◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 126 (Sowing with tears reaping with joy); Isaiah 43:8-15 (God is Lord Holy One Creator Ruler); Philippians 2:25—3:1 (Paul praises a co-worker) (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 126

Psalm 126^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

126 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion,^[c]
we thought we were dreaming.^[d]
²At that time we laughed loudly
and shouted for joy.^[e]
At that time the nations said,^[f]
“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”
³The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.
We were happy.
⁴O Lord, restore our well-being,
just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.^[g]
⁵Those who shed tears as they plant
will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.^[h]
⁶The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag^[i] of seed,
will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.^[j]

Footnotes

Psalm 126:1 sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.
Psalm 126:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 126:1 tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] Zion.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (sh^evit) or שְׁבוּת (sh^evut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb שׁוּב. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or “restoration” (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that שְׁבִית should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward” (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes שְׁבִית as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.
Psalm 126:1 tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPs^a. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.
Psalm 126:2 tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”
Psalm 126:2 tn Heb “they said among the nations.”
Psalm 126:4 tn Heb “like the streams in the Negev.”sn The streams in the arid south. Y. Aharoni writes of the streams in the Negev: “These usually dry wadis collect water on rainy days from vast areas. The situation is also aggravated by floods from the desert mountains and southern Judah. For a day or two or, more frequently, for only a few hours they turn into dangerous torrents” (Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 26). God’s people were experiencing a “dry season” after a time of past blessing; they pray here for a “flash flood” of his renewed blessing. This does not imply that they are requesting only a brief display of God’s blessing. Rather the point of comparison is the suddenness with which the wadis swell during a rain, as well as the depth and power of these raging waters. The community desires a sudden display of divine favor in which God overwhelms them with blessings.
Psalm 126:5 sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.
Psalm 126:6 tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I מֶשֶׁךְ which gives “leather pouch” as the meaning.
Psalm 126:6 tn The Hebrew noun אֲלֻמָּה (ʾalummah, “sheaf”) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.sn Verse 6 expands the image of v. 5. See the note on the word “harvest” there.

Isaiah 43:8-15

The Lord Declares His Sovereignty

⁸Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
those who are deaf, even though they have ears!
⁹All nations gather together,
the peoples assemble.
Who among them announced this?
Who predicted earlier events for us?^[a]
Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;
let them listen and affirm, “It is true.”
¹⁰You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,
“my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may consider^[b] and believe in me,
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me,
and none will outlive me.^[c]
¹¹I, I am the Lord,
and there is no deliverer besides me.
¹²I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,
and there was no other god among you.
You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.
¹³From this day forward I am he;
no one can deliver from my power;^[d]
I will act, and who can prevent it?”

The Lord Will Do Something New

¹⁴This is what the Lord says,
your Protector,^[e] the Holy One of Israel:^[f]
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and make them all fugitives,^[g]
turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs.^[h]
¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One,^[i]
the one who created Israel, your king.”

Philippians 2:25-3:1

²⁵But for now^[a] I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For he is my brother,^[b] coworker and fellow soldier, and your messenger^[c] and minister^[d] to me in my need.^[e] ²⁶Indeed, he greatly missed all of you and was distressed because you heard that he had been ill. ²⁷In fact he became so ill that he nearly died.^[f] But God showed mercy to him—and not to him only, but also to me—so that I would not have grief on top of grief. ²⁸Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,^[g] so that when you see him again you can rejoice^[h] and I can be free from anxiety. ²⁹So welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, ³⁰since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me.^[i]

True and False Righteousness

3 Finally, my brothers and sisters,^[j] rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 126[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

Footnotes

The Lord Declares His Sovereignty

The Lord Will Do Something New

Footnotes

True and False Righteousness

Footnotes

Psalm 126^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]