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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 80

Psalm 80^[a]

For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style;^[b] a psalm of Asaph.

80 O Shepherd of Israel, pay attention,
you who lead Joseph like a flock of sheep.
You who sit enthroned above the cherubim,^[c] reveal your splendor.^[d]
²In the sight of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh reveal^[e] your power.
Come and deliver us.^[f]
³O God, restore us.
Smile on us.^[g] Then we will be delivered.^[h]
⁴O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,^[i]
how long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you?^[j]
⁵You have given them tears as food;^[k]
you have made them drink tears by the measure.^[l]
⁶You have made our neighbors dislike us,^[m]
and our enemies insult us.
⁷O God of Heaven’s Armies,^[n] restore us.
Smile on us.^[o] Then we will be delivered.^[p]
⁸You uprooted a vine^[q] from Egypt;
you drove out nations and transplanted it.
⁹You cleared the ground for it;^[r]
it took root,^[s]
and filled the land.
¹⁰The mountains were covered by its shadow,
the highest cedars^[t] by its branches.
¹¹Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea,^[u]
and its shoots the Euphrates River.^[v]
¹²Why did you break down its walls,^[w]
so that all who pass by pluck its fruit?^[x]
¹³The wild boars of the forest ruin it;^[y]
the insects^[z] of the field feed on it.
¹⁴O God of Heaven’s Armies,^[aa] come back.
Look down from heaven and take notice.
Take care of this vine,
¹⁵the root^[ab] your right hand planted,
the shoot you made to grow.^[ac]
¹⁶It is burned^[ad] and cut down.
May those who did this die because you are displeased with them.^[ae]
¹⁷May you give support to the one you have chosen,^[af]
to the one whom you raised up for yourself.^[ag]
¹⁸Then we will not turn away from you.
Revive us and we will pray to you.^[ah]
¹⁹O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,^[ai] restore us.
Smile on us.^[aj] Then we will be delivered.^[ak]

Footnotes

Psalm 80:1 sn Psalm 80. The psalmist laments Israel’s demise and asks the Lord to show favor toward his people, as he did in earlier times.
Psalm 80:1 tn The Hebrew expression shushan-eduth means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title. See the superscription to Ps 60.
Psalm 80:1 sn Cherubim are winged angels. As depicted in the OT, they possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubim suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubim in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
Psalm 80:1 tn Heb “shine forth.”sn Reveal your splendor. The psalmist may allude to Deut 33:2, where God “shines forth” from Sinai and comes to superintend Moses’ blessing of the tribes.
Psalm 80:2 tn Heb “stir up”; “arouse.”
Psalm 80:2 tn Heb “come for our deliverance.”
Psalm 80:3 tn The idiom “cause your face to shine” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
Psalm 80:3 tn Heb “cause your face to shine in order that we may be delivered.” After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.
Psalm 80:4 tn Heb “Lord, God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי (ʾelohe) before צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot; “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ʾelohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. In this context the term “hosts” has been rendered “Heaven’s Armies.”
Psalm 80:4 tn Heb “How long will you remain angry during the prayer of your people.” Some take the preposition ב (bet) in an adversative sense here (“at/against the prayer of your people”), but the temporal sense is preferable. The psalmist expects persistent prayer to pacify God.
Psalm 80:5 tn Heb “you have fed them the food of tears.”
Psalm 80:5 tn Heb “[by] the third part [of a measure].” The Hebrew term שָׁלִישׁ (shalish, “third part [of a measure]”) occurs only here and in Isa 40:12.
Psalm 80:6 tn Heb “you have made us an object of contention to our neighbors.”
Psalm 80:7 tn Heb “O God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ʾelohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also v. 4 for a similar construction.
Psalm 80:7 tn The idiom “cause your face to shine” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
Psalm 80:7 tn Heb “cause your face to shine in order that we may be delivered.” After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.
Psalm 80:8 sn The vine is here a metaphor for Israel (see Ezek 17:6-10; Hos 10:1).
Psalm 80:9 tn Heb “you cleared away before it.”
Psalm 80:9 tn Heb “and it took root [with] its roots.”
Psalm 80:10 tn Heb “cedars of God.” The divine name אֵל (ʾel, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.
Psalm 80:11 tn Heb “to [the] sea.” The “sea” refers here to the Mediterranean Sea.
Psalm 80:11 tn Heb “to [the] river.” The “river” is the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. Israel expanded both to the west and to the east.
Psalm 80:12 sn The protective walls of the metaphorical vineyard are in view here (see Isa 5:5).
Psalm 80:12 tn Heb “pluck it.”
Psalm 80:13 tn The Hebrew verb כִּרְסֵם (kirsem, “to eat away; to ruin”) occurs only here in the OT.
Psalm 80:13 tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word translated “insects,” which occurs only here and in Ps 50:11, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic, and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.
Psalm 80:14 tn Heb “O God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ʾelohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also vv. 4, 7 for a similar construction.
Psalm 80:15 tn The form וְכַנָּה (v^ekhannah, “and a root”) is understood as וְכַנָּהּ (v^ekhannah), taking the ה (he) at the end as the third feminine singular pronominal suffix הּ (he with mappiq is hard “h”) rather than as the noun ending (see HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן). Elsewhere the noun refers to a pedestal or base, most often for the wash basin between the tabernacle and the altar. Translations here vary as “root” (NIV), “shoot” (NASB), “stock” (ASV, ESV, RSV), or the contextually driven “vineyard” (KJV).
Psalm 80:15 tn Heb “and upon a son you strengthened for yourself.” In this context, where the extended metaphor of the vine dominates, בֵּן (ben, “son”) probably refers to the shoots that grow from the vine. Cf. Gen 49:22.
Psalm 80:16 tn Heb “burned with fire.”
Psalm 80:16 tn Heb “because of the rebuke of your face they perish.”
Psalm 80:17 tn Heb “may your hand be upon the man of your right hand.” The referent of the otherwise unattested phrase “man of your right hand,” is unclear. It may refer to the nation collectively as a man. (See the note on the word “yourself” in v. 17b.)
Psalm 80:17 tn Heb “upon the son of man you strengthened for yourself.” In its only other use in the Book of Psalms, the phrase “son of man” refers to the human race in general (see Ps 8:4). Here the phrase may refer to the nation collectively as a man. Note the use of the statement “you strengthened for yourself” both here and in v. 15, where the “son” (i.e., the branch of the vine) refers to Israel.
Psalm 80:18 tn Heb “and in your name we will call.”
Psalm 80:19 tn Heb “O Lord, God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ʾelohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also vv. 4, 7, 14 for a similar construction.
Psalm 80:19 tn The idiom “cause your face to shine” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
Psalm 80:19 tn Heb “cause your face to shine in order that we may be delivered.” After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.

Isaiah 65:17-25

¹⁷For look, I am ready to create
new heavens and a new earth!^[a]
The former ones^[b] will not be remembered;
no one will think about them anymore.^[c]
¹⁸But be happy and rejoice forevermore
over what I am about to create!
For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy,^[d]
and her people to be a source of happiness.^[e]
¹⁹Jerusalem will bring me joy,
and my people will bring me happiness.^[f]
The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow
will never be heard in her again.
²⁰Never again will one of her infants live just a few days^[g]
or an old man die before his time.^[h]
Indeed, no one will die before the age of one hundred;^[i]
anyone who fails to reach^[j] the age of one hundred will be considered cursed.
²¹They will build houses and live in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²²No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it,^[k]
or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit,^[l]
for my people will live as long as trees,^[m]
and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced.^[n]
²³They will not work in vain,
or give birth to children that will experience disaster.^[o]
For the Lord will bless their children
and their descendants.^[p]
²⁴Before they even call out,^[q] I will respond;
while they are still speaking, I will hear.
²⁵A wolf and a lamb will graze together;^[r]
a lion, like an ox, will eat straw,^[s]
and a snake’s food will be dirt.^[t]
They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain,”^[u] says the Lord.

Footnotes

Isaiah 65:17 sn This hyperbolic statement likens the coming transformation of Jerusalem (see vv. 18-19) to a new creation of the cosmos.
Isaiah 65:17 tn Or perhaps, “the former things” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “The events of the past.”
Isaiah 65:17 tn Heb “and they will not come up on the mind.”
Isaiah 65:18 tn Heb “Jerusalem, joy.” The next verse suggests the meaning: The Lord will create Jerusalem to be a source of joy to himself.
Isaiah 65:18 tn Heb “her people, happiness.” See the preceding note.
Isaiah 65:19 tn Heb “and I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be happy in my people.”
Isaiah 65:20 tn Heb “and there will not be from there again a nursing infant of days,” i.e., one that lives just a few days.
Isaiah 65:20 tn Heb “or an old [man] who does not fill out his days.”
Isaiah 65:20 tn Heb “for the child as a son of one hundred years will die.” The point seems to be that those who die at the age of a hundred will be considered children, for the average life span will be much longer than that. The category “child” will be redefined in light of the expanded life spans that will characterize this new era.
Isaiah 65:20 tn Heb “the one who misses.” חָטָא (khataʾ) is used here in its basic sense of “miss the mark.” See HALOT 305 s.v. חטא. Another option is to translate, “and the sinner who reaches the age of a hundred will be cursed.”
Isaiah 65:22 tn Heb “they will not build, and another live [in it].”
Isaiah 65:22 tn Heb “they will not plant, and another eat.”
Isaiah 65:22 tn Heb “for like the days of the tree [will be] the days of my people.”
Isaiah 65:22 tn Heb “the work of their hands” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “their hard-won gains.”
Isaiah 65:23 tn Heb “and they will not give birth to horror.”
Isaiah 65:23 tn Heb “for offspring blessed by the Lord they [will be], and their descendants along with them.”
Isaiah 65:24 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
Isaiah 65:25 sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.
Isaiah 65:25 sn These words also appear in 11:7.
Isaiah 65:25 sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)
Isaiah 65:25 tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.sn As in 11:1-9 the prophet anticipates a time when the categories predator-prey no longer exist. See the note at the end of 11:8.

John 14:18-31

¹⁸“I will not abandon^[a] you as orphans,^[b] I will come to you.^[c] ¹⁹In a little while^[d] the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. ²⁰You will know at that time^[e] that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. ²¹The person who has my commandments and obeys^[f] them is the one who loves me.^[g] The one^[h] who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal^[i] myself to him.”

²²“Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot)^[j] said,^[k] “what has happened that you are going to reveal^[l] yourself to us and not to the world?” ²³Jesus replied,^[m] “If anyone loves me, he will obey^[n] my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.^[o] ²⁴The person who does not love me does not obey^[p] my words. And the word^[q] you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

²⁵“I have spoken these things while staying^[r] with you. ²⁶But the Advocate,^[s] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you^[t] everything,^[u] and will cause you to remember everything^[v] I said to you.

²⁷“Peace I leave with you;^[w] my peace I give to you; I do not give it^[x] to you as the world does.^[y] Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.^[z] ²⁸You heard me say to you,^[aa] ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad^[ab] that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.^[ac] ²⁹I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.^[ad] ³⁰I will not speak with you much longer,^[ae] for the ruler of this world is coming.^[af] He has no power over me,^[ag] ³¹but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know^[ah] that I love the Father.^[ai] Get up, let us go from here.^[aj]

Footnotes

John 14:18 tn Or “leave.”
John 14:18 tn The entire phrase “abandon you as orphans” could be understood as an idiom meaning, “leave you helpless.”
John 14:18 sn I will come to you. Jesus had spoken in 14:3 of going away and coming again to his disciples. There the reference was both to the parousia (the second coming of Christ) and to the postresurrection appearances of Jesus to the disciples. Here the postresurrection appearances are primarily in view, since Jesus speaks of the disciples “seeing” him after the world can “see” him no longer in the following verse. But many commentators have taken v. 18 as a reference to the coming of the Spirit, since this has been the topic of the preceding verses. Still, vv. 19-20 appear to contain references to Jesus’ appearances to the disciples after his resurrection. It may well be that another Johannine double meaning is found here, so that Jesus ‘returns’ to his disciples in one sense in his appearances to them after his resurrection, but in another sense he ‘returns’ in the person of the Holy Spirit to indwell them.
John 14:19 tn Grk “Yet a little while, and.”
John 14:20 tn Grk “will know in that day.”sn At that time could be a reference to the parousia (second coming of Christ). But the statement in 14:19, that the world will not see Jesus, does not fit. It is better to take this as the postresurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples (which has the advantage of taking in a little while in v. 19 literally).
John 14:21 tn Or “keeps.”
John 14:21 tn Grk “obeys them, that one is the one who loves me.”
John 14:21 tn Grk “And the one.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated to improve the English style.
John 14:21 tn Or “will disclose.”
John 14:22 tn Grk “(not Iscariot).” The proper noun (Judas) has been repeated for clarity and smoothness in English style.sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.
John 14:22 tn Grk “said to him.”
John 14:22 tn Or “disclose.”sn The disciples still expected at this point that Jesus, as Messiah, was going to reveal his identity as such to the world (cf. 7:4).
John 14:23 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
John 14:23 tn Or “will keep.”
John 14:23 tn Grk “we will come to him and will make our dwelling place with him.” The context here is individual rather than corporate indwelling, so the masculine singular pronoun has been retained throughout v. 23. It is important to note, however, that the pronoun is used generically here and refers equally to men, women, and children.
John 14:24 tn Or “does not keep.”
John 14:24 tn Or “the message.”
John 14:25 tn Or “while remaining” or “while residing.”
John 14:26 tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklētos). See the note on the word “Advocate” in v. 16 for a discussion of how this word is translated.
John 14:26 tn Grk “that one will teach you.” The words “that one” have been omitted from the translation since they are redundant in English.
John 14:26 tn Grk “all things.”
John 14:26 tn Grk “all things.”
John 14:27 sn Peace I leave with you. In spite of appearances, this verse does not introduce a new subject (peace). Jesus will use the phrase as a greeting to his disciples after his resurrection (20:19, 21, 26). It is here a reflection of the Hebrew shalom as a farewell. But Jesus says he leaves peace with his disciples. This should probably be understood ultimately in terms of the indwelling of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who has been the topic of the preceding verses. It is his presence, after Jesus has left the disciples and finally returned to the Father, which will remain with them and comfort them.
John 14:27 tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
John 14:27 tn Grk “not as the world gives do I give to you.”
John 14:27 tn Or “distressed or fearful and cowardly.”
John 14:28 tn Or “You have heard that I said to you.”
John 14:28 tn Or “you would rejoice.”
John 14:28 sn Jesus’ statement the Father is greater than I am has caused much christological and trinitarian debate. Although the Arians appealed to this text to justify their subordinationist Christology, it seems evident that by the fact Jesus compares himself to the Father, his divine nature is taken for granted. There have been two orthodox interpretations: (1) The Son is eternally generated while the Father is not: Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, Hilary, etc. (2) As man the incarnate Son was less than the Father: Cyril of Alexandria, Ambrose, Augustine. In the context of the Fourth Gospel the second explanation seems more plausible. But why should the disciples have rejoiced? Because Jesus was on the way to the Father who would glorify him (cf. 17:4-5); his departure now signifies that the work the Father has given him is completed (cf. 19:30). Now Jesus will be glorified with that glory that he had with the Father before the world was (cf. 17:5). This should be a cause of rejoicing to the disciples because when Jesus is glorified he will glorify his disciples as well (17:22).
John 14:29 sn Jesus tells the disciples that he has told them all these things before they happen, so that when they do happen the disciples may believe. This does not mean they had not believed prior to this time; over and over the author has affirmed that they have (cf. 2:11). But when they see these things happen, their level of trust in Jesus will increase and their concept of who he is will expand. The confession of Thomas in 20:28 is representative of this increased understanding of who Jesus is. Cf. John 13:19.
John 14:30 tn Grk “I will no longer speak many things with you.”
John 14:30 sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.
John 14:30 tn Grk “in me he has nothing.”
John 14:31 tn Or “may learn.”
John 14:31 tn Grk “But so that the world may know that I love the Father, and just as the Father commanded me, thus I do.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to conform to contemporary English style.
John 14:31 sn Some have understood Jesus’ statement Get up, let us go from here to mean that at this point Jesus and the disciples got up and left the room where the meal was served and began the journey to the garden of Gethsemane. If so, the rest of the Farewell Discourse took place en route. Others have pointed to this statement as one of the “seams” in the discourse, indicating that the author used preexisting sources. Both explanations are possible, but not really necessary. Jesus could simply have stood up at this point (the disciples may or may not have stood with him) to finish the discourse before finally departing (in 18:1). In any case it may be argued that Jesus refers not to a literal departure at this point, but to preparing to meet the enemy who is on the way already in the person of Judas and the soldiers with him.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 80[a]

For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style;[b] a psalm of Asaph.

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 80^[a]

For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style;^[b] a psalm of Asaph.