◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / 2 Kings 2:1-12 (Elijah taken up to heaven); Psalm 50:1-6 (God shines forth in glory); 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (God’s light seen in Christ); Mark 9:2-9 (Christ revealed as God’s beloved Son) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

February 7, 2027

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

February 2027
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

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

2 Kings 2:1-12

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

2 Just before^[a] the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. ²Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³Some members of the prophetic guild^[b] in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?”^[c] He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁴Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. ⁵Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁶Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together. ⁷The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha^[d] stood by the Jordan. ⁸Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you,^[e] before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you?”^[f] ¹⁰Elijah^[g] replied, “That’s a difficult request!^[h] If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”

¹¹As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot^[i] pulled by fiery horses appeared.^[j] They went between Elijah and Elisha,^[k] and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. ¹²While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!”^[l] Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two.

Psalm 50:1-6

Psalm 50^[a]

A psalm by Asaph.

50 El, God, the Lord^[b] has spoken,
and summoned the earth to come from the east and west.^[c]
²From Zion, the most beautiful of all places,^[d]
God has come in splendor.^[e]
³“May our God come
and not be silent.”
Consuming fire goes ahead of him,
and all around him a storm rages.^[f]
⁴He summons the heavens above,
as well as the earth, so that he might judge his people.^[g]
⁵He says:^[h]
“Assemble my covenant people before me,^[i]
those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice.”^[j]
⁶The heavens declare his fairness,^[k]
for God is judge.^[l] (Selah)

Footnotes

Psalm 50:1 sn Psalm 50. This psalm takes the form of a covenant lawsuit in which the Lord comes to confront his people in a formal manner (as in Isa 1:2-20). The Lord emphasizes that he places priority on obedience and genuine worship, not empty ritual.
Psalm 50:1 sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: El (אֵל [ʾel], or “God”), Elohim (אֱלֹהִים [ʾelohim], or “God”), and Yahweh (יְהוָה [y^ehvah] or “the Lord”). There is an obvious allusion here to Josh 22:22, the only other passage where these three names appear in succession. In that passage the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh declare, “El, God, the Lord! El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, don’t spare us today!” In that context the other tribes had accused the trans-Jordanian tribes of breaking God’s covenant by worshiping idols. The trans-Jordanian tribes appealed to “El, God, the Lord” as their witness that they were innocent of the charges brought against them. Ironically here in Ps 50 “El, God, the Lord” accuses his sinful covenant people of violating the covenant and warns that he will not spare them if they persist in their rebellion.
Psalm 50:1 tn Heb “and calls [the] earth from the sunrise to its going.”
Psalm 50:2 tn Heb “the perfection of beauty.”
Psalm 50:2 tn Or “shone forth.”sn Has come in splendor. The psalmist may allude ironically to Deut 33:2, where God “shone forth” from Sinai.
Psalm 50:3 tn Heb “fire before him devours, and around him it is very stormy.”
Psalm 50:4 tn Or perhaps “to testify against his people.”sn The personified heavens and earth (see v. 1 as well) are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people (see Isa 1:2). Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).
Psalm 50:5 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.
Psalm 50:5 tn Or “Gather to me my covenant people.” The Hebrew term חָסִיד (khasid, “covenant people”) elsewhere in the psalms is used in a positive sense of God’s loyal followers (see the note at Ps 4:3), but here, as the following line makes clear, the term has a neutral sense and simply refers to those who have outwardly sworn allegiance to God, not necessarily to those whose loyalty is genuine.
Psalm 50:5 tn Heb “the cutters of my covenant according to sacrifice.” A sacrifice accompanied the covenant-making ceremony and formally ratified the agreement (see Exod 24:3-8).
Psalm 50:6 tn Or “justice.”
Psalm 50:6 tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

³But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, ⁴among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe^[a] so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel^[b] of Christ,^[c] who is the image of God. ⁵For we do not proclaim^[d] ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves^[e] for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[f] is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge^[g] of God in the face of Christ.^[h]

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 4:4 tn Or “of unbelievers.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 tn Grk “the gospel of the glory”; δόξης (doxēs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
2 Corinthians 4:4 tn Or “so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ would not be evident to them” (L&N 28.37).
2 Corinthians 4:5 tn Or “preach.”
2 Corinthians 4:5 tn Traditionally, “servants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). One good translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force. Also, many slaves in the Roman world became slaves through Rome’s subjugation of conquered nations, kidnapping, or by being born into slave households.
2 Corinthians 4:6 sn An allusion to Gen 1:3; see also Isa 9:2.
2 Corinthians 4:6 tn Grk “the light of the knowledge of the glory”; δόξης (doxēs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
2 Corinthians 4:6 tc ‡ Most witnesses, including several early and significant ones (P⁴⁶ א C H Ψ 0209 1739^c M sy), read ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Iēsou Christou, “Jesus Christ”), while other significant witnesses, especially of the Western text (D F G 0243 630 1739* 1881 lat Ambst), have Χριστοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ. The reading with just Χριστοῦ is found in A B 33 sa Tert Or Ath Chr. Even though the witnesses for the shorter reading are not numerous, they are weighty. And in light of the natural scribal proclivity to fill out the text, particularly with reference to divine names, as well as the discrepancy among the witnesses as to the order of the names, the simple reading Χριστοῦ seems to be the best candidate for authenticity. NA²⁸ reads ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ with ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

Mark 9:2-9

The Transfiguration

²Six days later^[a] Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them,^[b] ³and his clothes became radiantly white, more so than any launderer in the world could bleach them. ⁴Then Elijah appeared before them along with Moses,^[c] and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵So^[d] Peter said to Jesus,^[e] “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters^[f]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶(For they were afraid, and he did not know what to say.)^[g] ⁷Then^[h] a cloud^[i] overshadowed them,^[j] and a voice came from the cloud, “This is my one dear Son.^[k] Listen to him!”^[l] ⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more except Jesus.

⁹As they were coming down from the mountain, he gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Footnotes

Mark 9:2 tn Grk “And after six days.”
Mark 9:2 sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).
Mark 9:4 sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).
Mark 9:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Mark 9:5 tn Grk “And answering, Peter said to Jesus.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokritheis) is redundant and has not been translated.
Mark 9:5 tn Or “dwellings,” “booths” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).sn Peter apparently wanted to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles or Booths that looked forward to the end and wanted to treat Moses, Elijah, and Jesus as equals by making three shelters (one for each). It was actually a way of expressing honor to Jesus, but the next few verses make it clear that it was not enough honor.
Mark 9:6 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
Mark 9:7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Mark 9:7 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
Mark 9:7 tn Grk “And there came a cloud, surrounding them.”
Mark 9:7 tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agapētos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).
Mark 9:7 sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.

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)

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

Footnotes

Psalm 50[a]

A psalm by Asaph.

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Transfiguration

Footnotes

Psalm 50^[a]