◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 27:1-6 (God is light and salvation); 1 Samuel 15:34—16:13 (David anointed as king to replace King Saul); Luke 5:27-32 (The call of Levi) (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 27:1-6

Psalm 27^[a]

By David.

27 The Lord is my light^[b] and my salvation.
I fear no one.^[c]
The Lord protects my life.
I am afraid of no one.^[d]
²When evil men attack me^[e]
to devour my flesh,^[f]
when my adversaries and enemies attack me,^[g]
they stumble and fall.^[h]
³Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear.^[i]
Even when war is imminent,^[j]
I remain confident.^[k]
⁴I have asked the Lord for one thing—
this is what I desire!
I want to live^[l] in the Lord’s house^[m] all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor^[n] of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
⁵He will surely^[o] give me shelter^[p] in the day of danger;^[q]
he will hide me in his home.^[r]
He will place me^[s] on an inaccessible rocky summit.^[t]
⁶Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me.^[u]
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy.^[v]
I will sing praises to the Lord.

Footnotes

Psalm 27:1 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
Psalm 27:1 sn “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. Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance (see Ps 43:3).
Psalm 27:1 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one.”
Psalm 27:1 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
Psalm 27:2 tn Heb “draw near to me.”
Psalm 27:2 sn To devour my flesh. The psalmist compares his enemies to dangerous, hungry predators (see 2 Kgs 9:36; Ezek 39:17).
Psalm 27:2 tn Heb “my adversaries and my enemies against me.” The verb “draw near” (that is, “attack”) is understood by ellipsis; see the previous line.
Psalm 27:2 tn The Hebrew verbal forms are perfects. The translation assumes the psalmist is generalizing here, but another option is to take this as a report of past experience, “when evil men attacked me…they stumbled and fell.”
Psalm 27:3 tn Heb “my heart does not fear.”
Psalm 27:3 tn Heb “if war rises up against me.”
Psalm 27:3 tn Heb “in this [i.e., “during this situation”] I am trusting.”
Psalm 27:4 tn Heb “for me to live.”
Psalm 27:4 sn The Lord’s house. This probably refers to the tabernacle (if one accepts Davidic authorship) or the temple (see Judg 19:18; 1 Sam 1:7, 24; 2 Sam 12:20; 1 Kgs 7:12, 40, 45, 51).
Psalm 27:4 tn Or “beauty.”
Psalm 27:5 tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the כִּי (ki) is asseverative here, rather than causal.
Psalm 27:5 tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”
Psalm 27:5 tn Or “trouble.”
Psalm 27:5 tn Heb “tent.”
Psalm 27:5 tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.
Psalm 27:5 tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The Lord places the psalmist in an inaccessible place where his enemies cannot reach him. See Ps 18:2.
Psalm 27:6 tn Heb “and now my head will be lifted up over my enemies all around me.”sn In vv. 1-3 the psalmist generalizes, but here we discover that he is facing a crisis and is under attack from enemies (see vv. 11-12).
Psalm 27:6 tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).

1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

³⁴Then Samuel went to Ramah, while Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵Until the day he^[a] died, Samuel did not see Saul again. Samuel did, however, mourn for Saul, but the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Samuel Anoints David as King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel.^[b] Fill your horn with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.”^[c]

²Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you^[d] and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do. You will anoint for me the one I point out^[e] to you.”

⁴Samuel did what the Lord told him.^[f] When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They^[g] said, “Do you come in peace?” ⁵He replied, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶When they arrived, Samuel^[h] noticed^[i] Eliab and said to himself,^[j] “Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king.”^[k] ⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by^[l] his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way people do.^[m] People look on the outward appearance,^[n] but the Lord looks at the heart.”

⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel.^[o] But Samuel^[p] said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ⁹Then Jesse presented^[q] Shammah. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ¹⁰Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel.^[r] But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” ¹¹Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Is that all the young men?” Jesse^[s] replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.”

¹²So Jesse had him brought in.^[t] Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one.” ¹³So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

Footnotes

1 Samuel 15:35 tn That is, Samuel.
1 Samuel 16:1 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”
1 Samuel 16:1 tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”
1 Samuel 16:2 tn Heb “in your hand.”
1 Samuel 16:3 tn Heb “say”; KJV, NRSV “name”; NIV “indicate.”
1 Samuel 16:4 tn Heb “said.”
1 Samuel 16:4 tc In the MT the verb is singular (“he said”), but the translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss and ancient versions in reading the plural (“they said”).
1 Samuel 16:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1 Samuel 16:6 tn Heb “saw.”
1 Samuel 16:6 tn Heb “said”; the words “to himself” are implied, given the secrecy surrounding Samuel’s mission to Bethlehem (v. 2).
1 Samuel 16:6 tn Heb “his anointed one.”
1 Samuel 16:7 tn Heb “don’t look toward.”
1 Samuel 16:7 tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.
1 Samuel 16:7 tn Heb “to the eyes.”
1 Samuel 16:8 tn Heb “and caused him to pass before.”
1 Samuel 16:8 tn Heb “he” (also in v. 9); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1 Samuel 16:9 tn Heb “caused to pass by.”
1 Samuel 16:10 tn Heb “caused seven of his sons to pass before Samuel.” This could be taken as referring to seven sons in addition to the three mentioned before this, but 1 Sam 17:12 says Jesse had eight sons, not eleven. 1 Chr 2:13-15 lists only seven sons, including David. However, 1 Chr 27:18 mentions an additional son, named Elihu.
1 Samuel 16:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jesse) has been specified in the translation both here and in v. 12 for clarity.
1 Samuel 16:12 tn Heb “and he sent and brought him.”

Luke 5:27-32

The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners

²⁷After^[a] this, Jesus^[b] went out and saw a tax collector^[c] named Levi^[d] sitting at the tax booth.^[e] “Follow me,”^[f] he said to him. ²⁸And he got up and followed him, leaving everything^[g] behind.^[h]

²⁹Then^[i] Levi gave a great banquet^[j] in his house for Jesus,^[k] and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting^[l] at the table with them. ³⁰But^[m] the Pharisees^[n] and their experts in the law^[o] complained^[p] to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”^[q] ³¹Jesus^[r] answered them, “Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do.^[s] ³²I have not come^[t] to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”^[u]

Footnotes

Luke 5:27 tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:27 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
Luke 5:27 sn It is possible that Levi is a second name for Matthew, because people often used alternative names in 1st century Jewish culture.
Luke 5:27 tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telōnion; so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.sn The tax booth was a booth located at a port or on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. These taxes were a form of customs duty or toll applied to the movement of goods and produce brought into an area for sale. As such these tolls were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). The system as a whole is sometimes referred to as “tax farming” because a contract to collect these taxes for an entire district would be sold to the highest bidder, who would pay up front, hire employees to do the work of collection, and then recoup the investment and overhead by charging commissions on top of the taxes. Although rates and commissions were regulated by law, there was plenty of room for abuse in the system through the subjective valuation of goods by the tax collectors, and even through outright bribery. Tax overseers and their employees were obviously not well liked. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. It was here that Jesus met Levi (also named Matthew [see Matt 9:9]) who, although indirectly employed by the Romans, was probably more directly responsible to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee appointed by Rome. It was Levi’s job to collect customs duties for Rome and he was thus despised by his fellow Jews, many of whom would have regarded him as a traitor.
Luke 5:27 sn Follow me. For similar calls on the part of Jesus see Luke 5:10-11; 9:23, 59; 18:22.
Luke 5:28 sn On the phrase leaving everything see Luke 5:10-11; 14:33.
Luke 5:28 tn The participial phrase “leaving everything behind” occurs at the beginning of the sentence, but has been transposed to the end in the translation for logical reasons, since it serves to summarize Levi’s actions.
Luke 5:29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 5:29 sn A great banquet refers to an elaborate meal. Many of the events in Luke take place in the context of meal fellowship: 7:36-50; 9:12-17; 10:38-42; 11:37-54; 14:1-24; 22:7-38; 24:29-32, 41-43.
Luke 5:29 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:29 tn Grk “reclining.” This term reflects the normal practice in 1st century Jewish culture of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position. Since it is foreign to most modern readers, the translation “sitting” has been substituted.
Luke 5:30 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast present in this context.
Luke 5:30 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
Luke 5:30 tn Or “and their scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
Luke 5:30 tn Or “grumbled”; a term often used in the OT for inappropriate grumbling: Exod 15:24; 16:7-8; Num 14:2, 26-35; 16:11.
Luke 5:30 sn The issue here is inappropriate associations (eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners) and the accusation comes not against Jesus, but his disciples.
Luke 5:31 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:31 sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is well (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.
Luke 5:32 sn I have not come is another commission statement by Jesus; see 4:43-44.
Luke 5:32 sn Though parallels exist to this saying (Matt 9:13; Mark 2:17), only Luke has this last phrase but sinners to repentance. Repentance is a frequent topic in Luke’s Gospel: 3:3, 8; 13:1-5; 15:7, 10; 16:30; 17:3-4; 24:47.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 27[a]

By David.

Footnotes

Samuel Anoints David as King

Footnotes

The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners

Footnotes

Psalm 27^[a]