◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Ezekiel 34:11-16 20-24 (God will shepherd Israel); Psalm 100 (We are the people of God’s pasture); Ephesians 1:15-23 (The reign of Christ); Matthew 25:31-46 (The separation of sheep and goats) (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

Ezekiel 34:11-16

¹¹“‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out. ¹²As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy, dark day.^[a] ¹³I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from foreign countries; I will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and all the inhabited places of the land. ¹⁴In a good pasture I will feed them; the mountain heights of Israel will be their pasture. There they will lie down in a lush^[b] pasture, and they will feed on rich grass on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured and strengthen the sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them—with judgment!

Ezekiel 34:20-24

²⁰“‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: Look, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹Because you push with your side and your shoulder, and thrust your horns at all the weak sheep until you scatter them abroad,^[a] ²²I will save my sheep; they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.

²³“‘I will set one shepherd over them, and he will feed them—namely, my servant David.^[b] He will feed them and will be their shepherd. ²⁴I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be prince^[c] among them; I, the Lord, have spoken!

Psalm 100

Psalm 100^[a]

A thanksgiving psalm.

100 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!
²Worship^[b] the Lord with joy.
Enter his presence with joyful singing.
³Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us and we belong to him,^[c]
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give him thanks.
Praise his name.
⁵For the Lord is good.
His loyal love endures,^[d]
and he is faithful through all generations.^[e]

Ephesians 1:15-23

Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation

¹⁵For this reason,^[a] because I^[b] have heard^[c] of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love^[d] for all the saints, ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you^[e] in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that^[f] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,^[g] will give you spiritual wisdom and revelation^[h] in your growing knowledge of him,^[i] ¹⁸—since the eyes of your^[j] heart have been enlightened^[k]—so that you can know what is the hope of his calling,^[l] what is the wealth of his glorious^[m] inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and what is the incomparable^[n] greatness of his power toward^[o] us who believe, as displayed in^[p] the exercise of his immense strength.^[q] ²⁰This power^[r] he exercised^[s] in Christ when he raised him^[t] from the dead and seated him^[u] at his right hand in the heavenly realms^[v] ²¹far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²²And God^[w] put^[x] all things under Christ’s^[y] feet,^[z] and gave him to the church as head over all things.^[aa] ²³Now the church is^[ab] his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.^[ac]

Footnotes

Ephesians 1:15 sn The conjunctive phrase For this reason points back to the preceding section, vv. 3-14, which is also summed up in this verse in the expression because I have heard of your faith. In other words, the author’s prayer can be made for his audience because he knows that they are true believers.
Ephesians 1:15 tn Grk “even I.”
Ephesians 1:15 tn Grk “having also heard.”
Ephesians 1:15 tc P⁴⁶ א* A B P 33 1739 1881 2464 Hier lack “your love” (τὴν ἀγάπην, tēn agapēn), while various other groups of mss have different arrangements of the phrase “your love toward all the saints” (τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους, tēn agapēn tēn eis pantas tous hagious). Most witnesses, especially the later ones (א² D¹ Ψ 1241 1505 M latt sa), read τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους. Externally, the shorter reading is superior. Internally, the omission of τὴν ἀγάπην is a significantly harder reading, for the saints become an object of faith on par with the Lord Jesus. If this reading is authentic, however, the force of πίστις (pistis) is probably closer to “faithfulness,” a meaning that could perhaps be suitable toward both the Lord and the saints. Nevertheless, if the shorter reading is authentic, later scribes would no doubt have been tempted to alter it. With the parallel in Col 1:4 at hand, τὴν ἀγάπην would have been the most obvious phrase to add. (Metzger TCGNT 533 suggests that ἣν ἔχετε would have been added instead of the second τήν if the shorter reading were original, in conformity with Col 1:4, but this is not necessarily so: Scribes often altered the text as minimally as possible, and since the second τήν was already present, replacing it with ἣν ἔχετε, when the meaning was not significantly different from the second τήν, seems unlikely.) Further, ἀγάπην comes after “saints” (thus, τὴν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους ἀγάπην) in some witnesses (81 104 326 365 1175), and the second τήν is lacking (thus, τὴν ἀγάπην εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους) in others (D* F G). Such a floating text normally indicates inauthenticity (in this case, for ἀγάπην). On the other hand, τὴν ἀγάπην could easily have dropped out of the text by way of haplography, the Alexandrian scribes’ eyes skipping from τήν to τήν. The weak first declension feminine article-noun-article construction is common enough in the NT, occurring over 40 times, yet in four of these texts there is some ms evidence for an omission similar to Eph 1:15 (Rom 11:17; 2 Tim 3:10; Rev 11:2; 21:9). But in none of these places is the Alexandrian testimony united in the omission as it is here. Further, a wholesale Alexandrian omission of τὴν ἀγάπην presupposes a much stronger genealogical relation among the Alexandrian mss than many scholars would embrace. What seems to tip the scales in favor of the longer reading, however, is the intrinsic evidence: The question of whether πίστις could be used to mean faithfulness in the general sense toward both the Lord and the saints is quite problematic. All in all, a decision is difficult, but the longer reading is, with hesitation, preferred.
Ephesians 1:16 tn Grk “making mention [of you].” The participle has been translated as temporal.
Ephesians 1:17 tn The words “I pray” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to clarify the meaning; v. 17 is a subordinate clause to v. 16 (“I pray” in v. 17 is implied from v. 16). Eph 1:15-23 constitutes one sentence in Greek, but a new sentence was started here in the translation in light of contemporary English usage.
Ephesians 1:17 tn Grk “the Father of glory.” The genitive phrase “of glory” is most likely an attributive genitive (“the glorious Father”).
Ephesians 1:17 tn Or “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,” or “a spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Verse 17 involves a complex exegetical problem revolving around the Greek term πνεῦμα (pneuma). Some take it to mean “the Spirit,” others “a spirit,” and still others “spiritual.” (1) If “the Spirit” is meant, the idea must be a metonymy of cause (the Spirit) for effect (the spiritual wisdom the Spirit provides), because the author had just indicated in vv. 13-14 that the Spirit was already given (hence, there is no need for him to pray that the Spirit be given again). But the effect the Spirit produces is wisdom and revelation. (2) If “a spirit” is meant, the idea may be that the readers will have the ability to gain wisdom and insight as they read Paul’s letters, but the exact meaning of “a spirit” remains ambiguous. (3) To take the genitives following πνεῦμα as attributed genitives (see ExSyn 89-91), in which the head noun (“S/spirit”) functions semantically like an adjective (“spiritual”) is both grammatically probable and exegetically consistent.
Ephesians 1:17 tn Grk “in the knowledge of him.”sn The point of the knowledge of him has nothing to do with what God knows, but with what believers are to know (hence, “your…knowledge”). Further, the author’s prayer is that this knowledge of God would increase, not simply be initiated, since he is writing to believers who already know God (hence, “your growing knowledge of him”).
Ephesians 1:18 tc ‡ Most witnesses, especially of the Byzantine and Western textual families, though with a few significant Alexandrian witnesses (א A D F G Ψ 0278 M latt sy), add ὑμῶν (humōn, “your”) after καρδίας (kardias, “heart”), though it is clearly implied in the shorter (Alexandrian) reading (found in P⁴⁶ B 6 33 1175 1739 1881). The longer reading thus looks to be a clarifying gloss, as is frequently found in the Byzantine and Western traditions. The translation above has “your” because of English requirements, not because of textual basis.tn Grk “the.”
Ephesians 1:18 tn The perfect participle πεφωτισμένους (pephōtismenous) may be either part of the content of the prayer (“that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”) or part of the basis of the prayer (“since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened”). Although the participle follows the ἵνα (hina) of v. 17, it is awkward grammatically in the clause. Further, perfect adverbial participles are usually causal in NT Greek. Finally, the context both here and throughout Ephesians seems to emphasize the motif of light as a property belonging to believers. Thus, it seems that the author is saying, “I know that you are saved, that you have had the blinders of the devil removed; because of this, I can now pray that you will fully understand and see the light of God’s glorious revelation.” Hence, the translation takes the participle to form a part of the basis for the prayer.
Ephesians 1:18 tn Or “the hope to which he has called you.”sn The hope of his calling. The translation is more formally equivalent for this and the following two phrases, because of the apparently intentional literary force of the original. There is a natural cadence to the three genitive expressions (hope of his calling, wealth of his glorious inheritance, and extraordinary greatness of his power). The essence of the prayer is seen here. Paraphrased it reads as follows: “Since you are enlightened by God’s Spirit, I pray that you may comprehend the hope to which he has called you, the spiritual riches that await the saints in glory, and the spiritual power that is available to the saints now.” Thus, the prayer focuses on all three temporal aspects of our salvation as these are embedded in the genitives—the past (calling), the future (inheritance), and the present (power toward us who believe).
Ephesians 1:18 tn Grk “of the glory of his inheritance.” Here “inheritance” is taken as an attributed genitive and the head noun, “glory,” is thus translated as an adjective, “glorious inheritance.”
Ephesians 1:19 tn Or “immeasurable,” or “surpassing.”
Ephesians 1:19 tn Or “for,” or “to.”
Ephesians 1:19 tn Grk “according to.”
Ephesians 1:19 tn Grk “according to the exercise of the might of his strength.”sn What has been translated as exercise is a term used only of supernatural power in the NT, ἐνέργεια (energeia).
Ephesians 1:20 tn Grk “which” (v. 20 is a subordinate clause to v. 19).
Ephesians 1:20 tn The verb “exercised” (the aorist of ἐνεργέω, energeō) has its nominal cognate in “exercise” in v. 19 (ἐνέργεια, energeia).
Ephesians 1:20 tn Or “This power he exercised in Christ by raising him”; Grk “raising him.” The adverbial participle ἐγείρας (egeiras) could be understood as temporal (“when he raised [him]”), which would be contemporaneous to the action of the finite verb “he exercised” earlier in the verse, or as means (“by raising [him]”). The participle has been translated here with the temporal nuance to allow for means to also be a possible interpretation. If the translation focused instead upon means, the temporal nuance would be lost as the time frame for the action of the participle would become indistinct.
Ephesians 1:20 tc The majority of mss, especially of the Western and Byzantine groups (D F G Ψ 1241 M b r Ambst), have the indicative ἐκάθισεν (ekathisen, “he seated”) for καθίσας (kathisas, “when he seated, by seating”). The indicative is thus coordinate with ἐνήργησεν (enērgēsen, “he exercised”) and provides an additional statement to “he exercised his power.” The participle (found in P^92vid א A B 0278 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 2464 al), on the other hand, is coordinate with ἐγείρας (egeiras) and as such provides evidence of God’s power: He exercised his power by raising Christ from the dead and by seating him at his right hand. As intriguing as the indicative reading is, it is most likely an intentional alteration of the original wording. It may have been theologically motivated for it implicitly seems to restrict the exercise of God’s power to the resurrection.
Ephesians 1:20 sn Eph 1:19-20. The point made in these verses is that the power required to live a life pleasing to God is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. For a similar thought, cf. John 15:1-11.
Ephesians 1:22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Ephesians 1:22 tn Grk “subjected.”
Ephesians 1:22 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Ephesians 1:22 sn An allusion to Ps 8:6.
Ephesians 1:22 tn Grk “and gave him as head over all things to the church.”
Ephesians 1:23 tn Grk “which is.” The antecedent of “which” is easily lost in English, though in Greek it is quite clear. In the translation “church” is repeated to clarify the referent.
Ephesians 1:23 tn Or perhaps, “who is filled entirely.”sn The idea of all in all is either related to the universe (hence, he fills the whole universe entirely) or the church universal (hence, Christ fills the church entirely with his presence and power).

Matthew 25:31-46

The Judgment

³¹“When^[a] the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³²All^[b] the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He^[c] will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him,^[d] ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When^[e] did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹When^[f] did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰And the king will answer them,^[g] ‘I tell you the truth,^[h] just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters^[i] of mine, you did it for me.’

⁴¹“Then he will say^[j] to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴Then they too will answer,^[k] ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them,^[l] ‘I tell you the truth,^[m] just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ ⁴⁶And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”^[n]

Footnotes

Matthew 25:31 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:32 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:33 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:37 tn Grk “answer him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Matthew 25:38 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:39 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:40 tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
Matthew 25:40 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
Matthew 25:40 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.
Matthew 25:41 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:44 tn Grk “Then they will answer, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Matthew 25:45 tn Grk “answer them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Matthew 25:45 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
Matthew 25:46 sn Here the ultimate destination of the righteous is eternal life. In several places Matthew uses “life” or “eternal life” in proximity with “the kingdom of heaven” or merely “the kingdom,” suggesting a close relationship between the two concepts (compare Matt 25:34 with v. 46; Matt 19:16, 17, 29 with vv. 23, 24). Matthew consistently portrays “eternal life” as something a person enters in the world to come, whereas the Gospel of John sees “eternal life” as beginning in the present and continuing into the future (cf. John 5:24).

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 100[a]

A thanksgiving psalm.

Footnotes

Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation

Footnotes

The Judgment

Footnotes

Psalm 100^[a]