◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 59 (Deliver me from my enemies); 2 Kings 9:30-37 (Jezebel’s violent death); Luke 9:37-43a (Jesus heals a boy with a demon) (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 59

Psalm 59^[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.^[d]

59 Deliver me from my enemies, my God.
Protect me^[e] from those who attack me.^[f]
²Deliver me from evildoers.^[g]
Rescue me from violent men.^[h]
³For look, they wait to ambush me;^[i]
powerful men stalk^[j] me,
but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.^[k]
⁴Though I have done nothing wrong,^[l] they are anxious to attack.^[m]
Spring into action and help me. Take notice of me.^[n]
⁵You, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,^[o] the God of Israel,
rouse yourself and punish^[p] all the nations.
Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers. (Selah)
⁶They return in the evening;
they growl^[q] like dogs
and prowl around outside^[r] the city.
⁷Look, they hurl insults at me
and openly threaten to kill me,^[s]
for they say,^[t]
“Who hears?”
⁸But you, O Lord, laugh in disgust at them;^[u]
you taunt^[v] all the nations.
⁹You are my source of strength. I will wait for you.^[w]
For God is my refuge.^[x]
¹⁰The God who loves me will help me;^[y]
God will enable me to triumph over^[z] my enemies.^[aa]
¹¹Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson.^[ab]
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us.^[ac]
¹²They speak sinful words.^[ad]
So let them be trapped by their own pride
and by the curses and lies they speak.
¹³Angrily wipe them out. Wipe them out so they vanish.
Let them know that God rules
over Jacob and to the ends of the earth. (Selah)
¹⁴They return in the evening;
they growl^[ae] like dogs
and prowl around outside^[af] the city.
¹⁵They wander around looking for something to eat;
they refuse to sleep until they are full.^[ag]
¹⁶As for me, I will sing about your strength;
I will praise your loyal love in the morning.
For you are my refuge^[ah]
and my place of shelter when I face trouble.^[ai]
¹⁷You are my source of strength. I will sing praises to you.^[aj]
For God is my refuge,^[ak] the God who loves me.^[al]

Footnotes

Psalm 59:1 sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.
Psalm 59:1 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.
Psalm 59:1 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
Psalm 59:1 tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when Saul sent assassins to surround David’s house and kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam 19:11). However, the psalm itself mentions foreign enemies (vv. 5, 8). Perhaps these references reflect a later adaptation of an original Davidic psalm.
Psalm 59:1 tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”
Psalm 59:1 tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”
Psalm 59:2 tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”
Psalm 59:2 tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”
Psalm 59:3 tn Heb “my life.”
Psalm 59:3 tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.
Psalm 59:3 sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the Lord.
Psalm 59:4 tn Heb “without sin.”
Psalm 59:4 tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”
Psalm 59:4 tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qaraʾ, “to meet; to encounter”) here carries the nuance of “to help.”
Psalm 59:5 tn Heb “Lord, God, Hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי (ʾelohe) before צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot, “hosts”). See Ps 89:9, but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (y^ehvah ʾelohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot) in Pss 80:4, 19; 84:8 as well.
Psalm 59:5 tn Heb “wake up to punish” (see Pss 35:23; 44:23).
Psalm 59:6 tn Or “howl”; or “bark.”
Psalm 59:6 tn Heb “go around.”
Psalm 59:7 tn Heb “look, they gush forth with their mouth, swords [are] in their lips.”
Psalm 59:7 tn The words “for they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The following question (“Who hears?”) is spoken by the psalmist’s enemies, who are confident that no one else can hear their threats against the psalmist. They are aggressive because they feel the psalmist is vulnerable and has no one to help him.
Psalm 59:8 sn Laugh in disgust. See Pss 2:4; 37:13.
Psalm 59:8 tn Or “scoff at”; or “deride”; or “mock” (see Ps 2:4).
Psalm 59:9 tc Heb “his strength, for you I will watch.” “His strength” should be emended to “my strength” (see v. 17). Some also emend אֶשְׁמֹרָה (ʾeshmorah, “I will watch”) to אֱזַמֵּרָה (ʾezammerah, “I will sing praises [to you]”) See v. 17.
Psalm 59:9 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
Psalm 59:10 tn Heb “the God of my [Qere (marginal reading); the Kethib (consonantal text) has “his”] loyal love will meet me.”
Psalm 59:10 tn Heb “will cause me to look upon.”
Psalm 59:10 tn Heb “those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 56:2.
Psalm 59:11 tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”sn My people might forget the lesson. Swift, sudden destruction might be quickly forgotten. The psalmist wants God’s judgment to be prolonged so that it might be a continual reminder of divine justice.
Psalm 59:11 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
Psalm 59:12 tn Heb “the sin of their mouth [is] the word of their lips.”
Psalm 59:14 tn Or “howl”; or “bark.”
Psalm 59:14 tn Heb “go around.”
Psalm 59:15 tn Heb “if they are not full, they stay through the night.”
Psalm 59:16 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
Psalm 59:16 tn Heb “and my shelter in the day of my distress.”
Psalm 59:17 tn Heb “my strength, to you I will sing praises.”
Psalm 59:17 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
Psalm 59:17 tn Heb “the God of my loyal love.”

2 Kings 9:30-37

³⁰Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner,^[a] fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window. ³¹When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?”^[b] ³²He looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three^[c] eunuchs looked down at him. ³³He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground,^[d] her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her.^[e] ³⁴He went inside and had a meal.^[f] Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.”^[g] ³⁵But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but^[h] the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. ³⁶So they went back and told him. Then he said, “It is the fulfillment of the Lord’s message^[i] that he had spoken through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. ³⁷Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.’”^[j]

Luke 9:37-43

Healing a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

³⁷Now on^[a] the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸Then^[b] a man from the crowd cried out,^[c] “Teacher, I beg you to look at^[d] my son—he is my only child! ³⁹A^[e] spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams;^[f] it throws him into convulsions^[g] and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing^[h] him severely. ⁴⁰I^[i] begged^[j] your disciples to cast it out, but^[k] they could not do so.”^[l] ⁴¹Jesus answered,^[m] “You^[n] unbelieving^[o] and perverse generation! How much longer^[p] must I be with you and endure^[q] you?^[r] Bring your son here.” ⁴²As^[s] the boy^[t] was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground^[u] and shook him with convulsions.^[v] But Jesus rebuked^[w] the unclean^[x] spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ⁴³Then^[y] they were all astonished at the mighty power^[z] of God.

Another Prediction of Jesus’ Suffering

But while the entire crowd^[aa] was amazed at everything Jesus^[ab] was doing, he said to his disciples,

Footnotes

Luke 9:37 tn Grk “Now it happened that on.” 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.
Luke 9:38 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the somewhat unexpected appearance of the man. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Luke 9:38 tn Grk “cried out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Luke 9:38 tn This verb means “to have regard for”; see Luke 1:48.
Luke 9:39 tn Grk “and behold, a.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here; instead a new sentence was started in the translation. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Luke 9:39 tn The Greek here is slightly ambiguous; the subject of the verb “screams” could be either the son or the spirit.
Luke 9:39 sn The reaction is like an epileptic fit (see L&N 14.27). See the parallel in Matt 17:14-20.
Luke 9:39 tn Or “bruising,” or “crushing.” This verb appears to allude to the damage caused when it throws him to the ground. According to L&N 19.46 it is difficult to know from this verb precisely what the symptoms caused by the demon were, but it is clear they must have involved severe pain. The multiple details given in the account show how gruesome the condition of the boy was.
Luke 9:40 tn Grk “And I.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here; instead a new sentence was started in the translation.
Luke 9:40 sn Note the repetition of the verb from v. 38, an indication of the father’s desperation.
Luke 9:40 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
Luke 9:40 tn The words “do so” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity and stylistic reasons.
Luke 9:41 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Jesus answered.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Luke 9:41 tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (ō), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”
Luke 9:41 tn Or “faithless.”sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 20; Isa 59:8.
Luke 9:41 tn Grk “how long.”
Luke 9:41 tn Or “and put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.
Luke 9:41 sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.
Luke 9:42 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Luke 9:42 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the boy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 9:42 sn At this point the boy was thrown down in another convulsion by the demon. See L&N 23.168.
Luke 9:42 tn See L&N 23.167-68, where the second verb συσπαράσσω (susparassō) is taken to mean the violent shaking associated with the convulsions, thus the translation here “and shook him with convulsions.”
Luke 9:42 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
Luke 9:42 sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.
Luke 9:43 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the response at the conclusion of the account.
Luke 9:43 sn The revelation of the mighty power of God was the manifestation of God’s power shown through Jesus. See Acts 10:38.
Luke 9:43 tn Grk “all”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 9:43 tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C W Θ Ψ 0115 ƒ¹³ 33 892 M al), actually supply ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς (ho Iēsous, “Jesus”) here. Since the earliest and best witnesses, along with many others (P⁷⁵ א B D L Ξ ƒ¹ 579 700 1241 2542 lat), lack the name, and since scribes were unlikely to intentionally omit it, the shorter reading is preferred as the reading of the initial text.tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some mss have done the same.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 59[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;[b] a prayer[c] of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.[d]

Footnotes

Footnotes

Healing a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

Another Prediction of Jesus’ Suffering

Footnotes

Psalm 59^[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.^[d]