◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 (The wicked surround the righteous); Psalm 37:1-9 (Commit your way to the Lord); 2 Timothy 1:1-14 (Guard the treasure entrusted to you); Luke 17:5-10 (Faith the size of a mustard seed) (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

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord

1 This is the oracle^[a] that the prophet Habakkuk saw:

²How long, Lord, must I cry for help?
But you do not listen!
I call out to you, “Violence!”
But you do not deliver!
³Why do you force me to witness injustice?^[b]
Why do you put up with wrongdoing?^[c]
Destruction and violence confront^[d] me;
conflict is present and one must endure strife.^[e]
⁴For this reason the law lacks power,^[f]
and justice is never carried out.^[g]
Indeed,^[h] the wicked intimidate^[i] the innocent.^[j]
For this reason justice is perverted.^[k]

Habakkuk 2:1-4

2 I will stand at my watch post;

I will remain stationed on the city wall.^[a]
I will keep watching so I can see what he says to me
and can know^[b] how I should answer
when he counters my argument.^[c]

The Lord Assures Habakkuk

²The Lord responded:^[d]

“Write down this message.^[e]
Record it legibly on tablets
so the one who announces^[f] it may read it easily.^[g]
³For the message is a witness to what is decreed;^[h]
it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out.^[i]
Even if the message^[j] is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently;^[k]
for it will certainly come to pass—it will not arrive late.
⁴Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion,^[l]
but the person of integrity^[m] will live^[n] because of his faithfulness.^[o]

Footnotes

Habakkuk 2:1 sn Habakkuk compares himself to a watchman stationed on the city wall who keeps his eyes open for approaching messengers or danger.
Habakkuk 2:1 tn The word “know” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
Habakkuk 2:1 tn Heb “concerning my correction [or, “reproof”].”
Habakkuk 2:2 tn Heb “the Lord answered and said.” The redundant expression “answered and said” has been simplified in the translation as “responded.”
Habakkuk 2:2 tn Heb “[the] vision.”
Habakkuk 2:2 tn Or “reads from.”
Habakkuk 2:2 tn Heb “might run,” which here probably means “run [through it quickly with one’s eyes],” that is, read it easily.
Habakkuk 2:3 tn Heb “For the vision is still for the appointed time.” The Hebrew word עוֹד (ʿod, “still”) is better emended to עֵד (ʿed, “witness”) in light of the parallelism (see the note on the word “turn out” in the following line). The “appointed time” refers to the time when the divine judgment anticipated in vv. 6-20 will be realized.
Habakkuk 2:3 tn Heb “and a witness to the end and it does not lie.” The Hebrew term יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) has been traditionally understood as a verb form from the root פּוּחַ (puakh, “puff, blow”; cf. NEB “it will come in breathless haste”; NASB “it hastens toward the goal”) but recent scholarship has demonstrated that it is actually a noun meaning “witness” (cf. NIV “it speaks of the end / and will not prove false”; NRSV “it speaks of the end, and does not lie”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 106. “The end” corresponds to “the appointed time” of the preceding line and refers to the time when the prophecy to follow will be fulfilled.
Habakkuk 2:3 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the message) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Habakkuk 2:3 tn Heb “If it should delay, wait for it.” The Hebrew word חָזוֹן (khazon, “vision, message”) is the subject of the third person verbs in v. 3 and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix in the phrase “for it.”
Habakkuk 2:4 tn The meaning of this line is unclear, primarily because of the uncertainty surrounding the second word, עֻפְּלָה (ʿupp^elah). Some read this as an otherwise unattested verb עָפַל (ʿafal, “swell”) from which are derived nouns meaning “mound” and “hemorrhoid.” This “swelling” is then understood in an abstract sense, “swell with pride.” This would yield a translation, “As for the proud, his desires are not right within him” (cf. NASB “as for the proud one”; NIV “he is puffed up”; NRSV “Look at the proud!”). A multitude of other interpretations of this line, many of which involve emendations of the problematic form, may be found in the commentaries and periodical literature. The present translation assumes an emendation to a Pual form of the verb עָלַף (ʿalaf, “be faint, exhausted”). (See its use in the Pual in Isa 51:20, and in the Hitpael in Amos 8:13 and Jonah 4:8.) In the antithetical parallelism of the verse, it corresponds to חָיָה (khayah, “live”). The phrase לֹא יָשְׁרָה נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ (loʾ yash^erah nafsho bo), literally, “not upright his desire within him,” is taken as a substantival clause that contrasts with צַדִּיק (tsaddiq, “the righteous one”) and serves as the subject of the preceding verb. Here נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is understood in the sense of “desire” (see BDB 660-61 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ for a list of passages where the word carries this sense).
Habakkuk 2:4 tn Or “righteous.” The oppressed individuals mentioned in 1:4 are probably in view here.
Habakkuk 2:4 tn Or “will be preserved.” In the immediate context this probably refers to physical preservation through both the present oppression and the coming judgment (see Hab 3:16-19).
Habakkuk 2:4 tn Or “loyalty”; or “integrity.” The Hebrew word אֱמוּנָה (ʾemunah) has traditionally been translated “faith,” but the term nowhere else refers to “belief” as such. When used of human character and conduct it carries the notion of “honesty, integrity, reliability, faithfulness.” The antecedent of the suffix has been understood in different ways. It could refer to God’s faithfulness, but in this case one would expect a first person suffix (the original form of the LXX has “my faithfulness” here). Others understand the “vision” to be the antecedent. In this case the reliability of the prophecy is in view. For a statement of this view, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 111-12. The present translation assumes that the preceding word “[the person of] integrity” is the antecedent. In this case the Lord is assuring Habakkuk that those who are truly innocent will be preserved through the coming oppression and judgment by their godly lifestyle, for God ultimately rewards this type of conduct. In contrast to these innocent people, those with impure desires (epitomized by the greedy Babylonians; see v. 5) will not be able to withstand God’s judgment (v. 4a).

Psalm 37:1-9

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]

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.”

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Salutation

1 From Paul,^[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to further the promise^[b] of life in Christ Jesus, ²to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

Thanksgiving and Charge to Timothy

³I am thankful to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,^[c] when I remember you in my prayers as I do constantly night and day.^[d] ⁴As I remember your tears, I long to see you,^[e] so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵I recall^[f] your sincere faith^[g] that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure^[h] is in you.

⁶Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess^[i] through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For God did not give us a Spirit^[j] of fear but of power and love and self-control. ⁸So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord^[k] or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by^[l] God’s power accept your share of suffering^[m] for the gospel. ⁹He is the one who saved us^[n] and called us with a holy calling, not based on^[o] our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began,^[p] ¹⁰but now made visible through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He^[q] has broken the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! ¹¹For this gospel^[r] I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher.^[s] ¹²Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do.^[t] But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom my faith is set^[u] and I am convinced that he is able to protect what has been entrusted to me^[v] until that day.^[w] ¹³Hold to the standard^[x] of sound words that you heard from me and do so with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.^[y] ¹⁴Protect that good thing^[z] entrusted to you, through the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

Footnotes

2 Timothy 1:1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
2 Timothy 1:1 tn Grk “for the promise…” or possibly “in accordance with the promise…”
2 Timothy 1:3 tn Grk “from my ancestors.”
2 Timothy 1:3 tn Or “as I do constantly. By night and day I long to see you…”
2 Timothy 1:4 tn Grk “longing to see you, remembering your tears” (as a continuation of the preceding clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 Timothy 1:5 tn Grk “recalling” (as a continuation of the preceding clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 Timothy 1:5 tn Grk “the sincere faith in you.”
2 Timothy 1:5 tn Or “convinced.”
2 Timothy 1:6 tn Grk “that is in you.”
2 Timothy 1:7 tn Or “a spirit,” denoting the human personality under the Spirit’s influence as in 1 Cor 4:21; Gal 6:1; 1 Pet 3:4. But the reference to the Holy Spirit at the end of this section (1:14) makes it likely that it begins this way also, so that the Holy Spirit is the referent.
2 Timothy 1:8 tn Grk “the testimony of our Lord.”
2 Timothy 1:8 tn Or “according to.”
2 Timothy 1:8 tn Grk “suffer hardship together,” implying “join with me in suffering.”
2 Timothy 1:9 tn More literally, “who saved us,” as a description of God in v. 8. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 Timothy 1:9 tn Or “according to,” or “by.”
2 Timothy 1:9 tn Grk “before eternal times.”
2 Timothy 1:10 tn Grk “having broken…and having brought…” (describing Christ). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here (and at the beginning of v. 11) in the translation.
2 Timothy 1:11 tn Grk “for which.”
2 Timothy 1:11 tc Most mss (א² C D F G Ψ 1241 1505 1739 1881 M al latt sy co) have ἐθνῶν (ethnōn, “of the Gentiles”) after “teacher” (διδάσκαλος [didaskalos ]). The shorter reading has poorer external credentials (א* A I 1175), though codex 33 has a reading apparently generated from διδάσκαλος alone (διάκονος (diakonos, “servant”]). The “teacher” without adjunct is preferred both because ἐθνῶν probably represents a gloss added by scribes familiar with 1 Tim 2:7 and because there is no easy explanation for the omission of ἐθνῶν if it were original here.
2 Timothy 1:12 tn Grk “suffer these things.”
2 Timothy 1:12 tn Or “in whom I have believed.”
2 Timothy 1:12 sn What has been entrusted to me (Grk “my entrustment,” meaning either (1) “what I have entrusted to him” [his life, destiny, etc.] or (2) “what he has entrusted to me” [the truth of the gospel]). The parallel with v. 14 and use of similar words in the pastorals (1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 2:2) argue for the latter sense.
2 Timothy 1:12 sn That day is a reference to the day when Paul would stand before Christ to give account for his service (cf. 2 Tim 1:18; 1 Cor 3:13; 2 Cor 5:9-10).
2 Timothy 1:13 tn Or “pattern.”
2 Timothy 1:13 tn Grk “in faith and love in Christ Jesus.”sn With the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This describes the manner in which Timothy must hold to the standard (similar to Paul’s call for him to give attention to his life and his teaching in 1 Tim 4:11-16).
2 Timothy 1:14 sn That good thing (Grk “the good deposit”) refers to the truth of the gospel committed to Timothy (cf. 1 Tim 6:20).

Luke 17:5-10

⁵The^[a] apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”^[b] ⁶So^[c] the Lord replied,^[d] “If^[e] you had faith the size of^[f] a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry^[g] tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’^[h] and it would obey^[i] you.

⁷“Would any one of you say^[j] to your slave^[k] who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’?^[l] ⁸Won’t^[m] the master^[n] instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready^[o] to serve me while^[p] I eat and drink. Then^[q] you may eat and drink’? ⁹He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told,^[r] will he?^[s] ¹⁰So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise;^[t] we have only done what was our duty.’”^[u]

Footnotes

Luke 17:5 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 17:5 sn The request of the apostles, “Increase our faith,” is not a request for a gift of faith, but a request to increase the depth of their faith.
Luke 17:6 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
Luke 17:6 tn Grk “said.”
Luke 17:6 tn This is a mixed condition, with ἄν (an) in the apodosis.
Luke 17:6 tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”
Luke 17:6 sn A black mulberry tree is a deciduous fruit tree that grows about 20 ft (6 m) tall and has black juicy berries. This tree has an extensive root system, so to pull it up would be a major operation.
Luke 17:6 tn The passives here (ἐκριζώθητι and φυτεύθητι, ekrizōthēti and phuteuthēti) are probably a circumlocution for God performing the action (the so-called divine passive, see ExSyn 437-38). The issue is not the amount of faith (which in the example is only very tiny), but its presence, which can accomplish impossible things. To cause a tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea is impossible. The expression is a rhetorical idiom. It is like saying a camel can go through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25).
Luke 17:6 tn The verb is aorist, though it looks at a future event, another rhetorical touch to communicate certainty of the effect of faith.
Luke 17:7 tn Grk “Who among you, having a slave…would say to him.”
Luke 17:7 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.
Luke 17:7 tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. See BDAG 70 s.v. ἀναπίπτω 1.
Luke 17:8 tn The question includes a Greek particle, οὐχί (ouchi), that expects a positive reply. The slave is expected to prepare a meal before eating himself.
Luke 17:8 tn Grk “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 17:8 tn Grk “and gird yourself” (with an apron or towel, in preparation for service).
Luke 17:8 tn BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 2.b, “to denote contemporaneousness as long as, while…w. subjunctive…Lk 17:8.”
Luke 17:8 tn Grk “after these things.”
Luke 17:9 tn Grk “did what was commanded.”
Luke 17:9 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “will he?” Thanks are not required.
Luke 17:10 tn Some translations describe the slaves as “worthless” (NRSV) or “unworthy” (NASB, NIV) but that is not Jesus’ point. These disciples have not done anything deserving special commendation or praise (L&N 33.361), but only what would normally be expected of a slave in such a situation (thus the translation “we have only done what was our duty”).
Luke 17:10 tn Or “we have only done what we were supposed to do.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord

Footnotes

The Lord Assures Habakkuk

Footnotes

Psalm 37[a]

By David.

Footnotes

Salutation

Thanksgiving and Charge to Timothy

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 37^[a]