◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 89:1-4 19-26 (I sing of your love); 2 Samuel 6:1-11 (The advent of the ark of the Lord); Hebrews 1:1-4 (In the last days God speaks by a son) (New English Translation)

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December 17, 2026

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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 89:1-4

Psalm 89^[a]

A well-written song^[b] by Ethan the Ezrahite.

89 I will sing continually^[c] about the Lord’s faithful deeds;
to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness.^[d]
²For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established;^[e]
in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”^[f]
³The Lord said,^[g]
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:
⁴‘I will give you an eternal dynasty^[h]
and establish your throne throughout future generations.’”^[i] (Selah)

Psalm 89:19-26

¹⁹Then you^[a] spoke through a vision to your faithful followers^[b] and said:
“I have placed a young hero^[c] over a warrior;
I have raised up a young man^[d] from the people.
²⁰I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.^[e]
²¹My hand will support him,^[f]
and my arm will strengthen him.
²²No enemy will be able to exact tribute^[g] from him;^[h]
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.^[i]
²³I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
²⁴He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,^[j]
and by my name he will win victories.^[k]
²⁵I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.^[l]
²⁶He will call out to me,
‘You are my father,^[m] my God, and the protector who delivers me.’^[n]

Footnotes

Psalm 89:19 tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.
Psalm 89:19 tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).
Psalm 89:19 tc The MT reads עֵזֶר (ʿezer, “help, strength”), thus “I have placed help on a warrior,” which might effectively mean “I have strengthened a warrior.” The BHS note suggests reading נֵזֶר (nezer, “crown”), similar to the sentiment of anointing in the next verse. HALOT suggests reading עֹזֶר (ʿozer, “hero”) based on an Ugaritic cognate which means “young man, hero, warrior” (HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר). Craigie treats it similarly, taking עזר as “lad/boy/stripling,” parallel to “young man” in the next line, and seeing either David and Saul or David and Goliath as the historical referent (P. C. Craigie, Psalms [WBC], 19:410).
Psalm 89:19 tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”
Psalm 89:20 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
Psalm 89:21 tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “an enemy will not exact tribute.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential.
Psalm 89:22 tn The translation understands the Hiphil of נָשַׁא (nashaʾ) in the sense of “act as a creditor.” This may allude to the practice of a conqueror forcing his subjects to pay tribute in exchange for “protection.” Another option is to take the verb from a homonymic verbal root meaning “to deceive,” “to trick.” Still another option is to emend the form to יִשָּׂא (yissaʾ), a Qal imperfect from נָאַשׂ (naʾas, “rise up”) and to translate “an enemy will not rise up against him” (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 2:317).
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “and a son of violence will not oppress him.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential. The reference to a “son of violence” echoes the language of God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7:10 (see also 1 Chr 17:9).
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him.”
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 89:25 tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).
Psalm 89:26 sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
Psalm 89:26 tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”

2 Samuel 6:1-11

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

6 David again assembled^[a] all the best^[b] men in Israel, 30,000 in number. ²David and all the men who were with him traveled^[c] to^[d] Baalah^[e] in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the name^[f] of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who sits enthroned between the cherubim that are on it. ³They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. ⁴They brought^[g] it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Ahio was walking in front of the ark, ⁵while David and all Israel^[h] were energetically celebrating before the Lord, singing^[i] and playing various stringed instruments,^[j] tambourines, rattles,^[k] and cymbals.

⁶When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon,^[l] Uzzah reached out and grabbed hold of^[m] the ark of God,^[n] because the oxen stumbled. ⁷The Lord was so furious with Uzzah,^[o] he^[p] killed him on the spot^[q] for his negligence.^[r] He died right there beside the ark of God.

⁸David was angry because the Lord attacked^[s] Uzzah; so he called that place Perez Uzzah,^[t] which remains its name to this very day. ⁹David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How will the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” ¹⁰So David was no longer willing to bring the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. David left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. The Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.^[u]

Footnotes

2 Samuel 6:1 tn The translation understands the verb to be a defective spelling of וַיֶּאֱסֹף (vayy^eʾesof) due to quiescence of the letter א (alef). The root therefore is אָסַף (ʾasaf, “to gather”). The Masoretes, however, pointed the verb as וַיֹּסֶף (vayyosef), understanding it to be a form of יָסַף (yasaf, “to add”). This does not fit the context, which calls for a verb of gathering.
2 Samuel 6:1 tn Or “chosen.”
2 Samuel 6:2 tn Heb “arose and went.”
2 Samuel 6:2 tn Heb “from,” but the following context indicates they traveled to this location.
2 Samuel 6:2 tn This is another name for Kiriath Jearim (see 1 Chr 13:6).
2 Samuel 6:2 tc The MT has here a double reference to the name (שֵׁם שֵׁם, shem shem). Many medieval Hebrew mss in the first occurrence point the word differently and read the adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”). This is also the understanding of the Syriac Peshitta (Syr., taman). While this yields an acceptable understanding to the text, it is more likely that the MT reading results from dittography. If the word did occur twice, one might have expected the first occurrence to have the article. The present translation therefore reads שֵׁם only once.
2 Samuel 6:4 tn Heb “lifted.”
2 Samuel 6:5 tn Heb “all the house of Israel.”
2 Samuel 6:5 tc Heb “were celebrating before the Lord with all woods of fir” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). If the text is retained, the last expression must be elliptical, referring to musical instruments made from fir wood. But it is preferable to emend the text in light of 1 Chr 13:8, which reads “were celebrating before the Lord with all strength and with songs.”
2 Samuel 6:5 tn Heb “with zithers [?] and with harps.”
2 Samuel 6:5 tn That is, “sistrums” (so NAB, NIV); ASV, NASB, NRSV, CEV, NLT “castanets.”
2 Samuel 6:6 tn 1 Chr 13:9 has “Kidon.”
2 Samuel 6:6 tn Or “steadied.”
2 Samuel 6:6 tn Heb “and Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and grabbed it.”
2 Samuel 6:7 tn Heb “and the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah.”
2 Samuel 6:7 tn Heb “God.”
2 Samuel 6:7 tc Heb “there.” Since this same term occurs later in the verse it is translated “on the spot” here for stylistic reasons.
2 Samuel 6:7 tc The phrase “his negligence” is absent from the LXX.
2 Samuel 6:8 tn Heb “because the Lord broke out [with] a breaking out [i.e., an outburst] against Uzzah.”
2 Samuel 6:8 sn The name Perez Uzzah means in Hebrew “the outburst [against] Uzzah.”
2 Samuel 6:11 tn Heb “house,” both here and in v. 12.

Hebrews 1:1-4

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1 After God spoke long ago^[a] in various portions^[b] and in various ways^[c] to our ancestors^[d] through the prophets, ²in these last days he has spoken to us in a son,^[e] whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world.^[f] ³The Son is^[g] the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word,^[h] and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.^[i] ⁴Thus he became^[j] so far better than the angels as^[k] he has inherited a name superior to theirs.

Footnotes

Hebrews 1:1 tn Or “spoke formerly.”
Hebrews 1:1 tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerōs) in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropōs) mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).
Hebrews 1:1 tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.
Hebrews 1:1 tn Grk “to the fathers.”
Hebrews 1:2 tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).sn The phrase in a son is the fulcrum of Heb 1:1-4. It concludes the contrast of God’s old and new revelation and introduces a series of seven descriptions of the Son. These descriptions show why he is the ultimate revelation of God.
Hebrews 1:2 tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.
Hebrews 1:3 tn Grk “who being…and sustaining.” Heb 1:1-4 form one skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments to correspond to contemporary English usage, which does not allow for sentences of this length and complexity.
Hebrews 1:3 tn Grk “by the word of his power.”
Hebrews 1:3 sn An allusion to Ps 110:1, quoted often in Hebrews.
Hebrews 1:4 tn Grk “having become.” This is part of the same sentence that extends from v. 1 through v. 4 in the Greek text.
Hebrews 1:4 tn Most modern English translations attempt to make the comparison somewhat smoother by treating “name” as if it were the subject of the second element: “as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, CEV). However, the Son is the subject of both the first and second elements: “he became so far better”; “he has inherited a name.” The present translation maintains this parallelism even though it results in a somewhat more awkward rendering.sn This comparison is somewhat awkward to express in English, but it reflects an important element in the argument of Hebrews: the superiority of Jesus Christ.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 89[a]

A well-written song[b] by Ethan the Ezrahite.

Footnotes

Footnotes

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

Footnotes

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

Footnotes

Psalm 89^[a]

A well-written song^[b] by Ethan the Ezrahite.