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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 38

Psalm 38^[a]

A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.^[b]

38 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger.
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury.^[c]
²For your arrows pierce^[d] me,
and your hand presses me down.^[e]
³My whole body is sick because of your judgment;^[f]
I am deprived of health because of my sin.^[g]
⁴For my sins overwhelm me;^[h]
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
⁵My wounds^[i] are infected and starting to smell,^[j]
because of my foolish sins.^[k]
⁶I am dazed^[l] and completely humiliated;^[m]
all day long I walk around mourning.
⁷For I am overcome with shame,^[n]
and my whole body is sick.^[o]
⁸I am numb with pain and severely battered;^[p]
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.^[q]
⁹O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire;^[r]
my groaning is not hidden from you.
¹⁰My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me.
I can hardly see.^[s]
¹¹Because of my condition,^[t] even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;^[u]
my neighbors stand far away.^[v]
¹²Those who seek my life try to entrap me;^[w]
those who want to harm me speak destructive words.
All day long they say deceitful things.
¹³But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak.^[x]
¹⁴I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense.^[y]
¹⁵Yet^[z] I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
¹⁶I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;^[aa]
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.^[ab]
¹⁷For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain.^[ac]
¹⁸Yes,^[ad] I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
¹⁹But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous;^[ae]
those who hate me without cause outnumber me.^[af]
²⁰They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.^[ag]
²¹Do not abandon me, O Lord.
My God, do not remain far away from me.
²²Hurry and help me,^[ah] O Lord, my deliverer.

Footnotes

Psalm 38:1 sn Psalm 38. The author asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He confesses his sin and recognizes that the crisis he faces is the result of divine discipline. Yet he begs the Lord not to reject him.
Psalm 38:1 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form, the Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the heading of Ps 70. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).
Psalm 38:1 tn The words “continue to” are supplied in the translation of both lines. The following verses make it clear that the psalmist is already experiencing divine rebuke/punishment. He asks that it might cease.sn Cf. Ps 38:1 with Ps 6:1, which has similar wording.
Psalm 38:2 tn The verb Hebrew נָחַת (nakhat) apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (note the use of the Qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the Lord as a warrior who shoots arrows at him (see Ps 7:12-13).
Psalm 38:2 tn Heb “and your hand [?] upon me.” The meaning of the verb נָחַת (nakhat) is unclear in this context. It could mean “your hand comes down on me.” It may be preferable to emend the form to וַתָּנַח (vattanakh) from the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”). In this case the text would read literally, “and your hand rests upon me” (see Isa 25:10, though the phrase is used in a positive sense there, unlike Ps 38:2).
Psalm 38:3 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh from before your anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger at the psalmist’s sin.
Psalm 38:3 tn Heb “there is no health in my bones from before my sin.”
Psalm 38:4 tn Heb “pass over my head.”
Psalm 38:5 sn The reference to wounds may be an extension of the metaphorical language of v. 2. The psalmist pictures himself as one whose flesh is ripped and torn by arrows.
Psalm 38:5 tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering” (cf. NEB).
Psalm 38:5 tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”
Psalm 38:6 tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means “to bend,” may refer to the psalmist’s posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”
Psalm 38:6 tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”
Psalm 38:7 tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The present translation assumes that נִקְלֶה (niqleh) is derived from קָלָה (qalah, “be dishonored”). Some derive it instead from a homonymic root קָלָה (qalah), meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate “fever” (cf. NEB “my loins burn with fever”).
Psalm 38:7 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).
Psalm 38:8 tn Heb “I am numb and crushed to excess.”
Psalm 38:8 tn Heb “I roar because of the moaning of my heart.”
Psalm 38:9 tn Heb “O Lord, before you [is] all my desire.”
Psalm 38:10 tn Heb “and the light of my eyes, even they, there is not with me.” The “light of the eyes” may refer to physical energy (see 1 Sam 14:27, 29), life itself (Ps 13:3), or the ability to see (Prov 29:23).
Psalm 38:11 tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
Psalm 38:11 tn Heb “stand [aloof].”
Psalm 38:11 tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
Psalm 38:12 tn Heb “lay snares.”
Psalm 38:13 sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).
Psalm 38:14 tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”
Psalm 38:15 tn Or perhaps “surely.”
Psalm 38:16 tn Heb “For I said, ‘Lest they rejoice over me.’” The psalmist recalls the motivating argument of his petition. He probably prefaced this statement with a prayer for deliverance (see Pss 7:1-2; 13:3-4; 28:1).
Psalm 38:16 tn Heb “they will magnify against me.” See Pss 35:26; 55:13.
Psalm 38:17 tn Heb “and my pain [is] before me continually.”
Psalm 38:18 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
Psalm 38:19 tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “life”) fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to חִנָּם (khinnam, “without reason”; note the parallelism with שֶׁקֶר [sheqer, “falsely”] and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb עָצַם (ʿatsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb רָבַב, ravav, “be many”).
Psalm 38:19 tn Heb “are many.”
Psalm 38:20 tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”
Psalm 38:22 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Ps 22:19.

Micah 4:1-7

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4 And in future days^[a] the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all;^[b]
it will be more prominent than other hills.^[c]
People will stream to it.
²Many nations will come, saying,
“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple of Jacob’s God,
so he can teach us his ways
and we can live by his laws.”^[d]
For instruction will proceed from Zion,
the Lord’s message from Jerusalem.
³He will arbitrate^[e] between many peoples
and settle disputes between many^[f] distant nations.^[g]
They will beat their swords into plowshares,^[h]
and their spears into pruning hooks.^[i]
Nations will not use weapons^[j] against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
⁴Each will sit under his own grapevine
or under his own fig tree without any fear.^[k]
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has decreed it.^[l]
⁵Though all the nations follow their respective gods,^[m]
we will follow^[n] the Lord our God forever.

Restoration Will Follow Crisis

⁶“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will gather the lame
and assemble the outcasts whom I injured.^[o]
⁷I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation,^[p]
and those far off^[q] into a mighty nation.
The Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion,
from that day forward and forevermore.^[r]

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Salutation

1 From Paul,^[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.^[b] ²Grace and peace to you^[c] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort

³Blessed is^[d] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles^[e] so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble^[f] with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For just as the sufferings^[g] of Christ^[h] overflow^[i] toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.^[j] ⁶But if we are afflicted,^[k] it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer. ⁷And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in^[l] our sufferings, so also you will share in^[m] our comfort. ⁸For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,^[n] regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia,^[o] that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. ⁹Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us,^[p] so that we would not trust in ourselves^[q] but in God who raises the dead. ¹⁰He^[r] delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him^[s] that^[t] he will deliver us yet again, ¹¹as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God^[u] on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 1:1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
2 Corinthians 1:1 tn Or “are throughout Achaia.”
2 Corinthians 1:2 tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
2 Corinthians 1:3 tn There is no verb in the Greek text; either the optative (“be”) or the indicative (“is”) can be supplied. The meaning of the term εὐλογητός (eulogētos) and the author’s intention at this point in the epistle must both come into play to determine which is the preferred nuance. εὐλογητός as an adjective can mean either that one is praised or that one is blessed, that is, in a place of favor and benefit. The meaning “blessed” would be more naturally paired with an indicative verb and would suggest that blessedness is an intrinsic part of God’s character. The meaning “praised” would be more naturally paired with an optative verb and would suggest that God ought to be praised. Pauline style in the epistles generally moves from statements to obligations, expressing the reality first and then the believer’s necessary response. When considered as a whole, although a decision is difficult, the general Pauline style of beginning with statements and moving to obligations argues for the indicative. Cf. also Eph 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3.
2 Corinthians 1:4 tn Or “our trials”; traditionally, “our affliction.” The term θλῖψις (thlipsis) refers to trouble (including persecution) that involves direct suffering (L&N 22.2).
2 Corinthians 1:4 tn Or “any trials”; traditionally, “any affliction.”
2 Corinthians 1:5 tn This Greek word translated “sufferings” here (πάθημα, pathēma) is a different one than the one Paul uses for his own afflictions/persecutions (θλῖψις, thlipsis) in v. 4.
2 Corinthians 1:5 tn I.e., suffering incurred by Paul as a consequence of his relationship to Christ. The genitive could be considered to have a causative nuance here.
2 Corinthians 1:5 tn Traditionally, “abound” (here and throughout this section).
2 Corinthians 1:5 tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the statements in the following verse.
2 Corinthians 1:6 tn Or “are troubled.”
2 Corinthians 1:7 tn Grk “as you are sharers in.”
2 Corinthians 1:7 tn Grk “will be sharers in.”
2 Corinthians 1:8 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).
2 Corinthians 1:8 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia. The Roman province of Asia made up about one-third of modern Asia Minor and was on the western side of it. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
2 Corinthians 1:9 tn Grk “we ourselves had the sentence of death within ourselves.” Here ἀπόκριμα (apokrima) is being used figuratively; no actual official verdict had been given, but in light of all the difficulties that Paul and his colleagues had suffered, it seemed to them as though such an official verdict had been rendered against them (L&N 56.26).
2 Corinthians 1:9 tn Or “might not put confidence in ourselves.”
2 Corinthians 1:10 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative clause “who delivered us…” was made a separate sentence in the translation.
2 Corinthians 1:10 tn Grk “deliver us, on whom we have set our hope.”
2 Corinthians 1:10 tc Several significant witnesses, especially Alexandrian (P⁴⁶ B D* 0121 0243 1739 1881 Did), lack ὅτι (hoti, “that”) here, while others, most notably Western (D¹ F G 104 630 1505 ar b sy^h Or Ambst), lack ἔτι (eti, “yet”). Most mss, including significant Alexandrians (א A C D² Ψ 33 M f t vg), have the full expression ὅτι καὶ ἔτι (hoti kai eti). Although the predominantly Alexandrian reading has much to commend it, the fact that either ὅτι or ἔτι has been dropped, while the καί has been retained, suggests that the initial text had ὅτι καὶ ἔτι, and that either particle dropped out intentionally for stylistic reasons. (F and G have the order καί ὅτι, suggesting that in their archetype the ἔτι was unintentionally dropped due to homoioteleuton.) If, however, ὅτι is not authentic, v. 10b should be translated “We have set our hope on him, and he will deliver us again.” Overall, a decision is difficult, but preference should be given to ὅτι καὶ ἔτι.
2 Corinthians 1:11 tn Grk “so that thanks may be given by many.” The words “to God” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. The passive construction has been converted to an active one for clarity, in keeping with contemporary English style.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 38[a]

A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.[b]

Footnotes

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

Restoration Will Follow Crisis

Footnotes

Salutation

Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort

Footnotes

Psalm 38^[a]

A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.^[b]