◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 25:1-9 (God’s compassion and love); Ezekiel 18:5-18 (Those who repent shall live); Acts 13:32-41 (Through Jesus forgiveness is proclaimed) (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 25:1-9

Psalm 25^[a]

By David.

25 O Lord, I come before you in prayer.^[b]
²My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me.
³Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.
Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted^[c] and humiliated.
⁴Make me understand your ways, O Lord.
Teach me your paths.^[d]
⁵Guide me into your truth^[e] and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
⁶Remember^[f] your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner.^[g]
⁷Do not hold against me^[h] the sins of my youth^[i] or my rebellious acts.
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord.^[j]
⁸The Lord is both kind and fair;^[k]
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live.^[l]
⁹May he show^[m] the humble what is right.^[n]
May he teach^[o] the humble his way.

Footnotes

Psalm 25:1 sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.
Psalm 25:1 tn Heb “to you, O Lord, my life I lift up.” To “lift up” one’s “life” to the Lord means to express one’s trust in him through prayer. See Pss 86:4; 143:8.
Psalm 25:3 tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).
Psalm 25:4 sn Teach me your paths. In this context the Lord’s “ways” and “paths” refer to the moral principles which the Lord prescribes for his followers. See vv. 8-10.
Psalm 25:5 sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as truth here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will.
Psalm 25:6 tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.
Psalm 25:6 tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”
Psalm 25:7 tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.
Psalm 25:7 sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.
Psalm 25:7 tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.”
Psalm 25:8 tn Heb “good and just.”
Psalm 25:8 tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
Psalm 25:9 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.
Psalm 25:9 tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (ʿanavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.
Psalm 25:9 tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).

Ezekiel 18:5-18

⁵“Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right, ⁶does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains^[a] or pray to the idols^[b] of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not approach a woman for marital relations^[c] during her period, ⁷does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge,^[d] does not commit robbery,^[e] but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked, ⁸does not engage in usury or charge interest,^[f] but refrains^[g] from wrongdoing, promotes true justice^[h] between men, ⁹and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out.^[i] That man^[j] is righteous; he will certainly live,^[k] declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁰“Suppose such a man has^[l] a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things^[m] mentioned previously ¹¹(though the father did not do any of them).^[n] He eats pagan sacrifices on the mountains,^[o] defiles his neighbor’s wife, ¹²oppresses the poor and the needy,^[p] commits robbery, does not give back what was given in pledge, prays to^[q] idols, performs abominable acts, ¹³engages in usury, and charges interest. Will he live? He will not! Because he has done all these abominable deeds he will certainly die.^[r] He will bear the responsibility for his own death.^[s]

¹⁴“But suppose he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father commits, considers them, and does not follow his father’s example.^[t] ¹⁵He does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains, does not pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶does not oppress anyone or keep what has been given in pledge, does not commit robbery, gives his food to the hungry and clothes the naked, ¹⁷refrains from wrongdoing,^[u] does not engage in usury or charge interest, carries out my regulations, and follows my statutes. He will not die for his father’s iniquity;^[v] he will surely live. ¹⁸As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity.

Footnotes

Ezekiel 18:6 tn Heb “on the mountains he does not eat.” The mountains are often mentioned as the place where idolatrous sacrifices were eaten (Ezek 20:28; 22:9; 34:6).
Ezekiel 18:6 tn Heb “does not lift up his eyes.” This refers to looking to idols for help.
Ezekiel 18:6 tn The expression קָרַב אֶל (qarav ʾel) means “draw near to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for the intended purpose of sexual relations (Lev 18:14; Deut 22:14; Isa 8:3).
Ezekiel 18:7 tn Heb “restores to the debtor his pledge.” The root occurs in Exod 22:25 in reference to restoring a man’s garment as a pledge before nightfall.
Ezekiel 18:7 tn The Hebrew term refers to seizure of property, usually by the rich (Isa 3:14; 10:2; Mic 2:2; see Lev 5:21, 22 HT [6:2, 3 ET]).
Ezekiel 18:8 sn This law was given in Lev 25:36.
Ezekiel 18:8 tn Heb, “turns back his hand.”
Ezekiel 18:8 tn Heb “justice of truth.”
Ezekiel 18:9 tc The MT reads לַעֲשׂוֹת אֱמֶת (laʿasot ʾemet, “to do with integrity”), while the LXX reads “to do them,” presupposing לַעֲשׂוֹת אֹתָם (laʿasot ʾotam). The ם (mem) and ת (tav) have been reversed in the MT. The LXX reflects the original, supported by similar phrasing in Ezekiel 11:20; 20:19.
Ezekiel 18:9 tn Heb “he.”
Ezekiel 18:9 tn Heb “living, he will live.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
Ezekiel 18:10 tn Heb “begets.”
Ezekiel 18:10 tn Heb “and he does, a brother, from one of these.” If “brother” is retained, it may be an adverbial accusative: “against a brother” (i.e., fellow Israelite). But the form is likely dittographic, as the consonants that spell “brother” אח (alef-het) occur in the following word).
Ezekiel 18:11 tn Heb “and he all of these did not do.” The parenthetical note refers back to the father described in the preceding verses.
Ezekiel 18:11 sn See note on “mountains” in v. 6.
Ezekiel 18:12 sn The poor and needy are often mentioned together in the OT (Deut 24:14; Jer 22:16; Ezek 16:49; Pss 12:6; 35:10; 37:14).
Ezekiel 18:12 tn Heb “lifts up his eyes.”
Ezekiel 18:13 tn Heb “be put to death.” The translation follows an alternative reading that appears in several ancient textual witnesses.
Ezekiel 18:13 tn Heb “his blood will be upon him.”
Ezekiel 18:14 tn Heb “and he sees and does not do likewise.”
Ezekiel 18:17 tc This translation follows the LXX. The MT reads: “restrains his hand from the poor,” which makes no sense here.
Ezekiel 18:17 tn Or “in his father’s punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 18, 19, 20; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”

Acts 13:32-41

³²And we proclaim to you the good news about the promise to our ancestors,^[a] ³³that this promise^[b] God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising^[c] Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son;^[d] today I have fathered you.’^[e] ³⁴But regarding the fact that he has raised Jesus^[f] from the dead, never^[g] again to be^[h] in a state of decay, God^[i] has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you^[j] the holy and trustworthy promises^[k] made to David.’^[l] ³⁵Therefore he also says in another psalm,^[m] ‘You will not permit your Holy One^[n] to experience^[o] decay.’^[p] ³⁶For David, after he had served^[q] God’s purpose in his own generation, died,^[r] was buried with his ancestors,^[s] and experienced^[t] decay, ³⁷but the one^[u] whom God raised up did not experience^[v] decay. ³⁸Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one^[w] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹and by this one^[x] everyone who believes is justified^[y] from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify^[z] you.^[aa] ⁴⁰Watch out,^[ab] then, that what is spoken about by^[ac] the prophets does not happen to you:

⁴¹‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish!^[ad]
For I am doing a work in your days,
a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.’”^[ae]

Footnotes

Acts 13:32 tn Or “to our forefathers”; Grk “the fathers.”
Acts 13:33 tn Grk “that this”; the referent (the promise mentioned in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.sn This promise refers to the promise of a Savior through the seed (descendants) of David that is proclaimed as fulfilled (Rom 1:1-7).
Acts 13:33 tn Or “by resurrecting.” The participle ἀναστήσας (anastēsas) is taken as instrumental here.sn By raising (i.e., by resurrection) tells how this promise came to be realized, though again the wordplay also points to his presence in history through this event (see the note on “raised up” in v. 22).
Acts 13:33 sn You are my Son. The key to how the quotation is used is the naming of Jesus as “Son” to the Father. The language is that of kingship, as Ps 2 indicates. Here is the promise about what the ultimate Davidic heir would be.
Acts 13:33 tn Grk “I have begotten you.” The traditional translation for γεγέννηκα (gegennēka, “begotten”) is misleading to the modern English reader because it is no longer in common use. Today one speaks of “fathering” a child in much the same way speakers of English formerly spoke of “begetting a child.”sn A quotation from Ps 2:7.
Acts 13:34 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 13:34 tn Although μηκέτι (mēketi) can mean “no longer” or “no more,” the latter is more appropriate here, since to translate “no longer” in this context could give the reader the impression that Jesus did experience decay before his resurrection. Since the phrase “no more again to be” is somewhat awkward in English, the simpler phrase “never again to be” was used instead.
Acts 13:34 tn The translation “to be in again” for ὑποστρέφω (hupostrephō) is given in L&N 13.24.
Acts 13:34 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 13:34 tn The pronoun “you” is plural here. The promises of David are offered to the people.
Acts 13:34 tn Or “the trustworthy decrees made by God to David.” The phrase τὰ ὅσια Δαυὶδ τὰ πιστά (ta hosia Dauid ta pista) is “compressed,” that is, in a very compact or condensed form. It could be expanded in several different ways. BDAG 728 s.v. ὅσιος 3 understands it to refer to divine decrees: “I will grant you the sure decrees of God relating to David.” BDAG then states that this quotation from Isa 55:3 is intended to show that the following quotation from Ps 16:10 could not refer to David himself, but must refer to his messianic descendant (Jesus). L&N 33.290 render the phrase “I will give to you the divine promises made to David, promises that can be trusted,” although they also note that τὰ ὅσια in Acts 13:34 can mean “divine decrees” or “decrees made by God.” In contemporary English it is less awkward to translate πιστά as an adjective (“trustworthy”). The concept of “divine decrees,” not very understandable to the modern reader, has been replaced by “promises,” and since God is the implied speaker in the context, it is clear that these promises were made by God.
Acts 13:34 sn A quotation from Isa 55:3. The point of this citation is to make clear that the promise of a Davidic line and blessings are made to the people as well.
Acts 13:35 tn Grk “Therefore he also says in another”; the word “psalm” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
Acts 13:35 tn The Greek word translated “Holy One” here (ὅσιόν, hosion) is related to the use of ὅσια (hosia) in v. 34. The link is a wordplay. The Holy One, who does not die, brings the faithful holy blessings of promise to the people.
Acts 13:35 tn Grk “to see,” but the literal translation of the phrase “to see decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “to look at decay,” while here “see decay” is really figurative for “experience decay.”
Acts 13:35 sn A quotation from Ps 16:10.
Acts 13:36 tn The participle ὑπηρετήσας (hupēretēsas) is taken temporally.
Acts 13:36 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.
Acts 13:36 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “was gathered to his fathers” (a Semitic idiom).
Acts 13:36 tn Grk “saw,” but the literal translation of the phrase “saw decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “looked at decay,” while here “saw decay” is really figurative for “experienced decay.” This remark explains why David cannot fulfill the promise.
Acts 13:37 sn The one whom God raised up refers to Jesus.
Acts 13:37 tn Grk “see,” but the literal translation of the phrase “did not see decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “did not look at decay,” while here “did not see decay” is really figurative for “did not experience decay.”
Acts 13:38 tn That is, Jesus. This pronoun is in emphatic position in the Greek text. Following this phrase in the Greek text is the pronoun ὑμῖν (humin, “to you”), so that the emphasis for the audience is that “through Jesus to you” these promises have come.
Acts 13:39 sn This one refers here to Jesus.
Acts 13:39 tn Or “is freed.” The translation of δικαιωθῆναι (dikaiōthēnai) and δικαιοῦται (dikaioutai) in Acts 13:38-39 is difficult. BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 3 categorizes δικαιωθῆναι in 13:38 (Greek text) under the meaning “make free/pure” but categorizes δικαιοῦται in Acts 13:39 as “be found in the right, be free of charges” (BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 2.b.β). In the interest of consistency both verbs are rendered as “justified” in this translation.
Acts 13:39 tn Or “could not free.”
Acts 13:39 tn Grk “from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation, with “by the law of Moses” becoming the subject of the final clause. The words “from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you” are part of v. 38 in the Greek text, but due to English style and word order must be placed in v. 39 in the translation.
Acts 13:40 sn The speech closes with a warning, “Watch out,” that also stresses culpability.
Acts 13:40 tn Or “in.”
Acts 13:41 tn Or “and die!”
Acts 13:41 sn A quotation from Hab 1:5. The irony in the phrase even if someone tells you, of course, is that Paul has now told them. So the call in the warning is to believe or else face the peril of being scoffers whom God will judge. The parallel from Habakkuk is that the nation failed to see how Babylon’s rising to power meant perilous judgment for Israel.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 25[a]

By David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 25^[a]