◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 104:24-34 35b (Renewing the face of the earth); 2 Kings 2:1-15a (The spirit on Elijah and Elisha); Luke 1:5-17 (God’s Spirit to come on John the Baptist) (New English Translation)

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June 4, 2022

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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 104:24-34

²⁴How many living things you have made, O Lord!^[a]
You have exhibited great skill in making all of them;^[b]
the earth is full of the living things you have made.
²⁵Over here is the deep, wide sea,^[c]
which teems with innumerable swimming creatures,^[d]
living things both small and large.
²⁶The ships travel there,
and over here swims the whale^[e] you made to play in it.
²⁷All your creatures^[f] wait for you
to provide them with food on a regular basis.^[g]
²⁸You give food to them and they receive it;
you open your hand and they are filled with food.^[h]
²⁹When you ignore them, they panic.^[i]
When you take away their life’s breath,
they die and return to dust.
³⁰When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,
and you replenish the surface of the ground.
³¹May the splendor of the Lord endure.^[j]
May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made.^[k]
³²He looks down on the earth and it shakes;
he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.
³³I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist.^[l]
³⁴May my thoughts^[m] be pleasing to him.
I will rejoice in the Lord.

Psalm 104:35

³⁵May sinners disappear^[a] from the earth,
and the wicked vanish.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord.

2 Kings 2:1-15

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

2 Just before^[a] the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. ²Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³Some members of the prophetic guild^[b] in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?”^[c] He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁴Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. ⁵Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁶Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together. ⁷The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha^[d] stood by the Jordan. ⁸Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you,^[e] before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you?”^[f] ¹⁰Elijah^[g] replied, “That’s a difficult request!^[h] If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”

¹¹As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot^[i] pulled by fiery horses appeared.^[j] They went between Elijah and Elisha,^[k] and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. ¹²While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!”^[l] Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two. ¹³He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. ¹⁴He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah,^[m] hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, who were standing at a distance,^[n] saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah^[o] rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.

Luke 1:5-17

Birth Announcement of John the Baptist

⁵During the reign^[a] of Herod^[b] king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to^[c] the priestly division of Abijah,^[d] and he had a wife named Elizabeth,^[e] who was a descendant of Aaron.^[f] ⁶They^[g] were both righteous in the sight of God, following^[h] all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.^[i] ⁷But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren,^[j] and they were both very old.^[k]

⁸Now^[l] while Zechariah^[m] was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,^[n] ⁹he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood,^[o] to enter^[p] the Holy Place^[q] of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰Now^[r] the whole crowd^[s] of people were praying^[t] outside at the hour of the incense offering.^[u] ¹¹An^[v] angel of the Lord,^[w] standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared^[x] to him. ¹²And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel,^[y] was seized with fear.^[z] ¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard,^[aa] and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you^[ab] will name him John.^[ac] ¹⁴Joy and gladness will come^[ad] to you, and many will rejoice at^[ae] his birth,^[af] ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of^[ag] the Lord. He^[ah] must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.^[ai] ¹⁶He^[aj] will turn^[ak] many of the people^[al] of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go as forerunner before the Lord^[am] in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,^[an] to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”

Footnotes

Luke 1:5 tn Grk “It happened that in the days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Luke 1:5 sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 b.c. until he died in 4 b.c. He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty.
Luke 1:5 tn Grk “of,” but the meaning of the preposition ἐκ (ek) is more accurately expressed in contemporary English by the relative clause “who belonged to.”
Luke 1:5 sn There were twenty-four divisions of priesthood and the priestly division of Abijah was eighth on the list according to 1 Chr 24:10.
Luke 1:5 tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”
Luke 1:5 tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”sn It was not unusual for a priest to have a wife from a priestly family (a descendant of Aaron); this was regarded as a special blessing.
Luke 1:6 tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
Luke 1:6 tn Grk “walking in” (an idiom for one’s lifestyle).sn The description of Zechariah and Elizabeth as following…blamelessly was not to say that they were sinless, but that they were faithful and pious. Thus a practical righteousness is meant here (Gen 6:8; Deut 28:9).
Luke 1:6 tn The predicate adjective has the effect of an adverb here (BDF §243).
Luke 1:7 sn Elizabeth was barren. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are regarded by Luke as righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly (v. 6). With this language, reminiscent of various passages in the OT, Luke is probably drawing implicit comparisons to the age and barrenness of such famous OT personalities as Abraham and Sarah (see, e.g., Gen 18:9-15), the mother of Samson (Judg 13:2-5), and Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Sam 1:1-20). And, as it was in the case of these OT saints, so it is with Elizabeth: After much anguish and seeking the Lord, she too is going to have a son in her barrenness. In that day it was a great reproach to be childless, for children were a sign of God’s blessing (cf. Gen 1:28; Lev 20:20-21; Pss 127 and 128; Jer 22:30). As the dawn of salvation draws near, however, God will change this elderly couple’s grief into great joy and grant them the one desire time had rendered impossible.
Luke 1:7 tn Grk “were both advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).
Luke 1:8 tn Grk “Now it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Luke 1:8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 1:8 tn Grk “serving as priest in the order of his division before God.”sn Zechariah’s division would be on duty twice a year for a week at a time.
Luke 1:9 tn Grk “according to the custom of the priesthood it fell to him by lot.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to make it clear that the prepositional phrase κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἱερατείας (kata to ethos tēs hierateias, “according to the custom of the priesthood”) modifies the phrase “it fell to him by lot” rather than the preceding clause.
Luke 1:9 tn This is an aorist participle and is temporally related to the offering of incense, not to when the lot fell.
Luke 1:9 tn Or “temple.” Such sacrifices, which included the burning of incense, would have occurred in the holy place according to the Mishnah (m. Tamid 1.2; 3.1; 5-7). A priest would have given this sacrifice, which was offered for the nation, once in one’s career. It would be offered either at 9 a.m. or 3 p.m., since it was made twice a day.
Luke 1:10 tn Grk “And,” but “now” better represents the somewhat parenthetical nature of this statement in the flow of the narrative.
Luke 1:10 tn Grk “all the multitude.” While “assembly” is sometimes used here to translate πλῆθος (plēthos), that term usually implies in English a specific or particular group of people. However, this was simply a large group gathered outside, which was not unusual, especially for the afternoon offering.
Luke 1:10 tn The plural verb is used here on the probability that the crowd acted as individuals, each person praying on their own but at the same time. English versions are divided on how they handle this; see, e.g., NRSV, HCSB, which have the singular verb “was praying.”
Luke 1:10 tn The “hour of the incense offering” is another way to refer to the time of sacrifice.
Luke 1:11 tn Grk “And an angel.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.
Luke 1:11 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.
Luke 1:11 sn This term is often used to describe a supernatural appearance (24:34; Acts 2:3; 7:2, 30, 35; 9:17; 13:31; 16:9; 26:16).
Luke 1:12 tn The words “the angel” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Luke 1:12 tn Or “and he was afraid”; Grk “fear fell upon him.” Fear is common when supernatural agents appear (1:29-30, 65; 2:9; 5:8-10; 9:34; 24:38; Exod 15:16; Judg 6:22-23; 13:6, 22; 2 Sam 6:9).
Luke 1:13 tn The passive means that the prayer was heard by God.sn Your prayer has been heard. Zechariah’s prayer while offering the sacrifice would have been for the nation, but the answer to the prayer also gave them a long hoped-for child, a hope they had abandoned because of their old age.
Luke 1:13 tn Grk “a son, and you”; καί (kai) has not been translated. Instead a semicolon is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Luke 1:13 tn Grk “you will call his name John.” The future tense here functions like a command (see ExSyn 569-70). This same construction occurs in v. 31.sn “Do not be afraid…you must call his name John.” This is a standard birth announcement (see Gen 16:11; Isa 7:14; Matt 1:21; Luke 1:31).
Luke 1:14 tn Grk “This will be joy and gladness.”
Luke 1:14 tn Or “because of.”
Luke 1:14 tn “At his birth” is more precise as the grammatical subject (1:58), though “at his coming” is a possible force, since it is his mission, as the following verses note, that will really bring joy.
Luke 1:15 tn Grk “before.”
Luke 1:15 tn Grk “and he”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.
Luke 1:15 tn Grk “even from his mother’s womb.” While this idiom may be understood to refer to the point of birth (“even from his birth”), Luke 1:41 suggests that here it should be understood to refer to a time before birth.sn He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. This is the language of the birth of a prophet (Judg 13:5, 7; Isa 49:1; Jer 1:5; Sir 49:7); see 1:41 for the first fulfillment.
Luke 1:16 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 1:16 sn The word translated will turn is a good summary term for repentance and denotes John’s call to a change of direction (Luke 3:1-14).
Luke 1:16 tn Grk “sons,” but clearly this is a generic reference to people of both genders.
Luke 1:17 tn Grk “before him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 1:17 sn These two lines cover all relationships: Turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children points to horizontal relationships, while (turn) the disobedient to the wisdom of the just shows what God gives from above in a vertical manner.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Footnotes

Footnotes

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

Footnotes

Birth Announcement of John the Baptist

Footnotes