◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 59 (Deliver me from my enemies); 2 Kings 9:1-13 (The house of Ahab destroyed); 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (The power and wisdom of God) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

June 23, 2025

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

June 2025
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

Return to today's reading

Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 59

Psalm 59^[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.^[d]

59 Deliver me from my enemies, my God.
Protect me^[e] from those who attack me.^[f]
²Deliver me from evildoers.^[g]
Rescue me from violent men.^[h]
³For look, they wait to ambush me;^[i]
powerful men stalk^[j] me,
but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.^[k]
⁴Though I have done nothing wrong,^[l] they are anxious to attack.^[m]
Spring into action and help me. Take notice of me.^[n]
⁵You, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,^[o] the God of Israel,
rouse yourself and punish^[p] all the nations.
Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers. (Selah)
⁶They return in the evening;
they growl^[q] like dogs
and prowl around outside^[r] the city.
⁷Look, they hurl insults at me
and openly threaten to kill me,^[s]
for they say,^[t]
“Who hears?”
⁸But you, O Lord, laugh in disgust at them;^[u]
you taunt^[v] all the nations.
⁹You are my source of strength. I will wait for you.^[w]
For God is my refuge.^[x]
¹⁰The God who loves me will help me;^[y]
God will enable me to triumph over^[z] my enemies.^[aa]
¹¹Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson.^[ab]
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us.^[ac]
¹²They speak sinful words.^[ad]
So let them be trapped by their own pride
and by the curses and lies they speak.
¹³Angrily wipe them out. Wipe them out so they vanish.
Let them know that God rules
over Jacob and to the ends of the earth. (Selah)
¹⁴They return in the evening;
they growl^[ae] like dogs
and prowl around outside^[af] the city.
¹⁵They wander around looking for something to eat;
they refuse to sleep until they are full.^[ag]
¹⁶As for me, I will sing about your strength;
I will praise your loyal love in the morning.
For you are my refuge^[ah]
and my place of shelter when I face trouble.^[ai]
¹⁷You are my source of strength. I will sing praises to you.^[aj]
For God is my refuge,^[ak] the God who loves me.^[al]

Footnotes

Psalm 59:1 sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.
Psalm 59:1 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 superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.
Psalm 59:1 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 59:1 tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when Saul sent assassins to surround David’s house and kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam 19:11). However, the psalm itself mentions foreign enemies (vv. 5, 8). Perhaps these references reflect a later adaptation of an original Davidic psalm.
Psalm 59:1 tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”
Psalm 59:1 tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”
Psalm 59:2 tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”
Psalm 59:2 tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”
Psalm 59:3 tn Heb “my life.”
Psalm 59:3 tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.
Psalm 59:3 sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the Lord.
Psalm 59:4 tn Heb “without sin.”
Psalm 59:4 tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”
Psalm 59:4 tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qaraʾ, “to meet; to encounter”) here carries the nuance of “to help.”
Psalm 59:5 tn Heb “Lord, God, Hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי (ʾelohe) before צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot, “hosts”). See Ps 89:9, but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (y^ehvah ʾelohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (ts^evaʾot) in Pss 80:4, 19; 84:8 as well.
Psalm 59:5 tn Heb “wake up to punish” (see Pss 35:23; 44:23).
Psalm 59:6 tn Or “howl”; or “bark.”
Psalm 59:6 tn Heb “go around.”
Psalm 59:7 tn Heb “look, they gush forth with their mouth, swords [are] in their lips.”
Psalm 59:7 tn The words “for they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The following question (“Who hears?”) is spoken by the psalmist’s enemies, who are confident that no one else can hear their threats against the psalmist. They are aggressive because they feel the psalmist is vulnerable and has no one to help him.
Psalm 59:8 sn Laugh in disgust. See Pss 2:4; 37:13.
Psalm 59:8 tn Or “scoff at”; or “deride”; or “mock” (see Ps 2:4).
Psalm 59:9 tc Heb “his strength, for you I will watch.” “His strength” should be emended to “my strength” (see v. 17). Some also emend אֶשְׁמֹרָה (ʾeshmorah, “I will watch”) to אֱזַמֵּרָה (ʾezammerah, “I will sing praises [to you]”) See v. 17.
Psalm 59:9 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
Psalm 59:10 tn Heb “the God of my [Qere (marginal reading); the Kethib (consonantal text) has “his”] loyal love will meet me.”
Psalm 59:10 tn Heb “will cause me to look upon.”
Psalm 59:10 tn Heb “those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 56:2.
Psalm 59:11 tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”sn My people might forget the lesson. Swift, sudden destruction might be quickly forgotten. The psalmist wants God’s judgment to be prolonged so that it might be a continual reminder of divine justice.
Psalm 59:11 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
Psalm 59:12 tn Heb “the sin of their mouth [is] the word of their lips.”
Psalm 59:14 tn Or “howl”; or “bark.”
Psalm 59:14 tn Heb “go around.”
Psalm 59:15 tn Heb “if they are not full, they stay through the night.”
Psalm 59:16 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
Psalm 59:16 tn Heb “and my shelter in the day of my distress.”
Psalm 59:17 tn Heb “my strength, to you I will sing praises.”
Psalm 59:17 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
Psalm 59:17 tn Heb “the God of my loyal love.”

2 Kings 9:1-13

Jehu Becomes King

9 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild^[a] and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container^[b] of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. ²When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take him aside into an inner room.^[c] ³Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord has said, “I have designated^[d] you as king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and run away quickly!”^[e]

⁴So the young prophet^[f] went to Ramoth Gilead. ⁵When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there.^[g] So he said, “I have a message for you, O officer.”^[h] Jehu asked, “For which one of us?”^[i] He replied, “For you, O officer.” ⁶So Jehu^[j] got up and went inside. Then the prophet^[k] poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has said, ‘I have designated you as king over the Lord’s people Israel. ⁷You will destroy the family of your master Ahab.^[l] I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord’s servants.^[m] ⁸Ahab’s entire family will die. I^[n] will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated.^[o] ⁹I will make Ahab’s dynasty^[p] like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. ¹⁰Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be buried.’”^[q] Then he opened the door and ran away.

¹¹When Jehu rejoined^[r] his master’s servants, they^[s] asked him, “Is everything all right?^[t] Why did this madman visit you?” He replied, “Ah, it’s not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says.”^[u] ¹²But they said, “You’re lying! Tell us what he said.” So he told them what he had said. He also related how he had said,^[v] “This is what the Lord has said, ‘I have designated you as king over Israel.’” ¹³Each of them quickly took off his cloak, and they spread them out at Jehu’s^[w] feet on the steps.^[x] The trumpet was blown^[y] and they shouted, “Jehu is^[z] king!”

Footnotes

2 Kings 9:1 tn Heb “one of the sons of the prophets.”
2 Kings 9:1 tn Or “flask.”
2 Kings 9:2 tn Heb “and go and set him apart from his brothers and bring him into an inner room in an inner room.”
2 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “anointed.”
2 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”
2 Kings 9:4 tc Heb “the young man, the young man, the prophet.” The MT is probably dittographic, the phrase “the young man” being accidentally repeated. The phrases “the young man” and “the prophet” are appositional, with the latter qualifying more specifically the former.
2 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “and he arrived and look, the officers of the army were sitting.”
2 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “[there is] a word for me to you, O officer.”
2 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “To whom from all of us?”
2 Kings 9:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Kings 9:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “strike down the house of Ahab your master.”
2 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “I will avenge the shed blood of my servants the prophets and the shed blood of all the servants of the Lord from the hand of Jezebel.”
2 Kings 9:8 tc The LXX has the second person, “you.”
2 Kings 9:8 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, [including both those who are] restrained and let free [or, ‘abandoned’] in Israel.” On the phrase וְעָצוּר וְעָזוּב (v^eʿatsur v^eʿazur, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
2 Kings 9:9 tn Heb “house.”
2 Kings 9:10 sn Note how the young prophet greatly expands the message Elisha had given to him. In addition to lengthening the introductory formula (by adding “the God of Israel”) and the official declaration that accompanies the act of anointing (by adding “the Lord’s people”), he goes on to tell how Jehu will become king (by a revolt against Ahab’s dynasty), makes it clear that Jehu will be an instrument of divine vengeance, and predicts the utter annihilation of Ahab’s family and the violent death of Jezebel.
2 Kings 9:11 tn Heb “went out to.”
2 Kings 9:11 tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.
2 Kings 9:11 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
2 Kings 9:11 tn Heb “He said, ‘You, you know the man and his thoughts.’” Jehu tries to deflect their question by reminding them that the man is an eccentric individual who says strange things. His reply suggests that the man said nothing of importance. The translation seeks to bring out the tone and intent of Jehu’s reply.
2 Kings 9:12 tn Heb “So he said, ‘Like this and like this he said to me, saying.’” The words “like this and like this” are probably not a direct quote of Jehu’s words to his colleagues. Rather this is the narrator’s way of avoiding repetition and indicating that Jehu repeated, or at least summarized, what the prophet had said to him.
2 Kings 9:13 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Kings 9:13 tn Heb “and they hurried and took, each one his garment, and they placed [them] beneath him on the bone [?] of the steps.” The precise nuance of גֶּרֶם (gerem), “bone,” is unclear. Some suggest the nuance “bare” here; it may be a technical architectural term in this context.
2 Kings 9:13 tn Heb “they blew the trumpet.” This has been translated as a passive to avoid the implication that the same ones who shouted had all blown trumpets.
2 Kings 9:13 tn Or “has become.”

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

The Message of the Cross

¹⁸For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent.”^[a] ²⁰Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law?^[b] Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching. ²²For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom, ²³but we preach about a crucified Christ,^[c] a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. ²⁴But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,^[d] and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.^[e]

²⁶Think about the circumstances of your call,^[f] brothers and sisters.^[g] Not many were wise by human standards,^[h] not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.^[i] ²⁷But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. ²⁸God chose^[j] what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, ²⁹so that no one can boast in his presence. ³⁰He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus,^[k] who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”^[l]

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 59[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;[b] a prayer[c] of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.[d]

Footnotes

Jehu Becomes King

Footnotes

The Message of the Cross

Footnotes

Psalm 59^[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.^[d]