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Old/New Testament

Each day includes a passage from both the Old Testament and New Testament.

Duration: 365 days

Psalm 116-118

Psalm 116^[a]

116 I love the Lord
because he heard my plea for mercy,^[b]
²and listened to me.^[c]
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.^[d]
³The ropes of death tightened around me,^[e]
the snares^[f] of Sheol confronted me.
I was confronted^[g] with trouble and sorrow.
⁴I called on the name of the Lord,
“Please, Lord, rescue my life!”
⁵The Lord is merciful and fair;
our God is compassionate.
⁶The Lord protects^[h] the untrained;^[i]
I was in serious trouble^[j] and he delivered me.
⁷Rest once more, my soul,^[k]
for the Lord has vindicated you.^[l]
⁸Yes,^[m] Lord,^[n] you rescued my life from death,
kept my eyes from tears
and my feet from stumbling.
⁹I will serve^[o] the Lord
in the land^[p] of the living.
¹⁰I had faith when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”
¹¹I rashly declared,^[q]
“All men are liars.”
¹²How can I repay the Lord
for all his acts of kindness to me?
¹³I will celebrate my deliverance,^[r]
and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁴I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people.
¹⁵The Lord values
the lives of his faithful followers.^[s]
¹⁶Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your female servant.^[t]
You saved me from death.^[u]
¹⁷I will present a thank offering to you,
and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people,
¹⁹in the courts of the Lord’s temple,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117^[v]

117 Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Applaud him, all you foreigners.^[w]
²For his loyal love towers^[x] over us,
and the Lord’s faithfulness endures.
Praise the Lord.

Psalm 118^[y]

118 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures.^[z]
²Let Israel say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures.”
³Let the family^[aa] of Aaron say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures.”
⁴Let the loyal followers of the Lord^[ab] say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures.”
⁵In my distress^[ac] I cried out to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place.^[ad]
⁶The Lord is on my side;^[ae] I am not afraid.
What can people do to me?^[af]
⁷The Lord is on my side^[ag] as my helper.^[ah]
I look in triumph on those who hate me.
⁸It is better to take shelter^[ai] in the Lord
than to trust in people.
⁹It is better to take shelter in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
¹⁰All the nations surrounded me.^[aj]
Indeed, in the name of the Lord^[ak] I pushed them away.^[al]
¹¹They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.
Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.
¹²They surrounded me like bees.
But they disappeared as quickly^[am] as a fire among thorns.^[an]
Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.
¹³“You aggressively attacked me^[ao] and tried to knock me down,^[ap]
but the Lord helped me.
¹⁴The Lord gives me strength and protects me;^[aq]
he has become my deliverer.”^[ar]
¹⁵They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly.^[as]
The Lord’s right hand conquers.^[at]
¹⁶The Lord’s right hand gives victory;^[au]
the Lord’s right hand conquers.
¹⁷I will not die, but live,
and I will proclaim what the Lord has done.^[av]
¹⁸The Lord severely^[aw] punished me,
but he did not hand me over to death.
¹⁹Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple.^[ax]
I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰This is the Lord’s gate—
the godly enter through it.
²¹I will give you thanks, for you answered me,
and have become my deliverer.
²²The stone that the builders discarded^[ay]
has become the cornerstone.^[az]
²³This is the Lord’s work.
We consider it amazing!^[ba]
²⁴This is the day the Lord has brought about.^[bb]
We will be happy and rejoice in it.
²⁵Please, Lord, deliver!
Please, Lord, grant us success!^[bc]
²⁶May the one who comes in the name of the Lord^[bd] be blessed.
We will pronounce blessings on you^[be] in the Lord’s temple.^[bf]
²⁷The Lord is God, and he has delivered us.^[bg]
Tie the offering^[bh] with ropes
to the horns of the altar.^[bi]
²⁸You are my^[bj] God, and I will give you thanks.
You are my God and I will praise you.
²⁹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures.^[bk]

Footnotes

Psalm 116:1 sn Psalm 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.
Psalm 116:1 tn Heb “I love because the Lord heard my voice, my pleas.” It is possible that “the Lord” originally appeared directly after “I love” and was later accidentally misplaced. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls that God heard his cry for help (note the perfect in v. 2a and the narrative in vv. 3-4).
Psalm 116:2 tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”
Psalm 116:2 tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”
Psalm 116:3 tn Heb “surrounded me.”
Psalm 116:3 tn The Hebrew noun מֵצַר (metsar, “straits; distress”) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. מֵצַר, “the straits of Sheol”; NIV “the anguish of the grave”; NRSV “the pangs of Sheol”). However, HALOT 624 s.v. מֵצַר suggests an emendation to מְצָדֵי (m^etsade, “snares of”), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.
Psalm 116:3 tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.
Psalm 116:6 tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the Lord.
Psalm 116:6 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Ps 19:7.
Psalm 116:6 tn Heb “I was low.”
Psalm 116:7 tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”
Psalm 116:7 tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ʿal) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).
Psalm 116:8 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 116:8 tn “Lord” is supplied here in the translation for clarification.
Psalm 116:9 tn Heb “walk before” (see Ps 56:13). On the meaning of the Hebrew idiom, see the notes at 2 Kgs 20:3/Isa 38:3.
Psalm 116:9 tn Heb “lands, regions.”
Psalm 116:11 tn Heb “I said in my haste.”
Psalm 116:13 tn Heb “a cup of deliverance I will lift up.” Perhaps this alludes to a drink offering the psalmist will present as he thanks the Lord for his deliverance. See v. 17.
Psalm 116:15 tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the Lord [is] the death of his godly ones.” The point is not that God delights in or finds satisfaction in the death of his followers! The psalmist, who has been delivered from death, affirms that the life-threatening experiences of God’s followers get God’s attention, just as a precious or rare object would attract someone’s eye. See Ps 72:14 for a similar expression of this belief.
Psalm 116:16 tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). It may used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant. Or it may be a reference to the psalmist’s own mother who also was a servant of the Lord.
Psalm 116:16 tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).
Psalm 117:1 sn Psalm 117. The psalmist tells the nations to praise the Lord for his loyal love and faithfulness.
Psalm 117:1 tn Or “peoples” (see Ps 108:3).
Psalm 117:2 tn For this sense of the Hebrew verb גָּבַר (gavar), see Ps 103:11 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.
Psalm 118:1 sn Psalm 118. The psalmist thanks God for his deliverance and urges others to join him in praise.
Psalm 118:1 tn Or “is forever.”
Psalm 118:3 tn Heb “house.”
Psalm 118:4 tn Heb “fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.
Psalm 118:5 tn Heb “from the distress.” The noun מֵצַר (metsar, “straits; distress”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:3. In Ps 116:3 מֵצַר should probably be emended to מְצָדֵי (m^etsade, “snares of”).
Psalm 118:5 tn Heb “the Lord answered me in a wide open place.”
Psalm 118:6 tn Heb “for me.”
Psalm 118:6 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.
Psalm 118:7 tn Heb “for me.”
Psalm 118:7 tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.
Psalm 118:8 tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
Psalm 118:10 sn The reference to an attack by the nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.
Psalm 118:10 tn In this context the phrase “in the name of the Lord” means “by the Lord’s power.”
Psalm 118:10 tn Traditionally the verb has been derived from מוּל (mul, “to circumcise”) and translated “[I] cut [them] off” (see BDB 557-58 s.v. II מוּל). However, it is likely that this is a homonym meaning “to fend off” (see HALOT 556 s.v. II מול) or “to push away.” In this context, where the psalmist is reporting his past experience, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite. The phrase also occurs in vv. 11, 12.
Psalm 118:12 tn Heb “were extinguished.”
Psalm 118:12 tn The point seems to be that the hostility of the nations (v. 10) is short-lived, like a fire that quickly devours thorns and then burns out. Some, attempting to create a better parallel with the preceding line, emend דֹּעֲכוּ (doʿakhu, “they were extinguished”) to בָּעֲרוּ (baʿaru, “they burned”). In that case the statement emphasizes their hostility.
Psalm 118:13 tn Heb “pushing, you pushed me.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea. The psalmist appears to address the nations as if they were an individual enemy. Some find this problematic and emend the verb form (which is a Qal perfect second masculine singular with a first person singular suffix) to נִדְחֵיתִי (nidkheti), a Niphal perfect first common singular, “I was pushed.”
Psalm 118:13 tn Heb “to fall,” i.e., “that [I] might fall.”
Psalm 118:14 tn Heb “my strength and protection [is] the Lord.” The Hebrew term זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song” (“my strength and song [is] the Lord”) in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing). However, many recent commentators have argued that the noun זִמְרָת is here a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v.; cf. NEB “The Lord is my refuge and defence”; NRSV “my strength and my might.”
Psalm 118:14 tn Or “salvation.”
Psalm 118:15 tn Heb “the sound of a ringing shout and deliverance [is] in the tents of the godly.”
Psalm 118:15 tn Heb “does valiantly.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 108:13).
Psalm 118:16 tn Heb “exalts.”
Psalm 118:17 tn Heb “the works of the Lord.”
Psalm 118:18 tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea.
Psalm 118:19 tn Heb “the gates of justice.” The gates of the Lord’s temple are referred to here, as v. 20 makes clear. They are called “gates of justice” because they are the entrance to the just king’s palace. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Psalm 118:22 tn Or “rejected.”
Psalm 118:22 tn Heb “the head of the corner.”sn The metaphor of the stone…the builders discarded describes the way in which God’s deliverance reversed the psalmist’s circumstances. When he was in distress, he was like a stone which was discarded by builders as useless, but now that he has been vindicated by God, all can see that he is of special importance to God, like the cornerstone of the building.
Psalm 118:23 tn Heb “it is amazing in our eyes.” The use of the plural pronoun here and in vv. 24-27 suggests that the psalmist may be speaking for the entire nation. However, it is more likely that vv. 22-27 are the people’s response to the psalmist’s thanksgiving song (see especially v. 26). They rejoice with him because his deliverance on the battlefield (see vv. 10-12) had national repercussions.
Psalm 118:24 tn Heb “this is the day the Lord has made.” Though sometimes applied in a general way, this statement in its context refers to the day of deliverance which the psalmist and people celebrate.
Psalm 118:25 sn A petition for deliverance and success seems odd in a psalm thanking God for deliverance, but it is not unique (see Ps 9:19-20). The people ask God to continue to intervene for them as he has for the psalmist.
Psalm 118:26 sn The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the Lord’s temple to thank him publicly (see vv. 19-21), as the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Psalm 118:26 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.
Psalm 118:26 tn Heb “from the house of the Lord.”
Psalm 118:27 tn Heb “and he has given us light.” This may be an elliptical expression, with “his face” being implied as the object (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). In this case, “his face has given us light” = “he has smiled on us,” or “he has shown us his favor.” Another option (the one reflected in the translation) is that “light” here symbolizes divine blessing in the form of deliverance. “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Some prefer to repoint the preterite form וַיָּאֶר (vayyaʾer, “he made light”) as a jussive וְיָאֵר (v^eyaʾer; “may he make light [for us]”).
Psalm 118:27 tn The Hebrew noun חַג (khag) normally means “festival,” but here it apparently refers metonymically to an offering made at the festival. BDB 291 s.v. חַג 2 interprets the word in this way here, citing as comparable the use of later Hebrew חֲגִיגָה, which can refer to both a festival and a festival offering (see Jastrow 424 s.v. חֲגִיגָה).
Psalm 118:27 tn The second half of v. 27 has been translated and interpreted in a variety of ways. For a survey of major views, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 122.
Psalm 118:28 sn You are my God. The psalmist speaks again (see v. 21), responding to the words of the worshipers (vv. 22-27).
Psalm 118:29 tn Or “is forever.”

1 Corinthians 7:1-19

Celibacy and Marriage

7 Now with regard to the issues you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”^[a] ²But because of immoralities, each man should have relations with^[b] his own wife and each woman with^[c] her own husband. ³A husband should fulfill his marital responsibility^[d] to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband. ⁴It is not the wife who has the rights to her own body, but the husband. In the same way, it is not the husband who has the rights to his own body, but the wife. ⁵Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement for a specified time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer.^[e] Then resume your relationship,^[f] so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ⁶I say this as a concession, not as a command. ⁷I wish that everyone was as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one this way, another that.

⁸To the unmarried and widows I say that it is best for them to remain as I am. ⁹But if they do not have self-control, let them get married. For it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.^[g]

¹⁰To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord^[h]—a wife should not divorce a husband ¹¹(but if she does, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband), and a husband should not divorce his wife.

¹²To the rest I say—I, not the Lord^[i]—if a brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is happy to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified because of the wife, and the unbelieving wife because of her husband.^[j] Otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. ¹⁵But if the unbeliever wants a divorce, let it take place. In these circumstances the brother or sister is not bound.^[k] God has called you in peace. ¹⁶For how do you know, wife, whether you will bring your husband to salvation?^[l] Or how do you know, husband, whether you will bring your wife to salvation?^[m]

The Circumstances of Your Calling

¹⁷Nevertheless,^[n] as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of direction in all the churches. ¹⁸Was anyone called after he had been circumcised? He should not try to undo his circumcision.^[o] Was anyone called who is uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised. ¹⁹Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping God’s commandments is what counts.

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 7:1 tn Grk “It is good for a man not to touch a woman,” a euphemism for sexual relations. This idiom occurs ten times in Greek literature, and all of the references except one appear to refer to sexual relations (cf., e.g., Josephus, Ant. 1.8.1 [1.163]; Gen 20:6 [LXX]; Prov 6:29 [LXX]). For discussion see G. D. Fee, First Corinthians (NICNT), 275. Many recent interpreters believe that here again (as in 6:12-13) Paul cites a slogan the Corinthians apparently used to justify their actions. If this is so, Paul agrees with the slogan in part, but corrects it in the following verses to show how the Corinthians misused the idea to justify abstinence within marriage (cf. 8:1, 4; 10:23). See also G. D. Fee, “1 Corinthians 7:1 in the NIV,” JETS 23 (1980): 307-14.
1 Corinthians 7:2 tn Grk “each man should have his own wife.” “Have a wife” in this context means “have marital relations with” (see the following verse). The verb ἐχέτω (echetō, an imperatival form of ἔχω, [echō, “have”]) occurs twice in this verse, but has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons. The idiom “have a wife” occurs 8 times in the LXX (Exod 2:1; Deut 28:30; 2 Chr 11:21; 1 Esd 9:12, 18; Tob 3:8; Isa 13:16; 54:1) with the meaning “have sexual relations with,” “be married,” or “be in continual sexual relations with,” and 10 times elsewhere in the NT with the same range of meaning (Matt 14:4; 22:28; Mark 6:18; 12:23; Luke 20:33, 28; John 4:18 [twice]; 1 Cor 5:1; 7:29). For discussion see G. D. Fee, First Corinthians (NICNT), 278; and G. D. Fee, “1 Corinthians 7:1 in the NIV,” JETS 23 (1980): 310-11.
1 Corinthians 7:2 tn Grk “should have.” For explanation of the translation, see the note on “have relations with” earlier in this verse.
1 Corinthians 7:3 tn Grk “fulfill the obligation” or “pay the debt,” referring to the fulfillment of sexual needs within marriage.
1 Corinthians 7:5 tc Most later witnesses (א² M sy) add “fasting and” (τῇ νηστείᾳ καί, tē nēsteia kai) before “prayer.” But such an addition is motivated by ascetic concerns; further, its lack in P^11vid,46 א* A B C D F G P Ψ 33 1739 1881 2464 al latt co argues decisively against its authenticity.
1 Corinthians 7:5 tn Grk “and be together again.”
1 Corinthians 7:9 tn Grk “than to burn,” a figure of speech referring to unfulfilled sexual passion.
1 Corinthians 7:10 sn Not I, but the Lord. Here and in v. 12 Paul distinguishes between his own apostolic instruction and Jesus’ teaching during his earthly ministry. In vv. 10-11, Paul reports the Lord’s own teaching about divorce (cf. Mark 10:5-12).
1 Corinthians 7:12 sn I, not the Lord. Here and in v. 10 Paul distinguishes between his own apostolic instruction and Jesus’ teaching during his earthly ministry. In vv. 12-16, Paul deals with a situation about which the Lord gave no instruction in his earthly ministry.
1 Corinthians 7:14 tc Grk “the brother.” Later witnesses (א² D² M) have ἀνδρί (andri, “husband”) here, apparently in conscious emulation of the earlier mention of ἀνήρ (anēr) in the verse. However, the earliest and best witnesses (P⁴⁶ א* A B C D* F G P Ψ 33 1739 al co) are decisively in favor of ἀδελφῷ (adelphō, “brother”), a word that because of the close association with “wife” here may have seemed inappropriate to many scribes. It is also for reasons of English style that “her husband” is used in the translation.
1 Corinthians 7:15 sn Interpreters differ over the implication of the statement the brother or sister is not bound. One view is that the believer is “not bound to continue the marriage,” i.e., not so slavishly tied to the instruction about not divorcing (cf. vv. 10-11) that he or she refuses to face reality when the unbelieving spouse is unwilling to continue the relationship. In this view divorce is allowable under these circumstances, but not remarriage (v. 11 still applies: remain unmarried or be reconciled). The other view is that the believer is “not bound in regard to marriage,” i.e., free to remain single or to remarry. The argument for this view is the conceptual parallel with vv. 39-40, where a wife is said to be “bound” (a different word in Greek, but the same concept) as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies, she is “free” to marry as she wishes, only in the Lord. If the parallel holds, then not bound in v. 15 also means “free to marry another.”
1 Corinthians 7:16 tn Grk “will save your husband?” The meaning is obviously that the wife would be the human agent in leading her husband to salvation.
1 Corinthians 7:16 tn Grk “will save your wife?” The meaning is obviously that the husband would be the human agent in leading his wife to salvation.
1 Corinthians 7:17 tn Or “only”; Grk “if not.”
1 Corinthians 7:18 tn Grk “Let him not pull over the foreskin,” that is, attempt to reverse the appearance of circumcision by a surgical procedure. This was sometimes done by Hellenistic Jews to hide the embarrassment of circumcision (1 Macc 1:15; Josephus, Ant. 12.5.1 [12.241]). Cf. BDAG 380 s.v. ἐπισπάω 3.

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Old/New Testament

Psalm 116[a]

Psalm 117[v]

Psalm 118[y]

Footnotes

Celibacy and Marriage

The Circumstances of Your Calling

Footnotes

Psalm 116^[a]

Psalm 117^[v]

Psalm 118^[y]