◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 111 (The beginning of wisdom); Deuteronomy 12:28-32 (Warnings against idolatry); Revelation 2:12-17 (Idolatrous behavior is condemned) (New English Translation)

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January 29, 2021

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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 111

Psalm 111^[a]

111 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the godly and the congregation.
²The Lord’s deeds are great,
eagerly awaited^[b] by all who desire them.
³His work is majestic and glorious,^[c]
and his faithfulness endures^[d] forever.
⁴He does^[e] amazing things that will be remembered;^[f]
the Lord is merciful and compassionate.
⁵He gives^[g] food to his faithful followers;^[h]
he always remembers his covenant.^[i]
⁶He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people,
giving them a land that belonged to other nations.^[j]
⁷His acts are characterized by^[k] faithfulness and justice;
all his precepts are reliable.^[l]
⁸They are forever firm,
and should be faithfully and properly carried out.^[m]
⁹He delivered his people;^[n]
he ordained that his covenant be observed forever.^[o]
His name is holy and awesome.
¹⁰To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living;^[p]
all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight.^[q]
He will receive praise forever.^[r]

Deuteronomy 12:28-32

²⁸Pay careful attention to all these things I am commanding you so that it may always go well with you and your children after you when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

The Abomination of Pagan Gods

²⁹When the Lord your God eliminates the nations from the place where you are headed and you dispossess them, you will settle down in their land.^[a] ³⁰After they have been destroyed from your presence, be careful not to be ensnared like they are; do not pursue their gods and say, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do the same.” ³¹You must not worship the Lord your God the way they do!^[b] For everything that is abhorrent^[c] to him,^[d] everything he hates, they have done when worshiping their gods. They even burn up their sons and daughters before their gods!

Idolatry and False Prophets

³²(13:1)^[e] You^[f] must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it!^[g]

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 12:29 tn Heb “dwell in their land” (so NASB). In the Hebrew text vv. 29-30 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides it into two.
Deuteronomy 12:31 tn Heb “you must not do thus to/for the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 12:31 tn See note on this term at Deut 7:25.
Deuteronomy 12:31 tn Heb “every abomination of the Lord.” See note on the word “his” in v. 27.
Deuteronomy 12:32 sn Beginning with 12:32, the verse numbers through 13:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 12:32 ET = 13:1 HT, 13:1 ET = 13:2 HT, 13:2 ET = 13:3 HT, etc., through 13:18 ET = 13:19 HT. With 14:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
Deuteronomy 12:32 tn This verse highlights a phenomenon found throughout Deuteronomy, but most especially in chap. 12, namely, the alternation of grammatical singular and plural forms of the pronoun (known as Numeruswechsel in German scholarship). Critical scholarship in general resolves the “problem” by suggesting varying literary traditions—one favorable to the singular pronoun and the other to the plural—which appear in the (obviously rough) redacted text at hand. Even the ancient versions were troubled by the lack of harmony of grammatical number and in this verse, for example, offered a number of alternate readings. The MT reads “Everything I am commanding you (plural) you (plural) must be careful to do; you (singular) must not add to it nor should you (singular) subtract form it.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate suggest singular for the first two pronouns but a few Smr mss propose plural for the last two. What both ancient and modern scholars tend to overlook, however, is the covenantal theological tone of the Book of Deuteronomy, one that views Israel as a collective body (singular) made up of many individuals (plural). See M. Weinfeld, Deuteronomy 1-11 (AB), 15-16; J. A. Thompson, Deuteronomy (TOTC), 21-23.
Deuteronomy 12:32 sn Do not add to it or subtract from it. This prohibition makes at least two profound theological points: (1) This work by Moses is of divine origination (i.e., it is inspired) and therefore can tolerate no human alteration; and (2) the work is complete as it stands (i.e., it is canonical).

Revelation 2:12-17

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²“To^[a] the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following:^[b]

“This is the solemn pronouncement of^[c] the one who has the sharp double-edged sword:^[d] ¹³‘I know^[e] where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet^[f] you continue to cling^[g] to my name and you have not denied your^[h] faith in me,^[i] even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,^[j] who was killed in your city^[k] where Satan lives. ¹⁴But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam,^[l] who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block^[m] before the people^[n] of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.^[o] ¹⁵In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.^[p] ¹⁶Therefore,^[q] repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people^[r] with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers,^[s] I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white^[t] stone,^[u] and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand^[v] except the one who receives it.’

Footnotes

Revelation 2:12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
Revelation 2:12 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
Revelation 2:12 tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.
Revelation 2:12 sn On the sharp double-edged sword see 1:16.
Revelation 2:13 tc The shorter reading adopted here has superior ms support (א A C P 2053 al latt co), while the inclusion of “your works and” (τὰ ἔργα σου καί, ta erga sou kai) before “where you reside” is supported by the Byzantine witnesses and is evidently a secondary attempt to harmonize the passage with 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8, 15.
Revelation 2:13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast between their location and their faithful behavior.
Revelation 2:13 tn The present indicative verb κρατεῖς (krateis) has been translated as a progressive present.
Revelation 2:13 tn Grk “the faith”; here the Greek article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
Revelation 2:13 tn Grk “the faith of me” (τὴν πίστιν μου, tēn pistin mou) with the genitive “of me” (μου) functioning objectively.
Revelation 2:13 tn Or “martyr.” The Greek word μάρτυς can mean either “witness” or “martyr.”
Revelation 2:13 tn Grk “killed among you.” The term “city” does not occur in the Greek text of course, but the expression παρ᾿ ὑμῖν, ὅπου ὁ σατανᾶς κατοικεῖ (par’ humin, hopou ho satanas katoikei) seems to indicate that this is what is meant. See G. B. Caird, Revelation (HNTC), 36-38.
Revelation 2:14 sn See Num 22-24; 31:16.
Revelation 2:14 tn That is, a cause for sinning. An alternate translation is “who instructed Balak to cause the people of Israel to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols…”
Revelation 2:14 tn Grk “sons,” but the expression υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραήλ (huioi Israēl) is an idiom for the people of Israel as an ethnic entity (see L&N 11.58).
Revelation 2:14 tn Due to the actual events in the OT (Num 22-24; 31:16), πορνεῦσαι (porneusai) is taken to mean “sexual immorality.” BDAG 854 s.v. πορνεύω 1 states, “engage in illicit sex, to fornicate, to whore…W. φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα ‘eat meat offered to idols’ Rv 2:14, 20.”
Revelation 2:15 tn The term ὁμοίως (homoiōs, “likewise”) is left untranslated because it is quite redundant.sn See the note on the term Nicolaitans in 2:6.
Revelation 2:16 tc The “therefore” (οὖν, oun) is not found in א 2053 2329 2351 M^A or the Latin mss. It is, however, included in impressive witnesses such as A C 046 1006 1611 sy^p,h co. Though the conjunction looks at first glance like a scribal clarification, its omission may be explained on the basis of its similarity to the last three letters of the verb “repent” (μετανόησον, metanoēson; since οὖν is a postpositive conjunction in Greek, the final three letters of the verb [-σον, -son] would have been immediately followed by ουν). A scribe could have simply passed over the conjunction in his copy when he saw the last three letters of the imperative verb. A decision is difficult, however, because of the motivation to add to the text and the quality of witnesses that lack the conjunction.
Revelation 2:16 tn Grk “with them”; the referent (those people who follow the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Revelation 2:17 tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.” The pendent dative is allowed to stand in the English translation because it is characteristic of the author’s style in Revelation.
Revelation 2:17 tn Or “bright.” The Greek term λευκός (leukos) can refer either to the color white (traditional here) or to an object that is bright or shining, either from itself or from an outside source of illumination (L&N 14.50; 79.27).
Revelation 2:17 tn On the interpretation of the stone, L&N 2.27 states, “A number of different suggestions have been made as to the reference of ψῆφος in this context. Some scholars believe that the white ψῆφος indicates a vote of acquittal in court. Others contend that it is simply a magical amulet; still others, a token of Roman hospitality; and finally, some have suggested that it may represent a ticket to the gladiatorial games, that is to say, to martyrdom. The context, however, suggests clearly that this is something to be prized and a type of reward for those who have ‘won the victory.’”
Revelation 2:17 tn Or “know”; for the meaning “understand” see L&N 32.4.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 111[a]

Footnotes

The Abomination of Pagan Gods

Idolatry and False Prophets

Footnotes

To the Church in Pergamum

Footnotes

Psalm 111^[a]