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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 146

Psalm 146^[a]

146 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
²I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
³Do not trust in princes,
or in human beings, who cannot deliver.^[b]
⁴Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground.
On that day their plans die.^[c]
⁵How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who remains forever faithful,^[d]
⁷vindicates the oppressed,^[e]
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the imprisoned.
⁸The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over.^[f]
The Lord loves the godly.
⁹The Lord protects the resident foreigner.
He lifts up the fatherless and the widow,^[g]
but he opposes the wicked.^[h]
¹⁰The Lord rules forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come.^[i]
Praise the Lord!

Proverbs 28:11-28

¹¹A rich person^[a] is wise in his own opinion,^[b]
but a discerning poor person can evaluate him properly.^[c]
¹²When the righteous rejoice,^[d] great is the glory,^[e]
but when the wicked rise to power, people are sought out.^[f]
¹³The one who covers^[g] his transgressions will not prosper,^[h]
but whoever confesses them and forsakes them will find mercy.^[i]
¹⁴Blessed is the one who is always cautious,^[j]
but whoever hardens his heart^[k] will fall into evil.
¹⁵Like^[l] a roaring lion or a roving bear,^[m]
so is a wicked ruler over a poor people.^[n]
¹⁶The prince who is a great oppressor lacks wisdom,^[o]
but the one who hates^[p] unjust gain will prolong his days.
¹⁷The one who is tormented^[q] by the murder^[r] of another will flee to the pit;^[s]
let no one support him.
¹⁸The one who walks blamelessly will be delivered,^[t]
but whoever is perverse in his ways will fall^[u] at once.^[v]
¹⁹The one who works his land will be satisfied with food,^[w]
but whoever chases daydreams^[x] will have his fill^[y] of poverty.
²⁰A faithful person^[z] will have an abundance of blessings,
but the one who hastens^[aa] to gain riches will not go unpunished.
²¹To show partiality^[ab] is terrible,^[ac]
for a person will transgress over the smallest piece of bread.^[ad]
²²The stingy person^[ae] hastens after riches
and does not know that poverty will overtake him.^[af]
²³The one who reproves^[ag] another^[ah] will in the end^[ai] find more favor
than the one who flatters^[aj] with the tongue.
²⁴The one who robs^[ak] his father and mother and says, “There is no transgression,”
is a companion^[al] to the one^[am] who destroys.
²⁵The greedy person^[an] stirs up dissension,^[ao]
but the one who trusts^[ap] in the Lord will prosper.^[aq]
²⁶The one who trusts in his own heart^[ar] is a fool,
but the one who walks in wisdom^[as] will escape.^[at]
²⁷The one who gives to the poor will not lack,^[au]
but whoever shuts his eyes to them^[av] will receive^[aw] many curses.^[ax]
²⁸When the wicked gain control,^[ay] people^[az] hide themselves,^[ba]
but when they perish,^[bb] the righteous increase.

Footnotes

Proverbs 28:11 tn Heb “a rich man,” although the context does not indicate that this is limited only to males.
Proverbs 28:11 sn The idiom “in his own eyes” means “in his own opinion,” that is, his self conceit. The rich person thinks he is wise because he is rich, that he has made all the right choices.
Proverbs 28:11 tn The form יַחְקְרֶנּוּ (yakhq^erennu) means “he searches him” (cf. KJV, ASV) or “he examines him”; a potential imperfect nuance fits well here to indicate that a discerning person, even though poor, can search the flaws of the rich and see through the pretension and the false assumptions (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV “sees through him”). Several commentators have connected the word to the Arabic root hqr, which means “despise” (D. W. Thomas, “Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” JTS 38 [1937]: 400-403), but that would be both predictable and flat.
Proverbs 28:12 tn The form בַּעֲלֹץ (baʿalots) is the infinitive construct with the preposition indicating a temporal clause (“when…”); the “righteous” are the subject of this clause (subjective genitive). The word may be taken as a metonymy of adjunct—the righteous exult or rejoice because they are prosperous (cf. NLT “succeed”).
Proverbs 28:12 sn “Glory” here may have the sense of elation and praise.
Proverbs 28:12 tn The meaning of “sought out” (יְחֻפַּשׂ, y^ekhuppas) indicates that people have gone into hiding. So the development of the ideas for this proverb requires in the first line that “rejoice” be connected with “triumph” that means they have come to power; and in the second line that “are sought out” means people have gone into hiding (cf. ASV, NIV, NRSV, NLT). C. H. Toy thinks this is too strained; he offers this rendering: “When the righteous are exalted there is great confidence, but when the wicked come into power men hide themselves” (Proverbs [ICC], 500). For the verb G. R. Driver posits an Arabic cognate hafasa, “prostrated; trampled on” (“Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 [1951]: 192-93), which gives a clearer result of wicked rule, but is perhaps unnecessary (e.g., Prov 28:28; 29:2). See J. A. Emerton, “Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” JTS 20 (1969): 202-20.
Proverbs 28:13 tn The Hebrew participles provide the subject matter in this contrast. On the one hand is the person who covers over (מְכַסֶּה, m^ekhasseh) his sins. This means refusing to acknowledge them in confession, and perhaps rationalizing them away. On the other hand there is the one who both “confesses” (מוֹדֶה, modeh) and “forsakes” (עֹזֵב, ʿozev) the sin. To “confess” sins means to acknowledge them, to say the same thing about them that God does.
Proverbs 28:13 sn The verse contrasts the consequences of each. The person who refuses to confess will not prosper. This is an understatement (a figure of speech known as tapeinosis); the opposite is the truth, that eventually such a person will be undone and ruined. On the other hand, the penitent will find mercy. This expression is a metonymy of cause for the effect—although “mercy” is mentioned, what mercy provides is intended, i.e., forgiveness. In other passages the verb “conceal” is used of God’s forgiveness—he covers over the iniquity (Ps 32:1). Whoever acknowledges sin, God will cover it; whoever covers it, God will lay it open.
Proverbs 28:13 sn This verse is unique in the book of Proverbs; it captures the theology of forgiveness (e.g., Pss 32; 51). Every part of the passage is essential to the point: Confession of sins as opposed to concealing them, coupled with a turning away from them, results in mercy.
Proverbs 28:14 tn Most commentators (and some English versions, e.g., NIV) assume that the participle מְפַחֵד (m^efakhed, “fears”) means “fears the Lord,” even though “the Lord” is not present in the text. Such an assumption would be more convincing if the word יִרְאַת (yirʾat) had been used. It is possible that the verse refers to fearing sin or its consequences. In other words, the one who is always apprehensive about the nature and consequences of sin will avoid sin and find God’s blessing. Of course the assumption that the phrase means “fear the Lord” could be correct as well. There would be little difference in the outcome; in either case sin would be avoided.
Proverbs 28:14 sn The one who “hardens his heart” in this context is the person who refuses to fear sin and its consequences. The image of the “hard heart” is one of a stubborn will, unyielding and unbending (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT). This individual will fall into sin.
Proverbs 28:15 tn The term “like” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
Proverbs 28:15 sn The comparison uses animals that are powerful, terrifying, insensitive, and in search of prey. Because political tyrants are like this, animal imagery of this sort is also used in Dan 7:1-8 for the series of ruthless world powers.
Proverbs 28:15 sn A poor nation under the control of political tyrants who are dangerous and destructive is helpless. The people of that nation will crumble under them because they cannot meet their demands and are of no use to them.
Proverbs 28:16 tn Heb “A prince lacking of understanding [is] also a great oppressor” (both KJV, ASV similar) The last clause, “and a great oppressor,” appears to modify “the prince.” There is little difference in meaning, only in emphasis. The LXX has “lacks income” (reading תְּבוּאוֹת [t^evuʾot] instead of תְּבוּנוֹת [t^evunot]). C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 501) suggests deleting the word for “prince” altogether, but this emendation is gratuitous.
Proverbs 28:16 tc This follows the Qere reading of the participle which is singular (as opposed to the plural). The implication is that this one is also a ruler, paralleling the first half. But since he “hates” (= rejects) unjust gain he will extend [his] days, meaning he will enjoy a long and happy life (cf. NIV, NRSV, CEV).
Proverbs 28:17 tn The form is the Qal passive participle. The verb means “to oppress; to wrong; to extort”; here the idea of being “oppressed” would refer to the burden of a guilty conscience (hence “tormented”; cf. NAB, NRSV “burdened”). Some commentators have wanted to emend the text to read “suspected,” or “charged with,” or “given to,” etc., but if the motive is religious and not legal, then “oppressed” or “tormented” is preferred.
Proverbs 28:17 sn The text has “the blood of a life”; blood will be the metonymy of effect for the murder, the shedding of blood.
Proverbs 28:17 tn The verse is cryptic; it simply says that he will “flee to the pit.” Some have taken the “pit” to refer to the place of detention for prisoners, but why would he flee to that place? It seems rather to refer to death. This could mean that (1) since there is no place for him to go outside of the grave, he should flee to the pit (cf. TEV, NLT), or (2) he will be a fugitive until he goes to the grave (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, CEV). Neither one of these options is easily derived from the text. The verse seems to be saying that the one who is guilty of murder will flee, and no one should assist him. The meaning of “the pit” is unresolved.
Proverbs 28:18 tn The form is the Niphal imperfect of יָשַׁע (yashaʿ, “will be saved”). In all probability this refers to deliverance from misfortune. Some render it “kept safe” (NIV) or “will be safe” (NRSV, TEV). It must be interpreted in contrast to the corrupt person who will fall.
Proverbs 28:18 tn The Qal imperfect יִפּוֹל (yippol) is given a future translation in this context, as is the previous verb (“will be delivered”) because the working out of divine retribution appears to be coming suddenly in the future. The idea of “falling” could be a metonymy of adjunct (with the falling accompanying the ruin that comes to the person), or it may simply be a comparison between falling and being destroyed. Cf. NCV “will suddenly be ruined”; NLT “will be destroyed.”
Proverbs 28:18 tn The last word in the verse, בְּאֶחָת (b^eʾekhat), means “in one [= at once (?)].” This may indicate a sudden fall, for falling “in one” (the literal meaning) makes no sense. W. McKane wishes to emend the text to read “into a pit” based on v. 10b (Proverbs [OTL], 622); this emendation is followed by NAB, NRSV.
Proverbs 28:19 tn Or “will have plenty of food” (Heb “bread”); so NAB, NASB, NCV.
Proverbs 28:19 tn Heb “empty things” or “vain things”; NRSV “follows worthless pursuits.” sn Prosperity depends on diligent work and not on chasing empty dreams. The proverb is essentially the same as Prov 12:11 except for the last expression.
Proverbs 28:19 tn The repetition of the verb strengthens the contrast. Both halves of the verse use the verb יִשְׂבַּע (yisbaʿ, “will be satisfied; will be filled with; will have enough”). It is positive in the first colon, but negative in the second—with an ironic twist to say one is “satisfied” with poverty.
Proverbs 28:20 tn Heb “a man of faithfulness,” although the context does not indicate this should be limited only to males.sn The text does not qualify the nature of the faithfulness. While this would certainly have implications for the person’s righteous acts, its primary meaning may be his diligence and reliability in his work. His faithful work will bring the returns.
Proverbs 28:20 sn The proverb is not rebuking diligent labor. One who is eager to get rich quickly is the opposite of the faithful person. The first person is faithful to God and to the covenant community; the second is trying to get rich as quickly as possible, at the least without doing an honest day’s work and at the worst dishonestly. In a hurry to gain wealth, he falls into various schemes and will pay for it. Tg. Prov 28:20 interprets this to say he hastens through deceit and wrongdoing.
Proverbs 28:21 tn The construction uses the Hiphil infinitive הַכֵּר (hakken) as the subject of the sentence: “to have respect for [or, recognize] persons is not good” (e.g., 24:23; 18:5; Deut 1:17; Lev 19:15). Such favoritism is “not good”; instead, it is a miscarriage of justice and is to be avoided.
Proverbs 28:21 tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure of speech known as tapeinosis—a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is terrible!”
Proverbs 28:21 tn The meaning and connection of the line is not readily clear. It could be taken in one of two ways: (1) a person can steal even a small piece of bread if hungry, and so the court should show some compassion, or it should show no partiality even in such a pathetic case; (2) a person could be bribed for a very small price (a small piece of bread being the figure representing this). This second view harmonizes best with the law.
Proverbs 28:22 tn Heb “a man with an evil eye” (as opposed to the generous man who has a “good” eye). This individual is selfish, unkind, unsympathetic to others. He looks only to his own gain. Cf. NAB “The avaricious man”; NLT “A greedy person.”
Proverbs 28:22 sn The one who is hasty to gain wealth is involved in sin in some way, for which he will be punished by poverty. The idea of “hastening” after riches suggests a dishonest approach to acquiring wealth.
Proverbs 28:23 tn Or “rebukes” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
Proverbs 28:23 tn Heb “a man,” but the context does not indicate this should be limited only to males.
Proverbs 28:23 tn There is a problem with אַחֲרַי (ʾakharay), which in the MT reads “after me.” This could be taken to mean “after my instructions,” but that is forced. C. H. Toy suggests simply changing it to “after” or “afterward,” i.e., “in the end” (Proverbs [ICC], 504), a solution most English versions adopt. G. R. Driver suggested an Akkadian cognate aḫurrû, “common man,” reading “as a rebuker an ordinary man” (“Hebrew Notes,” ZAW 52 [1934]: 147). The Akkadian term can refer to a coarse, uneducated person (CAD A1: 216), if so here, then “one who rebukes a lout/oaf.”
Proverbs 28:23 tn The construction uses the Hiphil participle מַחֲלִיק (makhaliq, “makes smooth”) followed by the adverbial accusative of means, the metonymy “tongue”—he makes what he says smooth. This will be pleasing for the moment, but it will offer no constructive help like the rebuke would.
Proverbs 28:24 sn While the expression is general enough to cover any kind of robbery, the point seems to be that because it can be rationalized it may refer to prematurely trying to gain control of the family property through some form of pressure and in the process reducing the parents’ possessions and standing in the community. The culprit could claim what he does is not wrong because the estate would be his anyway.
Proverbs 28:24 sn The metaphor of “companion” here means that a person who would do this is just like the criminally destructive person. It is as if they were working together, for the results are the same.
Proverbs 28:24 tn Heb “man who destroys” (so NASB); TEV “no better than a common thief.”
Proverbs 28:25 tn Heb “wide of soul.” This is an idiom meaning “a greedy person.” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally, “soul”) has here its more basic meaning of appetites (a person is a soul, a bundle of appetites; BDB 660 s.v. 5.a). It would mean “wide of appetite” (רְהַב־נֶפֶשׁ, r^ehav nefesh) thus “greedy.”
Proverbs 28:25 sn Greed “stirs up” the strife. This individual’s attitude and actions stir up dissension because people do not long tolerate him.
Proverbs 28:25 tn The construction uses the participle בּוֹטֵחַ (boteakh) followed by עַל־יְהוָה (ʿal y^ehvah), which gives the sense of “relying confidently on the Lord.” This is the antithesis of the greedy person who pushes to get what he desires.
Proverbs 28:25 tn The verb דָּשֵׁן (dashen) means “to be fat,” and in the Piel/Pual stems “to make fat/to be made fat” (cf. KJV, ASV). The idea of being “fat” was symbolic of health and prosperity—the one who trusts in the Lord will be abundantly prosperous and fully gratified (cf. NRSV “will be enriched”).
Proverbs 28:26 sn The idea of “trusting in one’s own heart” is a way of describing one who is self-reliant. C. H. Toy says it means to follow the untrained suggestions of the mind or to rely on one’s own mental resources (Proverbs [ICC], 505). It is arrogant to take no counsel but to rely only on one’s own intelligence.
Proverbs 28:26 sn The idiom of “walking in wisdom” means to live life according to the acquired skill and knowledge passed on from the sages. It is the wisdom from above that the book of Proverbs presents, not the undisciplined and uninformed wit and wisdom from below.
Proverbs 28:26 tn The verb form יִמָּלֵט (yimmalet) is the Niphal imperfect; the form means “to escape.” In this context one would conclude that it means “to escape from trouble,” because the one who lives in this life by wisdom will escape trouble, and the one who trusts in himself will not.
Proverbs 28:27 sn The generous individual will be rewarded. He will not lack nor miss what he has given away to the poor.
Proverbs 28:27 tn Heb “hides his eyes”; “to them” is supplied in the translation to indicate the link with the poor in the preceding line. Hiding or closing the eyes is a metonymy of cause or of adjunct, indicating a decision not to look on and thereby help the poor. It could also be taken as an implied comparison, i.e., not helping the poor is like closing the eyes to them.
Proverbs 28:27 tn The term “receives” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied, and is supplied in the translation.
Proverbs 28:27 sn The text does not specify the nature or the source of the curses. It is natural to think that they would be given by the poor who are being mistreated and ignored. Far from being praised for their contributions to society, selfish, stingy people will be reviled for their heartless indifference.
Proverbs 28:28 tn Heb “the wicked rise,” referring to an accession to power, as in a government. Cf. TEV “come to power”; NLT “take charge.”sn The proverb is essentially the same as 28:12 (e.g., Prov 11:10; 29:2, 16). It refers to the wicked “rising to power” in government.
Proverbs 28:28 tn Heb “a man” or “mankind” in a generic sense.
Proverbs 28:28 tn The form is the Niphal imperfect of סָתַר (satar, “to hide”); in this stem it can mean “to hide themselves” or “to go into hiding.” In either case the expression would be a hyperbole; the populace would not go into hiding, but they would tread softly and move about cautiously. G. R. Driver suggests the Akkadian sataru instead, which means “to demolish,” and is cognate to the Aramaic “to destroy.” This would produce the idea that people are “destroyed” when the wicked come to power (“Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 [1951]: 192-93). That meaning certainly fits the idea, but there is no reason for the change because the MT is perfectly readable as it is and makes good sense.
Proverbs 28:28 tn The two clauses have parallel constructions: They both begin with infinitives construct with prepositions functioning as temporal clauses, followed by subjective genitives (first the wicked, and then the pronoun referring to them). This heightens the antithesis: “when the wicked rise…when they perish.”

Luke 9:43-48

⁴³Then^[a] they were all astonished at the mighty power^[b] of God.

Another Prediction of Jesus’ Suffering

But while the entire crowd^[c] was amazed at everything Jesus^[d] was doing, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴“Take these words to heart,^[e] for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.”^[f] ⁴⁵But they did not understand this statement; its meaning^[g] had been concealed^[h] from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet^[i] they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

Concerning the Greatest

⁴⁶Now an argument started among the disciples^[j] as to which of them might be^[k] the greatest. ⁴⁷But when Jesus discerned their innermost thoughts,^[l] he took a child, had him stand by^[m] his side, ⁴⁸and said to them, “Whoever welcomes^[n] this child^[o] in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.”^[p]

Footnotes

Luke 9:43 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the response at the conclusion of the account.
Luke 9:43 sn The revelation of the mighty power of God was the manifestation of God’s power shown through Jesus. See Acts 10:38.
Luke 9:43 tn Grk “all”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 9:43 tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C W Θ Ψ 0115 ƒ¹³ 33 892 M al), actually supply ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς (ho Iēsous, “Jesus”) here. Since the earliest and best witnesses, along with many others (P⁷⁵ א B D L Ξ ƒ¹ 579 700 1241 2542 lat), lack the name, and since scribes were unlikely to intentionally omit it, the shorter reading is preferred as the reading of the initial text.tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some mss have done the same.
Luke 9:44 tn Grk “Place these words into your ears,” an idiom. The meaning is either “do not forget these words” (L&N 29.5) or “Listen carefully to these words” (L&N 24.64). See also Exod 17:14. For a variation of this expression, see Luke 8:8.
Luke 9:44 tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anthrōpōn) is considered by some to be used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NRSV, “into human hands”; TEV, “to the power of human beings”). However, because this can be taken as a specific reference to the group responsible for Jesus’ arrest, where it is unlikely women were present (cf. Matt 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12), the word “men” has been retained in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” earlier in the verse.
Luke 9:45 tn Grk “it”; the referent (the meaning of the statement) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 9:45 sn The passive verb had been concealed probably indicates that some force was preventing them from responding. It is debated whether God or Satan is meant here. By 24:25 it is clear that their lack of response is their own responsibility. The only way to reverse this is to pay careful attention as v. 44a urges.
Luke 9:45 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate that in spite of their lack of understanding, the disciples were afraid to ask about it. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Luke 9:46 tn Grk “among them”; the referent (the disciples) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 9:46 tn The use of the optative mood means the answer is not clear (BDF §§267.2.2; 385.2.2).
Luke 9:47 tn Grk “knowing the thoughts of their hearts” (an idiom).
Luke 9:47 tn On this use of παρά (para), see BDF §238.
Luke 9:48 tn This verb, δέχομαι (dechomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).
Luke 9:48 sn Children were very insignificant in ancient culture, so this child would be the perfect object lesson to counter the disciples’ selfish ambitions.
Luke 9:48 tn Grk “among you all, this one is great.” The absence of a comparative term here makes the point that comparison should not be done.

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 146[a]

Footnotes

Footnotes

Another Prediction of Jesus’ Suffering

Concerning the Greatest

Footnotes

Psalm 146^[a]