◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 69:1-3 13-16 30-36 (Save me from the flood); Genesis 4:1-16 (Cain murders Abel); Romans 2:1-11 (The righteous judgment of God) (New English Translation)

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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 69:1-3

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]

Psalm 69:13-16

¹³O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me.^[a]
O God, because of your great loyal love,
answer me with your faithful deliverance.^[b]
¹⁴Rescue me from the mud. Don’t let me sink.
Deliver me^[c] from those who hate me,
from the deep water.
¹⁵Don’t let the current overpower me.
Don’t let the deep swallow me up.
Don’t let the Pit^[d] devour me.^[e]
¹⁶Answer me, O Lord, for your loyal love is good.^[f]
Because of your great compassion, turn toward me.

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]

Genesis 4:1-16

The Story of Cain and Abel

4 Now^[a] the man was intimate with^[b] his wife Eve, and she became pregnant^[c] and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created^[d] a man just as the Lord did!”^[e] ²Then she gave birth^[f] to his brother Abel.^[g] Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground.^[h]

³At the designated time^[i] Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering^[j] to the Lord. ⁴But Abel brought^[k] some of the firstborn of his flock—even the fattest^[l] of them. And the Lord was pleased with^[m] Abel and his offering, ⁵but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased.^[n] So Cain became very angry,^[o] and his expression was downcast.^[p]

⁶Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? ⁷Is it not true^[q] that if you do what is right, you will be fine?^[r] But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching^[s] at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.”^[t]

⁸Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”^[u] While they were in the field, Cain attacked^[v] his brother^[w] Abel and killed him.

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”^[x] And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?”^[y] ¹⁰But the Lord said, “What have you done?^[z] The voice^[aa] of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! ¹¹So now you are banished^[ab] from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹²When you try to cultivate^[ac] the ground it will no longer yield^[ad] its best^[ae] for you. You will be a homeless wanderer^[af] on the earth.”

¹³Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment^[ag] is too great to endure!^[ah] ¹⁴Look, you are driving me off the land^[ai] today, and I must hide from your presence.^[aj] I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me!” ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “All right then,^[ak] if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.”^[al] Then the Lord put a special mark^[am] on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down.^[an] ¹⁶So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod,^[ao] east of Eden.

Footnotes

Genesis 4:1 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.
Genesis 4:1 tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
Genesis 4:1 tn Or “she conceived.”
Genesis 4:1 tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.
Genesis 4:1 tn Heb “with the Lord.” The particle אֶת (ʾet) is not the accusative/object sign, but the preposition “with” as the ancient versions attest. Some take the preposition in the sense of “with the help of” (see BDB 85 s.v. אֵת; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV), while others prefer “along with” in the sense of “like, equally with, in common with” (see Lev 26:39; Isa 45:9; Jer 23:28). Either works well in this context; the latter is reflected in the present translation. Some understand אֶת as the accusative/object sign and translate, “I have acquired a man—the Lord.” They suggest that the woman thought (mistakenly) that she had given birth to the incarnate Lord, the Messiah who would bruise the Serpent’s head. This fanciful suggestion is based on a questionable allegorical interpretation of Gen 3:15 (see the note there on the word “heel”).sn Since Exod 6:3 seems to indicate that the name Yahweh (יְהוָה, y^ehvah, translated Lord) was first revealed to Moses (see also Exod 3:14), it is odd to see it used in quotations in Genesis by people who lived long before Moses. This problem has been resolved in various ways: (1) Source critics propose that Exod 6:3 is part of the “P” (or priestly) tradition, which is at odds with the “J” (or Yahwistic) tradition. (2) Many propose that “name” in Exod 6:3 does not refer to the divine name per se, but to the character suggested by the name. God appeared to the patriarchs primarily in the role of El Shaddai, the giver of fertility, not as Yahweh, the one who fulfills his promises. In this case the patriarchs knew the name Yahweh, but had not experienced the full significance of the name. In this regard it is possible that Exod 6:3b should not be translated as a statement of denial, but as an affirmation followed by a rhetorical question implying that the patriarchs did indeed know God by the name of Yahweh, just as they knew him as El Shaddai. D. A. Garrett, following the lead of F. Andersen, sees Exod 6:2-3 as displaying a paneled A/B parallelism and translates them as follows: (A) “I am Yahweh.” (B) “And I made myself known to Abraham…as El Shaddai.” (A') “And my name is Yahweh”; (B') “Did I not make myself known to them?” (D. A. Garrett, Rethinking Genesis, 21). However, even if one translates the text this way, the Lord’s words do not necessarily mean that he made the name Yahweh known to the fathers. God is simply affirming that he now wants to be called Yahweh (see Exod 3:14-16) and that he revealed himself in prior times as El Shaddai. If we stress the parallelism with B, the implied answer to the concluding question might be: “Yes, you did make yourself known to them—as El Shaddai!” The main point of the verse would be that El Shaddai, the God of the fathers, and the God who has just revealed himself to Moses as Yahweh are one and the same. (3) G. J. Wenham suggests that pre-Mosaic references to Yahweh are the product of the author/editor of Genesis, who wanted to be sure that Yahweh was identified with the God of the fathers. In this regard, note how Yahweh is joined with another divine name or title in Gen 9:26-27; 14:22; 15:2, 8; 24:3, 7, 12, 27, 42, 48; 27:20; 32:9. The angel uses the name Yahweh when instructing Hagar concerning her child’s name, but the actual name (Ishma-el, “El hears”) suggests that El, not Yahweh, originally appeared in the angel’s statement (16:11). In her response to the angel Hagar calls God El, not Yahweh (16:13). In 22:14 Abraham names the place of sacrifice “Yahweh Will Provide” (cf. v. 16), but in v. 8 he declares, “God will provide.” God uses the name Yahweh when speaking to Jacob at Bethel (28:13) and Jacob also uses the name when he awakens from the dream (28:16). Nevertheless he names the place Beth El (“house of El”). In 31:49 Laban prays, “May Yahweh keep watch,” but in v. 50 he declares, “God is a witness between you and me.” Yahweh’s use of the name in 15:7 and 18:14 may reflect theological idiom, while the use in 18:19 is within a soliloquy. (Other uses of Yahweh in quotations occur in 16:2, 5; 24:31, 35, 40, 42, 44, 48, 50, 51, 56; 26:22, 28-29; 27:7, 27; 29:32-35; 30:24, 30; 49:18. In these cases there is no contextual indication that a different name was originally used.) For a fuller discussion of this proposal, see G. J. Wenham, “The Religion of the Patriarchs,” Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives, 189-93.
Genesis 4:2 tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”
Genesis 4:2 sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.
Genesis 4:2 tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (roʿeh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (ʿoved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.
Genesis 4:3 tn Heb “And it happened at the end of days.” The clause indicates the passing of a set period of time leading up to offering sacrifices.
Genesis 4:3 tn The Hebrew term מִנְחָה (minkhah, “offering”) is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Lev 2 for the dedication offering. This type of offering could be comprised of vegetables. The content of the offering (vegetables, as opposed to animals) was not the critical issue, but rather the attitude of the offerer.
Genesis 4:4 tn Heb “But Abel brought, also he….” The disjunctive clause (conjunction plus subject plus verb) stresses the contrast between Cain’s offering and Abel’s.
Genesis 4:4 tn Two prepositional phrases are used to qualify the kind of sacrifice that Abel brought: “from the firstborn” and “from the fattest of them.” These also could be interpreted as a hendiadys: “from the fattest of the firstborn of the flock.” Another option is to understand the second prepositional phrase as referring to the fat portions of the sacrificial sheep. In this case one may translate, “some of the firstborn of his flock, even some of their fat portions” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).sn Here are two types of worshipers—one (Cain) merely discharges a duty at the proper time, while the other (Abel) goes out of his way to please God with the first and the best.
Genesis 4:4 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁעָה (shaʿah) simply means “to gaze at, to have regard for, to look on with favor [or “with devotion”].” The text does not indicate how this was communicated, but it indicates that Cain and Abel knew immediately. Either there was some manifestation of divine pleasure given to Abel and withheld from Cain (fire consuming the sacrifice?), or there was an inner awareness of divine response.
Genesis 4:5 sn The Letter to the Hebrews explains the difference between the brothers as one of faith—Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice. Cain’s offering as well as his reaction to God’s displeasure did not reflect faith. See further B. K. Waltke, “Cain and His Offering,” WTJ 48 (1986): 363-72.
Genesis 4:5 tn Heb “and it was hot to Cain.” This Hebrew idiom means that Cain “burned” with anger.
Genesis 4:5 tn Heb “And his face fell.” The idiom means that the inner anger is reflected in Cain’s facial expression. The fallen or downcast face expresses anger, dejection, or depression. Conversely, in Num 6 the high priestly blessing speaks of the Lord lifting up his face and giving peace.
Genesis 4:7 tn The introduction of the conditional clause with an interrogative particle prods the answer from Cain, as if he should have known this. It is not a condemnation, but an encouragement to do what is right.
Genesis 4:7 tn The Hebrew text is difficult, because only one word occurs, שְׂאֵת (s^eʾet), which appears to be the infinitive construct from the verb “to lift up” (נָאָשׂ, naʾas). The sentence reads: “If you do well, uplifting.” On the surface it seems to be the opposite of the fallen face. Everything will be changed if he does well. God will show him favor, he will not be angry, and his face will reflect that. But more may be intended since the second half of the verse forms the contrast: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching….” Not doing well leads to sinful attack; doing well leads to victory and God’s blessing.
Genesis 4:7 tn The Hebrew term translated “crouching” (רֹבֵץ, rovets) is an active participle. Sin is portrayed with animal imagery here as a beast crouching and ready to pounce (a figure of speech known as zoomorphism). An Akkadian cognate refers to a type of demon; in this case perhaps one could translate, “Sin is the demon at the door” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 29, 32-33).
Genesis 4:7 tn Heb “and toward you [is] its desire, but you must rule over it.” As in Gen 3:16, the Hebrew noun “desire” refers to an urge to control or dominate. Here the desire is that which sin has for Cain, a desire to control for the sake of evil, but Cain must have mastery over it. The imperfect is understood as having an obligatory sense. Another option is to understand it as expressing potential (“you can have [or “are capable of having”] mastery over it.”). It will be a struggle, but sin can be defeated by righteousness. In addition to this connection to Gen 3, other linguistic and thematic links between chaps. 3 and 4 are discussed by A. J. Hauser, “Linguistic and Thematic Links Between Genesis 4:1-6 and Genesis 2-3, ” JETS 23 (1980): 297-306.
Genesis 4:8 tc The MT has simply “and Cain said to Abel his brother,” omitting Cain’s words to Abel. It is possible that the elliptical text is original. Perhaps the author uses the technique of aposiopesis, “a sudden silence” to create tension. In the midst of the story the narrator suddenly rushes ahead to what happened in the field. It is more likely that the ancient versions (Smr, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac), which include Cain’s words, “Let’s go out to the field,” preserve the original reading here. After writing אָחִיו (ʾakhiyv, “his brother”), a scribe’s eye may have jumped to the end of the form בַּשָׂדֶה (bassadeh, “to the field”) and accidentally omitted the quotation. This would be an error of virtual homoioteleuton. In older phases of the Hebrew script the sequence יו (yod-vav) on אָחִיו is graphically similar to the final ה (he) on בַּשָׂדֶה.
Genesis 4:8 tn Heb “arose against” (in a hostile sense).
Genesis 4:8 sn The word “brother” appears six times in vv. 8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain’s fratricide (see 1 John 3:12).
Genesis 4:9 sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the Lord confronts a guilty sinner with a rhetorical question (see Gen 3:9-13), asking for an explanation of what has happened.
Genesis 4:9 tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”sn Am I my brother’s guardian? Cain lies and then responds with a defiant rhetorical question of his own in which he repudiates any responsibility for his brother. But his question is ironic, for he is responsible for his brother’s fate, especially if he wanted to kill him. See P. A. Riemann, “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” Int 24 (1970): 482-91.
Genesis 4:10 sn What have you done? Again the Lord’s question is rhetorical (see Gen 3:13), condemning Cain for his sin.
Genesis 4:10 tn The word “voice” is a personification; the evidence of Abel’s shed blood condemns Cain, just as a human eyewitness would testify in court. For helpful insights, see G. von Rad, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching; and L. Morris, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 6 (1955/56): 77-82.
Genesis 4:11 tn Heb “cursed are you from the ground.” As in Gen 3:14, the word “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (ʾarar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as indicating source, then the idea is “cursed (i.e., punished) are you from [i.e., “through the agency of”] the ground” (see v. 12a). If the preposition is taken as separative, then the idea is “cursed and banished from the ground.” In this case the ground rejects Cain’s efforts in such a way that he is banished from the ground and forced to become a fugitive out in the earth (see vv. 12b, 14).
Genesis 4:12 tn Heb “work.”
Genesis 4:12 tn Heb “it will not again (תֹסֵף, tosef) give (תֵּת, tet),” meaning the ground will no longer yield. In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb, and the imperfect verb form becomes adverbial.
Genesis 4:12 tn Heb “its strength.”
Genesis 4:12 tn Two similar sounding synonyms are used here: נָע וָנָד (naʿ vanad, “a wanderer and a fugitive”). This juxtaposition of synonyms emphasizes the single idea. In translation one can serve as the main description, the other as a modifier. Other translation options include “a wandering fugitive” and a “ceaseless wanderer” (cf. NIV).
Genesis 4:13 tn The primary meaning of the Hebrew word עָוֹן (ʿavon) is “sin, iniquity.” But by metonymy it can refer to the “guilt” of sin, or to “punishment” for sin. The third meaning applies here. Just before this the Lord announces the punishment for Cain’s actions, and right after this statement Cain complains of the severity of the punishment. Cain is not portrayed as repenting of his sin.
Genesis 4:13 tn Heb “great is my punishment from bearing.” The preposition מִן (min, “from”) is used here in a comparative sense.
Genesis 4:14 tn Heb “from upon the surface of the ground.”
Genesis 4:14 sn I must hide from your presence. The motif of hiding from the Lord as a result of sin also appears in Gen 3:8-10.
Genesis 4:15 tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) in this context carries the sense of “Okay,” or “in that case then I will do this.”
Genesis 4:15 sn The symbolic number seven is used here to emphasize that the offender will receive severe punishment. For other rhetorical and hyperbolic uses of the expression “seven times over,” see Pss 12:6; 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
Genesis 4:15 tn Heb “sign”; “reminder.” The term “sign” is not used in the translation because it might imply to an English reader that God hung a sign on Cain. The text does not identify what the “sign” was. It must have been some outward, visual reminder of Cain’s special protected status.
Genesis 4:15 sn God becomes Cain’s protector. Here is common grace—Cain and his community will live on under God’s care, but without salvation.
Genesis 4:16 sn The name Nod means “wandering” in Hebrew (see vv. 12, 14).

Romans 2:1-11

The Condemnation of the Moralist

2 ^[a] Therefore^[b] you are without excuse,^[c] whoever you are,^[d] when you judge someone else.^[e] For on whatever grounds^[f] you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. ²Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth^[g] against those who practice such things. ³And do you think,^[h] whoever you are, when you judge^[i] those who practice such things and yet do them yourself,^[j] that you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know^[k] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? ⁵But because of your stubbornness^[l] and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed!^[m] ⁶He^[n] will reward^[o] each one according to his works:^[p] ⁷eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, ⁸but^[q] wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition^[r] and do not obey the truth but follow^[s] unrighteousness. ⁹There will be^[t] affliction and distress on everyone^[u] who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek,^[v] ¹⁰but^[w] glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹For there is no partiality with God.

Footnotes

Romans 2:1 sn Rom 2:1-29 presents unusual difficulties for the interpreter. There have been several major approaches to the chapter and the group(s) it refers to: (1) Rom 2:14 refers to Gentile Christians, not Gentiles who obey the Jewish law. (2) Paul in Rom 2 is presenting a hypothetical viewpoint: If anyone could obey the law, that person would be justified, but no one can. (3) The reference to “the ones who do the law” in 2:13 are those who “do” the law in the right way, on the basis of faith, not according to Jewish legalism. (4) Rom 2:13 only speaks about Christians being judged in the future, along with such texts as Rom 14:10 and 2 Cor 5:10. (5) Paul’s material in Rom 2 is drawn heavily from Diaspora Judaism, so that the treatment of the law presented here cannot be harmonized with other things Paul says about the law elsewhere (E. P. Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 123); another who sees Rom 2 as an example of Paul’s inconsistency in his treatment of the law is H. Räisänen, Paul and the Law [WUNT], 101-9. (6) The list of blessings and curses in Deut 27-30 provide the background for Rom 2; the Gentiles of 2:14 are Gentile Christians, but the condemnation of Jews in 2:17-24 addresses the failure of Jews as a nation to keep the law as a whole (A. Ito, “Romans 2: A Deuteronomistic Reading,” JSNT 59 [1995]: 21-37).
Romans 2:1 tn Some interpreters (e.g., C. K. Barrett, Romans [HNTC], 43) connect the inferential Διό (dio, “therefore”) with 1:32a, treating 1:32b as a parenthetical comment by Paul.
Romans 2:1 tn That is, “you have nothing to say in your own defense” (so translated by TCNT).
Romans 2:1 tn Grk “O man.”
Romans 2:1 tn Grk “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone [of you] who judges.”
Romans 2:1 tn Grk “in/by (that) which.”
Romans 2:2 tn Or “based on truth.”
Romans 2:3 tn Grk “do you think this,” referring to the clause in v. 3b.
Romans 2:3 tn Grk “O man, the one who judges.”
Romans 2:3 tn Grk “and do them.” The other words are supplied to bring out the contrast implied in this clause.
Romans 2:4 tn Grk “being unaware.”
Romans 2:5 tn Grk “hardness.” Concerning this imagery, see Jer 4:4; Ezek 3:7; 1 En. 16:3.
Romans 2:5 tn Grk “in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”
Romans 2:6 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Romans 2:6 tn Or “will render,” “will recompense.” In this context Paul is setting up a hypothetical situation, not stating that salvation is by works.
Romans 2:6 sn A quotation from Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; a close approximation to Matt 16:27.
Romans 2:8 tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.
Romans 2:8 tn Grk “those who [are] from selfish ambition.”
Romans 2:8 tn Grk “are persuaded by, obey.”
Romans 2:9 tn No verb is expressed in this verse, but the verb “to be” is implied by the Greek construction. Literally “suffering and distress on everyone…”
Romans 2:9 tn Grk “every soul of man.”
Romans 2:9 sn Paul uses the term Greek here and in v. 10 to refer to non-Jews, i.e., Gentiles.
Romans 2:10 tn Grk “but even,” to emphasize the contrast. The second word has been omitted since it is somewhat redundant in English idiom.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 69[a]

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

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Story of Cain and Abel

Footnotes

The Condemnation of the Moralist

Footnotes

Psalm 69^[a]

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