◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 35:1-10 (God is our salvation); Numbers 22:22-28 (An angel speaks God’s word to Balaam); 1 Corinthians 7:32-40 (Paul on marriage) (New English Translation)

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January 30, 2024

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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 35:1-10

Psalm 35^[a]

By David.

35 O Lord, fight^[b] those who fight with me.
Attack those who attack me.
²Grab your small shield and large shield,^[c]
and rise up to help me.
³Use your spear and lance^[d] against^[e] those who chase me.
Assure me with these words:^[f] “I am your deliverer.”
⁴May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated.
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed.^[g]
⁵May they be^[h] like wind-driven chaff,
as the angel of the Lord^[i] attacks them.^[j]
⁶May their path be^[k] dark and slippery,
as the angel of the Lord chases them.
⁷I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me
and dug a pit to trap me.^[l]
⁸Let destruction take them by surprise.^[m]
Let the net they hid catch them.
Let them fall into destruction.^[n]
⁹Then I will rejoice in the Lord
and be happy because of his deliverance.^[o]
¹⁰With all my strength I will say,^[p]
“O Lord, who can compare to you?
You rescue^[q] the oppressed from those who try to overpower them,^[r]
the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.”^[s]

Footnotes

Psalm 35:1 sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.
Psalm 35:1 tn Or “contend.”
Psalm 35:2 tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.
Psalm 35:3 tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.
Psalm 35:3 tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
Psalm 35:3 tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
Psalm 35:4 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
Psalm 35:5 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
Psalm 35:5 sn See the mention of the angel of the Lord in Ps 34:7.
Psalm 35:5 tn Heb “as the angel of the Lord pushes [them].”
Psalm 35:6 tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
Psalm 35:7 tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).
Psalm 35:8 tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.
Psalm 35:8 tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
Psalm 35:9 tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and be happy in his deliverance.”
Psalm 35:10 tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
Psalm 35:10 tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
Psalm 35:10 tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.
Psalm 35:10 tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.

Numbers 22:22-28

God Opposes Balaam

²²Then God’s anger was kindled^[a] because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose^[b] him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. ²³And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with^[c] his sword drawn in his hand, so the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. But Balaam beat the donkey, to make her turn back to the road.

²⁴Then the angel of the Lord stood in a path^[d] among the vineyards, where there was a wall on either side.^[e] ²⁵And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself into the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he beat her again.^[f]

²⁶Then the angel of the Lord went farther, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. ²⁷When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. Then Balaam was angry, and he beat his donkey with a staff.

²⁸Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”

1 Corinthians 7:32-40

³²And I want you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. ³³But a married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife, ³⁴and he is divided. An unmarried woman^[a] or a virgin^[b] is concerned about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband. ³⁵I am saying this for your benefit, not to place a limitation on you, but so that without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord.

³⁶If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin,^[c] if she is past the bloom of youth^[d] and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry. ³⁷But the man who is firm in his commitment, and is under no necessity but has control over his will, and has decided in his own mind to keep his own virgin, does well. ³⁸So then, the one who marries^[e] his own virgin does well, but the one who does not, does better.^[f]

³⁹A wife is bound as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies,^[g] she is free to marry anyone she wishes (only someone in the Lord). ⁴⁰But in my opinion, she will be happier if she remains as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God!

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 7:34 sn In context the unmarried woman would probably refer specifically to a widow, who was no longer married, as opposed to the virgin, who had never been married.
1 Corinthians 7:34 tc There are three viable variant readings at this point in the text. (1) The reading ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄγαμος καὶ ἡ παρθένος (hē gunē hē agamos kai hē parthenos, “the unmarried woman and the virgin”) is represented by ancient and important mss, as well as some significant versions (P¹⁵ B 104 365 1505 vg co). (2) The reading ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄγαμος καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἡ ἄγαμος (“the unmarried woman and the unmarried virgin”) is also found in ancient and important mss (P⁴⁶ א A 33 1739 1881). (3) The reading ἡ γυνὴ καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἡ ἄγαμος (“the woman and the unmarried virgin”) is found in Western mss (D F G) and the majority of Byzantine cursives. Based upon external evidence, the first and second readings are the strongest; the readings both reach deep into the second century with strong testimony from mss of the Alexandrian group of witnesses. Internal evidence seems equally balanced: Scribes may have wanted to add ἡ ἄγαμος to παρθένος for stylistic reasons, but they might also have wanted to remove it because it sounded redundant. Because Paul’s meaning is not quite clear, a decision on the proper textual reading is difficult. On the whole scribes tended to add to the text, not take from it. Thus the first reading should be favored as earlier, but this decision should be regarded as less than certain.tn Grk “The unmarried woman and the virgin.” The identity of the “virgin” here is a matter of interpretation (see note on “people who have never married” in v. 25 for discussion), which has in fact contributed to textual variation at this point in the text (see the text critical note above). As far as the translation is concerned, one must determine if one group of women or two are in view. It is possible that Paul means to refer to only one class of women here, namely unmarried virgins, but the use of the adjective ἡ ἄγαμος (hē agamos, “unmarried”) with “woman” and not “virgin” precludes that interpretation; in addition, the use of the article with both “woman” and “virgin” implies that two distinct groups are in view. If two groups are in view, English would more naturally use the conjunction “or” to indicate the distinction. Thus the translation “An unmarried woman or a virgin” has been used to make clear that two groups are in view.
1 Corinthians 7:36 tn Grk “virgin,” either a fiancée, a daughter, or the ward of a guardian. For discussion see the note at the end of v. 38.
1 Corinthians 7:36 tn Or referring to an engaged man: “if he is past the critical point,” “if his passions are too strong.” The word literally means “to be past the high point.”
1 Corinthians 7:38 tn Or “who gives his own virgin in marriage.”
1 Corinthians 7:38 sn 1 Cor 7:36-38. There are two common approaches to understanding the situation addressed in these verses. One view involves a father or male guardian deciding whether to give his daughter or female ward in marriage (cf. NASB, NIV margin). The evidence for this view is: (1) the phrase in v. 37 (Grk) “to keep his own virgin” fits this view well (“keep his own virgin [in his household]” rather than give her in marriage), but it does not fit the second view (there is little warrant for adding “her” in the way the second view translates it: “to keep her as a virgin”). (2) The verb used twice in v. 38 (γαμίζω, gamizō) normally means “to give in marriage” not “to get married.” The latter is usually expressed by γαμέω (gameō), as in v. 36b. (3) The father deciding what is best regarding his daughter’s marriage reflects the more likely cultural situation in ancient Corinth, though it does not fit modern Western customs. While Paul gives his advice in such a situation, he does not command that marriages be arranged in this way universally. If this view is taken, the translation will read as follows: “7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his unmarried daughter, if she is past the bloom of youth and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry. 7:37 But the man who is firm in his commitment, and is under no necessity but has control over his will, and has decided in his own mind to keep his daughter unmarried, does well. 7:38 So then the one who gives his daughter in marriage does well, but the one who does not give her does better.” The other view is taken by NRSV, NIV text, NJB, REB: a single man deciding whether to marry the woman to whom he is engaged. The evidence for this view is: (1) it seems odd to use the word “virgin” (vv. 36, 37, 38) if “daughter” or “ward” is intended. (2) The other view requires some difficult shifting of subjects in v. 36, whereas this view manages a more consistent subject for the various verbs used. (3) The phrases in these verses are used consistently elsewhere in this chapter to describe considerations appropriate to the engaged couple themselves (cf. vv. 9, 28, 39). It seems odd not to change the phrasing in speaking about a father or guardian. If this second view is taken, the translation will read as follows: “7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his fiancée, if his passions are too strong and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry. 7:37 But the man who is firm in his commitment, and is under no necessity but has control over his will, and has decided in his own mind to keep her as his fiancée, does well. 7:38 So then, the one who marries his fiancée does well, but the one who does not marry her does better.”
1 Corinthians 7:39 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 35[a]

By David.

Footnotes

God Opposes Balaam

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 35^[a]