◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 61 (Let me abide in your tent forever); 2 Samuel 7:18-29 (David gives thanks to God); Hebrews 13:17-25 (Jesus the great shepherd of the sheep) (New English Translation)

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July 22, 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 61

Psalm 61^[a]

For the music director, to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.

61 O God, hear my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer.
²From the remotest place on earth^[b]
I call out to you in my despair.^[c]
Lead me^[d] up to a rocky summit where I can be safe.^[e]
³Indeed,^[f] you are^[g] my shelter,
a strong tower that protects me from the enemy.^[h]
⁴I will be a permanent guest in your home;^[i]
I will find shelter in the protection of your wings.^[j] (Selah)
⁵For you, O God, hear my vows;
you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers.^[k]
⁶Give the king long life.
Make his lifetime span several generations.^[l]
⁷May he reign^[m] forever before God.
Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him.^[n]
⁸Then I will sing praises to your name continually,^[o]
as I fulfill^[p] my vows day after day.

Footnotes

Psalm 61:1 sn Psalm 61. The psalmist cries out for help and expresses his confidence that God will protect him.
Psalm 61:2 tn Heb “from the end of the earth.” This may indicate (1) the psalmist is exiled in a distant land, or (2) it may be hyperbolic (the psalmist feels alienated from God’s presence, as if he were in a distant land).
Psalm 61:2 tn Heb “while my heart faints.”
Psalm 61:2 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
Psalm 61:2 tn Heb “on to a rocky summit [that] is higher than I.”
Psalm 61:3 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 61:3 tn Or “have been.”
Psalm 61:3 tn Heb “a strong tower from the face of an enemy.”
Psalm 61:4 tn Heb “I will live as a resident foreigner in your tent permanently.” The cohortative is understood here as indicating resolve. Another option is to take it as expressing a request, “please let me live” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
Psalm 61:4 sn I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
Psalm 61:5 tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
Psalm 61:6 tn Heb “days upon days of the king add, his years like generation and generation.”sn It is not certain if the (royal) psalmist is referring to himself in the third person in this verse, or if an exile is praying on behalf of the king.
Psalm 61:7 tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.
Psalm 61:7 tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”
Psalm 61:8 tn Or “forever.”
Psalm 61:8 tn Or perhaps, “and thereby fulfill.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.

2 Samuel 7:18-29

David Offers a Prayer to God

¹⁸King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family,^[a] that you should have brought me to this point? ¹⁹And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family.^[b] Is this your usual way of dealing with men,^[c] O Sovereign Lord? ²⁰What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition,^[d] O Sovereign Lord! ²¹For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose^[e] you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant.^[f] ²²Therefore you are great, O Sovereign Lord, for there is none like you. There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true.^[g] ²³Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation^[h] on the earth? Their God^[i] went^[j] to claim^[k] a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and awesome acts for your land,^[l] before your people whom you delivered for yourself from the Egyptian empire and its gods.^[m] ²⁴You made Israel your very own people for all time.^[n] You, O Lord, became their God. ²⁵So now, O Lord God, make this promise you have made about your servant and his family a permanent reality.^[o] Do as you promised,^[p] ²⁶so you may gain lasting fame,^[q] as people say,^[r] ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ The dynasty^[s] of your servant David will be established before you, ²⁷for you, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, have told^[t] your servant, ‘I will build you a dynastic house.’^[u] That is why your servant has had the courage^[v] to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸Now, O Sovereign Lord, you are the true God.^[w] May your words prove to be true!^[x] You have made this good promise to your servant.^[y] ²⁹Now be willing to bless your servant’s dynasty^[z] so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O Sovereign Lord, have spoken. By your blessing may your servant’s dynasty be blessed from now on into the future!”^[aa]

Footnotes

2 Samuel 7:18 tn Heb “house.”
2 Samuel 7:19 tn Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O Lord God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”
2 Samuel 7:19 tn Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; KJV “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; NAB “this too you have shown to man”; NRSV “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the MT by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the note there).
2 Samuel 7:20 tn Heb “and you know your servant.” The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18). Some English versions take this to refer to the Lord’s knowledge of David himself: CEV “you know my thoughts”; NLT “know what I am really like.”
2 Samuel 7:21 tn Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”
2 Samuel 7:21 tn Heb “to make known, your servant.”
2 Samuel 7:22 tn Heb “in all which we heard with our ears.” The phrase translated “in all” בְּכֹל (b^ekhol) should probably be emended to “according to all” כְּכֹל (k^ekhol).
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “a nation, one.”
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “whose God” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 Samuel 7:23 tn The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “redeem.”
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land.”
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “from Egypt, nations and their gods.” The LXX has “nations and tents,” which reflects a mistaken metathesis of letters in אֶלֹהָיו (ʾelohayv, “its gods”) and אֹהָלָיו (ʾohalayv, “its tents”).
2 Samuel 7:24 tn Heb “and you established for yourself your people Israel for yourself for a people permanently.”
2 Samuel 7:25 tn Heb “and now, O Lord God, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, establish permanently.”
2 Samuel 7:25 tn Heb “as you have spoken.”
2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result.
2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “the house.” See the note on “dynastic house” in the following verse.
2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “have uncovered the ear of.”
2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “a house.” This maintains the wordplay from v. 11 (see the note on the word “house” there) and is continued in v. 29.
2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “has found his heart.”
2 Samuel 7:28 tn Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.
2 Samuel 7:28 tn The translation understands the prefixed verb form as a jussive, indicating David’s wish/prayer. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect and translate “your words are true.”
2 Samuel 7:28 tn Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”
2 Samuel 7:29 tn Heb “house” (again later in this verse). See the note on “dynastic house” in v. 27.
2 Samuel 7:29 tn Or “permanently”; cf. NLT “it is an eternal blessing.”

Hebrews 13:17-25

¹⁷Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work.^[a] Let them do this^[b] with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you. ¹⁸Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to conduct ourselves rightly in every respect. ¹⁹I especially ask you to pray^[c] that I may be restored to you very soon.

Benediction and Conclusion

²⁰Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, ²¹equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us^[d] what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever.^[e] Amen.

²²Now I urge you, brothers and sisters,^[f] bear with my message of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you briefly. ²³You should know that^[g] our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon, he will be with me when I see you.^[h] ²⁴Greetings to all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you greetings. ²⁵Grace be with you all.^[i]

Footnotes

Hebrews 13:17 tn Or “as ones who will give an account”; Grk “as giving an account.”
Hebrews 13:17 tn Grk “that they may do this.”
Hebrews 13:19 tn Grk “I urge you to do this all the more.”
Hebrews 13:21 tc Some mss (C P Ψ 6 629* 630 1505 pm latt sy^h) read ὑμῖν (humin, “in you”) here, but ἡμῖν (hēmin) has stronger external support (P⁴⁶ א A D^vid K 0243 0285 33 81 104 326 365 629^c 1175 1739 1881 pm sy^p co). It is also more likely that ἡμῖν would have been changed to ὑμῖν in light of the “you” which occurs at the beginning of the verse than vice versa.
Hebrews 13:21 tc ‡ Most mss (א A [C*] 0243 0285 33 1739 1881 M latt) include the words “and ever” here, but the shorter reading (supported by P⁴⁶ C³ D Ψ 6 104 365 1505 al) is preferred on internal grounds. It seemed more likely that scribes would assimilate the wording to the common NT doxological expression “for ever and ever,” found especially in the Apocalypse (cf., e.g., 1 Tim 1:17; 2 Tim 4:18; Rev 4:9; 22:5) than to the “forever” of Heb 13:8. Nevertheless, a decision is difficult here. NA²⁸ places the phrase in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
Hebrews 13:22 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.
Hebrews 13:23 tn Grk “Know that” (an imperative).
Hebrews 13:23 tn Grk “has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.”
Hebrews 13:25 tc Most witnesses, including several significant ones (א² A C D H Ψ 0243 1739 1881 M lat sy bo), conclude the letter with ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, there is sufficient testimony (P⁴⁶ א* I^vid 6 33 sa) for the lack of the particle, rendering its omission the preferred reading.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 61[a]

For the music director, to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.

Footnotes

David Offers a Prayer to God

Footnotes

Benediction and Conclusion

Footnotes

Psalm 61^[a]