked[x] Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—a distance of about 600 feet.[y] 14 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages.[z] Then he went back to Samaria.

15 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s[aa] reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[ab] 16 Jehoash passed away[ac] and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.

17 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 18 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[ad] 19 Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem,[ae] so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him,[af] and they killed him there. 20 His body was carried back by horses,[ag] and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David. 21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 22 Azariah[ah] built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king[ai] had passed away.[aj]

Jeroboam II’s Reign over Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria. 24 He did evil in the sight of[ak] the Lord; he did not repudiate[al] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath[am] in the north to the sea of the rift valley[an] in the south,[ao] just as in the message from the Lord God of Israel that he had announced through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 26 The Lord saw Israel’s intense suffering;[ap] everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer.[aq] 27 The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory[ar] from under heaven,[as] so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash.

28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[at] 29 Jeroboam passed away[au] and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.[av] His son Zechariah replaced him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 14:1 sn The name Joahaz is an alternate form of Jehoahaz.
  2. 2 Kings 14:1 sn The referent here is Joash of Judah (see 12:21), not Joash of Israel, mentioned earlier in the verse.
  3. 2 Kings 14:2 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
  4. 2 Kings 14:3 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.”
  5. 2 Kings 14:3 tn Heb “according to all which Joash his father had done, he did.”
  6. 2 Kings 14:5 tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure in his hand.”
  7. 2 Kings 14:5 tn Heb “he struck down his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”
  8. 2 Kings 14:6 tn Heb “on account of sons.”
  9. 2 Kings 14:6 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”
  10. 2 Kings 14:6 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
  11. 2 Kings 14:7 tn Or “struck down.”
  12. 2 Kings 14:8 tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here to meeting in battle. See v. 11.
  13. 2 Kings 14:9 tn Heb “the animal of the field.”
  14. 2 Kings 14:9 sn Judah is the thorn in the allegory. Amaziah’s success has deceived him into thinking he is on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he is not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).
  15. 2 Kings 14:10 tn Or “you have indeed defeated Edom.”
  16. 2 Kings 14:10 tn Heb “and your heart has lifted you up.”
  17. 2 Kings 14:10 tn Heb “be glorified.”
  18. 2 Kings 14:10 tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
  19. 2 Kings 14:11 tn Heb “did not listen.”
  20. 2 Kings 14:11 tn Heb “went up.”
  21. 2 Kings 14:11 tn Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.”
  22. 2 Kings 14:12 tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”
  23. 2 Kings 14:13 tc The MT has the plural form of the verb, but the final vav (ו) is virtually dittographic. The word that immediately follows in the Hebrew text begins with a yod (י). The form should be emended to the singular, which is consistent in number with the verb (“he broke down”) that follows.
  24. 2 Kings 14:13 tn Heb “came to.”
  25. 2 Kings 14:13 tn Heb “400 cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about 18 inches (45 cm) long.
  26. 2 Kings 14:14 tn Heb “the sons of the pledges.”
  27. 2 Kings 14:15 sn Jehoash and Joash are alternate forms of the same name.
  28. 2 Kings 14:15 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoash, and all which he did and his strength, [and] how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
  29. 2 Kings 14:16 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  30. 2 Kings 14:18 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
  31. 2 Kings 14:19 tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”
  32. 2 Kings 14:19 tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”
  33. 2 Kings 14:20 tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”
  34. 2 Kings 14:22 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Azariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  35. 2 Kings 14:22 sn This must refer to Amaziah.
  36. 2 Kings 14:22 tn Heb “lay with his fathers.”
  37. 2 Kings 14:24 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  38. 2 Kings 14:24 tn Heb “turn away from all.”
  39. 2 Kings 14:25 tn Or “entrance of Hamath” (so NASB and cf. KJV). This may be a site some 44 miles north of Damascus (see T. R. Hobbs, 2 Kings [WBC], 182).
  40. 2 Kings 14:25 tn The “sea of the rift valley” is the Dead Sea.
  41. 2 Kings 14:25 tn The phrases “in the north” and “in the south” are added in the translation for clarification.
  42. 2 Kings 14:26 tc Heb “for the Lord saw the very bitter affliction of Israel.” This translation assumes an emendation of מֹרֶה (moreh), which is meaningless here, to הַמַּר (hammar), the adjective “bitter” functioning attributively with the article prefixed. This emendation is supported by the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate. Another option would be מַר הוּא (mar huʾ), “it was bitter.”
  43. 2 Kings 14:26 tn Heb “[there was] none but the restrained, and [there was] none but the abandoned, and there was no deliverer for Israel.” On the meaning of the terms עָצוּר (ʿatsur) and עָזוּב (ʿazur), see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
  44. 2 Kings 14:27 tn Heb “name.”
  45. 2 Kings 14:27 tn The phrase “from under heaven” adds emphasis to the verb “blot out” and suggest total annihilation. For other examples of the verb מָחָה (makhah), “blot out,” combined with “from under heaven,” see Exod 17:14; Deut 9:14; 25:19; 29:20.
  46. 2 Kings 14:28 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, and all which he did and his strength, [and] how he fought and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?” The phrase “to Judah” is probably not original; it may be a scribal addition by a Judahite scribe who was trying to link Jeroboam’s conquests with the earlier achievements of David and Solomon, who ruled in Judah. The Syriac Peshitta has simply “to Israel.” M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 162) offer this proposal, but acknowledge that it is “highly speculative.”
  47. 2 Kings 14:29 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  48. 2 Kings 14:29 tn The MT has simply “with the kings of Israel,” which appears to stand in apposition to the immediately preceding “with his fathers.” But it is likely that the words “and he was buried in Samaria” have been accidentally omitted from the text. See 13:13 and 14:16.
2 Timothy 4

Charge to Timothy Repeated

4 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 Preach the message,[a] be ready[b] whether it is convenient or not,[c] reprove, rebuke, exhort[d] with complete patience and instruction. 3 For there will be a time when people[e] will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires,[f] they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.[g] 4 And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths.[h] 5 You, however, be self-controlled[i] in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart[j] is at hand. 7 I have competed well;[k] I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! 8 Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day—and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on[l] his appearing.

Travel Plans and Concluding Greetings

9 Make every effort to come to me soon. 10 For Demas[m] deserted me, since he loved[n] the present age, and he went to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is a great help[o] to me in ministry.[p] 12 Now I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring with you the cloak I left in Troas with Carpas and the scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm.[q] The Lord will repay him in keeping with his deeds.[r] 15 You be on guard against him[s] too, because he vehemently opposed our words. 16 At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me—may they not be held accountable for it. 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message[t] would be fully proclaimed[u] for all the Gentiles to hear. And so I was delivered from the lion’s mouth! 18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely[v] into his heavenly kingdom. To him[w] be glory for ever and ever![x] Amen.

19 Greetings to[y] Prisca and Aquila[z] and the family of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth. Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. 21 Make every effort to come before winter. Greetings to you from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.[aa] 22 The Lord[ab] be with your spirit. Grace be with you.[ac]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 4:2 tn Or “the word.”
  2. 2 Timothy 4:2 tn Or “be persistent.”
  3. 2 Timothy 4:2 tn Grk “in season, out of season.”
  4. 2 Timothy 4:2 tn Or “encourage.”
  5. 2 Timothy 4:3 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people in that future time) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. 2 Timothy 4:3 tn Grk “in accord with.”
  7. 2 Timothy 4:3 tn Grk “having an itching in regard to hearing,” “having itching ears.”
  8. 2 Timothy 4:4 sn These myths were legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 4:7; and Titus 1:14.
  9. 2 Timothy 4:5 tn Or “sober,” “temperate.”
  10. 2 Timothy 4:6 tn Grk “of my departure.”
  11. 2 Timothy 4:7 sn The expression I have competed well (Grk “I have competed the good competition”) uses words that may refer to a race or to a boxing or wrestling match: “run the good race” or “fight the good fight.” The similar phrase in 1 Tim 1:18 uses a military picture and is more literally “war the good warfare.”
  12. 2 Timothy 4:8 tn Grk “all who have loved.”
  13. 2 Timothy 4:10 sn Demas is most likely the same individual mentioned in Col 4:14 and Phlm 24.
  14. 2 Timothy 4:10 tn Grk “having loved.”
  15. 2 Timothy 4:11 tn Grk “useful.”
  16. 2 Timothy 4:11 tn Or “in serving me.”
  17. 2 Timothy 4:14 tn Grk “showed me much evil.”
  18. 2 Timothy 4:14 sn An allusion to Ps 28:4.
  19. 2 Timothy 4:15 tn Grk “against whom,” as a continuation of the previous clause. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  20. 2 Timothy 4:17 tn Or “the preaching.”
  21. 2 Timothy 4:17 tn Grk “might be completely fulfilled.”
  22. 2 Timothy 4:18 tn Grk “save me.”
  23. 2 Timothy 4:18 tn Grk “to whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  24. 2 Timothy 4:18 tn Grk “unto the ages of the ages,” an emphatic way of speaking about eternity in Greek.
  25. 2 Timothy 4:19 tn Grk “greet.”
  26. 2 Timothy 4:19 sn On Prisca and Aquila see also Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. Paul uses the name Prisca, while the author of Acts uses the diminutive form of the name Priscilla.
  27. 2 Timothy 4:21 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
  28. 2 Timothy 4:22 tc The reading ὁ κύριος (ho kurios, “the Lord”) is well supported by א* F G 33 1739 1881 sa, but predictable expansions on the text have occurred at this point: A 104 614 read ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς (ho kurios Iēsous, “the Lord Jesus”), while א2 C D Ψ 1175 1241 1505 M al sy bo have ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός (ho kurios Iēsous Christos, “the Lord Jesus Christ”). As B. M. Metzger notes, although in a late book such as 2 Timothy, one might expect the fuller title for the Lord, accidental omission of nomina sacra is rare (TCGNT 582). The shorter reading is thus preferred on both external and internal grounds.
  29. 2 Timothy 4:22 tc Most witnesses (א2 D Ψ 1175 1241 1505 M al lat sy) conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, there are several excellent Alexandrian and Western representatives (א* A C F G 6 33 81 1739* 1881 sa) that lack the particle, rendering the omission the preferred reading.
Hosea 7

7 whenever I want to heal Israel,
the sin of Ephraim is revealed,
and the evil deeds of Samaria are exposed.
For they do what is wrong;
thieves break into houses,
and gangs rob people out in the streets.
2 They do not realize[a]
that I remember all their wicked deeds.
Their evil deeds have now surrounded them;
their sinful deeds are always before me.[b]

Political Intrigue and Conspiracy in the Palace

3 The royal advisers delight the king with their evil schemes,
the princes make him glad with their lies.
4 They are all like bakers,[c]
they[d] are like a smoldering oven;
they are like a baker who does not stoke the fire
until the kneaded dough is ready for baking.
5 At the celebration[e] of their king,[f]
his princes become inflamed[g] with wine;
they conspire[h] with evildoers.
6 They approach him, all the while plotting against him.
Their hearts are like an oven;
their anger smolders all night long,
but in the morning it bursts into a flaming fire.
7 All of them are blazing like an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,
and none of them call on me!

Israel Lacks Discernment and Refuses to Repent

8 Ephraim has mixed itself like flour[i] among the nations;
Ephraim is like a ruined cake of bread that is scorched on one side.[j]
9 Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced,[k]
but he does not recognize it.
His head is filled with gray hair,
but he does not realize it.
10 The arrogance of Israel testifies against him,
yet they refuse to return to the Lord their God.
In spite of all this they refuse to seek him.

Israel Turns to Assyria and Egypt for Help

11 Ephraim has been like a dove,
easily deceived and lacking discernment.
They called to Egypt for help;
they turned to Assyria for protection.
12 I will throw my bird net over them while they are flying;
I will bring them down like birds in the sky;
I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together.

Israel Has Turned Away from the Lord

13 Woe to them! For they have fled from me!
Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me!
I want to deliver[l] them,
but they have lied to me.
14 They do not pray to me,[m]
but howl in distress on their beds;
they slash themselves[n] for grain and new wine,
but turn away from me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened them,[o]
they plot evil against me!
16 They turn to Baal;[p]
they are like an unreliable bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because their prayers to Baal[q] have made me angry.
So people will disdain them in the land of Egypt.[r]

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 7:2 tn Heb “and they do not say in their heart”; cf. TEV “It never enters their heads.”
  2. Hosea 7:2 tn Heb “they [the sinful deeds] are before my face” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); cf. NCV “they are right in front of me.”
  3. Hosea 7:4 tc The MT reads מְנָאֲפִים (menaʾafim, “adulterers”; Piel participle masculine plural from נָאַף, naʾaf, “to commit adultery”), which does not seem to fit the context. The original reading was probably אוֹפִים (ʾofim, “bakers”; Qal participle masculine plural from אָפַה, ʾafah, “to bake”), which harmonizes well with the baker/oven/fire motif in 7:4-7. The textual deviation was caused by: (1) confusion of נ (nun) and ו (vav), (2) metathesis of נ/ו (nun/vav) and א (alef), and (3) dittography of מ (mem) from the preceding word. Original כֻּלָּם אוֹפִים (kullam ʾofim, “all of them are bakers”) was confused for כֻּלָּם מְנָאֲפִים (“all of them are adulterers”). In spite of this most English versions follow the reading of the MT here.
  4. Hosea 7:4 tc The MT preserves the enigmatic כְּמוֹ תַנּוּר בֹּעֵרָה מֵ (kemo tannur boʿerah me, “Like a burning oven, from…?”). The adjectival participle בֹּעֵרָה (“burning”) is feminine while the noun תַנּוּר (tannur, “oven”) that it modifies is masculine. The BHS editors solve this problem by simply redividing the words: כְּמוֹ תַנּוּר בֹּעֵר הֵם (kemo tannur boʿer hem, “they are like a burning oven”). This solution is followed by many English versions (e.g., NCV, NRSV, NLT).
  5. Hosea 7:5 tn Heb “the day of” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); cf. NIV “On the day of the festival of our king,” NLT “On royal holidays.”
  6. Hosea 7:5 tc The MT preserves the awkward first person common plural suffix reading מַלְכֵּנוּ (malakenu, “our king”). The BHS editors suggest reading the third person masculine plural suffix מַלְכָּם (malkam, “their king”; so CEV), as reflected in the Aramaic Targum.
  7. Hosea 7:5 tc The MT vocalizes the consonants החלו as הֶחֱלוּ a Hiphil perfect third person common plural from I חָלָה (“to become sick”). However, this is syntactically awkward. The BHS editors suggest revocalizing it as Hiphil infinitive construct + third person masculine singular suffix from חָלַל (khalal, “to begin”) or Hiphil perfect third person common plural from חָלַל. For a discussion of this textual problem, see D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:240.tn Heb “when their king began [to reign].”
  8. Hosea 7:5 tn Heb “he joined hands”; cf. NCV “make agreements.”
  9. Hosea 7:8 tn The words “like flour” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied by the imagery.
  10. Hosea 7:8 tn Heb “a cake of bread not turned.” This metaphor compares Ephraim to a ruined cake of bread that was not turned over in time to avoid being scorched and burned (see BDB 728 s.v. עֻגָה). Cf. NLT “as worthless as a half-baked cake.”
  11. Hosea 7:9 tn Heb “foreigners consume his strength”; cf. NRSV “devour (NIV “sap”) his strength.”
  12. Hosea 7:13 tn Heb “redeem” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. NCV, TEV “save,” CEV “I would have rescued them.”
  13. Hosea 7:14 tn Heb “they do not cry out to me in their heart”; cf. NLT “with sincere hearts.”
  14. Hosea 7:14 tc The MT reads יִתְגּוֹרָרוּ (yitgoraru), which is either (1) Hitpolel imperfect third person masculine plural (“they assemble themselves”; so KJV, NASB) from I גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn”; BDB 157 s.v. I גּוּר) or (2) Hitpolel imperfect third person masculine plural (“they excite themselves”) from II גּוּר (gur, “to stir up”; BDB 158 s.v. II גּוּר). However, the Hebrew lexicographers suggest that both of these options are unlikely. Several other Hebrew mss preserve an alternate textual tradition of יִתְגּוֹדָדוּ (yitgodadu), which is a Hitpolel imperfect third person common plural (“they slash themselves”) from גָּדַד (gadad, “to cut”; BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד), as also reflected in the LXX (cf. NAB “they lacerated themselves”; NRSV, TEV “gash themselves”; NLT “cut themselves”). This reflects the pagan Canaanite cultic practice of priests cutting themselves and draining their blood on the ground to elicit agricultural fertility by resurrecting the slain fertility god Baal from the underworld (Deut 14:1; 1 Kgs 18:28; Jer 16:6; 41:5; 47:5). Cf. CEV, which adds, “in the hope that Baal will bless their crops.”
  15. Hosea 7:15 tn Heb “their arms” (so NAB, NRSV).
  16. Hosea 7:16 tc The MT reads the enigmatic יָשׁוּבוּ לֹא עָל (yashuvu loʾ ʿal), which is taken variously: “they turn, but not upward” (NASB); “they do not turn to the Most High” (NIV); and “they return, but not to the most High” (KJV). The BHS editors suggest יָשׁוּבוּ לַבַּעַל (yashuvu labbaʿal, “they turn to Baal”; so RSV) or יָשׁוּבוּ לַבְּלִיַּעַל (yashuvu labbeliyyaʿal, “they turn to Belial”), which is reflected by the LXX.
  17. Hosea 7:16 tn Heb “because their tongue.” The term “tongue” is used figuratively as a metonymy of cause (tongue) for effect (prayers to Baal).
  18. Hosea 7:16 tn Heb “this [will] be for scorn in the land of Egypt”; cf. NIV “they will be ridiculed (NAB “shall be mocked”) in the land of Egypt.”
Psalm 120-122

Psalm 120[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

120 In my distress I cried out
to the Lord and he answered me.
2 I said,[c] “O Lord, rescue me[d]
from those who lie with their lips[e]
and those who deceive with their tongues.[f]
3 How will he severely punish you,
you deceptive talker?[g]
4 Here’s how![h] With the sharp arrows of warriors,
with arrowheads forged over the hot coals.[i]
5 How miserable I am.[j]
For I have lived temporarily[k] in Meshech;
I have resided among the tents of Kedar.[l]
6 For too long I have had to reside
with those who hate[m] peace.
7 I am committed to peace,[n]
but when I speak, they want to make war.[o]

Psalm 121[p]

A song of ascents.[q]

121 I look up[r] toward the hills.
From where[s] does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,[t]
the Creator[u] of heaven and earth.
3 May he not allow your foot to slip.
May your Protector[v] not sleep.[w]
4 Look! Israel’s Protector[x]
does not sleep or slumber.
5 The Lord is your protector;
the Lord is the shade at your right hand.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
or the moon by night.[y]
7 The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.
8 The Lord will protect you in all you do,[z]
now and forevermore.

Psalm 122[aa]

A song of ascents;[ab] by David.

122 I was glad because[ac] they said to me,
“We will go to the Lord’s temple.”
2 Our feet are[ad] standing
inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is a city designed
to accommodate an assembly.[ae]
4 The tribes go up[af] there,[ag]
the tribes of the Lord,
where it is required that Israel
give thanks to the name of the Lord.[ah]
5 Indeed,[ai] the leaders sit[aj] there on thrones and make legal decisions,
on the thrones of the house of David.[ak]
6 Pray[al] for the peace of Jerusalem.
May those who love her prosper.[am]
7 May there be peace inside your defenses,
and prosperity[an] inside your fortresses.[ao]
8 For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors
I will say, “May there be peace in you.”
9 For the sake of the temple of the Lord our God
I will pray for you to prosper.[ap]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 120:1 sn Psalm 120. The genre and structure of this psalm are uncertain. It begins like a thanksgiving psalm, with a brief notice that God has heard the psalmist’s prayer for help and has intervened. But v. 2 is a petition for help, followed by a taunt directed toward enemies (vv. 3-4) and a lament (vv. 5-7). Perhaps vv. 2-7 recall the psalmist’s prayer when he cried out to the Lord.
  2. Psalm 120:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  3. Psalm 120:2 tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the introductory note for this psalm.
  4. Psalm 120:2 tn Or “my life.”
  5. Psalm 120:2 tn Heb “from a lip of falsehood.”
  6. Psalm 120:2 tn Heb “from a tongue of deception.”
  7. Psalm 120:3 tn Heb “What will he give to you, and what will he add to you, O tongue of deception?” The psalmist addresses his deceptive enemies. The Lord is the understood subject of the verbs “give” and “add.” The second part of the question echoes a standard curse formula, “thus the Lord/God will do…and thus he will add” (see Ruth 1:17; 1 Sam 3:17; 14:44; 20:13; 25:22; 2 Sam 3:9, 35; 19:13; 1 Kgs 2:23; 2 Kgs 6:31).
  8. Psalm 120:4 tn The words “here’s how” are supplied in the translation as a clarification. In v. 4 the psalmist answers the question he raises in v. 3.
  9. Psalm 120:4 tn Heb “with coals of the wood of the broom plant.” The wood of the broom plant was used to make charcoal, which in turn was used to fuel the fire used to forge the arrowheads.
  10. Psalm 120:5 tn Or “woe to me.” The Hebrew term אוֹיָה (ʾoyah, “woe”) which occurs only here, is an alternate form of אוֹי (ʾoy).
  11. Psalm 120:5 tn Heb “I live as a resident foreigner.”
  12. Psalm 120:5 sn Meshech was located in central Anatolia (modern Turkey). Kedar was located in the desert to east-southeast of Israel. Because of the reference to Kedar, it is possible that Ps 120:5 refers to a different Meshech, perhaps one associated with the individual mentioned as a descendant of Aram in 1 Chr 1:17. (However, the LXX in 1 Chr 1:17 follows the parallel text in Gen 10:23, which reads “Mash,” not Meshech.) It is, of course, impossible that the psalmist could have been living in both the far north and the east at the same time. For this reason one must assume that he is recalling his experience as a wanderer among the nations or that he is using the geographical terms metaphorically and sarcastically to suggest that the enemies who surround him are like the barbarians who live in these distant regions. For a discussion of the problem, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 146.
  13. Psalm 120:6 tn The singular participial form probably has a representative function here. The psalmist envisions the typical hater of peace who represents the entire category of such individuals.
  14. Psalm 120:7 tn Heb “I, peace.”
  15. Psalm 120:7 tn Heb “they [are] for war.”
  16. Psalm 121:1 sn Psalm 121. The psalm affirms that the Lord protects his people Israel. Unless the psalmist addresses an observer (note the second person singular forms in vv. 3-8), it appears there are two or three speakers represented in the psalm, depending on how one takes v. 3. The translation assumes that speaker one talks in vv. 1-2, that speaker two responds to him with a prayer in v. 3 (this assumes the verbs are true jussives of prayer), and that speaker three responds with words of assurance in vv. 4-8. If the verbs in v. 3 are taken as a rhetorical use of the jussive, then there are two speakers. Verses 3-8 are speaker two’s response to the words of speaker one. See the note on the word “sleep” at the end of v. 3.
  17. Psalm 121:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  18. Psalm 121:1 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
  19. Psalm 121:1 tn The Hebrew term מֵאַיִן (meʾayin) is interrogative, not relative, in function. Rather than directly stating that his source of help descends from the hills, the psalmist is asking, “From where does my help come?” Nevertheless, the first line does indicate that he is looking toward the hills for help, probably indicating that he is looking up toward the sky, or up toward the temple, in anticipation of supernatural intervention. The psalmist assumes the dramatic role of one needing help. He answers his own question in v. 2.
  20. Psalm 121:2 tn Heb “my help [is] from with the Lord.”
  21. Psalm 121:2 tn Or “Maker.”
  22. Psalm 121:3 tn Heb “the one who guards you.”
  23. Psalm 121:3 tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle אַל (ʾal) appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC 322 §109.e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8. But none of the examples in GKC for this use of the jussive are compelling.
  24. Psalm 121:4 tn Heb “the one who guards Israel.”
  25. Psalm 121:6 sn One hardly thinks of the moon’s rays as being physically harmful, like those of the sun. The reference to the moon may simply lend poetic balance to the verse, but it is likely that the verse reflects an ancient, primitive belief that the moon could have an adverse effect on the mind (note the English expression “moonstruck,” which reflects such a belief). Another possibility is that the sun and moon stand by metonymy for harmful forces characteristic of the day and night, respectively.
  26. Psalm 121:8 tn Heb “your going out and your coming in.”
  27. Psalm 122:1 sn Psalm 122. The psalmist expresses his love for Jerusalem and promises to pray for the city’s security.
  28. Psalm 122:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  29. Psalm 122:1 tn Heb “in the ones saying to me.” After the verb שָׂמַח (samakh), the preposition ב (bet) usually introduces the reason for joy.
  30. Psalm 122:2 tn Or “were.”
  31. Psalm 122:3 tc Heb “Jerusalem, which is built like a city which is joined to her together.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Many regard this as a description of the compact way in which the city was designed or constructed. The translation assumes an emendation of the verb חֻבְּרָה (khubberah, “is joined”) to a noun חֶבְרָה (khevrah, “association; company”). The text then reads literally, “Jerusalem, which is built like a city which has a company together.” This in turn can be taken as a reference to Jerusalem’s role as a city where people congregated for religious festivals and other civic occasions (see vv. 4-5).
  32. Psalm 122:4 tn Or “went up.”
  33. Psalm 122:4 tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”
  34. Psalm 122:4 tn Heb “[it is] a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord.”
  35. Psalm 122:5 tn Or “for.”
  36. Psalm 122:5 tn Or “sat.”
  37. Psalm 122:5 tn Heb “Indeed, there they sit [on] thrones for judgment, [on] thrones [belonging] to the house of David.”
  38. Psalm 122:6 tn Heb “ask [for].”
  39. Psalm 122:6 tn Or “be secure.”
  40. Psalm 122:7 tn or “security.”
  41. Psalm 122:7 tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.
  42. Psalm 122:9 tn Heb “I will seek good for you.” The psalmist will seek Jerusalem’s “good” through prayer.
New English Translation (NET)

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