◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 52 (I am like a green olive tree); Amos 5:10-17 (Hate evil and love good); Hebrews 5:1-6 (Christ did not glorify himself) (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 52

Psalm 52^[a]

For the music director, a well-written song^[b] by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.”^[c]

52 Why do you boast about your evil plans,^[d] O powerful man?
God’s loyal love protects me all day long.^[e]
²Your tongue carries out your destructive plans;^[f]
it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver.^[g]
³You love evil more than good,
lies more than speaking the truth.^[h] (Selah)
⁴You love to use all the words that destroy,^[i]
and the tongue that deceives.
⁵Yet^[j] God will make you a permanent heap of ruins.^[k]
He will scoop you up^[l] and remove you from your home;^[m]
he will uproot you from the land of the living. (Selah)
⁶When the godly see this, they will be filled with awe,
and will mock the evildoer, saying:^[n]
⁷“Look, here is the man who would not make^[o] God his protector.
He trusted in his great wealth
and was confident about his plans to destroy others.”^[p]
⁸But I^[q] am like a flourishing^[r] olive tree in the house of God;
I continually^[s] trust in God’s loyal love.
⁹I will continually^[t] thank you when^[u] you execute judgment;^[v]
I will rely on^[w] you,^[x] for your loyal followers know you are good.^[y]

Footnotes

Psalm 52:1 sn Psalm 52. The psalmist confidently confronts his enemy and affirms that God will destroy evildoers and vindicate the godly.
Psalm 52:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
Psalm 52:1 tn Heb “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm during the period when Saul was seeking his life. On one occasion Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s head shepherd (1 Sam 21:7), informed Saul of David’s whereabouts (see 1 Sam 21-22).
Psalm 52:1 tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”
Psalm 52:1 tn Heb “the loyal love of God [is] all the day.” In this context, where the psalmist is threatened by his enemy, the point seems to be that the psalmist is protected by God’s loyal love at all times.
Psalm 52:2 tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”
Psalm 52:2 tn Heb “like a sharpened razor, doer of deceit.” The masculine participle עָשָׂה (ʿasah) is understood as a substantival vocative, addressed to the powerful man.
Psalm 52:3 tn Or “deceit more than speaking what is right.”
Psalm 52:4 tn Heb “you love all the words of swallowing.” Traditionally בַּלַּע (balaʿ) has been taken to mean “swallowing” in the sense of “devouring” or “destructive” (see BDB 118 s.v. בָּלַע). HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע proposes a homonym here, meaning “confusion.” This would fit the immediate context nicely and provide a close parallel to the following line, which refers to deceptive words.
Psalm 52:5 tn The adverb גַּם (gam, “also; even”) is translated here in an adversative sense (“yet”). It highlights the contrastive correspondence between the evildoer’s behavior and God’s response.
Psalm 52:5 tn Heb “will tear you down forever.”
Psalm 52:5 tn This rare verb (חָתָה, khatah) occurs only here and in Prov 6:27; 25:22; Isa 30:14.
Psalm 52:5 tn Heb “from [your] tent.”
Psalm 52:6 tn Heb “and the godly will see and will fear and at him will laugh.”
Psalm 52:7 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action. The evildoer customarily rejected God and trusted in his own abilities. Another option is to take the imperfect as generalizing, “[here is the man who] does not make.”
Psalm 52:7 tn Heb “he was strong in his destruction.” “Destruction” must refer back to the destructive plans mentioned in v. 2. The verb (derived from the root עָזַז, ʿazaz, “be strong”) as it stands is either an imperfect (if so, probably used in a customary sense) or a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive). However the form should probably be emended to וַיָּעָז (vayyaʿaz), a Qal preterite (with vav [ו] consecutive) from עָזַז. Note the preterite form without vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line (וַיִּבְטַח, vayyivtakh, “and he trusted”). The prefixed vav (ו) was likely omitted by haplography (note the suffixed vav [ו] on the preceding עָשְׁרוֹ, ʿoshro, “his wealth”).
Psalm 52:8 tn The disjunctive construction (vav [ו] + subject) highlights the contrast between the evildoer’s destiny (vv. 5-7) and that of the godly psalmist’s security.
Psalm 52:8 tn Or “luxuriant, green, leafy.”
Psalm 52:8 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever and ever.”
Psalm 52:9 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
Psalm 52:9 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 52:9 tn Heb “you have acted.” The perfect verbal form (1) probably indicates a future perfect here. The psalmist promises to give thanks when the expected vindication has been accomplished. Other options include (2) a generalizing (“for you act”) or (3) rhetorical (“for you will act”) use.
Psalm 52:9 tn Or “wait on.”
Psalm 52:9 tn Heb “your name.” God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character.
Psalm 52:9 tn Heb “for it is good in front of your loyal followers.”

Amos 5:10-17

¹⁰The Israelites^[a] hate anyone who arbitrates at the city gate;^[b]

they despise anyone who speaks honestly.
¹¹Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops^[c]
and exact a grain tax from them,
you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone,
nor will you drink the wine from the fine^[d] vineyards you planted.^[e]
¹²Certainly^[f] I am aware of^[g] your many rebellious acts^[h]
and your numerous sins.
You^[i] torment the innocent, you take bribes,
and you deny justice to^[j] the needy at the city gate.^[k]
¹³For this reason whoever is smart^[l] keeps quiet^[m] in such a time,
for it is an evil^[n] time.
¹⁴Seek good and not evil so you can live!

Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies just might be with you,
as you claim he is.
¹⁵Hate what is wrong, love what is right.
Promote^[o] justice at the city gate.^[p]
Maybe the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on^[q] those who are left from^[r] Joseph.^[s]

¹⁶Because of Israel’s sins^[t] this is what the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,^[u] says:

“In all the squares there will be wailing,
in all the streets they will mourn the dead.^[v]
They will tell the field workers^[w] to lament
and the professional mourners^[x] to wail.
¹⁷In all the vineyards there will be wailing,
for I will pass through^[y] your midst,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

Amos 5:10 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Amos 5:10 sn In ancient Israelite culture, legal disputes were resolved in the city gate, where the town elders met.
Amos 5:11 tn Traditionally, “because you trample on the poor” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). The traditional view derives the verb from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”; cf. Isa. 14:25), but more likely it is cognate to an Akkadian verb meaning “to exact an agricultural tax” (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49; S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 172-73).
Amos 5:11 tn Or “lovely”; cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV “pleasant,” NAB “choice,” NIV “lush.”
Amos 5:11 tn Heb “Houses of chiseled stone you built, but you will not live in them. Fine vineyards you planted, but you will not drink their wine.”
Amos 5:12 tn Or “for.”
Amos 5:12 tn Or “I know” (so most English versions).
Amos 5:12 tn Or “transgressions,” “sins.” See the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3 and on the phrase “covenant violations” in 2:4.
Amos 5:12 tn Heb “Those who.”
Amos 5:12 tn Heb “turn aside.” They “turn aside” the needy by denying them the justice they deserve at the city gate (where legal decisions were made, and therefore where justice should be done).
Amos 5:12 sn Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate, where the town elders met.
Amos 5:13 tn Or “the wise”; or “the prudent.” Another option is to translate “the successful, prosperous” and understand this as a reference to the rich oppressors. See G. V. Smith, Amos, 169-70. In this case the following verb will also have a different nuance, that is, the wealthy remain silent before the abuses they perpetuate. See the note on the verb translated “keeps quiet” later in this verse.
Amos 5:13 tn Or “moans, laments,” from a homonymic verbal root. If the rich oppressors are in view, then the verb (whether translated “will be silenced” or “will lament”) describes the result of God’s judgment upon them. See G. V. Smith, Amos, 170.
Amos 5:13 tn If this is a judgment announcement against the rich, then the Hebrew phrase עֵת רָעָה (ʿet raʿah) must be translated, “[a] disastrous time.” See G. V. Smith, Amos, 170.
Amos 5:15 tn Heb “set up, establish.” In the ancient Near East it was the responsibility especially of the king to establish justice. Here the prophet extends that demand to local leaders and to the nation as a whole (cf. 5:24).
Amos 5:15 sn Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate (see the note in v. 12). This repetition of this phrase serves to highlight a deliberate contrast to the injustices cited in vv. 11-13.
Amos 5:15 tn Or “will show favor to.”
Amos 5:15 tn Or “the remnant of” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); cf. CEV “what’s left of your people.”
Amos 5:15 sn Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.
Amos 5:16 tn Heb “Therefore.” This logical connector relates back to the accusation of vv. 10-13, not to the parenthetical call to repentance in vv. 14-15. To indicate this clearly, the phrase “Because of Israel’s sins” is used in the translation.
Amos 5:16 tn Or “the Lord.” The Hebrew term translated “sovereign One” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
Amos 5:16 tn Heb “they will say, ‘Ah! Ah!’” The Hebrew term הוֹ (ho, “ah, woe”) is an alternate form of הוֹי (hoy), a word used to mourn the dead and express outwardly one’s sorrow. See 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5. This wordplay follows quickly, as v. 18 begins with הוֹי (“woe”).
Amos 5:16 tn Or “farmers” (NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
Amos 5:16 tn Heb “those who know lamentation.”sn Professional mourners are referred to elsewhere in the OT (2 Chr 35:25; Jer 9:17) and ancient Near Eastern literature. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 180.
Amos 5:17 sn The expression pass through your midst alludes to Exod 12:12, where the Lord announced he would “pass through” Egypt and bring death to the Egyptian firstborn.

Hebrews 5:1-6

5 For every high priest is taken from among the people^[a] and appointed^[b] to represent them before God,^[c] to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. ²He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness, ³and for this reason he is obligated to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. ⁴And no one assumes this honor^[d] on his own initiative,^[e] but only when called to it by God,^[f] as in fact Aaron was. ⁵So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God,^[g] who said to him, “You are my Son! Today I have fathered you,”^[h] ⁶as also in another place God^[i] says, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”^[j]

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 52[a]

For the music director, a well-written song[b] by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.”[c]

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 52^[a]

For the music director, a well-written song^[b] by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.”^[c]