◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 32 (You forgive the guilt of my sin); 2 Samuel 13:23-39 (Absalom avenges Tamar’s rape); James 4:1-7 (God gives grace to the humble) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

June 13, 1968

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

June 1968
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

Return to today's reading

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 32

Psalm 32^[a]

By David; a well-written song.^[b]

32 How blessed^[c] is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,^[d]
whose sin is pardoned.^[e]
²How blessed is the one^[f] whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,^[g]
in whose spirit there is no deceit.^[h]
³When I refused to confess my sin,^[i]
my whole body wasted away,^[j]
while I groaned in pain all day long.
⁴For day and night you tormented me;^[k]
you tried to destroy me^[l] in the intense heat^[m] of summer.^[n] (Selah)
⁵Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess^[o] my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins.^[p] (Selah)
⁶For this reason every one of your faithful followers^[q] should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity.^[r]
Certainly^[s] when the surging water^[t] rises,
it will not reach them.^[u]
⁷You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance.^[v] (Selah)
⁸I will instruct and teach you^[w] about how you should live.^[x]
I will advise you as I look you in the eye.^[y]
⁹Do not be^[z] like an unintelligent horse or mule,^[aa]
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.^[ab]
¹⁰An evil person suffers much pain,^[ac]
but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.^[ad]
¹¹Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!
Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!^[ae]

Footnotes

Psalm 32:1 sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
Psalm 32:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
Psalm 32:1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “lifted up.”
Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “covered over.”
Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”
Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord does not impute wrongdoing.”
Psalm 32:2 sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
Psalm 32:4 tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
Psalm 32:4 tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (l^eshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (l^eshuddi, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.sn You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
Psalm 32:4 tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
Psalm 32:4 sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
Psalm 32:5 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
Psalm 32:5 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
Psalm 32:6 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the Lord]” and seek his forgiveness (cf. NIV). Some emend the text by combining מְצֹא (m^etsoʾ, “finding”) with the following term רַק (raq, “only, surely”) and read either ר[וֹ]מָצ (matsor, “distress”; see Ps 31:22) or ק[וֹ]מָצ (matsoq, “hardship”; see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate “in a time of distress/hardship” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
Psalm 32:6 tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.
Psalm 32:6 sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.
Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.
Psalm 32:7 tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”
Psalm 32:8 tn The second person pronominal forms in this verse are singular. The psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually (see also the note on the word “eye” in the next line). A less likely option (but one which is commonly understood) is that the Lord addresses the psalmist in vv. 8-9 (cf. NASB “I will instruct you and teach you…I will counsel you with My eye upon you”).
Psalm 32:8 tn Heb “I will instruct you and I will teach you in the way [in] which you should walk.”
Psalm 32:8 tn Heb “I will advise, upon you my eye,” that is, “I will offer advice [with] my eye upon you.” In 2 Chr 20:12 the statement “our eye is upon you” means that the speakers are looking to the Lord for intervention. Here the expression “my eye upon you” may simply mean that the psalmist will teach his pupils directly and personally.
Psalm 32:9 tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.
Psalm 32:9 tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
Psalm 32:9 tn Heb “with a bridle and bit, its [?] to hold, not to come near to you.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun עֲדִי (ʿadiy) is uncertain. Normally the word refers to “jewelry,” so some suggest the meaning “trappings” here (cf. NASB). Some emend the form to לְחֵיהֶם (l^ekhehem, “their jawbones”) but it is difficult to see how the present Hebrew text, even if defective, could have derived from this proposed original reading. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 265) takes the form from an Arabic root and translates “whose gallop.” Cf. also NRSV “whose temper must be curbed.”
Psalm 32:10 tn Heb “many [are the] pains of evil [one].” The singular form is representative here; the typical evildoer, representative of the larger group of wicked people, is in view.
Psalm 32:10 tn Heb “but the one who trusts in the Lord, faithfulness surrounds him.”
Psalm 32:11 tn Heb “all [you] pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

2 Samuel 13:23-39

Absalom Has Amnon Put to Death

²³Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were in Baal Hazor, near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴Then Absalom went to the king and said, “My shearers have begun their work.^[a] Let the king and his servants go with me.”

²⁵But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom^[b] pressed^[c] him, the king^[d] was not willing to go. Instead, David^[e] blessed him.

²⁶Then Absalom said, “If you will not go,^[f] then let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king replied to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷But when Absalom pressed him, he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons along with him.

²⁸Absalom instructed his servants, “Look! When Amnon is drunk^[g] and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ kill him then and there. Don’t fear! Is it not I who have given you these instructions? Be strong and courageous!”^[h] ²⁹So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had instructed. Then all the king’s sons got up; each one rode away on his mule and fled.

³⁰While they were still on their way, the following report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one of them is left!” ³¹Then the king stood up and tore his garments and lay down on the ground. All his servants were standing there with torn garments as well.

³²Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “My lord should not say, ‘They have killed all the young men who are the king’s sons.’ For only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has talked about^[i] from the day that Amnon^[j] humiliated his sister Tamar. ³³Now don’t let my lord the king be concerned about the report that has come saying, ‘All the king’s sons are dead.’ It is only Amnon who is dead.”

³⁴In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west^[k] on a road beside the hill. ³⁵Jonadab said to the king, “Look! The king’s sons have come! It’s just as I said.”

³⁶Just as he finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived, wailing and weeping.^[l] The king and all his servants wept loudly^[m] as well. ³⁷But Absalom fled and went to King Talmai son of Ammihud of Geshur. And David^[n] grieved over his son every day.

³⁸After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he remained there for three years. ³⁹The king longed^[o] to go to Absalom, for he had since been consoled over the death of Amnon.^[p]

Footnotes

2 Samuel 13:24 tn Heb “your servant has sheepshearers.” The phrase “your servant” also occurs at the end of the verse and is translated as "me".
2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 13:25 tc Here and in v. 27 the translation follows 4QSam^a ויפצר (vayyiftsar, “and he pressed”) rather than the MT וַיִּפְרָץ (vayyifrats, “and he broke through”). This emended reading seems also to underlie the translations of the LXX (καὶ ἐβιάσατο, kai ebiasato), the Syriac Peshitta (weʾalseh), and Vulgate (cogeret eum).
2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 13:26 tn Heb “and not.”
2 Samuel 13:28 tn Heb “when good is the heart of Amnon with wine.”
2 Samuel 13:28 tn Heb “and become sons of valor.”
2 Samuel 13:32 tn Heb “it was placed on the mouth of Absalom.”
2 Samuel 13:32 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 13:34 tn Heb “behind him.”
2 Samuel 13:36 tn Heb “and they lifted their voice and wept.”
2 Samuel 13:36 tn Heb “with a great weeping.”
2 Samuel 13:37 tc The Hebrew text leaves the word “David” to be inferred. The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate add the word “David.” Most of the Greek tradition includes the words “King David” here.
2 Samuel 13:39 tc The translation follows 4QSam^a in reading רוּחַ הַמֶּלֶךְ (ruakh hammelekh, “the spirit of the king”) rather than the MT דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ (david hammelekh, “David the king”). The understanding reflected in the translation above is that David, though alienated during this time from his son Absalom, still had an abiding love and concern for him. He longed for reconciliation with him. A rather different interpretation of the verse supposes that David’s interest in taking military action against Absalom grew slack with the passing of time, and this in turn enabled David’s advisers to encourage him toward reconciliation with Absalom. For the latter view, see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 344, and cf. CEV.
2 Samuel 13:39 tn Heb “was consoled over Amnon, because he was dead.”

James 4:1-7

Passions and Pride

4 Where do the conflicts and where^[a] do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this,^[b] from your passions that battle inside you?^[c] ²You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; ³you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

⁴Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God?^[d] So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. ⁵Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says,^[e] “The spirit that God^[f] caused^[g] to live within us has an envious yearning”?^[h] ⁶But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”^[i] ⁷So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Footnotes

James 4:1 tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.
James 4:1 tn Grk “from here.”
James 4:1 tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”
James 4:4 tn Grk “is hostility toward God.”
James 4:5 tn Grk “vainly says.”
James 4:5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
James 4:5 tc The Byzantine text and a few other mss (P 5 33 436 442 1243 1611 1735 1852 2344 2492 M) have the intransitive κατῴκησεν (katōkēsen) here, which turns τὸ πνεῦμα (to pneuma) into the subject of the verb: “The spirit which lives within us.” But the more reliable and older witnesses (P⁷⁴ א B Ψ 049 1241 1739 al) have the causative verb, κατῴκισεν (katōkisen), which implies a different subject and τὸ πνεῦμα as the object: “The spirit that he causes to live within us.” Both because of the absence of an explicit subject and the relative scarcity of the causative κατοικίζω (katoikizō, “cause to dwell”) compared to the intransitive κατοικέω (katoikeō, “live, dwell”) in biblical Greek (κατοικίζω does not occur in the NT at all, and occurs much less frequently than κατοικέω in the LXX), it is easy to see why scribes would replace κατῴκισεν with κατῴκησεν. Thus, on internal and external grounds, κατῴκισεν is the preferred reading.
James 4:5 tn Interpreters debate the referent of the word “spirit” in this verse: (1) The translation takes “spirit” to be the lustful capacity within people that produces a divided mind (1:8, 14) and inward conflicts regarding God (4:1-4). God has allowed it to be in man since the fall, and he provides his grace (v. 6) and the new birth through the gospel message (1:18-25) to counteract its evil effects. (2) On the other hand the word “spirit” may be taken positively as the Holy Spirit and the sense would be, “God yearns jealously for the Spirit he caused to live within us.” But the word for “envious” or “jealous” is generally negative in biblical usage and the context before and after seems to favor the negative interpretation.sn No OT verse is worded exactly this way. This is either a statement about the general teaching of scripture or a quotation from an ancient translation of the Hebrew text that no longer exists today.
James 4:6 sn A quotation from Prov 3:34.

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:

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 32[a]

By David; a well-written song.[b]

Footnotes

Absalom Has Amnon Put to Death

Footnotes

Passions and Pride

Footnotes

Psalm 32^[a]

By David; a well-written song.^[b]