◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Isaiah 43:1-7 (Passing through the waters); Psalm 29 (The voice of God upon the waters); Acts 8:14-17 (Prayer for the Holy Spirit); Luke 3:15-17 21-22 (The baptism of Jesus) (New English Translation)

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January 12, 2025

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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

Isaiah 43:1-7

The Lord Will Rescue His People

43 Now, this is what the Lord says,
the one who created you, O Jacob,
and formed you, O Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect^[a] you.
I call you by name, you are mine.
²When you pass through the waters, I am with you;
when you pass^[b] through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not harm^[c] you.
³For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,^[d] your deliverer.
I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price,
Ethiopia and Seba^[e] in place of you.
⁴Since you are precious and special in my sight,^[f]
and I love you,
I will hand over people in place of you,
nations in place of your life.
⁵Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
From the east I will bring your descendants;
from the west I will gather you.
⁶I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’
and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’
Bring my sons from distant lands,
and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,
⁷everyone who belongs to me,^[g]
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed—yes, whom I made.

Psalm 29

Psalm 29^[a]

A psalm of David.

29 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings,^[b]
acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power.^[c]
²Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation.^[d]
Worship the Lord in holy attire.^[e]
³The Lord’s shout is heard over the water;^[f]
the majestic God thunders,^[g]
the Lord appears over the surging water.^[h]
⁴The Lord’s shout is powerful,^[i]
the Lord’s shout is majestic.^[j]
⁵The Lord’s shout breaks^[k] the cedars,
the Lord shatters^[l] the cedars of Lebanon.^[m]
⁶He makes them skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion^[n] like a young ox.^[o]
⁷The Lord’s shout strikes^[p] with flaming fire.^[q]
⁸The Lord’s shout shakes^[r] the wilderness,
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.^[s]
⁹The Lord’s shout bends^[t] the large trees^[u]
and strips^[v] the leaves from the forests.^[w]
Everyone in his temple says, “Majestic!”^[x]
¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters,^[y]
the Lord sits enthroned^[z] as the eternal king.
¹¹The Lord gives^[aa] his people strength;^[ab]
the Lord grants his people security.^[ac]

Footnotes

Psalm 29:1 sn Psalm 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994): 280-82.
Psalm 29:1 tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (ʾelim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the MT, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.tn The phrase בְּנֵי אֵלִים (b^ene ʾelim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 89:6 (89:7 HT). In Ps 89 the “sons of gods/God” are also called “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones.” The heavenly assembly, comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings, appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is referred to as “the sons of El.” The OT apparently borrows the Canaanite phrase and applies it to the supernatural beings that surround the heavenly throne.
Psalm 29:1 tn Or “ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”
Psalm 29:2 tn Heb “ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the Lord’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.)
Psalm 29:2 tn That is, properly dressed for the occasion.
Psalm 29:3 tn Heb “the voice of the Lord [is] over the water.” As the next line makes clear, the “voice of the Lord” is here the thunder that accompanies a violent storm. The psalm depicts the Lord in the role of a warrior-king, so the thunder is his battle cry, as it were.
Psalm 29:3 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form is probably descriptive. In dramatic fashion the psalmist portrays the Lord coming in the storm to do battle with his enemies and to vindicate his people.
Psalm 29:3 tn Traditionally “many waters.” The geographical references in the psalm (Lebanon, Sirion, Kadesh) suggest this is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (see Ezek 26:19; 27:26). The psalmist describes a powerful storm moving in from the sea and sweeping over the mountainous areas north of Israel. The “surging waters” may symbolize the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy his people (see Pss 18:17; 32:6; 77:20; 93:4; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). In this case the Lord is depicted as elevated above and sovereign over the raging waters.
Psalm 29:4 tn Heb “the voice of the Lord [is] accompanied by strength.”
Psalm 29:4 tn Heb “the voice of the Lord [is] accompanied by majesty.”
Psalm 29:5 tn The Hebrew participial form draws attention to the durative nature of the action being described.
Psalm 29:5 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive here and in v. 6a carry on the descriptive function of the preceding participle (see GKC 329 §111.u). The verb שָׁבַר (shavar) appears in the Qal in the first line of the verse, and in the Piel in the second line. The verb, which means “break” in the Qal, appears thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3).
Psalm 29:5 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size. Here they may symbolize the arrogant enemies of God (see Isa 2:12-13).
Psalm 29:6 sn Sirion is another name for Mount Hermon (Deut 3:9).
Psalm 29:6 sn Lebanon and Sirion are compared to frisky young animals (a calf…a young ox) who skip and jump. The thunderous shout of the Lord is so powerful, one can see the very mountains shake on the horizon.
Psalm 29:7 tn The verb normally means “to hew [stone or wood],” or “to hew out.” In Hos 6:5 it seems to mean “cut in pieces,” “knock down,” or perhaps “hack” (see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea [AB], 428). The Ugaritic cognate can mean “assault.” In v. 7 the verb seems to have a similar meaning, perhaps “attack, strike.” The phrase “flames of fire” is an adverbial accusative; the Lord’s shout is accompanied by “flames of fire,” that is, lightning bolts.
Psalm 29:7 sn The Lord’s shout strikes with flaming fire. The short line has invited textual emendation, but its distinct, brief form may highlight the statement, which serves as the axis of a chiastic structure encompassing vv. 5-9: (A) the Lord’s shout destroys the forest (v. 5); (B) the Lord’s shout shakes the terrain (v. 6); (C) the Lord’s shout is accompanied by destructive lightning (v. 7); (B´) the Lord’s shout shakes the terrain (v. 8); (A´) the Lord’s shout destroys the forest (v. 9).
Psalm 29:8 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms are descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.
Psalm 29:8 sn Kadesh. The references to Lebanon and Sirion in v. 6 suggest this is a reference to the northern Kadesh, located north of Damascus, not the southern Kadesh mentioned so often in the OT. See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:178.
Psalm 29:9 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.
Psalm 29:9 tc Heb “the deer.” Preserving this reading, some translate the preceding verb, “causes [the deer] to give premature birth” (cf. NEB, NASB). But the Polel of חוּל/חִיל (khul/khil) means “give birth,” not “cause to give birth,” and the statement “the Lord’s shout gives birth to deer” is absurd. In light of the parallelism (note “forests” in the next line) and v. 5, it is preferable to emend אַיָּלוֹת (ʾayyalot, “deer”) to אֵילוֹת (ʾelot, “large trees”) understanding the latter as an alternate form of the usual plural form אַיָּלִים (ʾayyalim).
Psalm 29:9 tn The verb is used in Joel 1:7 of locusts stripping the leaves from a tree. The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.
Psalm 29:9 tn The usual form of the plural of יַעַר (yaʿar, “forest”) is יְעָרִים (y^eʿarim). For this reason some propose an emendation to יְעָלוֹת (y^e’alot, “female mountain goats”) which would fit nicely in the parallelism with “deer” (cf. NEB “brings kids early to birth”). In this case one would have to understand the verb חָשַׂף (khasaf) to mean “cause premature birth,” an otherwise unattested homonym of the more common חָשַׂף (“strip bare”).sn The Lord’s thunderous shout is accompanied by high winds which damage the trees of the forest.
Psalm 29:9 tn Heb “In his temple, all of it says, ‘Glory.’”
Psalm 29:10 tn The noun מַּבּוּל (mabbul, “flood”) appears only here and in Gen 6-11, where it refers to the Noahic flood. Some see a reference to that event here. The presence of the article (perhaps indicating uniqueness) and the switch to the perfect verbal form (which could be taken as describing a past situation) might support this. However, the immediate context indicates that the referent of מַּבּוּל is the “surging waters” mentioned in v. 3. The article indicates waters that are definite in the mind of the speaker and the perfect is probably descriptive in function, like “thunders” in v. 3. However, even though the historical flood is not the primary referent here, there may be a literary allusion involved. The psalmist views the threatening chaotic sea as a contemporary manifestation of the destructive waters of old.
Psalm 29:10 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding perfect.
Psalm 29:11 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 11 are either descriptive or generalizing.
Psalm 29:11 sn Strength. This probably refers to military power; see the use of the noun in 1 Sam 2:10 and Ps 86:16.
Psalm 29:11 tn Heb “blesses his people with peace.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) probably refers here to the protection and prosperity experienced by God’s people after the Lord intervenes in battle on their behalf.

Acts 8:14-17

¹⁴Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word^[a] of God, they sent^[b] Peter and John to them. ¹⁵These two^[c] went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶(For the Spirit^[d] had not yet come upon^[e] any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)^[f] ¹⁷Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans,^[g] and they received the Holy Spirit.^[h]

Luke 3:15-17

¹⁵While the people were filled with anticipation^[a] and they all wondered^[b] whether perhaps John^[c] could be the Christ,^[d] ¹⁶John answered them all,^[e] “I baptize you with water,^[f] but one more powerful than I am is coming—I am not worthy^[g] to untie the strap^[h] of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.^[i] ¹⁷His winnowing fork^[j] is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse,^[k] but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”^[l]

Footnotes

Luke 3:15 tn Or “with expectation.” The participle προσδοκῶντος (prosdokōntos) is taken temporally.sn The people were filled with anticipation because they were hoping God would send someone to deliver them.
Luke 3:15 tn Grk “pondered in their hearts.”
Luke 3:15 tn Grk “in their hearts concerning John, (whether) perhaps he might be the Christ.” The translation simplifies the style here.
Luke 3:15 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.
Luke 3:16 tn Grk “answered them all, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant and has not been translated.
Luke 3:16 tc A few mss (C D 892 1424 it) add εἰς μετάνοιαν (eis metanoian, “for repentance”). Although two of the mss in support are early and significant, it is an obviously motivated reading to add clarification, probably representing a copyist’s attempt to harmonize Luke’s version with Matt 3:11.
Luke 3:16 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy. This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet!
Luke 3:16 tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.
Luke 3:16 sn With the Holy Spirit and fire. There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ’s ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord’s presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4-5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage.
Luke 3:17 sn A winnowing fork is a pitchfork-like tool used to toss threshed grain in the air so that the wind blows away the chaff, leaving the grain to fall to the ground. The note of purging is highlighted by the use of imagery involving sifting though threshed grain for the useful kernels.
Luke 3:17 tn Or “granary,” “barn” (referring to a building used to store a farm’s produce rather than a building for housing livestock).
Luke 3:17 sn The image of fire that cannot be extinguished is from the OT: Job 20:26; Isa 34:8-10; 66:24.

Luke 3:21-22

The Baptism of Jesus

²¹Now when^[a] all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying,^[b] the heavens^[c] opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.^[d] And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son;^[e] in you I take great delight.”^[f]

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord Will Rescue His People

Footnotes

Psalm 29[a]

A psalm of David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Baptism of Jesus

Footnotes

Psalm 29^[a]