◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 37:1-11 39-40 (The lowly shall possess the land); Genesis 44:1-17 (Joseph detains his brother Benjamin); 1 John 2:12-17 (The world and its desires are passing away) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

February 21, 2025

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

February 2025
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28

Return to today's reading

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 37:1-11

Psalm 37^[a]

By David.

37 Do not fret^[b] when wicked men seem to succeed.^[c]
Do not envy evildoers.
²For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants.^[d]
³Trust in the Lord and do what is right.
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity.^[e]
⁴Then you will take delight in the Lord,^[f]
and he will answer your prayers.^[g]
⁵Commit your future to the Lord.^[h]
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.^[i]
⁶He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause.^[j]
⁷Wait patiently for the Lord!^[k]
Wait confidently^[l] for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner,^[m]
a man who carries out wicked schemes.
⁸Do not be angry and frustrated.^[n]
Do not fret. That only leads to trouble.
⁹Wicked men^[o] will be wiped out,^[p]
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land.^[q]
¹⁰Evil men will soon disappear;^[r]
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone.^[s]
¹¹But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity.^[t]

Footnotes

Psalm 37:1 sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Psalm 37:1 tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.
Psalm 37:1 tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
Psalm 37:2 tn Heb “like green vegetation.”
Psalm 37:3 tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (raʿah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (ʾemunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.
Psalm 37:4 tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
Psalm 37:4 tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
Psalm 37:5 tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.
Psalm 37:5 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.
Psalm 37:6 tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
Psalm 37:7 tn Heb “Be quiet before the Lord!”
Psalm 37:7 tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (v^ehitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (v^etokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, y^ehvah) and (2) the final ל (lamed) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).
Psalm 37:7 tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
Psalm 37:8 tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
Psalm 37:9 tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
Psalm 37:9 tn Or “cut off, removed.”
Psalm 37:9 tn Heb “and those who wait on the Lord, they will possess the land.”
Psalm 37:10 tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”
Psalm 37:10 tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be [there].” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.
Psalm 37:11 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”

Psalm 37:39-40

³⁹But the Lord delivers the godly;^[a]
he protects them in times of trouble.^[b]
⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked and delivers them,^[c]
for they seek his protection.

Genesis 44:1-17

The Final Test

44 He instructed the servant who was over his household, “Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. ²Then put^[a] my cup—the silver cup—in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph instructed.^[b]

³When morning came,^[c] the men and their donkeys were sent off.^[d] ⁴They had not gone very far from the city^[e] when Joseph said^[f] to the servant who was over his household, “Pursue the men at once!^[g] When you overtake^[h] them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? ⁵Doesn’t my master drink from this cup^[i] and use it for divination?^[j] You have done wrong!’”^[k]

⁶When the man^[l] overtook them, he spoke these words to them. ⁷They answered him, “Why does my lord say such things?^[m] Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!^[n] ⁸Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹If one of us has it,^[o] he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves!”

¹⁰He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment!^[p] The one who has it will become my slave,^[q] but the rest of^[r] you will go free.”^[s] ¹¹So each man quickly lowered^[t] his sack to the ground and opened it. ¹²Then the man^[u] searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! ¹³They all tore their clothes! Then each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

¹⁴So Judah and his brothers^[v] came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there,^[w] and they threw themselves to the ground before him. ¹⁵Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing?^[x] Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?”^[y]

¹⁶Judah replied, “What can we say^[z] to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves?^[aa] God has exposed the sin of your servants!^[ab] We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”

¹⁷But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found will become my slave, but the rest of^[ac] you may go back^[ad] to your father in peace.”

Footnotes

Genesis 44:2 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express Joseph’s instructions.
Genesis 44:2 tn Heb “and he did according to the word of Joseph which he spoke.”
Genesis 44:3 tn Heb “the morning was light.”
Genesis 44:3 tn Heb “and the men were sent off, they and their donkeys.” This clause, like the preceding one, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.
Genesis 44:4 tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”
Genesis 44:4 tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.
Genesis 44:4 tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
Genesis 44:4 tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”
Genesis 44:5 tn Heb “Is this not what my master drinks from.” The word “cup” is not in the Hebrew text, but is obviously the referent of “this,” and so has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
Genesis 44:5 tn Heb “and he, divining, divines with it.” The infinitive absolute is emphatic, stressing the importance of the cup to Joseph.
Genesis 44:5 tn Heb “you have caused to be evil what you have done.”
Genesis 44:6 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Genesis 44:7 tn Heb “Why does my lord speak according to these words?”
Genesis 44:7 tn Heb “according to this thing.”
Genesis 44:9 tn Heb “The one with whom it is found from your servants.” Here “your servants” (a deferential way of referring to the brothers themselves) has been translated by the pronoun “us” to avoid confusion with Joseph’s servants.
Genesis 44:10 tn Heb “Also now, according to your words, so it is.” As the next statement indicates, this does mean that he will do exactly as they say. He does agree with them the culprit should be punished, but not as harshly as they suggest. Furthermore, the innocent parties will not be punished.
Genesis 44:10 tn Heb “The one with whom it is found will become my slave.”
Genesis 44:10 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
Genesis 44:10 tn The Hebrew word נָקִי (naqi) means “acquitted,” that is, free of guilt and the responsibility for it.sn The rest of you will be free. Joseph’s purpose was to single out Benjamin to see if the brothers would abandon him as they had abandoned Joseph. He wanted to see if they had changed.
Genesis 44:11 tn Heb “and they hurried and they lowered.” Their speed in doing this shows their presumption of innocence.
Genesis 44:12 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Genesis 44:14 sn Judah and his brothers. The narrative is already beginning to bring Judah to the forefront.
Genesis 44:14 tn The disjunctive clause here provides supplemental information.
Genesis 44:15 tn Heb “What is this deed you have done?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question. A literal translation seems to contradict the following statement, in which Joseph affirms that he is able to divine such matters. Thus here the emotive force of the question has been reflected in the translation, “What did you think you were doing?”
Genesis 44:15 tn Heb “[is] fully able to divine,” meaning that he can find things out by divination. The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis, stressing his ability to do this.
Genesis 44:16 tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.
Genesis 44:16 tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”
Genesis 44:16 sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.
Genesis 44:17 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
Genesis 44:17 tn Heb “up” (reflecting directions from their point of view—“up” to Canaan; “down” to Egypt).

1 John 2:12-17

Words of Reassurance

¹²I am writing to you,^[a] little children, that^[b] your sins have been forgiven because of his^[c] name. ¹³I am writing to you, fathers, that^[d] you have known him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, that^[e] you have conquered the evil one.^[f] ¹⁴I have written to you, children, that^[g] you have known the Father.^[h] I have written to you, fathers, that^[i] you have known him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, that^[j] you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.

¹⁵Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, ¹⁶because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions)^[k] is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains^[l] forever.

Footnotes

1 John 2:12 sn I am writing to you. The author appears to have been concerned that some of his readers, at least, would accept the claims of the opponents as voiced in 1:6, 8, and 10. The counterclaims the author has made in 1:7, 9, and 2:1 seem intended to strengthen the readers and reassure them (among other things) that their sins are forgiven. Further assurances of their position here is in keeping with such a theme, and indeed, the topic of reassurance runs throughout the entire letter (see the purpose statement in 5:13). Finally, in such a context the warning which follows in 2:15-17 is not out of place because the author is dealing with a community that is discouraged by the controversy which has arisen within it and that is in need of exhortation.
1 John 2:12 tn The ὅτι (hoti) that follows all six occurrences of γράφω/ἔγραψα (graphō/egrapsa) in 2:12-14 can be understood as introducing either (1) a causal clause or (2) a content clause (if content, it could be said to introduce a direct object clause or an indirect discourse clause). Many interpreters have favored a causal translation, so that in each of the six cases what follows the ὅτι gives the reason why the author is writing to the recipients. Usage in similar constructions is not decisive because only one other instance of γράφω followed by ὅτι occurs in 1 John (2:21), and that context is just as ambiguous as this one. On other occasions γράφω does tend to be followed by a noun or pronoun functioning as direct object. This might argue for the content usage here, but it could also be argued that the direct object in the six instances in these verses is understood, namely, the content of the entire letter itself. Thus the following ὅτι clause could still be causal. Grammatical considerations aside, these uses of ὅτι are more likely introducing content clauses here rather than causal clauses because such a meaning better fits the context. If the uses of ὅτι are understood as causal, it is difficult to see why the author immediately gives a warning in the section that follows about loving the world. The confidence he has expressed in his readers (if the ὅτι clauses are understood as causal) would appear to be ill-founded if he is so concerned about their relationship to the world as 2:15-17 seems to indicate. On the other hand, understanding the ὅτι clauses as content clauses fits very well the context of reassurance which runs throughout the letter.
1 John 2:12 tn “His” probably refers to Jesus Christ. Note the last reference was to Jesus in 2:8 and before that in 2:6; also the mention of sins being forgiven suggests Jesus’ work on the cross.
1 John 2:13 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:13 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:13 sn The phrase the evil one is used in John 17:15 as a reference to Satan. Satan is also the referent here and in the four other occurrences in 1 John (2:14; 3:12; 5:18, 19).
1 John 2:14 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:14 sn The versification of vv. 13 and 14 (so also NAB, NRSV, NLT) follows that of the NA^27/28 and UBS^4/5 editions of the Greek text. Some English translations, however, break the verses between the sentence addressed to children and the sentence addressed to fathers (KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV). The same material has been translated in each case; the only difference is the versification of that material.
1 John 2:14 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:14 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:16 tn The genitive βίου (biou) is difficult to translate: (1) Many understand it as objective, so that βίος (bios, “material life”) becomes the object of one’s ἀλαζονεία (alazoneia; “pride” or “boastfulness”). Various interpretations along these lines refer to boasting about one’s wealth, showing off one’s possessions, boasting of one’s social status or lifestyle. (2) It is also possible to understand the genitive as subjective, however, in which case the βίος itself produces the ἀλαζονεία. In this case, the material security of one’s life and possessions produces a boastful overconfidence. This understanding better fits the context here: The focus is on people who operate purely on a human level and have no spiritual dimension to their existence. This is the person who loves the world, whose affections are all centered on the world, who has no love for God or spiritual things (“the love of the Father is not in him,” 2:15).sn The arrogance produced by material possessions. The person who thinks he has enough wealth and property to protect himself and insure his security has no need for God (or anything outside himself).
1 John 2:17 tn See note on the translation of the Greek verb μένω (menō) in 2:6. The translation “remain” is used for μένω (menō) here because the context contrasts the transience of the world and its desires with the permanence of the person who does God’s will.

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 37[a]

By David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Final Test

Footnotes

Words of Reassurance

Footnotes

Psalm 37^[a]