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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 1

Book 1 (Psalms 1-41)

Psalm 1^[a]

1 How blessed^[b] is the one^[c] who does not follow^[d] the advice^[e] of the wicked,^[f]
or stand in the pathway^[g] with sinners,
or sit in the assembly^[h] of scoffers.^[i]
²Instead^[j] he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;^[k]
he meditates on^[l] his commands^[m] day and night.
³He is like^[n] a tree planted by flowing streams;^[o]
it^[p] yields^[q] its fruit at the proper time,^[r]
and its leaves never fall off.^[s]
He succeeds in everything he attempts.^[t]
⁴Not so with the wicked!
Instead^[u] they are like wind-driven chaff.^[v]
⁵For this reason^[w] the wicked cannot withstand^[x] judgment,^[y]
nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly.^[z]
⁶Certainly^[aa] the Lord guards the way of the godly,^[ab]
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.^[ac]

Footnotes

Psalm 1:1 sn Psalm 1. In this wisdom psalm the author advises his audience to reject the lifestyle of the wicked and to be loyal to God. The psalmist contrasts the destiny of the wicked with that of the righteous, emphasizing that the wicked are eventually destroyed while the godly prosper under the Lord’s protective care.
Psalm 1:1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 3; Pss 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
Psalm 1:1 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” (Generic “he” is employed in vv. 2-3). Since the godly man described in the psalm is representative of followers of God (note the plural form צַדִּיקִים [tsadiqim, “righteous, godly”] in vv. 5-6), one could translate the collective singular with the plural “those” both here and in vv. 2-3, where singular pronouns and verbal forms are utilized in the Hebrew text (cf. NRSV). However, here the singular form may emphasize that godly individuals are usually outnumbered by the wicked. Retaining the singular allows the translation to retain this emphasis.
Psalm 1:1 tn Heb “walk in.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 1 refer in this context to characteristic behavior. The sequence “walk—stand—sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them.
Psalm 1:1 tn The Hebrew noun translated “advice” most often refers to the “counsel” or “advice” one receives from others. To “walk in the advice of the wicked” means to allow their evil advice to impact and determine one’s behavior.
Psalm 1:1 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (r^eshaʿim, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21).
Psalm 1:1 tn “Pathway” here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To “stand in the pathway of/with sinners” means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior.
Psalm 1:1 tn Here the Hebrew term מוֹשַׁב (moshav), although often translated “seat” (cf. NEB, NIV), appears to refer to the whole assembly of evildoers. The word also carries the semantic nuance “assembly” in Ps 107:32, where it is in synonymous parallelism with קָהָל (qahal, “assembly”).
Psalm 1:1 tn The Hebrew word refers to arrogant individuals (Prov 21:24) who love conflict (Prov 22:10) and vociferously reject wisdom and correction (Prov 1:22; 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12). To “sit in the assembly” of such people means to completely identify with them in their proud, sinful plans and behavior.
Psalm 1:2 tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki ʾim, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.
Psalm 1:2 tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”
Psalm 1:2 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.
Psalm 1:2 tn Or “his law.”
Psalm 1:3 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same characteristic force as the imperfect in the preceding verse. According to the psalmist, the one who studies and obeys God’s commands typically prospers.
Psalm 1:3 tn Heb “channels of water.”
Psalm 1:3 tn Heb “which.”
Psalm 1:3 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the typical nature of the actions/states they describe.
Psalm 1:3 tn Heb “in its season.”
Psalm 1:3 tn Or “fade”; “wither.”sn The author compares the godly individual to a tree that has a rich water supply (planted by flowing streams), develops a strong root system, and is filled with leaves and fruit. The simile suggests that the godly have a continual source of life which in turn produces stability and uninterrupted prosperity.
Psalm 1:3 tn Heb “and all which he does prospers”; or “and all which he does he causes to prosper.” (The simile of the tree does not extend to this line.) It is not certain if the Hiphil verbal form (יַצְלִיחַ, yatsliakh) is intransitive-exhibitive (“prospers”) or causative (“causes to prosper”) here. If the verb is intransitive, then כֹּל (kol, “all, everything”) is the subject. If the verb is causative, then the godly individual or the Lord himself is the subject and כֹּל is the object. The wording is reminiscent of Josh 1:8, where the Lord tells Joshua: “This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper (literally, “cause your way to prosper”) and be successful.”
Psalm 1:4 tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki ʾim, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.
Psalm 1:4 tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.sn Wind-driven chaff. In contrast to the well-rooted and productive tree described in v. 3, the wicked are like a dried up plant that has no root system and is blown away by the wind. The simile describes the destiny of the wicked (see vv. 5-6).
Psalm 1:5 tn Or “Therefore.”
Psalm 1:5 tn Heb “arise in,” but the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “stand”; “endure,” as in 1 Sam 13:14 and Job 8:15. The negated Hebrew imperfect verbal form is here taken as indicating incapability or lack of potential, though one could understand the verb form as indicating what is typical (“do not withstand”) or what will happen (“will not withstand”).
Psalm 1:5 tn Heb “the judgment.” The article indicates a judgment that is definite in the mind of the speaker. In the immediate context this probably does not refer to the “final judgment” described in later biblical revelation, but to a temporal/historical judgment which the author anticipates. Periodically during the OT period, God would come in judgment, removing the wicked from the scene, while preserving a godly remnant (see Gen 6-9; Ps 37; Hab 3).
Psalm 1:5 tn Heb “and sinners in the assembly (or “circle”) of [the] godly.” The negative particle and verb from the preceding line are assumed by ellipsis here (“will not arise/stand”).sn The assembly of the godly is insulated from divine judgment (Ps 37:12-17, 28-29).
Psalm 1:6 tn The translation understands כי (ki) as asseverative. Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theological explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrasts the respective destinies of the godly and the wicked.
Psalm 1:6 tn Heb “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” To “know a way” means, in its most basic sense, “to recognize/acknowledge a pathway, route, or prescribed way of life” (see Josh 3:4; Job 21:14; Ps 67:2; Isa 42:16; Jer 5:4-5). Here it could refer to the Lord recognizing the behavior of the godly and, by metonymy, rewarding their godliness with security and prosperity (resulting in the translation, “the Lord rewards the behavior of the godly”). The present translation takes the verb in the sense of “mark out” (cf. Job 23:10), which metonymically could mean “watch over, protect, guard.” In this case the “way of the godly” is not their behavior, but their course of life or destiny; a translation reflecting this would be “the Lord protects the lives of the godly” or “the Lord watches over the destiny of the godly” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The Hebrew active participle יוֹדֵעַ (yodeaʿ, “knows”) has here a characteristic durative force.
Psalm 1:6 tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what typically happens, though one could take the form as indicating what will happen (“will perish”).

Deuteronomy 29:2-20

The Exodus, Wandering, and Conquest Reviewed

²Moses proclaimed to all Israel as follows: “You have seen all that the Lord did^[a] in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, all his servants, and his land. ³Your eyes have seen the great judgments,^[b] those signs and mighty wonders. ⁴But to this very day the Lord has not given you an understanding mind, perceptive eyes, or discerning ears!^[c] ⁵I have led you through the wilderness for forty years. Your clothing has not worn out^[d] nor have your sandals^[e] deteriorated. ⁶You have eaten no bread and drunk no wine or beer—all so that you might know that I^[f] am the Lord your God! ⁷When you came to this place King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to make war and we defeated them. ⁸Then we took their land and gave it as an inheritance to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

The Present Covenant Setting

⁹“Therefore, keep the terms^[g] of this covenant and obey them so that you may be successful in everything you do. ¹⁰You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God—the heads of your tribes,^[h] your elders, your officials, every Israelite man, ¹¹your infants, your wives, and the^[i] resident foreigners^[j] living in your encampment, those who chop wood and those who carry water— ¹²so that you may enter by oath into the covenant the Lord your God is making with you today.^[k] ¹³Today he will affirm that you are his people and that he is your God,^[l] just as he promised you and as he swore by oath to your ancestors^[m] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ¹⁴It is not with you alone that I am making this covenant by oath, ¹⁵but with whoever stands with us here today before the Lord our God as well as those not with us here today.^[n]

The Results of Disobedience

¹⁶“(For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we crossed through the nations as we traveled. ¹⁷You have seen their detestable things^[o] and idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold.)^[p] ¹⁸Beware that the heart of no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you turns away from the Lord our God today to pursue and serve the gods of those nations; beware that there is among you no root producing poisonous and bitter fruit.^[q] ¹⁹When such a person^[r] hears the words of this oath he secretly^[s] blesses himself^[t] and says, ‘I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.’^[u] This will destroy^[v] the watered ground with the parched.^[w] ²⁰The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger^[x] will rage^[y] against that man; all the curses^[z] written in this scroll will fall upon him,^[aa] and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory.^[ab]

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 29:2 tn The Hebrew text includes “to your eyes,” but this is redundant in English style (cf. the preceding “you have seen”) and is omitted in the translation.
Deuteronomy 29:3 tn Heb “testings.” This is a reference to the plagues; see note at 4:34.
Deuteronomy 29:4 tn Heb “a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear” (NASB similar); NAB, NRSV “a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.”
Deuteronomy 29:5 tn The Hebrew text includes “on you.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Deuteronomy 29:5 tn The Hebrew text includes “from on your feet.”
Deuteronomy 29:6 tc The LXX reads “that he is the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 29:9 tn Heb “words.”
Deuteronomy 29:10 tc Heb “your heads, your tribes.” The Syriac presupposes either “heads of your tribes” or “your heads, your judges,” etc. (reading שֹׁפְטֵכֶם [shof^etekhem] for שִׁבְטֵיכֶם [shivtekhem]). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading. Cf. KJV “your captains of your tribes”; NRSV “the leaders of your tribes”; NLT “your tribal leaders.”
Deuteronomy 29:11 tn Heb “your.”
Deuteronomy 29:11 sn The ger (גֵּר) “foreign resident” here enters into the covenant with the community if Israel. Elsewhere in Mosaic Law the ger make sacrifices to the Lord (Lev 17:8; 22:18; Num 15:14) and participate in Israel’s religious festivals: Passover Exod 12:48; Day of Atonement Lev 16:29; Feast of Weeks Deut 16:10-14; Feast of Tabernacles/Temporary Shelters Deut 31:12. Several passages emphasize equal standing under Mosaic Law (Exod 12:49; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10; 35:15; Deut 1:16 or similar obligations Exod 20:10; 23:12; Lev 16:29; 17:10, 12, 13; 18:26; 24:16; Num 15:14. In many respects these ger (גֵּר) appear to be naturalized citizens who could not own land (land was allotted by tribe).
Deuteronomy 29:12 tn Heb “for you to pass on into the covenant of the Lord your God and into his oath, which the Lord your God is cutting with you today.”
Deuteronomy 29:13 tn Heb “in order to establish you today to him for a people and he will be to you for God.” Verses 10-13 are one long sentence in Hebrew. The translation divides this into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
Deuteronomy 29:13 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).
Deuteronomy 29:15 tn This is interpreted by some English versions as a reference to generations not yet born (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
Deuteronomy 29:17 tn The Hebrew term שִׁקּוּץ (shiqquts) refers to anything out of keeping with the nature and character of Yahweh and therefore to be avoided by his people Israel. It is commonly used with or as a synonym for תּוֹעֵבָה (toʿevah, “detestable, abhorrent”; 2 Kgs 23:13; Jer 16:18; Ezek 5:11; 7:20; 11:18, 21; see note on the term “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:243-46.
Deuteronomy 29:17 tn The Hebrew text includes “which were with them.” Verses 16-17 constitute a parenthetical comment.
Deuteronomy 29:18 tn Heb “yielding fruit poisonous and wormwood.” The Hebrew noun לַעֲנָה (laʿanah) literally means “wormwood” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB), but is used figuratively for anything extremely bitter, thus here “fruit poisonous and bitter.”
Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “in his heart.”
Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.
Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “heart.”
Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.
Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “the watered with the parched.” The word “ground” is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches—“the watered and the parched.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.”
Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Heb “the wrath of the Lord and his zeal.” The expression is a hendiadys, a figure in which the second noun becomes adjectival to the first.
Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Heb “smoke,” or “smolder.”
Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Heb “the entire oath.”
Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Or “will lie in wait against him.”
Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Heb “blot out his name from under the sky.”

Matthew 10:34-42

Not Peace, but a Sword

³⁴“Do not think that I have come to bring^[a] peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword!^[b] ³⁵For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, ³⁶and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.^[c]

³⁷“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy^[d] of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸And whoever does not take up his cross^[e] and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life^[f] will lose it,^[g] and whoever loses his life because of me^[h] will find it.

Rewards

⁴⁰“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.^[i] ⁴¹Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever^[j] receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴²And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones^[k] in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth,^[l] he will never lose his reward.”

Footnotes

Matthew 10:34 tn Grk “cast.” For βάλλω (ballō) in the sense of bringing about (or causing) a state or condition, see L&N 13.14; BDAG 163-64 s.v. 4.
Matthew 10:34 sn For rhetorical reasons, Jesus’ statement is deliberately paradoxical (seeming to state the opposite of Matt 10:13 where the messengers are to bring peace). The conflict implied by the sword is not primarily eschatological in this context, however, but immediate, and concerns the division and discord even among family members that a person’s allegiance to Jesus would bring (vv. 35-39).
Matthew 10:36 tn Matt 10:35-36 are an allusion to Mic 7:6.
Matthew 10:37 tn Here “worthy” (ἄξιος, axios) means “does not deserve to belong to me” (BDAG 94 s.v. 2.a), i.e., “is not worthy to be my disciple” (cf. Luke 14:26) or perhaps “is not worthy to participate in the kingdom” (to be undeserving of Jesus is to be undeserving of the kingdom he brings).sn The statement demands uncompromising, radical loyalty to Jesus, a loyalty so powerful that it surpasses normal human relationships, even familial ones.
Matthew 10:38 sn According to Plutarch, “Every criminal who is executed carries his own cross” (De sera numinus vindicta 9.554b). Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If one’s allegiance to Jesus does not have absolute priority, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection and persecution.
Matthew 10:39 tn Grk “his soul.” The Greek ψυχή (psuchē) has many different meanings depending on the context. The two primary meanings here are the earthly life (animate life, sometimes called “physical life”) and the inner life (the life that transcends the earthly life, sometimes called “the soul”). The fact that the Greek term can have both meanings creates in this verse both a paradox and a wordplay. The desire to preserve both aspects of ψυχή (psuchē) for oneself creates the tension here (cf. BDAG 1099 s.v. 1.a; 2.d,e). Translation of the Greek term ψυχή (psuchē) presents a particularly difficult problem in this verse. Most English versions since the KJV have translated the term “life.” This preserves the paradox of finding one’s “life” (in the sense of earthly life) while at the same time really losing it (in the sense of “soul” or transcendent inner life) and vice versa, but at the same time it obscures the wordplay that results from the same Greek word having multiple meanings. To translate as “soul,” however, gives the modern English reader the impression of the immortal soul at the expense of the earthly life. On the whole it is probably best to use the translation “life” and retain the paradox at the expense of the wordplay.
Matthew 10:39 sn The Greek word translated life can refer to both earthly, physical life and inner, transcendent life (one’s “soul”). In the context, if a person is not willing to suffer the world’s rejection and persecution in order to follow Jesus but instead seeks to retain his physical life, then that person will lose both physical life and inner, transcendent life (at the judgment). On the other hand, the one who willingly gives up earthly, physical life to follow Jesus (“loses his life because of me”) will ultimately find one’s “soul” (note that the parallel in John’s Gospel speaks of “guarding one’s ‘soul’ for eternal life” (John 12:25).
Matthew 10:39 tn Or “for my sake.” The traditional rendering “for my sake” can be understood in the sense of “for my benefit,” but the Greek term ἕνεκα (heneka) indicates the cause or reason for something (BDAG 334 s.v. 1).
Matthew 10:40 sn The one who sent me refers to God. Reception of the messengers (and by implication, the message they bring) is equivalent to reception of both Jesus and God the Father himself.
Matthew 10:41 tn Grk “And whoever.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
Matthew 10:42 sn Mention of these little ones in the context seems slightly odd since Jesus is addressing disciples, and this seems to refer to disciples. Probably it is another reference to the itinerant messengers mentioned previously (v. 40). Even a minimal act of kindness shown to one of these (a cup of cold water) will not go unacknowledged and unrewarded.
Matthew 10:42 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Book 1 (Psalms 1-41)

Psalm 1[a]

Footnotes

The Exodus, Wandering, and Conquest Reviewed

The Present Covenant Setting

The Results of Disobedience

Footnotes

Not Peace, but a Sword

Rewards

Footnotes

Psalm 1^[a]