◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 139:1-18 (Formed in my mother’s womb); 2 Kings 5:1-14 (The girl servant saves her master); James 4:8-17 (Draw near to God) (New English Translation)

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September 20, 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 139:1-18

Psalm 139^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you examine me^[b] and know me.
²You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
³You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;^[c]
you are aware of everything I do.^[d]
⁴Certainly^[e] my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.^[f]
⁵You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
⁶Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.^[g]
⁷Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence?^[h]
⁸If I were to ascend^[i] to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out^[j] in Sheol, there you would be.^[k]
⁹If I were to fly away^[l] on the wings of the dawn,^[m]
and settle down on the other side^[n] of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
¹¹If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me,^[o]
and the light will turn to night all around me,”^[p]
¹²even the darkness is not too dark for you to see,^[q]
and the night is as bright as^[r] day;
darkness and light are the same to you.^[s]
¹³Certainly^[t] you made my mind and heart;^[u]
you wove me together^[v] in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.^[w]
You knew me thoroughly;^[x]
¹⁵my bones were not hidden from you,
when^[y] I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth.^[z]
¹⁶Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.^[aa]
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence.^[ab]
¹⁷How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God!^[ac]
How vast is their sum total.^[ad]
¹⁸If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you.^[ae]

Footnotes

Psalm 139:1 sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
Psalm 139:1 tn The statement is understood as generalizing—the psalmist describes what God typically does.
Psalm 139:3 tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זֶרֶת (zeret, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
Psalm 139:3 tn Heb “all my ways.”
Psalm 139:4 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 139:4 tn Heb “look, O Lord, you know all of it.”
Psalm 139:6 tn Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
Psalm 139:7 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
Psalm 139:8 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
Psalm 139:8 tn The verb יָצַע (yatzaʿ) is rare in the Bible (see Isa 58:5 also Hiphil, and Isa 1:14; Est 4:3 for Hophal examples). There are three main options for understanding this phrase. It may mean “to descend to Sheol,” as in the LXX. This takes the motion in the verb as very generic for this context and understands “Sheol” without a preposition as the default “to Sheol.” Many translations take it as spreading out [something] to act as a bed, couch, or area to lie down. It is uncertain that the idea of a bed has to be implied and this does not required to fit the other contexts. Or, as taken here, it may “to spread [oneself] out, to sprawl.” Each view has merits and it is difficult to decide because the are so few examples.
Psalm 139:8 tn Heb “look, you.”
Psalm 139:9 tn Heb “rise up.”
Psalm 139:9 sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
Psalm 139:9 tn Heb “at the end.”
Psalm 139:11 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (y^esukkeni), from the root שָׂכַך (sakhakh, “to cover,” an alternate form of סָכַך [sakhakh]), a reading assumed in the present translation.
Psalm 139:11 tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”
Psalm 139:12 tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
Psalm 139:12 tn Heb “shines like.”
Psalm 139:12 tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
Psalm 139:13 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 139:13 tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).
Psalm 139:13 tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.
Psalm 139:14 tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (palah) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (palaʾ; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נִפְלָאִים (niflaʾim), the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (niflaʾot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).
Psalm 139:14 tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yodaʿat), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yadaʿta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.
Psalm 139:15 tc The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (kaʾasher, “when”). The כ (kaf) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
Psalm 139:15 sn The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
Psalm 139:16 tn Heb “Your eyes saw my shapeless form.” The Hebrew noun גֹּלֶם (golem) occurs only here in the OT. In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow 222 s.v. גּוֹלֶם). The translation employs the dynamic rendering “when I was inside the womb” to clarify that the speaker was still in his mother’s womb at the time he was “seen” by God.
Psalm 139:16 tn Heb “and on your scroll all of them were written, [the] days [which] were formed, and [there was] not one among them.” This “scroll” may be the “scroll of life” mentioned in Ps 69:28 (see the note on the word “living” there).
Psalm 139:17 tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).
Psalm 139:17 tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.
Psalm 139:18 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.

2 Kings 5:1-14

Elisha Heals a Syrian General

5 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master,^[a] for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease.^[b] ²Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife. ³She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”

⁴Naaman^[c] went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. ⁵The king of Syria said, “Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman^[d] went, taking with him 10 talents^[e] of silver, 6,000 shekels of gold,^[f] and 10 suits of clothes. ⁶He brought the letter to the king of Israel. It read: “This is a letter of introduction for my servant Naaman,^[g] whom I have sent to be cured of his skin disease.” ⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin disease?^[h] Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!”^[i]

⁸When Elisha the prophet^[j] heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent this message to the king, “Why did you tear your clothes? Send him^[k] to me so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood in the doorway of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored^[l] and you will be healed.” ¹¹Naaman went away angry. He said, “Look, I thought for sure he would come out, stand there, invoke the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the area, and cure the skin disease. ¹²The rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar, are better than any of the waters of Israel!^[m] Could I not wash in them and be healed?” So he turned around and went away angry. ¹³His servants approached and said to him,^[n] “O master,^[o] if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task,^[p] you would have been willing to do it.^[q] It seems you should be happy that he simply said, ‘Wash and you will be healed.’^[r] ¹⁴So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the prophet had instructed.^[s] His skin became as smooth as a young child’s^[t] and he was healed.

Footnotes

2 Kings 5:1 tn Heb “was a great man before his master and lifted up with respect to the face.”
2 Kings 5:1 tn For a discussion of מְצֹרָע (m^etsoraʿ), traditionally translated “leprous,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 63. Naaman probably had a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy/Hansen’s disease.
2 Kings 5:4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Kings 5:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Kings 5:5 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 750 pounds of silver (cf. NCV, NLT, CEV).
2 Kings 5:5 tn Heb “six thousand gold […].” The unit of measure is not given in the Hebrew text. A number of English versions supply “pieces” (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, TEV) or “shekels” (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV).
2 Kings 5:6 tn Heb “and now when this letter comes to you, look, I have sent to you Naaman my servant.”
2 Kings 5:7 tn Heb “Am I God, killing and restoring life, that this one sends to me to cure a man from his skin disease?” In the Hebrew text this is one lengthy rhetorical question, which has been divided up in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 Kings 5:7 tn Heb “Indeed, know and see that he is seeking an occasion with respect to me.”
2 Kings 5:8 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 15, 20).
2 Kings 5:8 tn Heb “Let him come.”
2 Kings 5:10 tn Heb “will return to you.”
2 Kings 5:12 tn Heb “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all of the waters of Israel?” The rhetorical question expects an emphatic “yes” as an answer.
2 Kings 5:13 tn Heb “They spoke to him. They said.”
2 Kings 5:13 tn Heb “my father,” reflecting the perspective of each individual servant. To address their master as “father” would emphasize his authority and express their respect. See BDB 3 s.v. אָב and the similar idiomatic use of “father” in 2 Kgs 2:12.
2 Kings 5:13 tn Heb “a great thing.”
2 Kings 5:13 tn Heb “would you not do [it]?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you would.”
2 Kings 5:13 tn Heb “How much more [when] he said, “Wash and be healed.” The second imperative (“be healed”) states the expected result of obeying the first (‘wash”).
2 Kings 5:14 tn Heb “according to the word of the man of God.”
2 Kings 5:14 tn Heb “and his skin was restored, like the skin of a small child.”

James 4:8-17

⁸Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.^[a] ⁹Grieve, mourn,^[b] and weep. Turn your laughter^[c] into mourning and your joy into despair. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

¹¹Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters.^[d] He who speaks against a fellow believer^[e] or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge.^[f] ¹²But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge—the one who is able to save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor?^[g]

¹³Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town^[h] and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” ¹⁴You^[i] do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like?^[j] For you are a puff of smoke^[k] that appears for a short time and then vanishes. ¹⁵You ought to say instead,^[l] “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶But as it is,^[m] you boast about your arrogant plans.^[n] All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷So whoever knows what is good to do^[o] and does not do it is guilty of sin.^[p]

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 139[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Footnotes

Elisha Heals a Syrian General

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 139^[a]