◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 28 (Shepherd your people forever); Jeremiah 31:10-14 (God will shepherd the people); John 5:19-40 (The judgment of the Son) (New English Translation)

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November 29, 2023

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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 28

Psalm 28^[a]

By David.

28 To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My Protector,^[b] do not ignore me.^[c]
If you do not respond to me,^[d]
I will join^[e] those who are descending into the grave.^[f]
²Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands^[g] toward your holy temple.^[h]
³Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly,^[i]
who talk so friendly to their neighbors,^[j]
while they plan to harm them.^[k]
⁴Pay them back for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for what they do.
Punish them.^[l]
⁵For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice.^[m]
The Lord^[n] will permanently demolish them.^[o]
⁶The Lord deserves praise,^[p]
for he has heard my plea for mercy.^[q]
⁷The Lord strengthens and protects me;^[r]
I trust in him with all my heart.^[s]
I am rescued^[t] and my heart is full of joy;^[u]
I will sing to him in gratitude.^[v]
⁸The Lord strengthens his people;^[w]
he protects and delivers his chosen king.^[x]
⁹Deliver your people.
Empower^[y] the nation that belongs to you.^[z]
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms^[aa] at all times!^[ab]

Footnotes

Psalm 28:1 sn Psalm 28. The author looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.
Psalm 28:1 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.
Psalm 28:1 tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”
Psalm 28:1 tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”
Psalm 28:1 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
Psalm 28:1 tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
Psalm 28:2 sn I lift my hands. Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.
Psalm 28:2 tn The Hebrew term דְּבִיר (d^evir, “temple”) actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary.
Psalm 28:3 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
Psalm 28:3 tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
Psalm 28:3 tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”
Psalm 28:4 tn Heb “Give to them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds. According to the work of their hands give to them. Return their due to them.” The highly repetitive style reflects the psalmist’s agitated emotional state and draws attention to his yearning for justice.
Psalm 28:5 tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the Lord’s actions” and “the work of his hands” probably refer to the way he carries out justice by vindicating the godly and punishing the wicked. (Note the final line of the verse, which refers to divine judgment. See also Ps 92:4-7.) Evil men do not “understand” God’s just ways; they fail to realize he will protect the innocent. Consequently they seek to harm the godly, as if they believe they will never be held accountable for their actions.
Psalm 28:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord, who is referred to in the two immediately preceding lines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Psalm 28:5 tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.
Psalm 28:6 tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”
Psalm 28:6 sn He has heard my plea for mercy. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes at this point, because the Lord responded positively to his petition and assured him that he would deliver him.
Psalm 28:7 tn Heb “The Lord [is] my strength and my shield.”
Psalm 28:7 tn Heb “in him my heart trusts.”
Psalm 28:7 tn Or “I am helped.”
Psalm 28:7 tn Heb “and my heart exults.”
Psalm 28:7 tn Heb “and from my song I will thank him.” As pointed in the Hebrew text, מִשִּׁירִי (mishiri) appears to be “from my song,” but the preposition “from” never occurs elsewhere with the verb “to thank” (Hiphil of יָדָה, yadah). Perhaps משׁיר is a noun form meaning “song.” If so, it can be taken as an adverbial accusative, “and [with] my song I will thank him.” See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 236.
Psalm 28:8 tn Heb “the Lord [is] strength to them” (or perhaps, “to him”). The form לָמוֹ (lamo, “to them/him”) probably needs to be emended to לְעַמּוֹ (l^eʿammo, “to his people”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 236), perhaps due to quiescence of the letter ʿayin (ע; see P. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 55). Note the reference to the Lord’s “people” in the next verse. Also, a few Hebrew mss, the LXX, and Syriac support לְעַמּוֹ (l^eʿammo, “to his people”).
Psalm 28:8 tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.
Psalm 28:9 tn Or “bless.”
Psalm 28:9 tn Heb “your inheritance.” The parallelism (note “your people”) indicates that Israel is in view.
Psalm 28:9 tn Heb “shepherd them and lift them up.”sn The shepherd metaphor is sometimes associated with royal responsibility. See 2 Sam 5:2; 7:7; Mic 5:2-4).
Psalm 28:9 tn Or “forever.”

Jeremiah 31:10-14

¹⁰Listen to the Lord’s message, O nations.

Proclaim it in the faraway lands along the sea.
Say, “The one who scattered Israel will regather them.
He will watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock.”
¹¹For the Lord will rescue the descendants of Jacob.
He will secure their release^[a] from those who had overpowered them.^[b]
¹²They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion.
They will be radiant with joy^[c] over the good things the Lord provides,
the grain, the fresh wine, the olive oil,
the young sheep, and the calves he has given to them.
They will be like a well-watered garden
and will not grow faint or weary any more.
¹³The Lord says,^[d] “At that time young women will dance and be glad.
Young men and old men will rejoice.^[e]
I will turn their grief into gladness.
I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow.
¹⁴I will provide the priests with abundant provisions.^[f]
My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide.”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 31:11 sn Two rather theologically significant metaphors are used in this verse. The Hebrew word translated “rescue” occurs in the legal sphere for paying a redemption price to secure the freedom of a person or thing (see, e.g., Exod 13:13, 15). It is used metaphorically and theologically to refer to Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage (Deut 15:15; Mic 6:4) and Babylonian exile (Isa 35:10). The word translated “secure…release” occurred in the sphere of family responsibility when a person paid the price to free an indentured relative (Lev 25:48, 49) or restore a relative’s property seized to pay a debt (Lev 25:25, 33). This word, too, could describe metaphorically and theologically Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage (Exod 6:6) or Babylonian exile (Isa 43:1-4; 44:22). These words are traditionally translated “ransom” and “redeem” and are a part of traditional Jewish and Christian vocabulary for physical and spiritual deliverance.
Jeremiah 31:11 tn Heb “from the hand/power of the one too strong for him.”
Jeremiah 31:12 tn Reading a Qal perfect from the root II נָהַר (nahar; so KBL 509 s.v., and HALOT 639 s.v.) rather than I נָהַר (so BDB 625 s.v.).
Jeremiah 31:13 tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.” This phrase has been brought up to the beginning of v. 13 from the end of v. 14 to introduce the transition from third person description by Jeremiah to first person address by the Lord.
Jeremiah 31:13 tc The translation follows the reading of the LXX (Greek version). The Hebrew reads, “will dance and be glad, young men and old men together.” The Greek version presupposes a Qal imperfect of a rare verb (יַחְדּוּ [yakhdu] from the verb חָדָה [khadah]; see BDB 292 s.v. II חָדָה Qal), as opposed to the Hebrew text, which reads a common adverb יַחְדָּו (yakhdav). The consonantal text is the same, but the vocalization is different. There are no other examples of the syntax of the adverb used this way (i.e., of a compound subject added to a third subject), and the vocalization of the Hebrew text can be explained on the basis of a scribe misvocalizing the text based on his greater familiarity with the adverb.
Jeremiah 31:14 tn Heb “I will satiate the priests with fat.” However, the word translated “fat” refers literally to the fat ashes of the sacrifices (see Lev 1:16; 4:2 and cf. BDB 206 s.v. דֶּשֶׁן 2). The word is used more abstractly for “abundance” or “rich food” (see Job 36:16 and BDB 206 s.v. דֶּשֶׁן 1). The people and the priests were prohibited from eating the fat (Lev 7:23-24).

John 5:19-40

¹⁹So Jesus answered them,^[a] “I tell you the solemn truth,^[b] the Son can do nothing on his own initiative,^[c] but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father^[d] does, the Son does likewise.^[e] ²⁰For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does, and will show him greater deeds than these, so that you will be amazed. ²¹For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,^[f] so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.^[g] ²²Furthermore, the Father does not judge^[h] anyone, but has assigned^[i] all judgment to the Son, ²³so that all people^[j] will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

²⁴“I tell you the solemn truth,^[k] the one who hears^[l] my message^[m] and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned,^[n] but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵I tell you the solemn truth,^[o] a time^[p] is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, ²⁷and he has granted the Son^[q] authority to execute judgment,^[r] because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸“Do not be amazed at this, because a time^[s] is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹and will come out—the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation.^[t] ³⁰I can do nothing on my own initiative.^[u] Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just,^[v] because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.^[w]

More Testimony About Jesus

³¹“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. ³²There is another^[x] who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. ³³You have sent to John,^[y] and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴(I do not accept^[z] human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) ³⁵He was a lamp that was burning and shining,^[aa] and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time^[ab] in his light.

³⁶“But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds^[ac] that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds^[ad] I am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me. ³⁷And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people^[ae] have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time,^[af] ³⁸nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. ³⁹You study the scriptures thoroughly^[ag] because you think in them you possess eternal life,^[ah] and it is these same scriptures^[ai] that testify about me, ⁴⁰but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

Footnotes

John 5:19 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
John 5:19 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
John 5:19 tn Grk “nothing from himself.”
John 5:19 tn Grk “that one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 5:19 sn What works does the Son do likewise? The same that the Father does—and the same that the rabbis recognized as legitimate works of God on the Sabbath (see note on working in v. 17). (1) Jesus grants life (just as the Father grants life) on the Sabbath. But as the Father gives physical life on the Sabbath, so the Son grants spiritual life (John 5:21; note the “greater things” mentioned in v. 20). (2) Jesus judges (determines the destiny of people) on the Sabbath, just as the Father judges those who die on the Sabbath, because the Father has granted authority to the Son to judge (John 5:22-23). But this is not all. Not only has this power been granted to Jesus in the present; it will be his in the future as well. In v. 28 there is a reference not to spiritually dead (only) but also physically dead. At their resurrection they respond to the Son as well.
John 5:21 tn Grk “and makes them live.”
John 5:21 tn Grk “the Son makes whomever he wants to live.”
John 5:22 tn Or “condemn.”
John 5:22 tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”
John 5:23 tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).
John 5:24 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
John 5:24 tn Or “obeys.”
John 5:24 tn Or “word.”
John 5:24 tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”
John 5:25 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
John 5:25 tn Grk “an hour.”
John 5:27 tn Grk “him.”
John 5:27 tn Grk “authority to judge.”
John 5:28 tn Grk “an hour.”
John 5:29 tn Or “a resurrection resulting in judgment.”
John 5:30 tn Grk “nothing from myself.”
John 5:30 tn Or “righteous,” or “proper.”
John 5:30 tn That is, “the will of the Father who sent me.”
John 5:32 sn To whom does another refer? To John the Baptist or to the Father? In the nearer context, v. 33, it would seem to be John the Baptist. But v. 34 seems to indicate that Jesus does not receive testimony from men. Probably it is better to view v. 32 as identical to v. 37, with the comments about the Baptist as a parenthetical digression.
John 5:33 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
John 5:34 tn Or “I do not receive.”
John 5:35 sn He was a lamp that was burning and shining. Sir 48:1 states that the word of Elijah “burned like a torch.” Because of the connection of John the Baptist with Elijah (see John 1:21 and the note on John’s reply, “I am not”), it was natural for Jesus to apply this description to John.
John 5:35 tn Grk “for an hour.”
John 5:36 tn Or “works.”
John 5:36 tn Grk “complete, which I am now doing”; the referent of the relative pronoun has been specified by repeating “deeds” from the previous clause.
John 5:37 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to clarify that the following verbs (“heard,” “seen,” “have residing,” “do not believe”) are second person plural.
John 5:37 sn You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time. Cf. Deut 4:12. Also see Deut 5:24 ff., where the Israelites begged to hear the voice no longer—their request (ironically) has by this time been granted. How ironic this would be if the feast is Pentecost, where by the 1st century a.d. the giving of the law at Sinai was being celebrated.
John 5:39 tn Or “Study the scriptures thoroughly” (an imperative). For the meaning of the verb see G. Delling, TDNT 2:655-57.
John 5:39 sn In them you possess eternal life. Note the following examples from the rabbinic tractate Pirqe Avot (“The Sayings of the Fathers”): Pirqe Avot 2:8, “He who has acquired the words of the law has acquired for himself the life of the world to come”; Pirqe Avot 6:7, “Great is the law for it gives to those who practice it life in this world and in the world to come.”
John 5:39 tn The words “same scriptures” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the referent (“these”).

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 28[a]

By David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

More Testimony About Jesus

Footnotes

Psalm 28^[a]