◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Luke 1:68-79 (God’s tender compassion); Malachi 3:13-18 (Those who serve God); Philippians 1:18b-26 (Paul rejoices though imprisoned) (New English Translation)

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December 3, 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

Luke 1:68-79

⁶⁸“Blessed^[a] be the Lord God of Israel,
because he has come to help^[b] and has redeemed^[c] his people.
⁶⁹For^[d] he has raised up^[e] a horn of salvation^[f] for us in the house of his servant David,^[g]
⁷⁰as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,^[h]
⁷¹that we should be saved^[i] from our enemies,^[j]
and from the hand of all who hate us.
⁷²He has done this^[k] to show mercy^[l] to our ancestors,^[m]
and to remember his holy covenant^[n]—
⁷³the oath^[o] that he swore to our ancestor^[p] Abraham.
This oath grants^[q]
⁷⁴that we, being rescued from the hand of our^[r] enemies,
may serve him without fear,^[s]
⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness^[t] before him for as long as we live.^[u]
⁷⁶And you, child,^[v] will be called the prophet^[w] of the Most High.^[x]
For you will go before^[y] the Lord to prepare his ways,^[z]
⁷⁷to give his people knowledge of salvation^[aa] through the forgiveness^[ab] of their sins.
⁷⁸Because of^[ac] our God’s tender mercy^[ad]
the dawn^[ae] will break^[af] upon us from on high
⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,^[ag]
to guide our feet into the way^[ah] of peace.”

Footnotes

Luke 1:68 sn The traditional name of this psalm, the “Benedictus,” comes from the Latin wording of the start of the hymn (“Blessed be…”).
Luke 1:68 sn The verb come to help can refer to a visit, but can also connote concern or assistance (L&N 85.11).
Luke 1:68 tn Or “has delivered”; Grk “has accomplished redemption.” sn Has redeemed is a reference to redemption, but it anticipates the total release into salvation that the full work of Messiah will bring for Israel. This involves both spiritual and material benefits eventually.
Luke 1:69 tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.
Luke 1:69 sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.
Luke 1:69 sn The horn of salvation is a figure that refers to the power of Messiah and his ability to protect, as the horn refers to what an animal uses to attack and defend (Pss 75:4-5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”
Luke 1:69 sn In the house of his servant David is a reference to Messiah’s Davidic descent. Zechariah is more interested in Jesus than his own son John at this point.
Luke 1:70 tn Grk “from the ages,” “from eternity.”
Luke 1:71 tn Grk “from long ago, salvation.”
Luke 1:71 sn The theme of being saved from our enemies is like the release Jesus preached in Luke 4:18-19. Luke’s narrative shows that one of the enemies in view is Satan and his cohorts, with the grip they have on humanity.
Luke 1:72 tn The words “He has done this” (referring to the raising up of the horn of salvation from David’s house) are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to allow a new sentence to be started in the translation. The Greek sentence is lengthy and complex at this point, while contemporary English uses much shorter sentences.
Luke 1:72 sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.
Luke 1:72 tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.
Luke 1:72 sn The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise (the oath that he swore) to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).
Luke 1:73 tn This is linked back grammatically by apposition to “covenant” in v. 72, specifying which covenant is meant.
Luke 1:73 tn Or “forefather”; Grk “father.”
Luke 1:73 tn Again for reasons of English style, the infinitival clause “to grant us” has been translated “This oath grants” and made the beginning of a new sentence in the translation.
Luke 1:74 tc Many significant early mss (א B L W [0130] ƒ^1,13 565 892) lack “our,” while most (A C D [K] Θ Ψ 0177 33 M) supply it. Although the addition is most likely not authentic, “our” has been included in the translation due to English stylistic requirements.
Luke 1:74 tn This phrase in Greek is actually thrown forward to the front of the verse to give it emphasis.
Luke 1:75 sn The phrases that we…might serve him…in holiness and righteousness from Luke 1:74-75 well summarize a basic goal for a believer in the eyes of Luke. Salvation frees us up to serve God without fear through a life full of ethical integrity.
Luke 1:75 tn Grk “all our days.”
Luke 1:76 sn Now Zechariah describes his son John (you, child) through v. 77.
Luke 1:76 tn Or “a prophet,” but since Greek nouns can be definite without the article, and since in context this is a reference to the eschatological forerunner of the Messiah (cf. John 1:17), the concept is better conveyed to the English reader by the use of the definite article “the.”
Luke 1:76 sn In other words, John is a prophet of God; see 1:32 and 7:22-23, 28.
Luke 1:76 tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C D L Θ Ψ 0130 ƒ^1,13 33 M sy), have πρὸ προσώπου κυρίου (pro prosōpou kuriou, “before the face of the Lord”), but the translation follows the reading ἐνώπιον κυρίου (enōpion kuriou, “before the Lord”), which has earlier and better ms support (P⁴ א B W 0177) and is thus more likely to be authentic.
Luke 1:76 tn This term is often translated in the singular, looking specifically to the forerunner role, but the plural suggests the many elements in that salvation.sn On the phrase prepare his ways see Isa 40:3-5 and Luke 3:1-6.
Luke 1:77 sn John’s role, to give his people knowledge of salvation, is similar to that of Jesus (Luke 3:1-14; 5:31-32).
Luke 1:77 sn Forgiveness is another major Lukan theme (Luke 4:18; 24:47; Acts 10:37).
Luke 1:78 tn For reasons of style, a new sentence has been started in the translation at this point. God’s mercy is ultimately seen in the deliverance John points to, so v. 78a is placed with the reference to Jesus as the light of dawning day.
Luke 1:78 sn God’s loyal love (steadfast love) is again the topic, reflected in the phrase tender mercy; see Luke 1:72.
Luke 1:78 sn The Greek term translated dawn (ἀνατολή, anatolē) can be a reference to the morning star or to the sun. The Messiah is pictured as a saving light that shows the way. The Greek term was also used to translate the Hebrew word for “branch” or “sprout,” so some see a double entendre here with messianic overtones (see Isa 11:1-10; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12).
Luke 1:78 tn Grk “shall visit us.”
Luke 1:79 sn On the phrases who sit in darkness…and…death see Isa 9:1-2; 42:7; 49:9-10.
Luke 1:79 tn Or “the path.”

Malachi 3:13-18

Resistance to the Lord through Self-sufficiency

¹³“You have criticized me sharply,”^[a] says the Lord, “but you ask, ‘How have we criticized you?’ ¹⁴You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped^[b] by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord of Heaven’s Armies?^[c] ¹⁵So now we consider the arrogant to be blessed; indeed, those who practice evil are successful.^[d] In fact, those who challenge^[e] God escape!’”

¹⁶Then those who respected^[f] the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice.^[g] A scroll^[h] was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name. ¹⁷“They will belong to me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “in the day when I prepare my own special property.^[i] I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between^[j] the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.

Philippians 1:18-26

¹⁸What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

Yes,^[a] and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance^[b] through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. ²⁰My confident hope^[c] is that I will in no way be ashamed^[d] but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die.^[e] ²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²²Now if I am to go on living in the body,^[f] this will mean productive work^[g] for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer:^[h] ²³I feel torn between the two,^[i] because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, ²⁴but it is more vital for your sake that I remain^[j] in the body.^[k] ²⁵And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress^[l] and joy in the faith,^[m] ²⁶so that what you can be proud of may increase^[n] because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you.^[o]

Footnotes

Philippians 1:18 tn Or “But.” The conjunction ἀλλά (alla) may be emphatic or contrastive. If the former, the idea may be that Paul will continue rejoicing because of the proclamation of the gospel or because of his imminent release from prison (v. 19); if the latter, Paul is now turning his attention solely to this second reason to rejoice, viz., that he will soon be released from prison. In this latter view the clause should be translated, “But I will also rejoice since I know…”
Philippians 1:19 tn Or “salvation.” Deliverance from prison (i.e., release) is probably what Paul has in view here, although some take this as a reference to his ultimate release from the body, i.e., dying and being with Christ (v. 23).sn The phrase this will turn out for my deliverance may be an echo of Job 13:16 (LXX).
Philippians 1:20 tn Grk “according to my eager expectation and hope.” The κατά (kata) phrase is taken as governing the following ὅτι (hoti) clause (“that I will not be ashamed…”); the idea could be expressed more verbally as “I confidently hope that I will not be ashamed…”
Philippians 1:20 tn Or possibly, “be intimidated, be put to shame.”
Philippians 1:20 tn Grk “whether by life or by death.”
Philippians 1:22 tn Grk “flesh.”
Philippians 1:22 tn Grk “fruit of work”; the genitive ἔργου (ergou) is taken as an attributed genitive in which the head noun, καρπός (karpos), functions attributively (cf. ExSyn 89-91).
Philippians 1:22 tn Grk “what I shall prefer.” The Greek verb αἱρέω (haireō) could also mean “choose,” but in this context such a translation is problematic for it suggests that Paul could perhaps choose suicide (cf. L&N 30.86).sn I don’t know what I prefer. Paul is here struggling with what would be most beneficial for both him and the church. He resolves this issue in vv. 24-25.
Philippians 1:23 tn Grk “I am hard-pressed between the two.” Cf. L&N 30.18.
Philippians 1:24 tn Grk “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.”
Philippians 1:24 tn Grk “the flesh.”
Philippians 1:25 tn Grk “for your progress.”
Philippians 1:25 sn Paul’s confidence in his release from prison (I know that I will remain and continue with all of you) implies that this Roman imprisonment did not end in his death. Hence, there is the likelihood that he experienced a second Roman imprisonment later on (since the belief of the early church was that Paul died under Nero in Rome). If so, then the pastoral letters (1-2 Tim, Titus) could well fit into a life of Paul that goes beyond any descriptions in the book of Acts (which ends with Paul’s first Roman imprisonment). Some have argued that the pastorals cannot be genuine because they cannot fit into the history of Acts. But this view presupposes that Paul’s first Roman imprisonment was also his last.
Philippians 1:26 tn Grk “your boasting may overflow in Christ Jesus because of me,” or possibly, “your boasting in me may overflow in Christ Jesus.” BDAG 536 s.v. καύχημα 1 translates the phrase τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν (to kauchēma humōn) in Phil 1:26 as “what you can be proud of.”
Philippians 1:26 tn Grk “through my coming again to you.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Resistance to the Lord through Self-sufficiency

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