◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 119:73-80 (Living in faithfulness); Jeremiah 8:4-13 (Call to faithfulness); Acts 19:28-41 (A riot follows Paul’s preaching) (New English Translation)

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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 119:73-80

י (Yod)

⁷³Your hands made me and formed me.^[a]
Give me understanding so that I might learn^[b] your commands.
⁷⁴Your loyal followers will be glad when they see me,^[c]
for I find hope in your word.
⁷⁵I know, Lord, that your regulations^[d] are just.
You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me.^[e]
⁷⁶May your loyal love console me,
as you promised your servant.^[f]
⁷⁷May I experience your compassion,^[g] so I might live.
For I find delight in your law.
⁷⁸May the arrogant be humiliated, for they have slandered me.^[h]
But I meditate on your precepts.
⁷⁹May your loyal followers^[i] turn to me,
those who know your rules.
⁸⁰May I be fully committed to your statutes,^[j]
so that I might not be ashamed.

Jeremiah 8:4-13

Willful Disregard of God Will Lead to Destruction

⁴The Lord said to me,^[a]

“Tell them, ‘The Lord says,
Do people not get back up when they fall down?
Do they not turn around when they go the wrong way?^[b]
⁵Why, then, do these people of Jerusalem^[c]
continually turn away from me in apostasy?
They hold fast to their deception.^[d]
They refuse to turn back to me.^[e]
⁶I have listened to them very carefully,^[f]
but they do not speak honestly.
None of them regrets the evil he has done.
None of them says, “I have done wrong!”^[g]
All of them persist in their own wayward course^[h]
like a horse charging recklessly into battle.
⁷Even the stork knows
when it is time to move on.^[i]
The turtledove, swallow, and crane^[j]
recognize^[k] the normal times for their migration.
But my people pay no attention
to^[l] what I, the Lord, require of them.^[m]
⁸How can you say, “We are wise!
We have the law of the Lord”?
The truth is,^[n] those who teach it^[o] have used their writings
to make it say what it does not really mean.^[p]
⁹Your wise men will be put to shame.
They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment.^[q]
Since they have rejected the Lord’s message,
what wisdom do they really have?
¹⁰^[r] So I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.
For from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike
all practice deceit.
¹¹They offer only superficial help
for the hurt my dear people^[s] have suffered.^[t]
They say, “Everything will be all right!”
But everything is not all right.^[u]
¹²Are they ashamed because they have done such disgusting things?
No, they are not at all ashamed!
They do not even know how to blush.
So they will die just like others have died.^[v]
They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,
says the Lord.
¹³I will take away their harvests,^[w] says the Lord.
There will be no grapes on their vines.
There will be no figs on their fig trees.
Even the leaves on their trees will wither.
The crops that I gave them will be taken away.’”^[x]

Footnotes

Jeremiah 8:4 tn The words “the Lord said to me” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation to make clear who is speaking and who is being addressed.
Jeremiah 8:4 sn There is a play on two different nuances of the same Hebrew word that means “turn” and “return,” “turn away” and “turn back.”
Jeremiah 8:5 tc People quite commonly emend the text, changing שׁוֹבְבָה הָעָם (shov^evah haʿam) to שׁוֹבָב הָעָם (shovav haʿam) and omitting יְרוּשָׁלַםִ (y^erushalaim); this is due to the anomaly of a feminine singular verb with a masculine singular subject and to the fact that the word “Jerusalem” is absent from one Hebrew ms and the LXX. However, it is possible that this is a case where the noun “Jerusalem” is a defining apposition to the phrase “these people,” an apposition which GKC 425 §131.k calls “permutation.” In this case the verb could be attracted to the appositional noun and there would be no reason to emend the text. The MT is undoubtedly the harder reading and is for that reason to be preferred.
Jeremiah 8:5 tn Or “to their allegiance to false gods,” or “to their false professions of loyalty”; Heb “to deceit.” Either “to their mistaken beliefs” or “to their allegiance to false gods” would fit the preceding context. The former is more comprehensive than the latter and was chosen for that reason.
Jeremiah 8:5 sn There is a continuing play on the same root word used in the preceding verse. Here the words “turn away from me,” “apostasy,” and “turn back to me” are all forms from the root that was translated “go the wrong way” and “turn around” in v. 4. The intended effect is to contrast Judah’s recalcitrant apostasy with the usual tendency to try and correct one’s mistakes.
Jeremiah 8:6 tn Heb “I have paid attention and I have listened.” This is another case of two concepts being joined by “and” where one expresses the main idea and the other acts as an adverbial or adjectival modifier (a figure called hendiadys).
Jeremiah 8:6 tn Heb “What have I done?” The addition of the word “wrong” is implicit in the context and is supplied in the translation for clarity. The rhetorical question does not function as a denial of wrongdoing, but rather as contrite shock at one’s own wrongdoing. It is translated as a declaration for the sake of clarity.
Jeremiah 8:6 tn Heb “each one of them turns aside into their own running course.”sn The wordplay begun in v. 4 is continued here. The word translated “turns aside” in the literal translation and “wayward” in the translation is from the same root as “go the wrong way,” “turn around,” “turn away from me,” “apostasy,” and “turn back to me.” What God hoped for were confessions of repentance and change of behavior; what he got was denial of wrongdoing and continued turning away from him.
Jeremiah 8:7 tn Heb “its appointed time.” The translation is contextually motivated to avoid lack of clarity.
Jeremiah 8:7 tn There is debate in the commentaries and lexicons about the identification of some of these birds, particularly regarding the identification of the “swallow,” which is more likely the “swift,” and the “crane,” which some identify with the “thrush.” For a discussion see the Bible encyclopedias and the UBS handbook Fauna and Flora of the Bible. The identity of the individual birds makes little difference to the point being made, and “swallow” is more easily identifiable to the average reader than “swift.”
Jeremiah 8:7 tn Heb “keep.” Ironically birds, which do not think, obey the laws of nature, but Israel does not obey the laws of God.
Jeremiah 8:7 tn Heb “do not know.” But here as elsewhere the word “know” is more than an intellectual matter. It is intended here to summarize both “know” and “follow” (Heb “observe”) in the preceding lines.
Jeremiah 8:7 tn Heb “the ordinance/requirement of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 8:8 tn Heb “Surely, behold!”
Jeremiah 8:8 tn Heb “the scribes.”
Jeremiah 8:8 tn Heb “The lying pen of the scribes has made [it] into a lie.” The translation is an attempt to make the most common interpretation of this passage understandable for the average reader. This is, however, a difficult passage whose interpretation is greatly debated and whose syntax is capable of other interpretations. The interpretation of the NJPS, “Assuredly, for naught has the pen labored, for naught the scribes,” surely deserves consideration within the context; i.e., it hasn’t done any good for the scribes to produce a reliable copy of the law, which the people have refused to follow. That interpretation has the advantage of explaining the absence of an object for the verb “make” or “labored” but creates a very unbalanced poetic couplet.
Jeremiah 8:9 tn Heb “be trapped.” However, the word “trapped” generally carries with it the connotation of divine judgment. See BDB 540 s.v. לָכַד Niph.2, and compare usage in Jer 6:11 for support. The verbs in the first two lines are again the form of the Hebrew verb that emphasizes that the action is as good as done (Hebrew prophetic perfects).
Jeremiah 8:10 sn See Jer 6:12-15 for parallels to 8:10-12. The words of Jeremiah to the people may have been repeated on more than one occasion or have been found appropriate to more than one of his collections of messages in written and edited form. See Jer 36:4 and Jer 36:28 for reference to at least two of these collections.
Jeremiah 8:11 tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.
Jeremiah 8:11 tn Heb “They heal the wound of my people lightly.”
Jeremiah 8:11 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
Jeremiah 8:12 tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”
Jeremiah 8:13 tn Or “I will completely destroy them.” The translation that is adopted is based on a revocalization of the MT, which appears to mean literally, “gathering I will sweep them away,” a rather improbable grammatical combination. It follows the suggestion found in HALOT 705 s.v. סוּף (Hiph) of reading אֹסֵף אֲסִיפָם (ʾosef, a first singular Qal imperfect of אָסַף [ʾasaf] followed by a noun אָסִיף [ʾasif] with possessive suffix) instead of the MT’s אָסֹף אֲסִיפֵם (ʾasof ’asifem, a Qal infinitive absolute of אָסַף [ʾasaf] followed by the Hiphil imperfect of סוּף [suf] plus suffix). For parallel usage of the verb אָסַף (asaf) see BDB 62 s.v. אָסַף Qal.4, and for a similar form of the verb see Mic 4:6. The alternate translation follows the suggestion in BDB 692 s.v. סוּף (Hiph) that אָסֹף (ʾasof) is to be interpreted as a form of the Hiphil infinitive absolute (הָסֵף [hasef] would be expected) chosen for assonance with the following form. This suggestion would gain more credence if the MT were to be retained in Zeph 1:2, where parallel forms are found. However, that text, too, has been questioned on lexical and grammatical grounds. The translation adopted fits the following context better than the alternate one and is based on less questionable lexical and grammatical parallels. The Greek translation, which reads “they shall gather their fruits,” supports the translation chosen.
Jeremiah 8:13 tn The meaning of this line is very uncertain. A possible alternate translation is, “They have broken the laws that I gave them.” The line reads rather literally, “And I gave them they passed over them.” The translation adopted treats the first expression as a noun clause (cf. GKC 488-89 §155.n) that is the subject of the following verb, i.e., “the things I gave them [contextually, the grapes, etc.] passed over from them.” The alternate translation treats the first expression as a dangling object (a Hebrew casus pendens) resumed by the pronoun “them” and understands “the things that I gave them” to be the law or some related entity that is often the object of this verb (see BDB 717 s.v. עָבַר Qal.1.i). Neither of these translations is without weakness. The weakness of the translation adopted is the unusual use it assigns to the object suffix of the verb translated “pass over.” The weakness of the alternate translation is the rather abrupt and opaque introduction of a new topic of reference (i.e., the laws) into the context. On the whole the latter weakness would appear to outweigh the former. This line is missing from the Greek version, and J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB]) and J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT]) despair of giving a translation. For other possible suggestions see, W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:285-86.

Acts 19:28-41

²⁸When^[a] they heard^[b] this they became enraged^[c] and began to shout,^[d] “Great is Artemis^[e] of the Ephesians!” ²⁹The^[f] city was filled with the uproar,^[g] and the crowd^[h] rushed to the theater^[i] together,^[j] dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. ³⁰But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly,^[k] the disciples would not let him. ³¹Even some of the provincial authorities^[l] who were his friends sent^[m] a message^[n] to him, urging him not to venture^[o] into the theater. ³²So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together.^[p] ³³Some of the crowd concluded^[q] it was about^[r] Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front.^[s] Alexander, gesturing^[t] with his hand, was wanting to make a defense^[u] before the public assembly.^[v] ³⁴But when they recognized^[w] that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison,^[x] “Great is Artemis^[y] of the Ephesians!” for about two hours.^[z] ³⁵After the city secretary^[aa] quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person^[ab] is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper^[ac] of the temple of the great Artemis^[ad] and of her image that fell from heaven?^[ae] ³⁶So because these facts^[af] are indisputable,^[ag] you must keep quiet^[ah] and not do anything reckless.^[ai] ³⁷For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers^[aj] nor blasphemers of our goddess.^[ak] ³⁸If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint^[al] against someone, the courts are open^[am] and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there.^[an] ³⁹But if you want anything in addition,^[ao] it will have to be settled^[ap] in a legal assembly.^[aq] ⁴⁰For^[ar] we are in danger of being charged with rioting^[as] today, since there is no cause we can give to explain^[at] this disorderly gathering.”^[au] ⁴¹After^[av] he had said^[aw] this,^[ax] he dismissed the assembly.^[ay]

Footnotes

Acts 19:28 tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
Acts 19:28 tn Grk “And hearing.” The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousantes) has been taken temporally.
Acts 19:28 tn Grk “they became filled with rage” (an idiom). The reaction of the Ephesians here is like that of the Jews earlier (Acts 7:54).
Acts 19:28 tn Grk “and began shouting, saying.” The imperfect verb ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
Acts 19:28 sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.
Acts 19:29 tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
Acts 19:29 tn L&N 39.43 has “‘the uproar spread throughout the whole city’ (literally ‘the city was filled with uproar’) Ac 19:29.” BDAG 954 s.v. σύγχυσις has “confusion, tumult.”
Acts 19:29 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 19:29 sn To the theater. This location made the event a public spectacle. The Grand Theater in Ephesus (still standing today) stood facing down the main thoroughfare of the city toward the docks. It had a seating capacity of 25,000.
Acts 19:29 tn Grk “to the theater with one accord.”
Acts 19:30 tn Or “enter the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν δ. go into the assembly 19:30.”
Acts 19:31 tn Grk “Asiarchs” (high-ranking officials of the province of Asia).
Acts 19:31 tn Grk “sending”; the participle πέμψαντες (pempsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 19:31 tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
Acts 19:31 tn BDAG 242-43 s.v. δίδωμι 11 has “to cause (oneself) to go, go, venture somewhere (cp. our older ‘betake oneself’)…Ac 19:31.” The desire of these sympathetic authorities was surely to protect Paul’s life. The detail indicates how dangerous things had become.
Acts 19:32 tn Or “had assembled.”
Acts 19:33 tn Or “Some of the crowd gave instructions to.”
Acts 19:33 tn The words “it was about” are not in the Greek text but are implied; ᾿Αλέξανδρον (Alexandron) is taken to be an accusative of general reference.
Acts 19:33 tn BDAG 865 s.v. προβάλλω 1 has “to cause to come forward, put forward…τινά someone…push someone forward to speak in the theater…Ac 19:33.”
Acts 19:33 tn Or “motioning.”
Acts 19:33 sn The nature of Alexander’s defense is not clear. It appears he was going to explain, as a Jew, that the problem was not caused by Jews, but by those of “the Way.” However, he never got a chance to speak.
Acts 19:33 tn Or “before the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…ἀπολογεῖσθαι τῷ δ. make a defense before the assembly vs. 33.”
Acts 19:34 tn Grk “But recognizing.” The participle ἐπιγνόντες (epignontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 19:34 tn Grk “[they shouted] with one voice from all of them” (an idiom).
Acts 19:34 sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus, 1.25 mi (2 km) northeast of the Grand Theater. Dimensions were 418 ft by 239 ft (125 m by 72 m) for the platform; the temple proper was 377 ft by 180 ft (113 m by 54 m). The roof was supported by 117 columns, each 60 ft (18 m) high by 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter. The Emperor Justinian of Byzantium later took these columns for use in construction of the Hagia Sophia, where they still exist (in modern day Istanbul).
Acts 19:34 sn They all shouted…for about two hours. The extent of the tumult shows the racial and social tensions of a cosmopolitan city like Ephesus, indicating what the Christians in such locations had to face.
Acts 19:35 tn Or “clerk.” The “scribe” (γραμματεύς, grammateus) was the keeper of the city’s records.
Acts 19:35 tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos).
Acts 19:35 tn See BDAG 670 s.v. νεωκόρος. The city is described as the “warden” or “guardian” of the goddess and her temple.
Acts 19:35 sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.
Acts 19:35 tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).sn The expression fell from heaven adds a note of apologetic about the heavenly origin of the goddess. The city’s identity and well-being was wrapped up with this connection, in their view. Many interpreters view her image that fell from heaven as a stone meteorite regarded as a sacred object.
Acts 19:36 tn Grk “these things.”
Acts 19:36 tn The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὄντων (ontōn) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. On the term translated “indisputable” see BDAG 68-69 s.v. ἀναντίρρητος which has “not to be contradicted, undeniable.”
Acts 19:36 tn Grk “it is necessary that you be quiet.”
Acts 19:36 tn L&N 88.98 has “pertaining to impetuous and reckless behavior—‘reckless, impetuous.’…‘so then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless’ Ac 19:36.” The city secretary was asking that order be restored.
Acts 19:37 tn Or perhaps, “desecrators of temples.”
Acts 19:37 sn Nor blasphemers of our goddess. There was no formal crime with which Paul could be charged. He had the right to his religion as long as he did not act physically against the temple. Since no overt act had taken place, the official wanted the community to maintain the status quo on these religious matters. The remarks suggest Paul was innocent of any civil crime.
Acts 19:38 tn BDAG 600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.ε has “ἔχειν πρός τινα λόγον have a complaint against someone…19:38.”
Acts 19:38 tn L&N 56.1 has ‘if Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against someone, the courts are open’ Ac 19:38.”
Acts 19:38 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The official’s request is that the legal system be respected.
Acts 19:39 tn Or “anything more than this.”
Acts 19:39 tn Or “resolved.”
Acts 19:39 tn Or “in a legal meeting of the citizens.” L&N 30.81 has “ἐν τῇ ἐννόμῳ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπιλυθήσεται ‘it will have to be settled in a legal meeting of the citizens’ Ac 19:39.” This meeting took place three times a year.
Acts 19:40 tn Grk “For indeed.” The ascensive force of καί (kai) would be awkward to translate here.
Acts 19:40 tn The term translated “rioting” refers to a revolt or uprising (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 2, 3). This would threaten Roman rule and invite Roman intervention.
Acts 19:40 tn Or “to account for.” Grk “since there is no cause concerning which we can give account concerning this disorderly gathering.” The complexity of the Greek relative clause (“which”) and the multiple prepositions (“concerning”) have been simplified in the translation consistent with contemporary English style.
Acts 19:40 tn Or “commotion.” BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 gives the meaning “a tumultuous gathering of people, disorderly/seditious gathering or commotion…Ac 19:40.”
Acts 19:41 tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
Acts 19:41 tn Grk “And saying.” The participle εἰπών (eipōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 19:41 tn Grk “these things.”
Acts 19:41 sn Verse 41 in the English text is included as part of verse 40 in the standard critical editions of the Greek NT.

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

י (Yod)

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Willful Disregard of God Will Lead to Destruction

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