◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 57 (I cry to God Most High); 2 Samuel 18:19-33 (David learns of Absalom’s death); 2 Peter 3:14-18 (Grow in grace and knowledge) (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

Psalm 57

Psalm 57^[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave.^[d]

57 Have mercy on me, O God. Have mercy on me.
For in you I have taken shelter.^[e]
In the shadow of your wings^[f] I take shelter
until trouble passes.
²I cry out for help to God Most High,^[g]
to the God who vindicates^[h] me.
³May he send help from heaven and deliver me^[i]
from my enemies who hurl insults.^[j] (Selah)
May God send his loyal love and faithfulness.
⁴I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down^[k] among those who want to devour me,^[l]
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.^[m]
⁵Rise up^[n] above the sky, O God.
May your splendor cover the whole earth.^[o]
⁶They have prepared a net to trap me;^[p]
I am discouraged.^[q]
They have dug a pit for me.^[r]
They will fall^[s] into it. (Selah)
⁷I am determined,^[t] O God. I am determined.
I will sing and praise you.
⁸Awake, my soul!^[u]
Awake, O stringed instrument and harp!
I will wake up at dawn.^[v]
⁹I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord.
I will sing praises to you before foreigners.^[w]
¹⁰For your loyal love extends beyond the sky,^[x]
and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
¹¹Rise up^[y] above the sky, O God.
May your splendor cover the whole earth.^[z]

Footnotes

Psalm 57:1 sn Psalm 57. The psalmist asks for God’s protection and expresses his confidence that his ferocious enemies will be destroyed by their own schemes.
Psalm 57:1 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 58-59, 75.
Psalm 57:1 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56, 58-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
Psalm 57:1 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3.
Psalm 57:1 tn Heb “my life has taken shelter.” The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
Psalm 57:1 sn In the shadow of your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7).
Psalm 57:2 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
Psalm 57:2 tn Or “avenges in favor of.”
Psalm 57:3 tn Heb “may he send from heaven and deliver me.” The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. The second verb, which has a vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, probably indicates purpose. Another option is to take the forms as imperfects expressing confidence, “he will send from heaven and deliver me” (cf. NRSV).
Psalm 57:3 tn Heb “he hurls insults, one who crushes me.” The translation assumes that this line identifies those from whom the psalmist seeks deliverance. (The singular is representative; the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, see v. 4.) Another option is to understand God as the subject of the verb חָרַף (kharaf), which could then be taken as a homonym of the more common root חָרַף (“insult”) meaning “confuse.” In this case “one who crushes me” is the object of the verb. One might translate, “he [God] confuses my enemies.”
Psalm 57:4 tn The cohortative form אֶשְׁכְּבָה (ʾeshk^evah, “I lie down”) is problematic, for it does not seem to carry one of the normal functions of the cohortative (resolve or request). One possibility is that the form here is a “pseudo-cohortative” used here in a gnomic sense (IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3b).
Psalm 57:4 tn The Hebrew verb לָהַט (lahat) is here understood as a hapax legomenon meaning “devour” (see HALOT 521 s.v. II להט), a homonym of the more common verb meaning “to burn.” A more traditional interpretation takes the verb from this latter root and translates, “those who are aflame” (see BDB 529 s.v.; cf. NASB “those who breathe forth fire”).
Psalm 57:4 tn Heb “my life, in the midst of lions, I lie down, devouring ones, sons of mankind, their teeth a spear and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.” The syntax of the verse is difficult. Another option is to take “my life” with the preceding verse. For this to make sense, one must add a verb, perhaps “and may he deliver” (cf. the LXX), before the phrase. One might then translate, “May God send his loyal love and faithfulness and deliver my life.” If one does take “my life” with v. 4, then the parallelism of v. 5 is altered and one might translate: “in the midst of lions I lie down, [among] men who want to devour me, whose teeth….”
Psalm 57:5 tn Or “be exalted.”
Psalm 57:5 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
Psalm 57:6 tn Heb “for my feet.”
Psalm 57:6 tn Heb “my life bends low.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
Psalm 57:6 tn Heb “before me.”
Psalm 57:6 tn The perfect form is used rhetorically here to express the psalmist’s certitude. The demise of the enemies is so certain that he can speak of it as already accomplished.
Psalm 57:7 tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
Psalm 57:8 tn Heb “glory,” but that makes little sense in the context. Some view כָּבוֹד (kavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (k^evedi, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
Psalm 57:8 tn BDB 1007 s.v. שַׁחַר takes “dawn” as an adverbial accusative, though others understand it as a personified direct object. “Dawn” is used metaphorically for the time of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates. When salvation “dawns,” the psalmist will “wake up” in praise.
Psalm 57:9 tn Or “the peoples.”
Psalm 57:10 tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”
Psalm 57:11 tn Or “be exalted.”
Psalm 57:11 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)

2 Samuel 18:19-33

David Learns of Absalom’s Death

¹⁹Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and give the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him before his enemies.”^[a] ²⁰But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will bear good news some other day, but not today,^[b] for the king’s son is dead.”

²¹Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off. ²²Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again spoke to Joab, “Whatever happens, let me go after the Cushite.” But Joab said, “Why is it that you want to go, my son? You have no good news that will bring you a reward.” ²³But he said,^[c] “Whatever happens, I want to go!” So Joab^[d] said to him, “Then go!” So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.

²⁴Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates,^[e] and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself. ²⁵So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said, “If he is by himself, he brings good news.”^[f] The runner^[g] came ever closer.

²⁶Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the gatekeeper, “There is another man running by himself.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” ²⁷The watchman said, “It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz^[h] son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and he comes with good news.”

²⁸Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “Greetings!”^[i] He bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and said, “May the Lord your God be praised because he has defeated^[j] the men who opposed^[k] my lord the king!”

²⁹The king replied, “How is the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz replied, “I saw a great deal of confusion when Joab was sending the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was all about.” ³⁰The king said, “Turn aside and take your place here.” So he turned aside and waited.

³¹Then the Cushite arrived and said,^[l] “May my lord the king now receive the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!”^[m] ³²The king asked the Cushite, “How is the young man Absalom?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who have plotted against you^[n] be like that young man!”

³³(19:1)^[o] The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son,^[p] Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!”^[q]

2 Peter 3:14-18

Exhortation to the Faithful

¹⁴Therefore, dear friends, since you are waiting for^[a] these things, strive to be found^[b] at peace, without spot or blemish, when you come into his presence.^[c] ¹⁵And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation,^[d] just as also our dear brother Paul^[e] wrote to you,^[f] according to the wisdom given to him, ¹⁶speaking of these things in all his letters.^[g] Some things in these letters^[h] are hard to understand, things^[i] the ignorant and unstable twist^[j] to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures.^[k] ¹⁷Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned,^[l] be on your guard that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men^[m] and fall from your firm grasp on the truth.^[n] ¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge^[o] of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on^[p] that eternal day.^[q]

Footnotes

2 Peter 3:14 tn Grk “dear friends, waiting for.” See note in v. 13 on “waiting for.”
2 Peter 3:14 sn The Greek verb used in the phrase strive to be found is the same as is found in v. 10, translated “laid bare.” In typical Petrine fashion, a conceptual link is made by the same linkage of terms. The point of these two verses thus becomes clear: When the heavens disappear and the earth and its inhabitants are stripped bare before the throne of God, they should strive to make sure that their lives are pure and that they have nothing to hide.
2 Peter 3:14 tn “When you come into” is not in Greek. However, the dative pronoun αὐτῷ (autō) does not indicate agency (“by him”), but presence or sphere. The idea is “strive to be found {before him/in his presence}.”
2 Peter 3:15 tn The language here is cryptic. It probably means “regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation.” In the least, Peter is urging his audience to take a different view of the delay of the parousia than that of the false teachers.
2 Peter 3:15 sn Critics generally assume that 2 Peter is not authentic, partially because in vv. 15-16 Paul is said to have written scripture. It is assumed that a recognition of Paul’s writings as scripture could not have happened until early in the 2nd century. However, in the same breath that Paul is canonized, Peter also calls him “brother.” This is unparalleled in the 2nd century apocryphal works, as well as early patristic writings, in which the apostles are universally elevated above the author and readers; here, Peter simply says “he’s one of us.”
2 Peter 3:15 sn Paul wrote to you. That Paul had written to these people indicates that they are most likely Gentiles. Further, that Peter is now writing to them suggests that Paul had already died, for Peter was the apostle to the circumcised. Peter apparently decided to write his two letters to Paul’s churches shortly after Paul’s death, both to connect with them personally and theologically (Paul’s gospel is Peter’s gospel) and to warn them of the wolves in sheep’s clothing that would come in to destroy the flock. Thus, part of Peter’s purpose seems to be to anchor his readership on the written documents of the Christian community (both the Old Testament and Paul’s letters) as a safeguard against heretics.
2 Peter 3:16 tn Grk “as also in all his letters speaking in them of these things.”
2 Peter 3:16 tn Grk “in which are some things hard to understand.”
2 Peter 3:16 tn Grk “which.” The antecedent is the “things hard to understand,” not the entirety of Paul’s letters. A significant principle is seen here: The primary proof texts used for faith and practice ought to be the clear passages that are undisputed in their meaning. Heresy today is still largely built on obscure texts.
2 Peter 3:16 tn Or “distort,” “wrench,” “torture” (all are apt descriptions of what heretics do to scripture).
2 Peter 3:16 sn This one incidental line, the rest of the scriptures, links Paul’s writings with scripture. This is thus one of the earliest affirmations of any part of the NT as scripture. Peter’s words were prophetic and were intended as a preemptive strike against the heretics to come.
2 Peter 3:17 tn Grk “knowing beforehand.”
2 Peter 3:17 tn Or “lawless ones.” sn These unprincipled men. The same word is used in 2:7, suggesting further that the heretics in view in chapter 3 are the false teachers of chapter 2.
2 Peter 3:17 tn Grk “fall from your firmness.”
2 Peter 3:18 tn The term “knowledge” (γνῶσις, gnōsis) used here is not the same as is found in 2 Pet 1:2, 3, 8; 2:20. This term is found in 1:5 and 1:6.
2 Peter 3:18 tn Or “until.”
2 Peter 3:18 tc The vast bulk of mss adds ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”) at the end of this letter, as they do almost all the rest of the NT books (only Acts, James, and 3 John lack a majority of witnesses supporting a concluding ἀμήν). The omission in B 1241 1243 1739* 1881 2298 appears to be original, although the fact that some of the best and earliest Alexandrian witnesses (P⁷² א A C P Ψ 5 33 81 436 442 1611 1735 1739^c 1852 2344 2492 co), along with several other mss, the Byzantine text, and early versions (vg sy), add the particle renders such a judgment less than iron-clad. NA²⁷ places the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity, while NA²⁸ omits the word.tn Grk “day of eternity.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 57[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;[b] a prayer[c] of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave.[d]

Footnotes

David Learns of Absalom’s Death

Footnotes

Exhortation to the Faithful

Footnotes

Psalm 57^[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave.^[d]