◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 60 (With God we shall do valiantly); Hosea 14:1-9 (A plea for repentance); Luke 12:22-31 (Trust in God) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

August 6, 2025

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

August 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
31

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 60

Psalm 60^[a]

For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David written to instruct others.^[d] It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down^[e] 12,000 Edomites^[f] in the Valley of Salt.^[g]

60 O God, you have rejected us.^[h]
You suddenly turned on us in your anger.^[i]
Please restore us!^[j]
²You made the earth quake; you split it open.^[k]
Repair its breaches, for it is ready to fall.^[l]
³You have made your people experience hard times;^[m]
you have made us drink intoxicating wine.^[n]
⁴You have given your loyal followers^[o] a rallying flag,
so that they might seek safety from the bow.^[p] (Selah)
⁵Deliver by your power^[q] and answer me,^[r]
so that the ones you love may be safe.^[s]
⁶God has spoken in his sanctuary:^[t]
“I will triumph. I will parcel out Shechem;
the Valley of Sukkoth I will measure off.^[u]
⁷Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh.^[v]
Ephraim is my helmet,^[w]
Judah my royal scepter.^[x]
⁸Moab is my washbasin.^[y]
I will make Edom serve me.^[z]
I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”^[aa]
⁹Who will lead me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me to Edom?^[ab]
¹⁰Have you not rejected us, O God?
O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.
¹¹Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile.^[ac]
¹²By God’s power we will conquer;^[ad]
he will trample down^[ae] our enemies.

Footnotes

Psalm 60:1 sn Psalm 60. The psalmist grieves over Israel’s humiliation, but in response to God’s assuring word, he asks for divine help in battle and expresses his confidence in victory.
Psalm 60:1 tn The Hebrew expression means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title.
Psalm 60:1 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-59, is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
Psalm 60:1 tn Heb “to teach.”
Psalm 60:1 tn In Josh 8:21 and Judg 20:48 the two verbs “turn back” and “strike down” are also juxtaposed. There they refer to a military counter-attack.
Psalm 60:1 tn Heb “12,000 of Edom.” Perhaps one should read אֲרַם (’aram, “Aram”) here rather than אֱדוֹם (’edom, “Edom”).
Psalm 60:1 sn The heading apparently refers to the military campaign recorded in 2 Sam 10 and 1 Chr 19.
Psalm 60:1 sn You have rejected us. See Pss 43:2; 44:9, 23.
Psalm 60:1 tn Heb “you broke out upon us, you were angry.”
Psalm 60:1 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
Psalm 60:2 tn The verb פָּצַם (patsam, “split open”) occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “crack,” and an Aramaic cognate is used in Tg. Jer 22:14 with the meaning “break open, frame.” See BDB 822 s.v. and Jastrow 1205 s.v. פְּצַם.sn You made the earth quake; you split it open. The psalmist uses the imagery of an earthquake to describe the nation’s defeat.
Psalm 60:2 sn It is ready to fall. The earth is compared to a wall that has been broken by the force of the earthquake (note the preceding line) and is ready to collapse.
Psalm 60:3 tn Heb “you have caused your people to see [what is] hard.”
Psalm 60:3 tn Heb “wine of staggering,” that is, intoxicating wine that makes one stagger in drunkenness. Intoxicating wine is here an image of divine judgment that makes its victims stagger like drunkards. See Isa 51:17-23.
Psalm 60:4 tn Heb “those who fear you.”
Psalm 60:4 tn There is a ray of hope in that God has allowed his loyal followers to rally under a battle flag. The translation assumes the verb is from the root נוּס (nus, “flee”) used here in the Hitpolel in the sense of “find safety for oneself” (HALOT 681 s.v. נוס) or “take flight for oneself” (BDB 630-31 s.v. נוּס). Another option is to take the verb as a denominative from נֵס (nes, “flag”) and translate “that it may be displayed” (BDB 651 s.v. II נסס) or “that they may assemble under the banner” (HALOT 704 s.v. II נסס). Here קֹשֶׁט (qoshet) is taken as an Aramaized form of קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”; BDB 905-6 s.v. קֶשֶׁת), though some understand the homonymic קֹשְׁטְ (qosh^et, “truth”) here (see Prov 22:21; cf. NASB). If one follows the latter interpretation, the line may be translated, “so that they might assemble under the banner for the sake of truth.”
Psalm 60:5 tn Heb “right hand.”
Psalm 60:5 tn The Qere (marginal reading) has “me,” while the Kethib (consonantal text) has “us.”
Psalm 60:5 tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
Psalm 60:6 tn Heb “in his holy place.”
Psalm 60:6 sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan, the Valley of Sukkoth for the region east of the Jordan.
Psalm 60:7 sn Gilead was located east of the Jordan. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
Psalm 60:7 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”sn Ephraim, named after one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.
Psalm 60:7 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
Psalm 60:8 sn The metaphor of the washbasin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 6-7), would be reduced to the status of a servant.
Psalm 60:8 tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of,” i.e., “I will take possession of Edom.” Others translate עַל (ʿal) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.
Psalm 60:8 tc Heb “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation follows the text of Ps 108:9. When the initial עֲלֵיוֹ (ʿaleyo, “over”) was misread as עָלַי (ʿalay, “over me”), the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.
Psalm 60:9 sn In v. 9 the psalmist speaks again and acknowledges his need for help in battle. He hopes God will volunteer, based on the affirmation of sovereignty over Edom in v. 8, but he is also aware that God has seemingly rejected the nation (v. 10, see also v. 1).
Psalm 60:11 tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”
Psalm 60:12 tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 108:13; 118:15-16).
Psalm 60:12 sn Trample down. On this expression see Ps 44:5.

Hosea 14

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for your sin has been your downfall!^[a]
²Return to the Lord and repent!^[b]
Say to him: “Completely^[c] forgive our iniquity;
accept^[d] our penitential prayer,^[e]
that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls.^[f]
³Assyria cannot save us;
we will not ride warhorses.
We will never again say, ‘Our gods,’
to what our own hands have made.
For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!”^[g]

Divine Promise to Relent from Judgment and to Restore Blessings

⁴“I will heal their waywardness^[h]
and love them freely,^[i]
for my anger will turn away^[j] from them.
⁵I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily,
he will send down his roots like a cedar of^[k] Lebanon.
⁶His young shoots will grow;
his splendor will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
⁷People will reside again^[l] in his shade;
they will plant and harvest grain in abundance.^[m]
They will blossom like a vine,
and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
⁸O Ephraim, I do not want to have anything to do^[n] with idols anymore!
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like^[o] a luxuriant cypress tree;^[p]
your fruitfulness comes from me!”^[q]

Concluding Exhortation

⁹Who is wise?
Let him discern^[r] these things!
Who is discerning?
Let him understand them!
For the ways of the Lord are right;
the godly walk in them,
but in them the rebellious stumble.

Footnotes

Hosea 14:1 tn Heb “For you have stumbled in your iniquity”; cf. NASB, NRSV “because of your iniquity.”
Hosea 14:2 tn Heb “Take words with you and return to the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
Hosea 14:2 tn The word order כָּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן (kol tisaʾ ʿavon) is syntactically awkward. The BHS editors suggest rearranging the word order: תִּשָּׂא כָּל־עָוֹן (“Forgive all [our] iniquity!”). However, Gesenius suggests that כָּל (“all”) does not function as the construct in the genitive phrase כָּל־עָוֹן (“all [our] iniquity”); it functions adverbially modifying the verb תִּשָּׂא (“Completely forgive!”; see GKC 415 §128.e).
Hosea 14:2 sn The repetition of the root לָקַח (laqakh) creates a striking wordplay in 14:2. If Israel will bring (לָקַח) its confession to God, he will accept (לָקַח) repentant Israel and completely forgive its sin.
Hosea 14:2 tn Heb “and accept [our] speech.” The word טוֹב (tov) is often confused with the common homonymic root I טוֹב (tov, “good”; BDB 373 s.v. I טוֹב). However, this is probably IV טוֹב (tov, “word, speech”; HALOT 372 s.v. IV טוֹב), a hapax legomenon that is related to the verb טבב (“to speak”; HALOT 367 s.v. טבב) and the noun טִבָּה (tibbah, “rumor”; HALOT 367 s.v. טִבָּה). The term טוֹב (“word; speech”) refers to the repentant prayer mentioned in 14:1-3. Most translations relate it to I טוֹב and treat it as (1) accusative direct object: “accept that which is good” (RSV, NJPS) and “Accept our good sacrifices” (CEV), or (2) adverbial accusative of manner: “receive [us] graciously” (KJV, NASB, NIV). Note TEV, however, which follows the suggestion made here: “accept our prayer.”
Hosea 14:2 tc The MT reads פָרִים (farim, “bulls”), but the LXX reflects פְּרִי (p^eri, “fruit”), a reading followed by NASB, NIV, NRSV “that we may offer the fruit of [our] lips [as sacrifices to you].” Although the Greek expression in Heb 13:15 (καρπὸν χειλέων, karpon cheileōn, “the fruit of lips”) reflects this LXX phrase, the MT makes good sense as it stands; NT usage of the LXX should not be considered decisive in resolving OT textual problems. The noun פָּרִים (parim, “bulls”) functions as an adverbial accusative of state.
Hosea 14:3 tn Heb “For the orphan is shown compassion by you.” The present translation takes “orphan” as a figurative reference to Israel, which is specified in the translation for clarity.
Hosea 14:4 sn The noun מְשׁוּבָתָה (m^eshuvatah, “waywardness”; cf. KJV “backsliding”) is from the same root as שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return!”) in 14:1 [14:2 HT]. This repetition of שׁוּב (shuv) creates a wordplay that emphasizes reciprocity: if Israel will return (שׁוּבָה, shuvah) to the Lord, he will cure her of the tendency to turn away (מְשׁוּבָתָה) from him.
Hosea 14:4 tn The noun נְדָבָה (n^edavah, “voluntariness; free-will offering”) is an adverbial accusative of manner: “freely, voluntarily” (BDB 621 s.v. נְדָבָה 1). Cf. CEV “without limit,” TEV “with all my heart,” NLT “my love will know no bounds.”
Hosea 14:4 sn The verb שָׁב, shav, “will turn” (Qal perfect third person masculine singular from שׁוּב, shuv, “to turn”), continues the wordplay on שׁוּב in 14:1-4 [14:2-5 HT]. If Israel will “return” (שׁוּב) to the Lord, he will heal Israel’s tendency to “turn away” (מְשׁוּבָתָה, m^eshuvatah) and “turn” (שָׁב) from his anger.
Hosea 14:5 tn Heb “like Lebanon” (so KJV; also in the following verse). The phrase “a cedar of” does not appear in the Hebrew text; it is supplied in translation for clarity (cf. TEV “the trees of Lebanon,” NRSV “the forests of Lebanon”).
Hosea 14:7 tn Hosea uses the similar-sounding terms יָשֻׁבוּ יֹשְׁבֵי (yashuvu yosh^eve, “the dwellers will return”) to create a wordplay between the roots שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) and יָשַׁב (yashav, “to dwell; to reside”).
Hosea 14:7 tn Heb “they will cause the grain to live” or “they will revive the grain.” Some English versions treat this as a comparison: “they shall revive as the corn,” (KJV) and “will flourish like the grain” (NIV).
Hosea 14:8 tn The Hebrew expression מַה־לִּי עוֹד (mah-lli ʿod) is a formula of repudiation/emphatic denial that God has anything in common with idols: “I want to have nothing to do with […] any more!” (cf., e.g., Judg 11:12; 2 Sam 16:10; 19:23; 1 Kgs 17:18; 2 Kgs 3:13; 2 Chr 35:21; Jer 2:18; Ps 50:16; BDB 553 s.v. מָה 1.d.[c]).
Hosea 14:8 tn The term “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for clarity, as in the majority of English versions (including KJV).
Hosea 14:8 tn Cf. KJV “a green fir tree,” NIV, NCV “a green pine tree,” NRSV “an evergreen cypress.”
Hosea 14:8 tn Heb “your fruit is found in me”; cf. NRSV “your faithfulness comes from me.”
Hosea 14:9 tn The shortened form of the prefix-conjugation verb וְיָבֵן (v^eyaven) indicates that it is a jussive rather than an imperfect. When a jussive comes from a superior to an inferior, it may connote exhortation and instruction or advice and counsel. For the functions of the jussive, see IBHS 568-70 §34.3.

Luke 12:22-31

Exhortation Not to Worry

²²Then^[a] Jesus^[b] said to his^[c] disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry^[d] about your^[e] life, what you will eat, or about your^[f] body, what you will wear. ²³For there is more to life than food, and more to the body than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens:^[g] They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds^[h] them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! ²⁵And which of you by worrying^[i] can add an hour to his life?^[j] ²⁶So if^[k] you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about^[l] the rest? ²⁷Consider how the flowers^[m] grow; they do not work^[n] or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! ²⁸And if^[o] this is how God clothes the wild grass,^[p] which is here^[q] today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven,^[r] how much more^[s] will he clothe you, you people of little faith! ²⁹So^[t] do not be overly concerned about^[u] what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not worry about such things.^[v] ³⁰For all the nations of the world pursue^[w] these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹Instead, pursue^[x] his^[y] kingdom,^[z] and these things will be given to you as well.

Footnotes

Luke 12:22 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Jesus’ remarks to the disciples are an application of the point made in the previous parable.
Luke 12:22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 12:22 tc αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) is lacking in P^45vid,75 B 1241 c e. Although the addition of clarifying pronouns is a known scribal alteration, in this case it is probably better to view the dropping of the pronoun as the alteration in light of its minimal attestation.
Luke 12:22 tn Or “do not be anxious.”
Luke 12:22 tc Most mss (P⁴⁵ Ψ 070 ƒ¹³ 33 M) supply the pronoun ὑμῶν (humōn, “your”) here, although several significant and early witnesses omit it (P⁷⁵ א A B D L Q W Θ ƒ¹ 700 2542 al lat). Externally, the shorter reading is superior. Internally, the pronoun looks to be a scribal clarification. In context the article can be translated as a possessive pronoun anyway (ExSyn 215), as it has been done for this translation.
Luke 12:22 tc Some mss (B 070 ƒ¹³ 33 1424 al) supply the pronoun ὑμῶν (humōn, “your”) here, although the witnesses for the omission are early, significant, and varied (P^45vid,75 א A D L Q W Θ Ψ ƒ¹ M lat). See previous tc note for more discussion.
Luke 12:24 tn Or “crows.” Crows and ravens belong to the same family of birds. English uses “crow” as a general word for the family. Palestine has several indigenous members of the crow family.
Luke 12:24 tn Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”
Luke 12:25 tn Or “by being anxious.”
Luke 12:25 tn Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit (πῆχυς, pēchus) can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ἡλικία (hēlikia) is ambiguous in the same way as πῆχυς. Most scholars take the term ἡλικία (hēlikia) to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 435-36 s.v. 1.a for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.
Luke 12:26 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.
Luke 12:26 tn Or “why are you anxious for.”
Luke 12:27 tn Traditionally, “lilies.” According to L&N 3.32, “Though traditionally κρίνον has been regarded as a type of lily, scholars have suggested several other possible types of flowers, including an anemone, a poppy, a gladiolus, and a rather inconspicuous type of daisy.” In view of the uncertainty, the more generic “flowers” has been used in the translation.
Luke 12:27 tn Traditionally, “toil.” Although it might be argued that “work hard” would be a more precise translation of κοπιάω (kopiaō) here, the line in English scans better in terms of cadence with a single syllable.
Luke 12:28 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.
Luke 12:28 tn Grk “grass in the field.”
Luke 12:28 tn Grk “which is in the field today.”
Luke 12:28 tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.sn The oven was most likely a rounded clay oven used for baking bread, which was heated by burning wood and dried grass.
Luke 12:28 sn The phrase how much more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.
Luke 12:29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion drawn from the previous illustrations.
Luke 12:29 tn Grk “do not seek,” but this could be misunderstood to mean that people should make no attempt to obtain their food. The translation “do not be overly concerned” attempts to reflect the force of the original.
Luke 12:29 tn The words “about such things” have been supplied to qualify the meaning; the phrase relates to obtaining food and drink mentioned in the previous clause.
Luke 12:30 tn Grk “seek.”
Luke 12:31 tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.
Luke 12:31 tc Most mss (P⁴⁵ A D¹ Q W Θ 070 ƒ^1,13 33 M lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou theou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. P⁷⁵ includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.
Luke 12:31 sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

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 60[a]

For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style;[b] a prayer[c] of David written to instruct others.[d] It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down[e] 12,000 Edomites[f] in the Valley of Salt.[g]

Footnotes

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

Divine Promise to Relent from Judgment and to Restore Blessings

Concluding Exhortation

Footnotes

Exhortation Not to Worry

Footnotes

Psalm 60^[a]

For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David written to instruct others.^[d] It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down^[e] 12,000 Edomites^[f] in the Valley of Salt.^[g]