◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 9:1-14 (God’s reward for the righteous); Zechariah 1:7-17 (God’s judgment and mercy); Romans 2:1-11 (The righteous judgment of God) (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 9:1-14

Psalm 9^[a]

For the music director, according to the alumoth-labben style;^[b] a psalm of David.

9 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!
I will tell about all your amazing deeds.^[c]
²I will be happy and rejoice in you.
I will sing praises to you, O Most High.^[d]
³When my enemies turn back,
they trip and are defeated^[e] before you.
⁴For you defended my just cause;^[f]
from your throne you pronounced a just decision.^[g]
⁵You terrified the nations with your battle cry.^[h]
You destroyed the wicked;^[i]
you permanently wiped out all memory of them.^[j]
⁶The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins.^[k]
You destroyed their cities;^[l]
all memory of the enemies has perished.^[m]
⁷But the Lord^[n] rules^[o] forever;
he reigns in a just manner.^[p]
⁸He judges the world fairly;
he makes just legal decisions for the nations.^[q]
⁹Consequently^[r] the Lord provides safety for the oppressed;^[s]
he provides safety in times of trouble.^[t]
¹⁰Your loyal followers trust in you,^[u]
for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help.^[v]
¹¹Sing praises to the Lord, who rules^[w] in Zion.
Tell the nations what he has done.^[x]
¹²For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed;^[y]
he did not overlook^[z] their cry for help^[aa]
¹³when they prayed:^[ab]
“Have mercy on me,^[ac] Lord!
See how I am oppressed by those who hate me,^[ad]
O one who can snatch me away^[ae] from the gates of death!
¹⁴Then I will^[af] tell about all your praiseworthy acts;^[ag]
in the gates of Daughter Zion^[ah] I will rejoice because of your deliverance.”^[ai]

Footnotes

Psalm 9:1 sn Psalm 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls on others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm.
Psalm 9:1 tc The meaning of the Hebrew term עַלְמוּת (’almut) is uncertain. Some mss divide the form into עַל מוּת (’al mut, “according to the death [of the son]”), while the LXX assumes a reading עֲלֻמוֹת עַל (’al ’alumot, “according to alumoth”). The phrase probably refers to a particular tune or musical style.
Psalm 9:1 tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.
Psalm 9:2 tn Heb “[to] your name, O Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
Psalm 9:3 tn Or “perish”; or “die.” The imperfect verbal forms in this line either emphasize what typically happens or describe vividly the aftermath of a recent battle in which the Lord defeated the psalmist’s enemies.
Psalm 9:4 tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”
Psalm 9:4 tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).
Psalm 9:5 tn The verb גָּעַר (gaʿar) is often understood to mean “rebuke” and in this context taken to refer to the Lord’s “rebuke” of the nations. In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
Psalm 9:5 tn The singular form is collective (note “nations” and “their name”). In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, r^eshaʿim) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). In this context the hostile nations who threaten Israel/Judah are in view.
Psalm 9:5 tn Heb “their name you wiped out forever and ever.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 5 probably refer to a recent victory (definite past or present perfect use), although they might express what is typical (characteristic use).
Psalm 9:6 tn Heb “the enemy—they have come to an end [in] ruins permanently.” The singular form אוֹיֵב (ʾoyev, “enemy”) is collective. It is placed at the beginning of the verse to heighten the contrast with יְהוָה (y^ehvah, “the Lord”) in v. 7.
Psalm 9:6 tn Heb “you uprooted cities.”
Psalm 9:6 tn Heb “it has perished, their remembrance, they.” The independent pronoun at the end of the line is in apposition to the preceding pronominal suffix and lends emphasis (see IBHS 299 §16.3.4). The referent of the masculine pronoun is the nations/enemies (cf. v. 5), not the cities (the Hebrew noun עָרִים [ʿarim, “cities”] is grammatically feminine). This has been specified in the present translation for clarity; many modern translations retain the pronoun “them,” resulting in ambiguity (cf. NRSV “their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished”).
Psalm 9:7 tn The construction vav (ו) + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted Lord and his defeated foes (see v. 6).
Psalm 9:7 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
Psalm 9:7 tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”
Psalm 9:8 tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
Psalm 9:9 tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction vav (ו) conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb הָיָה (hayah) indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.
Psalm 9:9 tn Heb “and the Lord is an elevated place for the oppressed.” The singular form דָּךְ (dakh, “oppressed”) is collective here.
Psalm 9:9 tn Heb “[he is] an elevated place for times in trouble.” Here an “elevated place” refers to a stronghold, a defensible, secure position that represents a safe haven in times of unrest or distress (cf. NEB “tower of strength”; NIV, NRSV “stronghold”).
Psalm 9:10 tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction vav (ו) conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the Lord’s “name” means to be his follower, recognizing his authority and maintaining loyalty to him. See Ps 91:14, where “knowing” the Lord’s “name” is associated with loving him.
Psalm 9:10 tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”
Psalm 9:11 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, and therefore ruling—see v. 4). Another option is to translate as “lives” or “dwells.”
Psalm 9:11 tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”
Psalm 9:12 tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash, “to seek”); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Psalm 9:12 tn Heb “did not forget.”
Psalm 9:12 tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
Psalm 9:13 tn The words “when they prayed,” though not represented in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarification. The petition in vv. 13-14 is best understood as the cry for help which the oppressed offered to God when the nations threatened. The Lord answered this request, prompting the present song of thanksgiving.
Psalm 9:13 tn Or “show me favor.”
Psalm 9:13 tn Heb “see my misery from the ones who hate me.”
Psalm 9:13 tn Heb “one who lifts me up.”
Psalm 9:14 tn Or “so that I might.”
Psalm 9:14 tn Heb “all your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt it.
Psalm 9:14 sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the psalms.
Psalm 9:14 tn Heb “in your deliverance.”

Zechariah 1:7-17

The Introduction to the Visions

⁷On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat, in Darius’ second year,^[a] the Lord’s message came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo:

The Content of the First Vision

⁸I was attentive that night and saw a man seated^[b] on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees^[c] in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel,^[d] and white horses.

The Interpretation of the First Vision

⁹Then I asked one nearby, “What are these, sir?” The angelic messenger^[e] who replied to me said, “I will show you what these are.” ¹⁰Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk about^[f] on the earth.” ¹¹The riders then agreed with the angel of the Lord,^[g] who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been walking about on the earth, and now everything is at rest and quiet.” ¹²The angel of the Lord then asked, “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,^[h] how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that you have been so angry with for these seventy years?”^[i] ¹³The Lord then addressed good, comforting words to the angelic messenger who was speaking to me. ¹⁴Turning to me, the messenger then said, “Cry out that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘I am very much moved^[j] for Jerusalem and for Zion. ¹⁵But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted.^[k] I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.

The Oracle of Response

¹⁶“‘Therefore,’ this is what the Lord has said, ‘I have become compassionate^[l] toward Jerusalem and will rebuild my temple^[m] in it,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ ¹⁷Speak up again with the message of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘My cities will once more overflow with prosperity, and once more the Lord will comfort Zion and validate his choice of Jerusalem.’”

Footnotes

Zechariah 1:7 sn The twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month…in Darius’ second year was February 15, 519 b.c.
Zechariah 1:8 tn Heb “riding,” but since this verb in English is usually associated with horses in motion rather than standing still, the translation uses “seated.” Cf. NAB “the driver of a red horse.”
Zechariah 1:8 tc The LXX presupposes הֶהָרִים (heharim, “mountains”) rather than the MT הַהֲדַסִּים (hahadassim, “myrtles”), probably because of reference to the ravine. The MT reading is preferred and is followed by most English versions.
Zechariah 1:8 sn The Hebrew שְׂרֻקִּים (s^eruqqim) means “red” (cf. NIV, NCV, NLT “brown”). English translations such as “speckled” (KJV) or “dappled” (TEV) are based on the reading of the LXX ψαροί (psaroi) that attempts to bring the color of this horse into conformity with those described in Zech 6:2-3. However, since these are two different and unrelated visions, this is a methodological fallacy.
Zechariah 1:9 tn Heb “messenger” or “angel” (מַלְאָךְ, malʾakh). This being appears to serve as an interpreter to the prophet (cf. vv. 13, 14).
Zechariah 1:10 sn The stem used here (Hitpael) with the verb “walk” (הָלַךְ, halakh) suggests the exercise of dominion (cf. Gen 13:17; Job 1:7; 2:2-3; Ezek 28:14; Zech 6:7). The Lord is here about to claim sovereignty over the nations. Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT “to patrol”; TEV “to go and inspect.”
Zechariah 1:11 sn The angel of the Lord is a special being who throughout the OT represents God himself and on occasion almost approaches divine hypostatization or incarnation (cf. Gen 18:2, 13, 17, 22; Exod 23:20-21; Josh 5:13-15; Judg 6:11-24; 13:2-20).
Zechariah 1:12 sn Note that here the angel of the Lord is clearly distinct from the Lord who rules over all himself.
Zechariah 1:12 sn The seventy years refers to the predicted period of Babylonian exile, a period with flexible beginning and ending points depending on the particular circumstances in view (cf. Jer 25:1; 28:1; 29:10; Dan 9:2). Here the end of the seventy years appears to be marked by the completion of the temple in 516 b.c., exactly seventy years after its destruction in 586.
Zechariah 1:14 tn Heb “jealous for” (so KJV, ASV); NIV, NRSV “very jealous for”; CEV “very protective of.” The meaning is that Jerusalem/Zion is the special object of God’s grace and purposes. This results in his unusual protection of his people, a protection not accorded others with whom he does not have such a close relationship.
Zechariah 1:15 tn Or “the nations that are at ease” (so ASV, NRSV). The Hebrew word in question is שַׁאֲנָן (shaʾanan) which has the idea of a careless, even arrogant attitude (see BDB 983 s.v. שַׁאֲנָן); cf. NAB “the complacent nations.” Here it suggests that the nations take for granted that God will never punish them just because he hasn’t already done so. Thus they presume on the grace and patience of the Lord. The translation attempts to bring out this nuance rather than the more neutral renderings of TEV “nations that enjoy quiet and peace” or NLT “enjoy peace and security.”
Zechariah 1:16 tn Heb “I have turned in compassion.” This suggests that the Lord has responded to the “turning” (i.e., repentance) of the people (v. 6) and now, with great love and forgiveness, allows construction of the temple to proceed.
Zechariah 1:16 tn Heb “house.”

Romans 2:1-11

The Condemnation of the Moralist

2 ^[a] Therefore^[b] you are without excuse,^[c] whoever you are,^[d] when you judge someone else.^[e] For on whatever grounds^[f] you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. ²Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth^[g] against those who practice such things. ³And do you think,^[h] whoever you are, when you judge^[i] those who practice such things and yet do them yourself,^[j] that you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know^[k] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? ⁵But because of your stubbornness^[l] and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed!^[m] ⁶He^[n] will reward^[o] each one according to his works:^[p] ⁷eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, ⁸but^[q] wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition^[r] and do not obey the truth but follow^[s] unrighteousness. ⁹There will be^[t] affliction and distress on everyone^[u] who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek,^[v] ¹⁰but^[w] glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹For there is no partiality with God.

Footnotes

Romans 2:1 sn Rom 2:1-29 presents unusual difficulties for the interpreter. There have been several major approaches to the chapter and the group(s) it refers to: (1) Rom 2:14 refers to Gentile Christians, not Gentiles who obey the Jewish law. (2) Paul in Rom 2 is presenting a hypothetical viewpoint: If anyone could obey the law, that person would be justified, but no one can. (3) The reference to “the ones who do the law” in 2:13 are those who “do” the law in the right way, on the basis of faith, not according to Jewish legalism. (4) Rom 2:13 only speaks about Christians being judged in the future, along with such texts as Rom 14:10 and 2 Cor 5:10. (5) Paul’s material in Rom 2 is drawn heavily from Diaspora Judaism, so that the treatment of the law presented here cannot be harmonized with other things Paul says about the law elsewhere (E. P. Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 123); another who sees Rom 2 as an example of Paul’s inconsistency in his treatment of the law is H. Räisänen, Paul and the Law [WUNT], 101-9. (6) The list of blessings and curses in Deut 27-30 provide the background for Rom 2; the Gentiles of 2:14 are Gentile Christians, but the condemnation of Jews in 2:17-24 addresses the failure of Jews as a nation to keep the law as a whole (A. Ito, “Romans 2: A Deuteronomistic Reading,” JSNT 59 [1995]: 21-37).
Romans 2:1 tn Some interpreters (e.g., C. K. Barrett, Romans [HNTC], 43) connect the inferential Διό (dio, “therefore”) with 1:32a, treating 1:32b as a parenthetical comment by Paul.
Romans 2:1 tn That is, “you have nothing to say in your own defense” (so translated by TCNT).
Romans 2:1 tn Grk “O man.”
Romans 2:1 tn Grk “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone [of you] who judges.”
Romans 2:1 tn Grk “in/by (that) which.”
Romans 2:2 tn Or “based on truth.”
Romans 2:3 tn Grk “do you think this,” referring to the clause in v. 3b.
Romans 2:3 tn Grk “O man, the one who judges.”
Romans 2:3 tn Grk “and do them.” The other words are supplied to bring out the contrast implied in this clause.
Romans 2:4 tn Grk “being unaware.”
Romans 2:5 tn Grk “hardness.” Concerning this imagery, see Jer 4:4; Ezek 3:7; 1 En. 16:3.
Romans 2:5 tn Grk “in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”
Romans 2:6 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Romans 2:6 tn Or “will render,” “will recompense.” In this context Paul is setting up a hypothetical situation, not stating that salvation is by works.
Romans 2:6 sn A quotation from Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; a close approximation to Matt 16:27.
Romans 2:8 tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.
Romans 2:8 tn Grk “those who [are] from selfish ambition.”
Romans 2:8 tn Grk “are persuaded by, obey.”
Romans 2:9 tn No verb is expressed in this verse, but the verb “to be” is implied by the Greek construction. Literally “suffering and distress on everyone…”
Romans 2:9 tn Grk “every soul of man.”
Romans 2:9 sn Paul uses the term Greek here and in v. 10 to refer to non-Jews, i.e., Gentiles.
Romans 2:10 tn Grk “but even,” to emphasize the contrast. The second word has been omitted since it is somewhat redundant in English idiom.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 9[a]

For the music director, according to the alumoth-labben style;[b] a psalm of David.

Footnotes

The Introduction to the Visions

The Content of the First Vision

The Interpretation of the First Vision

The Oracle of Response

Footnotes

The Condemnation of the Moralist

Footnotes

Psalm 9^[a]

For the music director, according to the alumoth-labben style;^[b] a psalm of David.