◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Isaiah 1:10-18 (Learn to do good); Psalm 32:1-7 (Praying in time of trouble); 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4 11-12 (Faith and love amid adversity); Luke 19:1-10 (Zacchaeus climbs high to see Jesus) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

November 2, 2025

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

November 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	29
30

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

Isaiah 1:10-18

¹⁰Listen to the Lord’s message,
you leaders of Sodom!^[a]
Pay attention to our God’s rebuke,^[b]
people of Gomorrah!
¹¹“Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?”^[c]
says the Lord.
“I have had my fill^[d] of burnt sacrifices,
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want.^[e]
¹²When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want this—
animals trampling on my courtyards?^[f]
¹³Do not bring any more meaningless^[g] offerings;
I consider your incense detestable!^[h]
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations!^[i]
¹⁴I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;
they are a burden
that I am tired of carrying.
¹⁵When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I look the other way;^[j]
when you offer your many prayers,
I do not listen,
because your hands are covered with blood.^[k]
¹⁶^[l] Wash! Cleanse yourselves!
Remove your sinful deeds^[m]
from my sight.
Stop sinning.
¹⁷Learn to do what is right.
Promote justice.
Give the oppressed reason to celebrate.^[n]
Take up the cause of the orphan.
Defend the rights of the widow.^[o]
¹⁸^[p] Come, let’s consider your options,”^[q] says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,
you can become white^[r] like snow;
though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,
you can become^[s] white like wool.^[t]

Footnotes

Isaiah 1:10 sn Building on the simile of v. 9, the prophet sarcastically addresses the leaders and people of Jerusalem as if they were leaders and residents of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. The sarcasm is appropriate, for if the judgment is comparable to Sodom’s, that must mean that the sin which prompted the judgment is comparable as well.
Isaiah 1:10 tn Heb “to the instruction of our God.” In this context, which is highly accusatory and threatening, תּוֹרָה (torah, “law, instruction”) does not refer to mere teaching, but to corrective teaching and rebuke.
Isaiah 1:11 tn Heb “Why to me the multitude of your sacrifices?” The sarcastic rhetorical question suggests that their many sacrifices are of no importance to the Lord. This phrase answers the possible objection that an Israelite could raise in response to God’s indictment: “But we are offering the sacrifices you commanded!”sn In this section the Lord refutes a potential objection that his sinful people might offer in their defense. He has charged them with rebellion (vv. 2-3), but they might respond that they have brought him many sacrifices. So he points out that he requires justice in society first and foremost, not empty ritual.
Isaiah 1:11 tn The verb שָׂבַע (savaʿ, “be satisfied, full”) is often used of eating and/or drinking one’s fill, to have had fully enough and want no more. See BDB 959 s.v. שָׂבַע. In some cases it means to have had more than enough of something and to want to not have any more (cf. Prov 25:17). The word picture builds on the Near Eastern viewpoint of sacrifices as food for the deity. God essentially says, “enough of that already;” what he wants is not more of that.
Isaiah 1:11 sn In the chiastic structure of the verse, the verbs at the beginning and end highlight God’s displeasure, while the heaping up of references to animals, fat, and blood in the middle lines hints at why God wants no more of their sacrifices. They have, as it were, piled the food on his table and he needs no more.
Isaiah 1:12 tn Heb “When you come to appear before me, who requires this from your hand, trampling of my courtyards?” The rhetorical question sarcastically makes the point that God does not require this parade of livestock. The verb “trample” probably refers to the eager worshipers and their sacrificial animals walking around in the temple area.
Isaiah 1:13 tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”
Isaiah 1:13 sn Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22-30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3-8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9-14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).
Isaiah 1:13 tn Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16-17).
Isaiah 1:15 tn Heb “I close my eyes from you.”
Isaiah 1:15 sn This does not just refer to the blood of sacrificial animals, but also the blood, as it were, of their innocent victims. By depriving the poor and destitute of proper legal recourse and adequate access to the economic system, the oppressors have, for all intents and purposes, “killed” their victims.
Isaiah 1:16 sn Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.
Isaiah 1:16 sn This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun מַעַלְלֵיכֶם (maʿalleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).
Isaiah 1:17 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; HALOT 329 s.v. II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (ʾashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the MT pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a-b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a-c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”
Isaiah 1:17 tn This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.
Isaiah 1:18 sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).
Isaiah 1:18 tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.
Isaiah 1:18 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
Isaiah 1:18 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
Isaiah 1:18 tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.

Psalm 32:1-7

Psalm 32^[a]

By David; a well-written song.^[b]

32 How blessed^[c] is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,^[d]
whose sin is pardoned.^[e]
²How blessed is the one^[f] whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,^[g]
in whose spirit there is no deceit.^[h]
³When I refused to confess my sin,^[i]
my whole body wasted away,^[j]
while I groaned in pain all day long.
⁴For day and night you tormented me;^[k]
you tried to destroy me^[l] in the intense heat^[m] of summer.^[n] (Selah)
⁵Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess^[o] my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins.^[p] (Selah)
⁶For this reason every one of your faithful followers^[q] should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity.^[r]
Certainly^[s] when the surging water^[t] rises,
it will not reach them.^[u]
⁷You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance.^[v] (Selah)

Footnotes

Psalm 32:1 sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
Psalm 32:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
Psalm 32:1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “lifted up.”
Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “covered over.”
Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”
Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord does not impute wrongdoing.”
Psalm 32:2 sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
Psalm 32:4 tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
Psalm 32:4 tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (l^eshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (l^eshuddi, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.sn You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
Psalm 32:4 tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
Psalm 32:4 sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
Psalm 32:5 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
Psalm 32:5 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
Psalm 32:6 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the Lord]” and seek his forgiveness (cf. NIV). Some emend the text by combining מְצֹא (m^etsoʾ, “finding”) with the following term רַק (raq, “only, surely”) and read either ר[וֹ]מָצ (matsor, “distress”; see Ps 31:22) or ק[וֹ]מָצ (matsoq, “hardship”; see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate “in a time of distress/hardship” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
Psalm 32:6 tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.
Psalm 32:6 sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.
Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.
Psalm 32:7 tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

Salutation

1 From Paul^[a] and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²Grace and peace to you^[b] from God the^[c] Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving

³We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,^[d] and rightly so,^[e] because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater. ⁴As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

¹¹And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy of his calling^[a] and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every work of faith, ¹²that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to^[b] the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 19:1-10

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 Jesus^[a] entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²Now^[b] a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector^[c] and was rich. ³He^[d] was trying to get a look at Jesus,^[e] but being a short man he could not see over the crowd.^[f] ⁴So^[g] he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree^[h] to see him, because Jesus^[i] was going to pass that way. ⁵And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up^[j] and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly,^[k] because I must^[l] stay at your house today.”^[m] ⁶So he came down quickly^[n] and welcomed Jesus^[o] joyfully.^[p] ⁷And when the people^[q] saw it, they all complained,^[r] “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”^[s] ⁸But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give^[t] to the poor, and if^[u] I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” ⁹Then^[v] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation^[w] has come to this household,^[x] because he too is a son of Abraham!^[y] ¹⁰For the Son of Man came^[z] to seek and to save the lost.”

Footnotes

Luke 19:1 tn Grk “And entering, he passed through”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 19:2 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new character. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Luke 19:2 sn This is the one place in the NT the office of chief tax collector is noted. If the term refers to a managerial rank, this individual would organize and oversee the other tax collectors and collect significant commissions (see also the note on the word tax collector in 3:12). It is possible, however, that in this context the term simply means “major tax collector” and is a comment on the individual’s importance or wealth rather than his rank (see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT] 1:1516).
Luke 19:3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 19:3 tn Grk “He was trying to see who Jesus was.”
Luke 19:3 tn Grk “and he was not able to because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.”
Luke 19:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Zacchaeus not being able to see over the crowd.
Luke 19:4 sn A sycamore tree would have large branches near the ground like an oak tree and would be fairly easy to climb. These trees reach a height of some 50 ft (about 15 m).
Luke 19:4 tn Grk “that one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 19:5 tc Most mss (A [D] W [Ψ] ƒ¹³ 33^vid M latt) read “Jesus looking up, saw him and said.” The words “saw him and” are not in א B L T Θ ƒ¹ 579 1241 2542 co. Both the testimony for the omission and the natural tendency toward scribal expansion argue for the shorter reading here.
Luke 19:5 tn Grk “hastening, come down.” σπεύσας (speusas) has been translated as a participle of manner.
Luke 19:5 sn I must stay. Jesus revealed the necessity of his associating with people like Zacchaeus (5:31-32). This act of fellowship indicated acceptance.
Luke 19:5 sn On today here and in v. 9, see the note on today in 2:11.
Luke 19:6 tn Grk “hastening, he came down.” σπεύσας (speusas) has been translated as a participle of manner.
Luke 19:6 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 19:6 tn The participle χαίρων (chairōn) has been taken as indicating manner.sn Zacchaeus responded joyfully. Luke likes to mention joy as a response to what God was doing (1:14; 2:10; 10:20; 13:17; 15:5, 32; 19:37; 24:41, 52).
Luke 19:7 tn Grk “they”; the referent is unspecified but is probably the crowd in general, who would have no great love for a man like Zacchaeus who had enriched himself many times over at their expense.
Luke 19:7 tn This term is used only twice in the NT, both times in Luke (here and 15:2) and has negative connotations both times (BDAG 227 s.v. διαγογγύζω). The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Luke 19:7 sn Being the guest of a man who is a sinner was a common complaint about Jesus: Luke 5:31-32; 7:37-50; 15:1-2.
Luke 19:8 sn Zacchaeus was a penitent man who resolved on the spot to act differently in the face of Jesus’ acceptance of him. In resolving to give half his possessions to the poor, Zacchaeus was not defending himself against the crowd’s charges and claiming to be righteous. Rather as a result of this meeting with Jesus, he was a changed individual. So Jesus could speak of salvation coming that day (v. 9) and of the lost being saved (v. 10).
Luke 19:8 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text. It virtually confesses fraud.
Luke 19:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative
Luke 19:9 sn This is one of the few uses of the specific term salvation in Luke (1:69, 71, 77), though the concept runs throughout the Gospel.
Luke 19:9 sn The household is not a reference to the building, but to the people who lived within it (L&N 10.8).
Luke 19:9 sn Zacchaeus was personally affirmed by Jesus as a descendant (son) of Abraham and a member of God’s family.
Luke 19:10 sn The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost is Jesus’ mission succinctly defined. See Luke 15:1-32.

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)

Footnotes

Psalm 32[a]

By David; a well-written song.[b]

Footnotes

Salutation

Thanksgiving

Footnotes

Footnotes

Jesus and Zacchaeus

Footnotes

Psalm 32^[a]

By David; a well-written song.^[b]