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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 107:1-9

Book 5 (Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107^[a]

107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures.^[b]
²Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,^[c]
those whom he delivered^[d] from the power^[e] of the enemy,
³and gathered from foreign lands,^[f]
from east and west,
from north and south.
⁴They wandered through the wilderness, in a wasteland;^[g]
they found no road to a city in which to live.
⁵They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion.^[h]
⁶They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
⁷He led them on a level road,^[i]
that they might find a city in which to live.
⁸Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.^[j]
⁹For he has satisfied those who thirst,^[k]
and those who hunger he has filled with food.^[l]

Psalm 107:43

⁴³Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things.
Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love.

Hosea 10

Israel is Guilty of Fertility Cult Worship

10 Israel was a fertile vine
that yielded fruit.
As his fruit multiplied,
he multiplied altars to Baal.^[a]
As his land prospered,
they adorned the fertility pillars.
²Their hearts are slipping;
soon they will be punished for their guilt.
The Lord^[b] will break their altars;
he will completely destroy their fertility pillars.

The Lord Will Punish Israel by Removing Its Kings

³Very soon they will say, “We have no king
since we did not fear the Lord.
But what can a king do for us anyway?”
⁴They^[c] utter empty words,^[d]
taking^[e] false oaths and making empty^[f] agreements.
Therefore legal disputes sprout up
like poisonous weeds^[g] in the furrows of a plowed field.

The Calf Idol and Idolaters of Samaria Will Be Exiled

⁵The inhabitants^[h] of Samaria will lament^[i] over the calf idol^[j] of Beth Aven.^[k]
Its people will mourn over it;
its idolatrous priests will wail^[l] over it,^[m]
because its splendor will be taken from them^[n] into exile.
⁶Even the calf idol^[o] will be carried to Assyria,
as tribute for the great king.^[p]
Ephraim will be disgraced;
Israel will be put to shame because^[q] of its wooden idol.^[r]
⁷Samaria and its king will be carried off^[s]
like a twig^[t] on the surface of the waters.
⁸The high places of the “House^[u] of Wickedness”^[v] will be destroyed;
it is the place where Israel sins.
Thorns and thistles will grow up over its altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

Failure to Learn from the Sin and Judgment of Gibeah

⁹O Israel, you have sinned since the time^[w] of Gibeah,
and there you have remained.
Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?
¹⁰When I please,^[x] I will discipline them;^[y]
I will gather nations together to attack them,^[z]
to bind them in chains^[aa] for their two sins.^[ab]

Fertility Imagery: Plowing, Sowing, and Reaping

¹¹Ephraim was a well-trained heifer who loved to thresh grain;
I myself put a fine yoke^[ac] on her neck.
I will harness Ephraim.
Let Judah plow!^[ad]
Let Jacob break up the unplowed ground^[ae] for himself!
¹²Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap unfailing love.
Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves,
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes and showers deliverance^[af] on you.
¹³But you have plowed wickedness;
you have reaped injustice;
you have eaten the fruit of deception.
Because you have depended on your chariots;^[ag]
you have relied^[ah] on your many warriors.

Bethel Will Be Destroyed Like Beth Arbel

¹⁴The roar of battle will rise against your people;
all your fortresses will be devastated,
just as Shalman devastated^[ai] Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
¹⁵So will it happen to you, O Bethel,
because of your great wickedness!
When that day dawns,^[aj]
the king of Israel will be destroyed.^[ak]

Footnotes

Hosea 10:1 tn The phrase “to Baal” does not appear in the Hebrew text here but is implied; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. Cf. NCV “altars for idols,” NLT “altars of their foreign gods.”
Hosea 10:2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Hosea 10:4 tc The referent of the third person common plural verb דִּבְּרוּ (dibb^eru, “they speak”) is the masculine singular noun וְהַמֶּלֶךְ (v^ehammelekh, “and a king”) in v. 3, which is used generically, representing all human kings of Israel, to which the third common plural verb refers. Although this is a bit syntactically awkward, it is not necessary to emend the MT to the third masculine singular verb form דָּבַר (davar, “he speaks”) as the BHS editors suggest. The LXX, however, reads the singular form λαλῶν (lalōn, “uttering”).
Hosea 10:4 tn Heb “they speak words.” The cognate accusative construction דִּבְּרוּ דְבָרִים (dibb^eru d^evarim; literally, “they speak words”) is an idiom that means, “they speak mere words” (so NASB; NRSV is similar), or “they utter empty words” (so TEV; that is, they make empty promises, e.g., Isa 58:13; BDB 180-181 s.v. דָּבַר 2). The immediately following collocated phrase אָלוֹת שָׁוְא (ʾalot shav^eʾ, “swearing an empty oath”) confirms this nuance. The LXX understood this idiom in the same way: λαλῶν ῥήματα προφάσειας ψευδεῖς (lalōn hrēmata prophaseias pseudeis, “speaking false professions as his words”).
Hosea 10:4 tn The two infinitive absolutes אָלוֹת (ʾalot, Qal infinitive absolute from II אָלָה, ʾalah, “to swear an oath”; BDB 46 s.v. II אָלָה) and כָּרֹת (karot, Qal infinitive absolute from כָּרַת, karat, “to make [a covenant]”; BDB 503 s.v. כָּרַת 4), which appear without conjunctions, continue the description of the action of the preceding finite verb דִּבְּרוּ (dibb^eru, Piel perfect third person common plural from דָּבַר, davar, “to speak”). Although the infinitives continue the description of the action of the finite verb, they call special attention to the action of the infinitive rather than the action of the finite verb. See IBHS 595 §35.5.2b.
Hosea 10:4 tn The word “empty” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied. It is supplied in the translation for clarity. Cf. TEV “useless treaties.”
Hosea 10:4 tn The noun II רֹאשׁ (roʾsh) refers to a “poisonous plant” (Deut 29:17; Hos 10:4) or “bitter herb” (Ps 69:22; Lam 3:5; BDB 912 s.v. רֹאשׁ 1; HALOT 1167 s.v. רֹאשׁ 1).
Hosea 10:5 tc The MT reads the singular construct noun שְׁכַן (sh^ekhan, “the inhabitant [of Samaria]”), while the LXX and Syriac reflect the plural construct noun שְׁכַנֵי (sh^ekhane, “the inhabitants [of Samaria]”). The singular noun may be a collective referring to the population of Samaria as a whole (BDB 1015 s.v. שָׁכֵן; e.g., Isa 33:24). Most English translations view this as a reference to the inhabitants of the city as a whole (KJV, RSV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NJPS, TEV, CEV, NLT).
Hosea 10:5 tc The MT reads יָגוּרוּ (yaguru, Qal imperfect third person common plural from III גוּר, gur, “to dread”; see BDB 159 s.v. III גוּר 1). This reading is followed by most English versions but is syntactically awkward because III גוּר (“to dread”) is used nowhere else with the preposition לְ (lamed, “they are in dread for…”?). BDB suggests reading יָנוּדוּ (yanudu, Qal imperfect third person common plural from נוּד, nud, “to lament”; BDB 626 s.v. נוּד 2.a), which harmonizes better in the parallelism with אָבַל (ʾaval, “to mourn”) in the following line. The verb נוּד (“to lament”) is used with the preposition לְ in the idiom “to lament for” (e.g., Isa 51:19; Jer 15:5; 16:5; 48:17; Nah 3:7). This involves simple orthographic confusion between ג (gimel) and נ (nun), as well as ר (resh) and ד (dalet), which were often confused by the scribes.
Hosea 10:5 tc The MT reads the plural לְעֶגְלוֹת (l^eʿeglot, “for the calves”), while some Greek versions (LXX, Theodotion) and the Syriac reflect the singular לְעֵגֶל (“for the calf [calf idol]”). The singular reading is preferred on the basis of internal evidence: the oracle denounces the calf-idol worship of Samaria. The plural form probably arose due to the ambiguity of the term “calf” when a scribe did not realize that the term was being used as a metonymy for the worship of the Egyptian calf goddess. Most recent English versions adopt the singular form and relate it to the calf goddess cult (RSV, NASB, NIV, NCV, NJPS, TEV, CEV, NLT); however, older English versions follow the MT plural (KJV, ASV).
Hosea 10:5 sn See the note on the place name Beth Aven in 4:15.
Hosea 10:5 tc The MT appears to read יָגִילוּ (yagilu, “they will rejoice”; Qal imperfect third person masculine plural from גִּיל, gil, “to rejoice”), but this is likely an example of semantic polarization. See F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea (AB), 556-67. The BHS editors propose the reading יְיֵלִילוּ (y^eyelilu, “they will lament”; Hiphil imperfect third person masculine plural from יָלַל, yalal, “to lament”), which also appears in Hos 7:14. If this reading is original, the textual variant may be attributed to (1) orthographic confusion between ל (lamed) and ג (gimel), and (2) haplography or dittography of י (yod). English versions are split; some follow the MT (KJV, ASV, NIV, NJPS), others the proposed emendation (RSV, NASB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
Hosea 10:5 tc This line division follows the MT rather than the line division suggested by the BHS editors.
Hosea 10:5 tn Heb “from it” (so NAB, NRSV).
Hosea 10:6 tn The antecedent of the third person masculine singular direct-object pronoun אוֹתוֹ (ʾoto, “it”) is probably the calf idol of Beth Aven mentioned in 10:5a. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. TEV, NLT).
Hosea 10:6 tc The MT reads מֶלֶךְ יָרֵב (melekh yarev, “a king who contends”?), which is syntactically awkward: מֶלֶךְ (“king”) followed by יָרֵב (“let him contend!”; Qal jussive third person masculine singular from רִיב, riv, “to contend”). Note that KJV, ASV, and NASB treat this as a proper name (“king Jareb”). The MT reading is probably the result of faulty word division. As the BHS editors suggest, the original reading most likely is מַלְכִּי רָב (malki rav, “the great king”). The suffixed י (yod) on מַלְכִּי is the remnant of the old genitive ending. This is the equivalent of the Assyrian royal epithet sarru rabbu (“the great king”). See also the tc note on the same phrase in 5:13.
Hosea 10:6 tn The preposition מִן (min) functions in a causal sense specifying the logical cause: “because of” or “on account of” (e.g., Exod 2:23; Deut 7:7; Nah 3:4; BDB 580 s.v. מִן 2.f; HALOT 598 s.v. מִן 6).
Hosea 10:6 tn The meaning of the root of מֵעֲצָתוֹ (meʿatsato, preposition מִן, min, + feminine singular noun עֵצָה, ʿetsah, + third person masculine singular suffix) is debated. There are three options: (1) “its counsel” from I עֵצָה (“counsel; advice; plan”; BDB 420 s.v. עֵצָה; HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה 3.a); (2) “its disobedience” from II עֵצָה (“disobedience,” but the existence of this root is debated; see HALOT 867 s.v. II עֵצָה); and (3) “its wooden idol” from III עֵצָה (“wood”; cf. Jer 6:6), referring to the wooden idol/effigy (the calf idol in 10:5), a stick of wood covered with gold (HALOT 867 s.v.). The last option is favored contextually: (a) the idol is called “a stick of wood” in Hos 4:12, and (b) the calf idol (probably the referent) of the cult is mentioned in 10:5. The English versions are divided. Some have “his idol” (RSV, NRSV), “its wooden idols” (NIV), “image” (NJPS margin), “that idol” (CEV), and “this idol” (NLT). Others have “his own counsel” (KJV, ASV), “its own counsel” (NASB), “his plans” (NJPS), “his schemes” (NAB), and “the advice” (TEV).
Hosea 10:7 tn The term נִדְמֶה (nidmeh, Niphal participle masculine singular) is derived from II דָמָה (damah; so BDB 198 s.v. דָמָה; HALOT 225 s.v. III דמה): “be cut off, cease to exist, be destroyed.” The Niphal form נִדְמֶה (“will be destroyed”) is paralleled by the Niphal וְנִשְׁמְדוּ (v^enishm^edu, “will be destroyed”) in 10:8. Several English versions nuance the literal wording for the sake of the idiom: “will float away like a twig on the surface of the waters” (NIV), “Like a twig in a stream…will be swept away” (CEV), and “will be carried off like a chip of wood on an ocean wave” (NLT).
Hosea 10:7 tn The noun II קֶצֶף (qetsef) is a hapax legomenon (a term that occurs only once). Historically, it has been understood in two different ways: (1) “foam” (Vulgate, Aquila, Symmachus) and (2) “snapped-off twig” (LXX, Theodotion, Syriac Peshitta). Both interpretations make sense in the light of the simile. The latter has more support because of the related verb קָצַץ (qatsats, “to cut off, chop off”) used in reference to wood (BDB 893 s.v. קָצַץ; HALOT 1125 s.v. קצץ) and the related feminine noun קְצָפָה (q^etsafah, “stump; splinter” of fig-tree; BDB 893 s.v. קְצָפָה; HALOT 1125 s.v. קְצָפָה). English versions differ along these lines: (1) “foam” (KJV, NAB, NJPS) and (2) “chip” (NRSV, TEV, NCV, NLT), “stick” (NASB), and “twig” (NIV, CEV).
Hosea 10:8 tn Alternately, “Aven” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) for the city name “Beth Aven.” The term “Beth” (house) does not appear in the Hebrew text here but is implied (e.g., Hos 4:15). It is supplied in the translation for clarity.
Hosea 10:8 tc The MT reads בָּמוֹת אָוֶן (bamot ʾaven, “high places of Aven”); however, several Hebrew mss read בָּמוֹת בֵּית אָוֶן (bamot bet ʾaven, “high places of Beth Aven”). In Hos 4:15 the name בֵּית אָוֶן (“Beth Aven”; Heb “house of wickedness”) is a wordplay on “Bethel” (Heb “house of God”). It is possible that בָּמוֹת בֵּית אָוֶן (“high places of Beth Aven”) was original: בֵּית (bet, “house”) could have dropped out as an unintentional scribal error by haplography due to presence of the consonants בת in the preceding word במות (bamot, “high places”).tn Heb “high places of wickedness” (בָּמוֹת אָוֶן, bamot ʾaven); so NIV. The noun אָוֶן (“wickedness”) is an attributive genitive: “wicked high places.”
Hosea 10:9 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
Hosea 10:10 tn Heb “in my desire”; cf. ASV, NASB “When it is my desire,” NCV “When I am ready.”
Hosea 10:10 tc The MT reads וְאֶסֳּרֵם (v^eʾessorem, vav conjunction + a verb form which does not properly fit any paradigm + third person masculine plural suffix). The LXX reads παιδεῦσαι αὐτούς (paideusai autous, “to discipline them”) which reflects a Vorlage of אֲיַסְּרֵם (ʾayass^erem, Piel imperfect first person common singular + third person masculine plural suffix from יָסַר, yasar, “to discipline”; BDB 416 s.v. יָסַר 3). The textual variant was caused by orthographic confusion between ו (vav) and י (yod) and metathesis with the א (ʾalef).
Hosea 10:10 tn Heb “Nations will be gathered together against them.”
Hosea 10:10 tn The verb אָסַר (ʾasar, “to bind”) often refers to conquered peoples being bound as prisoners (BDB 63 s.v. אָסַר). Here it is used figuratively to describe the Israelites being taken into exile. Cf. NIV “to put them in bonds.”
Hosea 10:10 tc The Kethib is לִשְׁתֵּי עֵינֹתָם (lishte ʿenotam, “for their two eyes”), while the Qere reads לִשְׁתֵּי עוֹנֹתָם (lishte ʿonotam, “for their two sins”). The phrase “two sins” could refer to (1) the sinful episode at Gibeah and the subsequent war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other tribes (Judges 19-21), or (2) the entire Gibeah incident (Judges 19-21) and Israel’s subsequent failure to repent up to the time of Hosea: “the time of Gibeah” (first sin) and “there you have remained” (second sin).
Hosea 10:11 tc The MT is unintelligible: עַל־טוּב (ʿal tuv, “upon a fine [thing]”?). Cf. KJV “I passed over upon her fair neck,” NRSV “I spared her fair neck.” The BHS editors suggest the revocalization עֹל־טוּב (ʿol tuv, “a fine yoke”), followed by many modern English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT). The noun עֹל (ʿol, “yoke”) also appears in 11:4 in a metaphor comparing Israel to a young heifer.
Hosea 10:11 tn Or “Judah will plow” (so NASB); cf. NIV, NRSV, CEV “Judah must plow.”
Hosea 10:11 tn Or “Jacob will break up.”
Hosea 10:12 tn Or “righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. NAB “justice.”
Hosea 10:13 tc The MT (followed by KJV, NASB) reads the enigmatic בְּדַרְכְּךָ (b^edark^ekha, “in your own way”) which does not seem to fit the context or the parallelism with בְּרֹב גִּבּוֹרֶיךָ (b^erov gibborekha, “in your multitude of warriors”). The BHS editors suggest the original reading was בְרִכְבְּךָ (v^erikhb^ekha, “in your chariots”), a reading followed by NAB and TEV. If this is correct, the MT reading was caused by orthographic confusion between רֶכֶב (rekhev, “chariot”) and דֶּרֶכ (derekh, “way”).
Hosea 10:13 tn The phrase “you have relied” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is implied by the parallelism in the preceding line.
Hosea 10:14 tn Heb “as the devastation of Shalman.” The genitive noun שַׁלְמַן (shalman, “Shalman”) functions as a subjective genitive: “as Shalman devastated [Beth Arbel].”
Hosea 10:15 tn Heb “when the dawn is cut off” or “when the day ceases” (cf. NLT “When the day of judgment dawns”).
Hosea 10:15 tn The root דָמָה (damah, “to be cut off, cease to exist, be destroyed”; BDB 198 s.v. דָּמָה; HALOT 225 s.v. דמה) is repeated in the Hebrew text. The form נִדְמֹה (nidmoh, Niphal infinitive absolute) appears in the first colon, and the form נִדְמָה (nidmah, Niphal perfect third person masculine singular) appears in the second colon. This striking repetition creates a dramatic wordplay that, for stylistic reasons, cannot be reproduced in English translations: “The moment the dawn ceases to exist (i.e., at the break of dawn), the king of Israel will cease to exist.”

Mark 10:17-22

The Rich Man

¹⁷Now^[a] as Jesus^[b] was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^[c] ¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good?^[d] No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”^[e] ²⁰The man^[f] said to him, “Teacher, I have wholeheartedly obeyed^[g] all these laws^[h] since my youth.”^[i] ²¹As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said, “You lack one thing. Go, sell whatever you have and give the money^[j] to the poor, and you will have treasure^[k] in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ²²But at this statement, the man^[l] looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.^[m]

Footnotes

Mark 10:17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
Mark 10:17 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.sn Mark 10:17-31. The following unit, Mark 10:17-31, can be divided up into three related sections: (1) the rich man’s question (vv. 17-22); (2) Jesus’ teaching on riches and the kingdom of God (vv. 23-27); and (3) Peter’s statement and Jesus’ answer (vv. 28-31). They are all tied together around the larger theme of the relationship of wealth to the kingdom Jesus had been preaching. The point is that it is impossible to attain to the kingdom by means of riches. The passage as a whole is found in the section 8:27-10:52 in which Mark has been focusing on Jesus’ suffering and true discipleship. In vv. 28-31 Jesus does not deny great rewards to those who follow him, both in the present age and in the age to come, but it must be thoroughly understood that suffering will be integral to the mission of the disciples and the church, for in the very next section (10:32-34) Jesus reaffirmed the truth about his coming rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection.
Mark 10:17 sn The rich man wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life, but Jesus had just finished teaching that eternal life was not earned but simply received (10:15).
Mark 10:18 sn Jesus’ response, Why do you call me good?, was designed to cause the young man to stop and think for a moment about who Jesus really was. The following statement No one is good except God alone seems to point the man in the direction of Jesus’ essential nature and the demands which logically follow on the man for having said it.
Mark 10:19 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20, except for do not defraud, which is an allusion to Deut 24:14.
Mark 10:20 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the man who asked the question in v. 17) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Mark 10:20 tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail throughout his life, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance.
Mark 10:20 tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.sn While the rich man was probably being sincere when he insisted I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws, he had confined his righteousness to external obedience. The rich man’s response to Jesus’ command to give away all he had revealed that internally he loved money more than God.
Mark 10:20 sn Since my youth. Judaism regarded the age of thirteen as the age when a man would have become responsible to live by God’s commands.
Mark 10:21 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Mark 10:21 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.
Mark 10:22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man who asked the question in v. 17) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Mark 10:22 tn Grk “he had many possessions.” This term (κτῆμα, ktēma) is often used for land as a possession.

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Book 5 (Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107[a]

Footnotes

Israel is Guilty of Fertility Cult Worship

The Lord Will Punish Israel by Removing Its Kings

The Calf Idol and Idolaters of Samaria Will Be Exiled

Failure to Learn from the Sin and Judgment of Gibeah

Fertility Imagery: Plowing, Sowing, and Reaping

Bethel Will Be Destroyed Like Beth Arbel

Footnotes

The Rich Man

Footnotes

Psalm 107^[a]