◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Jeremiah 29:1 4-7 (Israel plants gardens in Babylon); Psalm 66:1-12 (God holds our souls in life); 2 Timothy 2:8-15 (We will live with Christ); Luke 17:11-19 (One leper gives thanks to God) (New English Translation)

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October 9, 2022

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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

Jeremiah 29:1

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

29 The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon. It was addressed to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the other people who were exiled in Babylon.^[a]

Jeremiah 29:4-7

⁴“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,^[a] says to all those he sent into exile^[b] to Babylon from Jerusalem, ⁵‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters to get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away. ⁷Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’

Psalm 66:1-12

Psalm 66^[a]

For the music director, a song, a psalm.

66 Shout out praise to God, all the earth!
²Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation.^[b]
Give him the honor he deserves!^[c]
³Say to God:
“How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power your enemies cower in fear^[d] before you.
⁴All the earth worships^[e] you
and sings praises to you.
They sing praises to your name.” (Selah)
⁵Come and witness^[f] God’s exploits!^[g]
His acts on behalf of people are awesome.^[h]
⁶He turned the sea into dry land;^[i]
they passed through the river on foot.^[j]
Let us rejoice in him there.^[k]
⁷He rules^[l] by his power forever;
he watches^[m] the nations.
Stubborn rebels should not exalt^[n] themselves. (Selah)
⁸Praise^[o] our God, you nations.
Loudly proclaim his praise.^[p]
⁹He preserves our lives^[q]
and does not allow our feet to slip.
¹⁰For^[r] you, O God, tested us;
you purified us like refined silver.
¹¹You led us into a trap;^[s]
you caused us to suffer.^[t]
¹²You allowed men to ride over our heads;
we passed through fire and water,
but you brought us out into a wide open place.^[u]

Footnotes

Psalm 66:1 sn Psalm 66. The psalmist praises God because he has delivered his people from a crisis.
Psalm 66:2 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
Psalm 66:2 tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”
Psalm 66:3 tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 81:15 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24).
Psalm 66:4 tn Or “bows down to.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are taken (1) as imperfects expressing what is typical. Another option (2) is to interpret them as anticipatory (“all the earth will worship you”) or (3) take them as jussives, expressing a prayer or wish (“may all the earth worship you”).
Psalm 66:5 tn Or “see.”
Psalm 66:5 tn Or “acts” (see Ps 46:8).
Psalm 66:5 tn Heb “awesome [is] an act toward the sons of man.” It is unclear how the prepositional phrase relates to what precedes. If collocated with “act,” it may mean “on behalf of” or “toward.” If taken with “awesome” (see 1 Chr 16:25; Pss 89:7; 96:4; Zeph 2:11), one might translate “his awesome acts are beyond human comprehension” or “his awesome acts are superior to anything men can do.”
Psalm 66:6 sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).
Psalm 66:6 tn Because of the reference to “the river,” some understand this as an allusion to Israel’s crossing the Jordan River. However, the Hebrew term נָהָר (nahad) does not always refer to a “river” in the technical sense; it can be used of sea currents (see Jonah 2:4). So this line may also refer to the Red Sea crossing (cf. NEB).
Psalm 66:6 tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).
Psalm 66:7 tn Heb “[the] one who rules.”
Psalm 66:7 tn Heb “his eyes watch.” “Eyes” are an anthropomorphism, attributed to God here to emphasize his awareness of all that happens on earth.
Psalm 66:7 tn The verb form is jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ʾal). The Kethib (consonantal text) has a Hiphil form of the verb, apparently to be understood in an exhibitive sense (“demonstrate stubborn rebellion”; see BDB 927 s.v. רוּם Hiph), while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Qal form, to be understood in an intransitive sense. The preposition ל (lamed) with pronominal suffix should be understood in a reflexive sense (“for themselves”) and indicates that the action is performed with the interest of the subject in mind.
Psalm 66:8 tn Heb “bless,” in the sense of declaring “God to be the source of…special power” (see HALOT 160 s.v. II ברך pi).
Psalm 66:8 tn Heb “cause the voice of his praise to be heard.”
Psalm 66:9 tn Heb “the one who places our soul in life.”
Psalm 66:10 tn Or “indeed.”
Psalm 66:11 tn Heb “you brought us into a net.” This rare word for “net” also occurs in Ezek 12:13; 13:21; 17:20.
Psalm 66:11 tn Heb “you placed suffering on our hips.” The noun מוּעָקָה (muʿaqah, “suffering”) occurs only here in the OT.
Psalm 66:12 tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (r^evayah, “saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (r^evakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).

2 Timothy 2:8-15

⁸Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David;^[a] such is my gospel,^[b] ⁹for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment^[c] as a criminal, but God’s message^[d] is not imprisoned!^[e] ¹⁰So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God,^[f] that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.^[g] ¹¹This saying^[h] is trustworthy:^[i]

If we died with him, we will also live with him.
¹²If we endure, we will also reign with him.^[j]
If we deny^[k] him,^[l] he will also deny us.
¹³If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.^[m]

Dealing with False Teachers

¹⁴Remind people^[n] of these things and solemnly charge them^[o] before the Lord^[p] not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen.^[q] ¹⁵Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.^[r]

Footnotes

2 Timothy 2:8 tn Grk “of David’s seed” (an idiom for physical descent).
2 Timothy 2:8 tn Grk “according to my gospel.”
2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “chains,” “bonds.”
2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “word.”
2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “chained,” “bound.”
2 Timothy 2:10 tn Grk “the elect.”
2 Timothy 2:10 tn Grk “with eternal glory.”
2 Timothy 2:11 sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the following citation. See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase.
2 Timothy 2:11 sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
2 Timothy 2:12 tn Grk “died together…will live together…will reign together,” without “him” stated explicitly. But “him” is implied by the parallel ideas in Rom 6:8; 8:17 and by the reference to Christ in vv. 12b-13.
2 Timothy 2:12 tn Or “renounce,” “disown,” “repudiate.” It is important to note that the object of Christ’s denial is “us.” The text does not contain an implied object complement (“he will deny us [x]”), which would mean that Christ was withholding something from us (for example, “The owner denied his pets water”), since the verb ἀρνέομαι (arneomai) is not one of the category of verbs that normally occurs in these constructions (see ExSyn 182-89).
2 Timothy 2:12 tn Grk “if we renounce,” but the “him” is implied by the parallel clauses.
2 Timothy 2:13 sn If we are unfaithful…he cannot deny himself. This could be (1) a word of warning (The Lord will exact punishment; he cannot deny his holiness) or (2) a word of hope (Because of who he is, he remains faithful to us despite our lapses). The latter is more likely, since Paul consistently cites God’s faithfulness as a reassurance, not as a warning (cf. especially Rom 3:3; also 1 Cor 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thess 5:24; 2 Thess 3:3).
2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “remind of these things,” implying “them” or “people” as the object.
2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “solemnly charging.” The participle διαμαρτυρόμενος (diamarturomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
2 Timothy 2:14 tc ‡ Most witnesses (A D Ψ 048 1241 [1505] 1739 1881 M al sy SBL) have κυρίου (kuriou, “Lord”) instead of θεοῦ (theou, “God”) here, while a few have Χριστοῦ (Christou, “Christ”; 206 429 1758). θεοῦ, however, is well supported by א C F G I 614 629 630 1175 al. Internally, the Pastorals never elsewhere use the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου (enōpion kuriou, “before the Lord”), but consistently use ἐνώπιον θεοῦ (“before God”; cf. 1 Tim 2:3; 5:4, 21; 6:13; 2 Tim 4:1). But this fact could be argued both ways: The author’s style may be in view, or scribes may have adjusted the wording to conform it to the Pastorals’ otherwise universal expression. Further, only twice in the NT (Jas 4:10 [v.l. θεοῦ]; Rev 11:4 [v.l. θεοῦ]) does the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου occur. That such an expression is not found in the corpus Paulinum seems to be sufficient impetus for scribes to change the wording here. Thus, although the external evidence is somewhat on the side of θεοῦ, the internal evidence is on the side of κυρίου. A decision is difficult, but κυρίου is the preferred reading.
2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “[it is] beneficial for nothing, for the ruin of those who listen.”
2 Timothy 2:15 sn Accurately is a figure of speech that literally means something like “cutting a straight road.” In regard to the message of truth, it means “correctly handling” or “imparting it without deviation.”

Luke 17:11-19

The Grateful Leper

¹¹Now on^[a] the way to Jerusalem,^[b] Jesus^[c] was passing along^[d] between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As^[e] he was entering^[f] a village, ten men with leprosy^[g] met him. They^[h] stood at a distance, ¹³raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy^[i] on us.” ¹⁴When^[j] he saw them he said, “Go^[k] and show yourselves to the priests.”^[l] And^[m] as they went along, they were cleansed. ¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising^[n] God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He^[o] fell with his face to the ground^[p] at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.^[q] (Now^[r] he was a Samaritan.)^[s] ¹⁷Then^[t] Jesus said,^[u] “Were^[v] not ten cleansed? Where are the other^[w] nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?”^[x] ¹⁹Then^[y] he said to the man,^[z] “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.”^[aa]

Footnotes

Luke 17:11 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 17:11 sn This is another travel note about Jesus going to Jerusalem in Luke 9:51-19:48, the so-called “Jerusalem journey” section of Luke’s Gospel. It is not a straight line journey, because to travel along the Galilean and Samaritan border is to go east or west, not south to Jerusalem.
Luke 17:11 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 17:11 tn Or “was traveling about.”
Luke 17:12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 17:12 tn The participle εἰσερχομένου (eiserchomenou) is taken temporally.
Luke 17:12 sn The ten men with leprosy would have been unable to approach Jesus (Lev 13:45-46; Num 5:2-3). A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46). For more on the condition, see the note on lepers in Luke 4:27.
Luke 17:12 tn Grk “leprosy, who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun was replaced with a personal pronoun and a new sentence started at this point in the translation.
Luke 17:13 sn “Have mercy on us” is a request to heal them (Luke 18:38-39; 16:24; Matt 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 20:31-32; Mark 10:47-49).
Luke 17:14 tn Καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 17:14 tn The participle πορευθέντες (poreuthentes) is a good example of an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance. As such, it picks up the force of an imperative from the verb to which it is related (ExSyn 640-45).
Luke 17:14 sn These are the instructions of what to do with a healing (Lev 13:19; 14:1-11; Luke 5:14).
Luke 17:14 tn Grk “And 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.
Luke 17:15 tn Grk “glorifying God.”
Luke 17:16 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 17:16 tn Grk “he fell on his face” (an idiom for complete prostration).
Luke 17:16 sn And thanked him. This action recognized God’s healing work through Jesus.
Luke 17:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a parenthetical comment.
Luke 17:16 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The comment that the man was a Samaritan means that to most Jews of Jesus’ day he would have been despised as a half-breed and a heretic. The note adds a touch of irony to the account (v. 18).
Luke 17:17 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 17:17 tn Grk “Jesus answering said”; this is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
Luke 17:17 tn The Greek construction used here (οὐχί, ouchi) expects a positive reply.
Luke 17:17 tn The word “other” is implied in the context.
Luke 17:18 sn Jesus’ point in calling the man a foreigner is that none of the other nine, who were presumably Israelites, responded with gratitude. Only the “outsiders” were listening and responding.
Luke 17:19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 17:19 tn Grk “to him”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 17:19 tn Or “has delivered you”; Grk “has saved you.” The remark about faith suggests the benefit of trusting in Jesus’ ability to deliver. Apparently the Samaritan benefited from the healing in a way the other nine did not.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 66[a]

For the music director, a song, a psalm.

Footnotes

Dealing with False Teachers

Footnotes

The Grateful Leper

Footnotes

Psalm 66^[a]