◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 5:1-8 (Trust in God for deliverance); 1 Kings 20:1-22 (An enemy threatens Ahab); James 4:1-7 (God gives grace to the humble) (New English Translation)

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June 13, 1968

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 5:1-8

Psalm 5^[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments;^[b] a psalm of David.

5 Listen to what I say,^[c] Lord!
Carefully consider my complaint!^[d]
²Pay attention to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for I am praying to you!
³Lord, in the morning^[e] you will hear^[f] me;^[g]
in the morning I will present my case to you^[h] and then wait expectantly for an answer.^[i]
⁴Certainly^[j] you are not a God who approves of evil;^[k]
evil people^[l] cannot dwell with you.^[m]
⁵Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence;^[n]
you hate^[o] all who behave wickedly.^[p]
⁶You destroy^[q] liars;^[r]
the Lord despises^[s] violent and deceitful people.^[t]
⁷But as for me,^[u] because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house;^[v]
I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you.^[w]
⁸Lord, lead me in your righteousness^[x]
because of those who wait to ambush me,^[y]
remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me.^[z]

Footnotes

Psalm 5:1 sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.
Psalm 5:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (n^ekhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).
Psalm 5:1 tn Heb “my words.”
Psalm 5:1 tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.
Psalm 5:3 sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).
Psalm 5:3 tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one could translate, “Lord, in the morning hear me.”
Psalm 5:3 tn Heb “my voice.”
Psalm 5:3 tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object (cf. NEB “I set out my morning sacrifice”). The present translation assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.
Psalm 5:3 tn Heb “and I will watch.”
Psalm 5:4 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 5:4 tn Heb “not a God [who] delights [in] wickedness [are] you.”
Psalm 5:4 tn The Hebrew text has simply the singular form רָע (raʿ),which may be taken as an abstract noun “evil” (the reference to “wickedness” in the preceding line favors this; cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) or as a substantival adjective “evil one” (the references to evil people in the next two verses favor this; cf. NIV “with you the wicked cannot dwell”).
Psalm 5:4 tn Heb “cannot dwell as a resident foreigner [with] you.” The negated imperfect verbal form here indicates incapability or lack of permission. These people are morally incapable of dwelling in God’s presence and are not permitted to do so.sn Only the godly are allowed to dwell with the Lord. Evil people are excluded. See Ps 15.
Psalm 5:5 tn Heb “before your eyes.”
Psalm 5:5 sn You hate. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 11:5.
Psalm 5:5 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.”
Psalm 5:6 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates God’s typical response to such individuals. Another option is to translate the verb as future (“You will destroy”); the psalmist may be envisioning a time of judgment when God will remove the wicked from the scene.
Psalm 5:6 tn Heb “those who speak a lie.” In the OT a “lie” does not refer in a general philosophical sense to any statement that fails to correspond to reality. Instead it refers more specifically to a slanderous and/or deceitful statement that promotes one’s own selfish, sinful interests and/or exploits or harms those who are innocent. Note the emphasis on violence and deceit in the following line.
Psalm 5:6 tn The imperfect verbal form highlights the Lord’s characteristic attitude toward such individuals.
Psalm 5:6 tn Heb “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” The singular אִישׁ (ʾish, “man”) is used here in a collective or representative sense; thus the translation “people” is appropriate here. Note the plural forms in vv. 5-6a.
Psalm 5:7 sn But as for me. By placing the first person pronoun at the beginning of the verse, the psalmist highlights the contrast between the evildoers’ actions and destiny, outlined in the preceding verses, with his own.
Psalm 5:7 sn I will enter your house. The psalmist is confident that God will accept him into his presence, in contrast to the evildoers (see v. 5).
Psalm 5:7 tn Heb “in fear [of] you.” The Hebrew noun יִרְאָה (yirʾah, “fear”), when used of fearing God, is sometimes used metonymically for what it ideally produces: “worship, reverence, piety.”
Psalm 5:8 tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (ts^edaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.
Psalm 5:8 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.
Psalm 5:8 tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).

1 Kings 20:1-22

Ben Hadad Invades Israel

20 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria and besieged and attacked it.^[a] ²He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city.^[b] He said to him, “This is what Ben Hadad says: ³‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.’” ⁴The king of Israel replied, “It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and all I own belong to you.”

⁵The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben Hadad says: ‘I sent this message to you, “You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.” ⁶But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will search through your palace and your servants’ houses. They will carry away all your valuables.’”^[c] ⁷The king of Israel summoned all the leaders^[d] of the land and said, “Notice how this man is looking for trouble.^[e] Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him.” ⁸All the leaders and people said to him, “Do not give in or agree to his demands.”^[f] ⁹So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Say this to my master, the king: ‘I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but I am unable to agree to this latest demand.’”^[g] So the messengers went back and gave their report.

¹⁰Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely^[h] if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for all my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.”^[i] ¹¹The king of Israel replied, “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.”^[j] ¹²When Ben Hadad received this reply,^[k] he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters.^[l] He ordered his servants, “Get ready to attack!” So they got ready to attack the city.

The Lord Delivers Israel

¹³Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Do you see this huge army?^[m] Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” ¹⁴Ahab asked, “By whom will this be accomplished?”^[n] He answered, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab^[o] asked, “Who will launch the attack?” He answered, “You will.”

¹⁵So Ahab^[p] assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000. ¹⁶They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were drinking heavily^[q] in their quarters.^[r] ¹⁷The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.” ¹⁸He ordered, “Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.”^[s] ¹⁹They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. ²⁰Each one struck down an enemy soldier;^[t] the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen. ²¹Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots; he thoroughly defeated^[u] Syria.

The Lord Gives Israel Another Victory

²²The prophet^[v] visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go, fortify your defenses.^[w] Determine^[x] what you must do, for in the spring^[y] the king of Syria will attack^[z] you.”

Footnotes

1 Kings 20:1 tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.”
1 Kings 20:2 tn Heb “to the city.”
1 Kings 20:6 tn Heb “all that is desirable to your eyes they will put in their hand and take.”
1 Kings 20:7 tn Heb “elders.”
1 Kings 20:7 tn Heb “Know and see that this [man] is seeking trouble.”
1 Kings 20:8 tn Heb “Do not listen and do not be willing.”
1 Kings 20:9 tn Heb “all which you sent to your servant in the beginning I will do, but this thing I am unable to do.”
1 Kings 20:10 tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
1 Kings 20:10 tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.”
1 Kings 20:11 sn The point of the saying is that someone who is still preparing for a battle should not boast as if he has already won the battle. A modern parallel would be, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
1 Kings 20:12 tn Heb “When he heard this word.”
1 Kings 20:12 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
1 Kings 20:13 tn Heb “see all this great horde.”
1 Kings 20:14 tn The words “will this be accomplished” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
1 Kings 20:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1 Kings 20:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1 Kings 20:16 tn Heb “drinking and drunken.”
1 Kings 20:16 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
1 Kings 20:18 tn Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.”
1 Kings 20:20 tn Heb “each struck down his man.”
1 Kings 20:21 tn Heb “struck down Aram with a great striking down.”
1 Kings 20:22 tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13).
1 Kings 20:22 tn Heb “strengthen yourself.”
1 Kings 20:22 tn Heb “know and see.”
1 Kings 20:22 tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
1 Kings 20:22 tn Heb “go up against.”

James 4:1-7

Passions and Pride

4 Where do the conflicts and where^[a] do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this,^[b] from your passions that battle inside you?^[c] ²You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; ³you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

⁴Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God?^[d] So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. ⁵Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says,^[e] “The spirit that God^[f] caused^[g] to live within us has an envious yearning”?^[h] ⁶But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”^[i] ⁷So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Footnotes

James 4:1 tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.
James 4:1 tn Grk “from here.”
James 4:1 tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”
James 4:4 tn Grk “is hostility toward God.”
James 4:5 tn Grk “vainly says.”
James 4:5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
James 4:5 tc The Byzantine text and a few other mss (P 5 33 436 442 1243 1611 1735 1852 2344 2492 M) have the intransitive κατῴκησεν (katōkēsen) here, which turns τὸ πνεῦμα (to pneuma) into the subject of the verb: “The spirit which lives within us.” But the more reliable and older witnesses (P⁷⁴ א B Ψ 049 1241 1739 al) have the causative verb, κατῴκισεν (katōkisen), which implies a different subject and τὸ πνεῦμα as the object: “The spirit that he causes to live within us.” Both because of the absence of an explicit subject and the relative scarcity of the causative κατοικίζω (katoikizō, “cause to dwell”) compared to the intransitive κατοικέω (katoikeō, “live, dwell”) in biblical Greek (κατοικίζω does not occur in the NT at all, and occurs much less frequently than κατοικέω in the LXX), it is easy to see why scribes would replace κατῴκισεν with κατῴκησεν. Thus, on internal and external grounds, κατῴκισεν is the preferred reading.
James 4:5 tn Interpreters debate the referent of the word “spirit” in this verse: (1) The translation takes “spirit” to be the lustful capacity within people that produces a divided mind (1:8, 14) and inward conflicts regarding God (4:1-4). God has allowed it to be in man since the fall, and he provides his grace (v. 6) and the new birth through the gospel message (1:18-25) to counteract its evil effects. (2) On the other hand the word “spirit” may be taken positively as the Holy Spirit and the sense would be, “God yearns jealously for the Spirit he caused to live within us.” But the word for “envious” or “jealous” is generally negative in biblical usage and the context before and after seems to favor the negative interpretation.sn No OT verse is worded exactly this way. This is either a statement about the general teaching of scripture or a quotation from an ancient translation of the Hebrew text that no longer exists today.
James 4:6 sn A quotation from Prov 3:34.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 5[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments;[b] a psalm of David.

Footnotes

Ben Hadad Invades Israel

The Lord Delivers Israel

The Lord Gives Israel Another Victory

Footnotes

Passions and Pride

Footnotes

Psalm 5^[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments;^[b] a psalm of David.