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February 9, 2012

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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 30

Psalm 30^[a]

A psalm, a song used at the dedication of the temple;^[b] by David.

30 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up,^[c]
and did not allow my enemies to gloat^[d] over me.
²O Lord my God,
I cried out to you and you healed me.^[e]
³O Lord, you pulled me^[f] up from Sheol;
you rescued me from among those descending into the grave.^[g]
⁴Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers^[h] of his;
give thanks to his holy name.^[i]
⁵For his anger lasts only a brief moment,
and his good favor restores one’s life.^[j]
One may experience sorrow during the night,
but joy arrives in the morning.^[k]
⁶In my self-confidence I said,
“I will never be shaken.”^[l]
⁷O Lord, in your good favor you made me secure.^[m]
Then you rejected me^[n] and I was terrified.
⁸To you, O Lord, I cried out;
I begged the Lord for mercy:^[o]
⁹“What^[p] profit is there in taking my life,^[q]
in my descending into the Pit?^[r]
Can the dust of the grave^[s] praise you?
Can it declare your loyalty?^[t]
¹⁰Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
O Lord, deliver me.”^[u]
¹¹Then you turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy.^[v]
¹²So now^[w] my heart^[x] will sing to you and not be silent;
O Lord my God, I will always^[y] give thanks to you.

Footnotes

Psalm 30:1 sn Psalm 30. The author thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.
Psalm 30:1 tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.
Psalm 30:1 tn Elsewhere the verb דָּלָה (dalah) is used of drawing water from a well (Exod 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the Lord hoisted him up. The Piel stem is used here, perhaps suggesting special exertion on the Lord’s part.
Psalm 30:1 tn Or “rejoice.”
Psalm 30:2 sn You healed me. Apparently the psalmist was plagued by a serious illness that threatened his life. See Ps 41.
Psalm 30:3 tn Or “my life.”
Psalm 30:3 tn Heb “you kept me alive from those descending into the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib); the marginal reading (Qere) has, “you kept me alive so that I did not go down into the pit.”
Psalm 30:4 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
Psalm 30:4 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun זֵכֵר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 97:12.The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.
Psalm 30:5 tn Heb “for [there is] a moment in his anger, [but] life in his favor.” Because of the parallelism with “moment,” some understand חַיִּים (khayyim) in a quantitative sense: “lifetime” (cf. NIV, NRSV). However, the immediate context, which emphasizes deliverance from death (see v. 3), suggests that חַיִּים has a qualitative sense: “physical life” or even “prosperous life” (cf. NEB “in his favour there is life”).
Psalm 30:5 tn Heb “in the evening weeping comes to lodge, but at morning a shout of joy.” “Weeping” is personified here as a traveler who lodges with one temporarily.
Psalm 30:6 sn In my self-confidence I said… Here the psalmist begins to fill in the background of the crisis referred to in the earlier verses. He had been arrogant and self-confident, so the Lord withdrew his protection and allowed trouble to invade his life (vv. 8-11).
Psalm 30:7 tn Heb “in your good favor you caused to stand for my mountain strength.” Apparently this means “you established strength for my mountain” (“mountain” in this case representing his rule, which would be centered on Mt. Zion) or “you established strength as my mountain” (“mountain” in this case being a metaphor for security).
Psalm 30:7 tn Heb “you hid your face.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or, as here, carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Ps 88:14).
Psalm 30:8 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 8 are probably preterites; the psalmist recalls that he prayed in his time of crisis.
Psalm 30:9 sn The following two verses (vv. 9-10) contain the prayer (or an excerpt of the prayer) that the psalmist offered to the Lord during his crisis.
Psalm 30:9 tn Heb “What profit [is there] in my blood?” “Blood” here represents his life.
Psalm 30:9 tn The Hebrew term שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 49:9; 55:24 HT [55:23 ET]; 103:4).
Psalm 30:9 tn Heb “dust.” The words “of the grave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Psalm 30:9 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “Of course not!”sn According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 6:5; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
Psalm 30:10 tn Heb “be a helper to me.”
Psalm 30:11 sn Covered me with joy. “Joy” probably stands metonymically for festive attire here.
Psalm 30:12 tn Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”
Psalm 30:12 tn Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (k^evedi, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.
Psalm 30:12 tn Or “forever.”

Leviticus 13:1-17

Infections on the Skin

13 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ²“When someone has^[a] a swelling^[b] or a scab^[c] or a bright spot^[d] on the skin of his body^[e] that may become a diseased infection,^[f] he must be brought to Aaron the priest or one of his sons, the priests.^[g] ³The priest must then examine the infection^[h] on the skin of the body, and if the hair^[i] in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of the body,^[j] then it is a diseased infection,^[k] so when the priest examines it^[l] he must pronounce the person unclean.^[m]

A Bright Spot on the Skin

⁴“If^[n] it is a white bright spot on the skin of his body, but it does not appear to be deeper than the skin,^[o] and the hair has not turned white, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the infection for seven days.^[p] ⁵The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if,^[q] as far as he can see, the infection has stayed the same^[r] and has not spread on the skin,^[s] then the priest is to quarantine the person for another seven days.^[t] ⁶The priest must then examine it again on the seventh day,^[u] and if^[v] the infection has faded and has not spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person clean.^[w] It is a scab,^[x] so he must wash his clothes^[y] and be clean. ⁷If, however, the scab is spreading further^[z] on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his purification, then he must show himself to the priest a second time. ⁸The priest must then examine it,^[aa] and if^[ab] the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean.^[ac] It is a disease.

A Swelling on the Skin

⁹“When someone has a diseased infection,^[ad] he must be brought to the priest. ¹⁰The priest will then examine it,^[ae] and if^[af] a white swelling is on the skin, it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling,^[ag] ¹¹it is a chronic^[ah] disease on the skin of his body,^[ai] so the priest is to pronounce him unclean.^[aj] The priest^[ak] must not merely quarantine him, for he is unclean.^[al] ¹²If, however, the disease breaks out^[am] on the skin so that the disease covers all the skin of the person with the infection^[an] from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see,^[ao] ¹³the priest must then examine it,^[ap] and if^[aq] the disease covers his whole body, he is to pronounce the person with the infection clean.^[ar] He has turned all white, so he is clean.^[as] ¹⁴But whenever raw flesh appears in it^[at] he will be unclean, ¹⁵so the priest is to examine the raw flesh^[au] and pronounce him unclean^[av]—it is diseased. ¹⁶If, however,^[aw] the raw flesh once again turns white,^[ax] then he must come to the priest. ¹⁷The priest will then examine it,^[ay] and if^[az] the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the person with the infection clean^[ba]—he is clean.

Footnotes

Leviticus 13:2 tn Heb “A man, if [or when] he has….” The term for “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ʾadam; see the note on Lev 1:2) in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female, since either could be afflicted with infections on the skin.
Leviticus 13:2 tn Some of the terms for disease or symptoms of disease in this chapter present difficulties for the translator. Most modern English versions render the Hebrew term שְׂאֵת (s^eʾet) as “swelling,” which has been retained here (see the explanation in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 189). Some have argued that “deeper (עָמֹק, ʿamoq) than the skin of his body” in v. 3 means that “this sore was lower than the surrounding skin” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:773), in which case “swelling” would be an inappropriate translation of שְׂאֵת in v. 2. Similarly, שְׂאֵת also occurs in v. 19, and then v. 20 raises the issue of whether or not it appears to be “lower (שָׁפָל, shafal) than the skin” (cf. also 14:37 for a mark on the wall of a house), which may mean that the sore sinks below the surface of the skin rather than protruding above it as a swelling would (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 76-77). Thus, one could translate here, for example, “discoloration” (so Milgrom and II שְׂאֵת “spot, blemish on the skin” in HALOT 1301 s.v. II שְׂאֵת) or “local inflammation, boil, mole” (so Levine). However, one could interpret “lower” as “deeper,” i.e., visibly extending below the surface of the skin into the deeper layers as suggested by J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 188, 192. “Swelling” often extends deeply below the surface of the skin, it is certainly a common symptom of skin diseases, and the alternation of these two terms (i.e., “deeper” and “lower”) in vv. 25-26 below shows that they both refer to the same phenomenon (see also the note on v. 20 below), so it is retained in the present translation.
Leviticus 13:2 tn The etymology and meaning of this term is unknown. It could mean “scab” (KJV, ASV, NASB) or possibly “rash” (NIV, NLT), “flaking skin,” or an “eruption” (NRSV) of some sort.
Leviticus 13:2 tn Heb “shiny spot” or “white spot,” but to render this term “white spot” in this chapter would create redundancy in v. 4 where the regular term for “white” occurs alongside this word for “bright spot.”
Leviticus 13:2 tn Heb “in the skin of his flesh” as opposed to the head or the beard (v. 29).
Leviticus 13:2 tn Heb “a mark [or stroke; or plague] of disease.” In some places in this context (vv. 2, 3) it could be translated “a contagious skin disease.” Although the Hebrew term צָרָעַת (tsaraʿat) rendered here “diseased” is translated in many English versions as “leprosy,” it does not refer to Hanson’s disease, which is the modern technical understanding of the term “leprosy” (HALOT 1057 s.v. צָרְעַת a). There has been much discussion of the proper meaning of the term and the disease(s) to which it may refer (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:774-76, 816-26; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 187-89; and the literature cited by them). The further description of the actual condition in the text suggests that the regulations are concerned with any kind of infectious diseases that are observable on the surface of the skin and, in addition to that, penetrate below the surface of the skin (vv. 3-4) or spread further across the surface of the skin (vv. 5-8). It is true that, in the OT, the term “disease” is often associated specifically with white “scaly” skin diseases that resemble the wasting away of the skin after death (see Milgrom who, in fact, translates “scale disease”; cf., e.g., Exod 4:6-7 and Num 12:9-12, esp. v. 12), but here it appears to be a broader term for any skin disease that penetrates deep or spreads far on the body. Scaly skin diseases would be included in this category, but also other types. Thus, a “swelling,” “scab,” or “bright spot” on the skin might be a symptom of disease, but not necessarily so. In this sense, “diseased” is a technical term. The term “infection” can apply to any “mark” on the skin whether it belongs to the category of “disease” or not (compare and contrast v. 3, where the “infection” is not “diseased,” with v. 4, where the “infection” is found to be “diseased”).
Leviticus 13:2 tn Or “it shall be reported to Aaron the priest.” This alternative rendering may be better in light of the parallel use of the same expression in Lev 14:2, where the priest had to go outside the camp in order to inspect the person who had been diseased. Since the rendering “he shall be brought to Aaron the priest” might confuse matters there, this expression should be rendered “it shall be reported” both here in 13:2 (cf. also v. 9) and in 14:2. See, however, the further note on 14:2 below, where it is argued that the diseased person would still need to “be brought” to the priest even if this happened outside the camp. Most English versions retain the idea of the afflicted person being “brought” to the priest for inspection.
Leviticus 13:3 tn Heb “and the priest shall see the infection.”
Leviticus 13:3 tn There is no “if” expressed, but the contrast between the priestly finding in this verse and the next verse clearly implies it.
Leviticus 13:3 tn Heb “and the appearance of the infection is deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “deeper than”) the skin of the his flesh.” See the note on v. 20 below.
Leviticus 13:3 tn For the translation “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. TEV “a dreaded skin disease”; NIV “an infectious skin disease”; NLT “a contagious skin disease.”
Leviticus 13:3 tn The pronoun “it” here refers to the “infection,” not the person who has the infection (cf. the object of “examine” at the beginning of the verse).
Leviticus 13:3 tn Heb “he shall make him unclean.” The verb is the Piel of טָמֵא (tameʾ) “to be unclean.” Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare unclean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of actually being “unclean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 175; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 6 below).
Leviticus 13:4 tn Heb “and if.”
Leviticus 13:4 tn Heb “and deep is not its appearance from the skin”; cf. NAB “does not seem to have penetrated below the skin.”
Leviticus 13:4 tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the infection seven days.”
Leviticus 13:5 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
Leviticus 13:5 tn Heb “the infection has stood in his eyes”; ASV “if in his eyes the plague be at a stay.”
Leviticus 13:5 tn Although there is no expressed “and” at the beginning of this clause, there is in the corresponding clause of v. 6, so it should be assumed here as well.
Leviticus 13:5 tn Heb “a second seven days.”
Leviticus 13:6 tn That is, at the end of the second set of seven days referred to at the end of v. 5, a total of fourteen days after the first appearance before the priest.
Leviticus 13:6 tn Heb “and behold.”
Leviticus 13:6 tn Heb “he shall make him clean.” The verb is the Piel of טָהֵר (taher, “to be clean”). Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare clean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of being “clean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 176; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 3 above).
Leviticus 13:6 tn On the term “scab” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. NAB “it was merely eczema”; NRSV “only an eruption”; NLT “only a temporary rash.”
Leviticus 13:6 tn Heb “and he shall wash his clothes.”
Leviticus 13:7 tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
Leviticus 13:8 tn The “it” is not expressed but is to be understood. It refers to the “infection” (cf. the note on v. 2 above).
Leviticus 13:8 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
Leviticus 13:8 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tameʾ, cf. the note on v. 3 above).
Leviticus 13:9 tn Heb “When there is an infection of disease in a man.” The term for “a man; a human being” (אָדָם, ʾadam; see the note on Lev 1:2 and cf. v. 2 above) refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female. For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.
Leviticus 13:10 tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).
Leviticus 13:10 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
Leviticus 13:10 tn Heb “and rawness [i.e., something living] of living flesh is in the swelling”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “quick raw flesh.”
Leviticus 13:11 tn The term rendered here “chronic” is a Niphal participle meaning “grown old” (HALOT 448 s.v. II ישׁן nif.2). The idea is that this is an old enduring skin disease that keeps on developing or recurring.
Leviticus 13:11 tn Heb “in the skin of his flesh” as opposed to the head or the beard (v. 29; cf. v. 2 above).
Leviticus 13:11 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tameʾ, cf. the note on v. 3 above).
Leviticus 13:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Leviticus 13:11 sn Instead of just the normal quarantine isolation, this condition calls for the more drastic and enduring response stated in Lev 13:45-46. Raw flesh, of course, sometimes oozes blood to one degree or another, and blood flows are by nature impure (see, e.g., Lev 12 and 15; cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 191).
Leviticus 13:12 tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads out [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
Leviticus 13:12 tn Heb “all the skin of the infection,” but see v. 4 above.
Leviticus 13:12 tn Heb “to all the appearance of the eyes of the priest.”
Leviticus 13:13 tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).
Leviticus 13:13 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
Leviticus 13:13 tn Heb “he shall pronounce the infection clean,” but see v. 4 above. Also, this is another use of the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher; cf. the note on v. 6 above).
Leviticus 13:13 tn Heb “all of him has turned white, and he is clean.”
Leviticus 13:14 tn Heb “and in the day of there appears in it living flesh.” Some English versions render this as “open sores” (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).
Leviticus 13:15 tn Heb “and the priest shall see the living flesh.”
Leviticus 13:15 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tameʾ; cf. the note on v. 3 above).
Leviticus 13:16 tn Heb “Or if/when.”
Leviticus 13:16 tn Heb “the living flesh returns and is turned/changed to white.” The Hebrew verb “returns” is שׁוּב (shuv), which often functions adverbially when combined with a second verb as it is here (cf. “and is turned”) and, in such cases, is usually rendered “again” (see, e.g., GKC 386-87 §120.g). Another suggestion is that here שׁוּב means “to recede” (cf., e.g., 2 Kgs 20:9), so one could translate “the raw flesh recedes and turns white.” This would mean that the new “white” skin “has grown over” the raw flesh (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 79).
Leviticus 13:17 tn Heb “and the priest shall see it.”
Leviticus 13:17 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
Leviticus 13:17 tn Heb “the priest shall pronounce the infection clean,” but see v. 4 above. Also, this is another use of the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).

Hebrews 12:7-13

⁷Endure your suffering^[a] as discipline;^[b] God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? ⁸But if you do not experience discipline,^[c] something all sons^[d] have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. ⁹Besides, we have experienced discipline from^[e] our earthly fathers^[f] and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life?^[g] ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful.^[h] But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness^[i] for those trained by it. ¹²Therefore, strengthen^[j] your listless hands and your weak knees,^[k] ¹³and make straight paths for your feet,^[l] so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 30[a]

A psalm, a song used at the dedication of the temple;[b] by David.

Footnotes

Infections on the Skin

A Bright Spot on the Skin

A Swelling on the Skin

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 30^[a]

A psalm, a song used at the dedication of the temple;^[b] by David.