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October 13, 2025

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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 61

Psalm 61^[a]

For the music director, to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.

61 O God, hear my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer.
²From the remotest place on earth^[b]
I call out to you in my despair.^[c]
Lead me^[d] up to a rocky summit where I can be safe.^[e]
³Indeed,^[f] you are^[g] my shelter,
a strong tower that protects me from the enemy.^[h]
⁴I will be a permanent guest in your home;^[i]
I will find shelter in the protection of your wings.^[j] (Selah)
⁵For you, O God, hear my vows;
you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers.^[k]
⁶Give the king long life.
Make his lifetime span several generations.^[l]
⁷May he reign^[m] forever before God.
Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him.^[n]
⁸Then I will sing praises to your name continually,^[o]
as I fulfill^[p] my vows day after day.

Footnotes

Psalm 61:1 sn Psalm 61. The psalmist cries out for help and expresses his confidence that God will protect him.
Psalm 61:2 tn Heb “from the end of the earth.” This may indicate (1) the psalmist is exiled in a distant land, or (2) it may be hyperbolic (the psalmist feels alienated from God’s presence, as if he were in a distant land).
Psalm 61:2 tn Heb “while my heart faints.”
Psalm 61:2 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
Psalm 61:2 tn Heb “on to a rocky summit [that] is higher than I.”
Psalm 61:3 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 61:3 tn Or “have been.”
Psalm 61:3 tn Heb “a strong tower from the face of an enemy.”
Psalm 61:4 tn Heb “I will live as a resident foreigner in your tent permanently.” The cohortative is understood here as indicating resolve. Another option is to take it as expressing a request, “please let me live” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
Psalm 61:4 sn I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
Psalm 61:5 tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
Psalm 61:6 tn Heb “days upon days of the king add, his years like generation and generation.”sn It is not certain if the (royal) psalmist is referring to himself in the third person in this verse, or if an exile is praying on behalf of the king.
Psalm 61:7 tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.
Psalm 61:7 tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”
Psalm 61:8 tn Or “forever.”
Psalm 61:8 tn Or perhaps, “and thereby fulfill.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.

2 Kings 5:15-19

¹⁵He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman^[a] came and stood before him. He said, “For sure^[b] I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.” ¹⁶But Elisha^[c] replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives (whom I serve),^[d] I will take nothing from you.” Naaman^[e] insisted that he take it, but he refused. ¹⁷Naaman said, “If not, then please give your servant a load of dirt, enough for a pair of mules to carry,^[f] for your servant will never again offer a burnt offering or sacrifice to a god other than the Lord.^[g] ¹⁸May the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”^[h] ¹⁹Elisha^[i] said to him, “Go in peace.”

When he had gone a short distance,^[j]

Acts 26:24-29

²⁴As Paul^[a] was saying these things in his defense, Festus^[b] exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind,^[c] Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” ²⁵But Paul replied,^[d] “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus,^[e] but am speaking^[f] true and rational^[g] words. ²⁶For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely^[h] to him,^[i] because I cannot believe^[j] that any of these things has escaped his notice,^[k] for this was not done in a corner.^[l] ²⁷Do you believe the prophets,^[m] King Agrippa?^[n] I know that you believe.” ²⁸Agrippa^[o] said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?”^[p] ²⁹Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time^[q] not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.”^[r]

Footnotes

Acts 26:24 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 26:24 sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.
Acts 26:24 tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”sn The expression “You have lost your mind” would be said to someone who speaks incredible things, in the opinion of the hearer. Paul’s mention of the resurrection (v. 23) was probably what prompted Festus to say this.
Acts 26:25 tn Grk “said.”
Acts 26:25 sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.
Acts 26:25 tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”
Acts 26:25 tn BDAG 987 s.v. σωφροσύνη 1 has “gener. soundness of mind, reasonableness, rationality…ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα true and rational words (opp. μαίνομαι) Ac 26:25.”
Acts 26:26 tn BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1 states, “speak freely, openly, fearlessly…likew. in the ptc. w. a verb of saying foll.…παρρησιασάμενοι εἶπαν 13:46.—26:26.” This could refer to boldness in speaking here.
Acts 26:26 tn Grk “to whom I am speaking freely.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“him”) to simplify the translation.
Acts 26:26 tn Grk “I cannot convince myself.” BDAG 792 s.v. πείθω 3.a states, “οὐ πείθομαι w. acc. and inf. I cannot believe Ac 26:26” (see also BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω).
Acts 26:26 tn BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω states, “λανθάνειν αὐτὸν τούτων οὐ πείθομαι οὐθέν I cannot bring myself to believe that any of these things has escaped his notice Ac 26:26.”
Acts 26:26 tn This term refers to a hidden corner (BDAG 209 s.v. γωνία). Paul’s point is that these events to which he refers were not done in a secret, hidden place, tucked away outside of view. They were done in public for all the world to see.
Acts 26:27 sn “Do you believe the prophets?” Note how Paul made the issue believing the OT prophets and God’s promise which God fulfilled in Christ. He was pushing King Agrippa toward a decision not for or against Paul’s guilt of any crime, but concerning Paul’s message.
Acts 26:27 sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.
Acts 26:28 sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.
Acts 26:28 tn Or “In a short time you will make me a Christian.” On the difficulty of the precise nuances of Agrippa’s reply in this passage, see BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.b. The point is that Paul was trying to persuade Agrippa to accept his message. If Agrippa had let Paul persuade him, he would have converted to Christianity.sn The question “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” was probably a ploy on Agrippa’s part to deflect Paul from his call for a decision. Note also how the tables have turned: Agrippa was brought in to hear Paul’s defense, and now ends up defending himself. The questioner is now being questioned.
Acts 26:29 tn BDAG 703 s.v. ὀλίγος 2.b.β has “καὶ ἐν ὀλ. καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ whether in a short or a long time vs. 29 (cf. B-D-F §195; GWhitaker, The Words of Agrippa to St. Paul: JTS 15, 1914, 82f; AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 50; Field, Notes 141-43; s. Rob. 653).”
Acts 26:29 sn Except for these chains. The chains represented Paul’s unjust suffering for the sake of the message. His point was, in effect, “I do not care how long it takes. I only hope you and everyone else hearing this would become believers in Christ, but without my unjust suffering.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 61[a]

For the music director, to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 61^[a]