◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 69:1-5 30-36 (God will save through water); Exodus 30:22-38 (Anointing a sign of holiness); Acts 22:2-16 (Paul describes his own baptism) (New English Translation)

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January 12, 2027

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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 69:1-5

Psalm 69^[a]

For the music director, according to the tune of “Lilies”;^[b] by David.

69 Deliver me, O God,
for the water has reached my neck.^[c]
²I sink into the deep mire
where there is no solid ground;^[d]
I am in^[e] deep water,
and the current overpowers me.
³I am exhausted from shouting for help.
My throat is sore;^[f]
my eyes grow tired from looking for my God.^[g]
⁴Those who hate me without cause
are more numerous than the hairs of my head.
Those who want to destroy me,
my enemies for no reason,^[h]
outnumber me.^[i]
They make me repay what I did not steal.^[j]
⁵O God, you are aware of my foolish sins;^[k]
my guilt is not hidden from you.^[l]

Psalm 69:30-36

³⁰I will sing praises to God’s name.^[a]
I will magnify him as I give him thanks.^[b]
³¹That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull
with horns and hooves.
³²The oppressed look on—let them rejoice.
You who seek God,^[c] may you be encouraged.^[d]
³³For the Lord listens to the needy;
he does not despise his captive people.^[e]
³⁴Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
along with the seas and everything that swims in them.
³⁵For God will deliver Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and his people^[f] will again live in them and possess Zion.^[g]
³⁶The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who are loyal to him^[h] will live in it.^[i]

Exodus 30:22-38

Oil and Incense

²²^[a] The Lord spoke to Moses,^[b] ²³“Take^[c] choice spices:^[d] 12½ pounds^[e] of free-flowing myrrh,^[f] half that—about 6¼ pounds—of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 6¼ pounds of sweet-smelling cane, ²⁴and 12½ pounds of cassia, all weighed^[g] according to the sanctuary shekel, and four quarts^[h] of olive oil. ²⁵You are to make this^[i] into^[j] a sacred anointing oil, a perfumed compound,^[k] the work of a perfumer. It will be sacred anointing oil.

²⁶“With it you are to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, ²⁷the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense, ²⁸the altar for the burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its base. ²⁹So you are to sanctify them,^[l] and they will be most holy;^[m] anything that touches them will be holy.^[n]

³⁰“You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and^[o] sanctify them so that they may minister as my priests. ³¹And you are to tell the Israelites: ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil throughout your generations. ³²It must not be applied^[p] to people’s bodies, and you must not make any like it with the same recipe. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. ³³Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts any of it on someone not a priest^[q] will be cut off^[r] from his people.’”

³⁴The Lord said to Moses, “Take^[s] spices, gum resin,^[t] onycha,^[u] galbanum,^[v] and pure frankincense^[w] of equal amounts^[x] ³⁵and make it into an incense,^[y] a perfume,^[z] the work of a perfumer. It is to be finely ground,^[aa] and pure and sacred. ³⁶You are to beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the ark of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it is to be most holy to you. ³⁷And the incense that you are to make, you must not make for yourselves using the same recipe; it is to be most holy to you, belonging to the Lord. ³⁸Whoever makes anything like it, to use as perfume,^[ab] will be cut off from his people.”

Footnotes

Exodus 30:22 sn The chapter ends with these two sections. The oil (22-33) is the mark of consecration, and the incense (34-38) is a mark of pleasing service, especially in prayer. So the essence of the message of the chapter is that the servants of God must be set apart by the Spirit for ministry and must be pleasing to God in the ministry.
Exodus 30:22 tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”
Exodus 30:23 tn The construction uses the imperative “take,” but before it is the independent pronoun to add emphasis to it. After the imperative is the ethical dative (lit. “to you”) to stress the task to Moses as a personal responsibility: “and you, take to yourself.”
Exodus 30:23 tn Heb “spices head.” This must mean the chief spices, or perhaps the top spice, meaning fine spices or choice spices. See Song 4:14; Ezek 27:22.
Exodus 30:23 tn Or “500 shekels.” Verse 24 specifies that the sanctuary shekel was the unit for weighing the spices. The total of 1500 shekels for the four spices is estimated at between 77 and 100 pounds, or 17 to 22 kilograms, depending on how much a shekel weighed (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:576).
Exodus 30:23 sn Myrrh is an aromatic substance that flows from the bark of certain trees in Arabia and Africa and then hardens. “The hardened globules of the gum appear also to have been ground into a powder that would have been easy to store and would have been poured from a container” (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).
Exodus 30:24 tn The words “all weighed” are added for clarity in English.
Exodus 30:24 tn Or “a hin.” A hin of oil is estimated at around one gallon (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).
Exodus 30:25 tn Heb “it.”
Exodus 30:25 tn The word “oil” is an adverbial accusative, indicating the product that results from the verb (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, §52).
Exodus 30:25 tn The somewhat rare words rendered “a perfumed compound” are both associated with a verbal root having to do with mixing spices and other ingredients to make fragrant ointments. They are used with the next phrase, “the work of a perfumer,” to describe the finished oil as a special mixture of aromatic spices and one requiring the knowledge and skills of an experienced maker.
Exodus 30:29 tn The verb is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; in this verse it is summarizing or explaining what the anointing has accomplished. This is the effect of the anointing (see Exod 29:36).
Exodus 30:29 tn This is the superlative genitive again, Heb “holy of holies.”
Exodus 30:29 tn See Exod 29:37; as before, this could refer to anything or anyone touching the sanctified items.
Exodus 30:30 tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive follows the imperfect of instruction; it may be equal to the instruction, but more likely shows the purpose or result of the act.
Exodus 30:32 tn Without an expressed subject, the verb may be treated as a passive. Any common use, as in personal hygiene, would be a complete desecration.
Exodus 30:33 tn Heb “a stranger,” meaning someone not ordained a priest.
Exodus 30:33 sn The rabbinic interpretation of this is that it is a penalty imposed by heaven, that the life will be cut short and the person could die childless.
Exodus 30:34 tn The construction is “take to you,” which could be left in that literal sense, but more likely the suffix is an ethical dative, stressing the subject of the imperative.
Exodus 30:34 sn This is from a word that means “to drip”; the spice is a balsam that drips from a resinous tree.
Exodus 30:34 sn This may be a plant, or it may be from a species of mollusks; it is mentioned in Ugaritic and Akkadian; it gives a pungent odor when burnt.
Exodus 30:34 sn This is a gum from plants of the genus Ferula; it has an unpleasant odor, but when mixed with others is pleasant.
Exodus 30:34 tn The word “spice” is repeated here, suggesting that the first three formed half of the ingredients and this spice the other half—but this is conjecture (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 400).
Exodus 30:34 tn Heb “of each part there will be an equal part.”
Exodus 30:35 tn This is an accusative of result or product.
Exodus 30:35 tn The word is in apposition to “incense,” further defining the kind of incense that is to be made.
Exodus 30:35 tn The word מְמֻלָּח (m^emullakh), a passive participle, is usually taken to mean “salted.” Since there is no meaning like that for the Pual form, the word probably should be taken as “mixed,” as in Rashi and Tg. Onq. Seasoning with salt would work if it were food, but since it is not food, if it means “salted” it would be a symbol of what was sound and whole for the covenant. Some have thought that it would have helped the incense burn quickly with more smoke.
Exodus 30:38 tn Or to smell it, to use for the maker’s own pleasure.

Acts 22:2-16

²(When they heard^[a] that he was addressing^[b] them in Aramaic,^[c] they became even^[d] quieter.)^[e] Then^[f] Paul said, ³“I am a Jew,^[g] born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up^[h] in this city, educated with strictness^[i] under^[j] Gamaliel^[k] according to the law of our ancestors,^[l] and was^[m] zealous^[n] for God just as all of you are today. ⁴I^[o] persecuted this Way^[p] even to the point of death,^[q] tying up^[r] both men and women and putting^[s] them in prison, ⁵as both the high priest and the whole council of elders^[t] can testify about me. From them^[u] I also received^[v] letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way^[w] to make arrests there and bring^[x] the prisoners^[y] to Jerusalem^[z] to be punished. ⁶As^[aa] I was en route and near Damascus,^[ab] about noon a very bright^[ac] light from heaven^[ad] suddenly flashed^[ae] around me. ⁷Then I^[af] fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand^[ag] the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰So I asked,^[ah] ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up^[ai] and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything^[aj] that you have been designated^[ak] to do.’ ¹¹Since I could not see because of^[al] the brilliance^[am] of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of^[an] those who were with me. ¹²A man named Ananias,^[ao] a devout man according to the law,^[ap] well spoken of by all the Jews who live there,^[aq] ¹³came^[ar] to me and stood beside me^[as] and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’^[at] And at that very moment^[au] I looked up and saw him.^[av] ¹⁴Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors^[aw] has already chosen^[ax] you to know his will, to see^[ay] the Righteous One,^[az] and to hear a command^[ba] from his mouth, ¹⁵because you will be his witness^[bb] to all people^[bc] of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶And now what are you waiting for?^[bd] Get up,^[be] be baptized, and have your sins washed away,^[bf] calling on his name.’^[bg]

Footnotes

Acts 22:2 tn ἀκούσαντες (akousantes) has been taken temporally.
Acts 22:2 tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness—‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”
Acts 22:2 tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in 21:40.
Acts 22:2 tn BDAG 613-14 s.v. μᾶλλον 1 “Abs. μ. can mean to a greater degree (than before), even more, now more than ever Lk 5:15; Jn 5:18; 19:8; Ac 5:14; 22:2; 2 Cor 7:7.”
Acts 22:2 tn BDAG 440 s.v. ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing…Ac 22:2.”sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.
Acts 22:2 tn Grk “and.” Since this represents a continuation of the speech begun in v. 1, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.
Acts 22:3 tn Grk “a Jewish man.”
Acts 22:3 tn BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train…ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”
Acts 22:3 tn Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”
Acts 22:3 tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).
Acts 22:3 tn Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness…” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tous podas Gamaliēl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of NA²⁸ and UBS⁵, which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tautē), has been followed in the translation.sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here and in Acts 5:34. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.
Acts 22:3 tn Or “our forefathers.”
Acts 22:3 tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (huparchōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 22:3 tn BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers.…ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”
Acts 22:4 tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the first person pronoun (“I”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
Acts 22:4 sn That is, persecuted the Christian movement (Christianity). The Way is also used as a description of the Christian faith in Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).
Acts 22:4 tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”
Acts 22:4 tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.
Acts 22:4 tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “W. local εἰς…εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3; cp. 22:4.”
Acts 22:5 tn That is, the whole Sanhedrin. BDAG 861 s.v. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders—a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον…ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”
Acts 22:5 tn Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
Acts 22:5 tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 22:5 tn Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.
Acts 22:5 tn Grk “even there and bring…” or “there and even bring…” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.
Acts 22:5 tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”
Acts 22:5 tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”
Acts 22:6 tn Grk “It happened that as.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Acts 22:6 tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”sn En route and near Damascus. This is the first retelling of Paul’s Damascus Road experience in Acts (cf. Acts 9:1-9; the second retelling is in Acts 26:9-20).
Acts 22:6 tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”
Acts 22:6 tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
Acts 22:6 tn Or “shone.”
Acts 22:7 tn This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the connective τέ (te), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. To indicate the logical sequence for the modern English reader, τέ was translated as “then.”
Acts 22:9 tn Grk “did not hear” (but see Acts 9:7). BDAG 38 s.v. ἀκούω 7 has “W. acc. τὸν νόμον understand the law Gal 4:21; perh. Ac 22:9; 26:14…belong here.” If the word has this sense here, then a metonymy is present, since the lack of effect is put for a failure to appreciate what was heard.
Acts 22:10 tn Grk “So I said.”
Acts 22:10 tn Grk “Getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.
Acts 22:10 tn Grk “about all things.”
Acts 22:10 tn Or “assigned,” “ordered.” BDAG 991 s.v. τάσσω 2.a has “act. and pass., foll. by acc. w. inf.…περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι concerning everything that you have been ordered to do 22:10.” There is an allusion to a divine call and commission here.
Acts 22:11 tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.a has “οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτός I could not see because of the brilliance of the light Ac 22:11.”
Acts 22:11 tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”
Acts 22:11 tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, hupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”
Acts 22:12 tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”
Acts 22:12 sn The law refers to the law of Moses.
Acts 22:12 tn BDAG 534 s.v. κατοικέω 1.a translates this present participle “ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν (sc. ἐκεῖ) κατοικούντων ᾿Ιουδαίων by all the Jews who live there Ac 22:12.”
Acts 22:13 tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 22:13 tn Grk “coming to me and standing beside [me] said to me.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 22:13 tn Grk “Brother Saul, look up” (here an idiom for regaining one’s sight). BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβλέπω places this usage under 1, “look up Ac 22:13a. W. εἰς αὐτόν to show the direction of the glance…22:13b; but perh. this vs. belongs under 2a.” BDAG 59 s.v. 2.a.α states, “of blind persons, who were formerly able to see, regain sight.” The problem for the translator is deciding between the literal and the idiomatic usage and at the same time attempting to retain the wordplay in Acts 22:13: “[Ananias] said to me, ‘Look up!’ and at that very moment I looked up to him.” The assumption of the command is that the effort to look up will be worth it (through the regaining of sight).
Acts 22:13 tn Grk “hour,” but ὥρα (hōra) is often used for indefinite short periods of time (so BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c: “αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ at that very time, at once, instantly…Lk 2:38; 24:33; Ac 16:18; 22:13”). A comparison with the account in Acts 9:18 indicates that this is clearly the meaning here.
Acts 22:13 tn Grk “I looked up to him.”
Acts 22:14 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”sn The expression God of our ancestors is a description of the God of Israel. The God of promise was at work again.
Acts 22:14 tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance’…‘the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will’ Ac 22:14.”
Acts 22:14 tn Grk “and to see.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
Acts 22:14 sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).
Acts 22:14 tn Or “a solemn declaration”; Grk “a voice.” BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c states, “that which the voice gives expression to: call, cry, outcry, loud or solemn declaration (…= order, command)…Cp. 22:14; 24:21.”
Acts 22:15 tn Or “a witness to him.”sn You will be his witness. See Acts 1:8; 13:31. The following reference to all people stresses all nationalities (Eph 3:7-9; Acts 9:15). Note also v. 21.
Acts 22:15 tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos).
Acts 22:16 tn L&N 67.121 has “to extend time unduly, with the implication of lack of decision—‘to wait, to delay.’ νῦν τί μέλλεις…ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι ‘what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized’ Ac 22:16.”
Acts 22:16 tn Grk “getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.
Acts 22:16 sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).
Acts 22:16 sn The expression calling on his name describes the confession of the believer: Acts 2:17-38, esp. v. 38; Rom 10:12-13; 1 Cor 1:2.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 69[a]

For the music director, according to the tune of “Lilies”;[b] by David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

Oil and Incense

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 69^[a]

For the music director, according to the tune of “Lilies”;^[b] by David.