◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 50:7-15 (The salvation of God); Lamentations 3:40-58 (Let us return to God); Acts 28:1-10 (Paul in Malta heals Publius) (New English Translation)
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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.
Duration: 1245 days
New English Translation (NET)
Version
Psalm 50:7-15

7 He says:[a]
“Listen, my people. I am speaking!
Listen, Israel. I am accusing you.[b]
I am God, your God!
8 I am not condemning[c] you because of your sacrifices,
or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me.[d]
9 I do not need to take[e] a bull from your household
or goats from your sheepfolds.
10 For every wild animal in the forest belongs to me,
as well as the cattle that graze on a thousand hills.[f]
11 I keep track of[g] every bird in the hills,
and the insects[h] of the field are mine.
12 Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all it contains belong to me.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?[i]
14 Present to God a thank offering.
Repay your vows to the Most High.[j]
15 Pray to me when you are in trouble.[k]
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”[l]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 50:7 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s charges against his people follow.
  2. Psalm 50:7 tn Heb “Israel, and I will testify against you.” The imperative “listen” is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  3. Psalm 50:8 tn Or “rebuking.”
  4. Psalm 50:8 tn Heb “and your burnt sacrifices before me continually.”
  5. Psalm 50:9 tn Or “I will not take.”
  6. Psalm 50:10 tn Heb “[the] animals on a thousand hills.” The words “that graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The term בְּהֵמוֹה (behemot, “animal”) refers here to cattle (see Ps 104:14).
  7. Psalm 50:11 tn Heb “I know.”
  8. Psalm 50:11 tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word, which occurs only here and in Ps 80:13, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.
  9. Psalm 50:13 tn The rhetorical questions assume an emphatic negative response, “Of course not!”
  10. Psalm 50:14 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
  11. Psalm 50:15 tn Heb “call [to] me in a day of trouble.”
  12. Psalm 50:15 sn In vv. 7-15 the Lord makes it clear that he was not rebuking Israel because they had failed to offer sacrifices (v. 8a). On the contrary, they had been faithful in doing so (v. 8b). However, their understanding of the essence of their relationship with God was confused. Apparently they believed that he needed/desired such sacrifices and that offering them would ensure their prosperity. But the Lord owns all the animals of the world and did not need Israel’s meager sacrifices (vv. 9-13). Other aspects of the relationship were more important to the Lord. He desired Israel to be thankful for his blessings (v. 14a), to demonstrate gratitude for his intervention by repaying the vows they made to him (v. 14b), and to acknowledge their absolute dependence on him (v. 15a). Rather than viewing their sacrifices as somehow essential to God’s well-being, they needed to understand their dependence on him.
Lamentations 3:40-58

נ (Nun)

40 Let us carefully examine our ways,[a]
and let us return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hearts[b] and our hands
to God in heaven:
42 “We[c] have blatantly rebelled;[d]
you[e] have not forgiven.”

ס (Samek)

43 You shrouded yourself[f] with anger and then pursued us;
you killed without mercy.
44 You shrouded yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer could get through.
45 You make us like filthy scum[g]
in the estimation[h] of the nations.

פ (Pe)

46 All our enemies have gloated over us;[i]
47 panic and pitfall[j] have come upon us,
devastation and destruction.[k]
48 Streams[l] of tears flow from my eyes[m]
because my people[n] are destroyed.[o]

ע (Ayin)

49 Tears flow from my eyes[p] and will not stop;
there will be no break[q]
50 until the Lord looks down from heaven
and sees what has happened.[r]
51 What my eyes see[s] grieves me[t]—
all the suffering of the daughters in my city.[u]

צ (Tsade)

52 For no good reason[v] my enemies
hunted me down[w] like a bird.
53 They shut me[x] up in a pit
and threw stones at me.
54 The waters closed over my head;
I thought[y] I was about to die.[z]

ק (Qof)

55 I have called on your name, O Lord,
from the deepest pit.[aa]
56 You heard[ab] my plea:[ac]
“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!”[ad]
57 You came near[ae] on the day I called to you;
you said,[af] “Do not fear!”

ר (Resh)

58 O Lord,[ag] you championed[ah] my cause;[ai]
you redeemed my life.

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 3:40 tn Heb “Let us test our ways and examine.” The two verbs וְנַחְקֹרָה…נַחְפְּשָׂה (nakhpesah…venakhqorah, “Let us test and let us examine”) form a verbal hendiadys in which the first functions adverbially and the second retains its full verbal force: “Let us carefully examine our ways.”
  2. Lamentations 3:41 tc The MT reads the singular noun לְבָבֵנוּ (levavenu, “our heart”), but the ancient versions (LXX, Aramaic Targum, Latin Vulgate) and many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural noun לְבָבֵינוּ (levavenu, “our hearts”). Hebrew regularly places plural pronouns on singular nouns used as collectives (135 times on the singular “heart” and only twice on the plural “hearts”). The plural “hearts” is actually rather rare in any Hebrew construction. The LXX renders similar Hebrew constructions (singular “heart” plus a plural pronoun) with the plural “hearts” about 1/3 of the time; therefore it cannot be considered evidence for the reading. The Vulgate may have been influenced by the LXX. Although a distributive sense is appropriate for a much higher percentage of passages using the plural “hearts” in the LXX, no clear reason for the differentiation in the LXX has emerged. Likely the singular Hebrew form is original, but the meaning is best represented in English with the plural.
  3. Lamentations 3:42 tn The Heb emphasizes the pronoun “We—we have sinned….” Given the contrast with the following, it means, “For our part, we have sinned….” A poetic reading in English would place vocal emphasis on “we” followed by a short pause.
  4. Lamentations 3:42 tn Heb “We have revolted and we have rebelled.” The two verbs פָשַׁעְנוּ וּמָרִינוּ (pashaʿnu umarinu, “we have revolted and we have rebelled”) form a verbal hendiadys in which the synonyms emphasize the single idea.
  5. Lamentations 3:42 tn The Hebrew emphasizes the pronoun: “You—you have not forgiven.” Given the contrast with the preceding, it means, “For your part, you have not forgiven.” A poetic reading in English would place vocal emphasis on “you” followed by a short pause.
  6. Lamentations 3:43 tn Heb “covered.” The object must be supplied either from the next line (“covered yourself”) or from the end of this line (“covered us”).
  7. Lamentations 3:45 tn Heb “offscouring and refuse.” The two nouns סְחִי וּמָאוֹס (sekhi umaʾos) probably form a nominal hendiadys in which the first noun functions as an adjective and the second retains its full nominal sense: “filthy refuse,” i.e., “filthy scum.”
  8. Lamentations 3:45 tn Heb “in the midst of.”
  9. Lamentations 3:46 tn Heb “open wide their mouths.”
  10. Lamentations 3:47 tn The similar sounding nouns פַּחַד וָפַחַת (pakhad vafakhat, “panic and pitfall”) are an example of paronomasia.
  11. Lamentations 3:47 tn Similar to the paronomasia in the preceding line, the words הַשֵּׁאת וְהַשָּׁבֶר (hasheʾt vehashaver, “devastation and destruction”) form an example of alliteration: the beginning of the words sound alike.
  12. Lamentations 3:48 tn Heb “canals.” The phrase “canals of water” (eye water = tears) is an example of hyperbole. The English idiom “streams of tears” is also hyperbolic.
  13. Lamentations 3:48 tn Heb “my eyes flow down with canals of water.”
  14. Lamentations 3:48 tn Heb “the daughter of my people,” or “the Daughter, my people.”
  15. Lamentations 3:48 tn Heb “because of the destruction of [the daughter of my people].”
  16. Lamentations 3:49 tn Heb “my eye flows.” The term “eye” is a metonymy of association, standing for the “tears” which flow from one’s eyes.
  17. Lamentations 3:49 tn Heb “without stopping.” The noun הַפוּגָה (hafugah, “stop”) is a hapax legomenon (word that occurs only once in Hebrew scriptures). The form of the noun is unusual, probably being derived from the denominative Hiphil verbal stem of the root פּוּג (pug, “to grow weary, ineffective, numb; become cold”).
  18. Lamentations 3:50 tn The phrase “what has happened” is added in the translation for smoother English style and readability.
  19. Lamentations 3:51 tn Heb “my eye causes grief to my soul.” The term “eye” is a metonymy of association, standing for that which one sees with the eyes.
  20. Lamentations 3:51 tn Heb “my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of a part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).
  21. Lamentations 3:51 tn Heb “at the sight of all the daughters of my city.” It is understood that seeing the plight of the women, not simply seeing the women, is what is so grievous. To make this clear, “suffering” was supplied in the translation.
  22. Lamentations 3:52 tn Heb “without cause.”
  23. Lamentations 3:52 tn The construction צוֹד צָדוּנִי (tsod tsaduni, “they have hunted me down”) with the paronomastic infinitive absolute is emphatic.
  24. Lamentations 3:53 tn Heb “my life.”
  25. Lamentations 3:54 tn Heb “I said,” meaning “I said to myself” = “I thought.”
  26. Lamentations 3:54 tn Heb “I was about to be cut off.” The verb נִגְזָרְתִּי (nigzarti), Niphal perfect first person common singular from גָּזַר (gazar, “to be cut off”), functions in an ingressive sense: “about to be cut off.” It is used in reference to the threat of death (e.g., Ezek 37:11; Ps 88:5). To be “cut off” from the land of the living means to experience death (Isa 53:8).
  27. Lamentations 3:55 tn Heb “from a pit of lowest places.”
  28. Lamentations 3:56 tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Hear my plea”) parallel to the following volitive verb, “do not close.”
  29. Lamentations 3:56 tn Heb “my voice.”
  30. Lamentations 3:56 tn The preposition ל (lamed) continues syntactically from “my plea” in the previous line (e.g. Ex 5:2; Josh 22:2; 1 Sam 8:7; 12:1; Jer 43:4).
  31. Lamentations 3:57 tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Draw near”). The perspective of the poem seems to be that of prayer during distress rather than a testimony that God has delivered someone.
  32. Lamentations 3:57 tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Say”).
  33. Lamentations 3:58 tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”) as in the following verse. See the tc note at 1:14.
  34. Lamentations 3:58 tn This verb, like others in this stanza, could be understood as a precative (“Plead”).
  35. Lamentations 3:58 tn Heb “the causes of my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of a part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).
Acts 28:1-10

Paul on Malta

28 After we had safely reached shore,[a] we learned that the island was called Malta.[b] 2 The local inhabitants[c] showed us extraordinary[d] kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain[e] and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood[f] and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the local people[g] saw the creature hanging from Paul’s[h] hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself[i] has not allowed him to live!”[j] 5 However,[k] Paul[l] shook[m] the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up[n] or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited[o] a long time and had seen[p] nothing unusual happen[q] to him, they changed their minds[r] and said he was a god.[s]

7 Now in the region around that place[t] were fields belonging to the chief official[u] of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 8 The father[v] of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him[w] and after praying, placed[x] his hands on him and healed[y] him. 9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick[z] also came and were healed.[aa] 10 They also bestowed many honors,[ab] and when we were preparing to sail,[ac] they gave[ad] us all the supplies we needed.[ae]

Footnotes

  1. Acts 28:1 tn Grk “We having been brought safely through” [to land] (same verb as 27:44). The word “shore” is implied, and the slight variations in translation from 27:44 have been made to avoid redundancy in English. The participle διασωθέντες (diasōthentes) has been taken temporally.
  2. Acts 28:1 sn Malta is an island (known by the same name today) in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily. The ship had traveled 625 mi (1,000 km) in the storm.
  3. Acts 28:2 tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”
  4. Acts 28:2 tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”
  5. Acts 28:2 tn Or “because it was about to rain.” BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 4 states, “διὰ τ. ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα because it had begun to rain Ac 28:2…But the mng. here could also be because it threatened to rain (s. 6).”
  6. Acts 28:3 tn Or “sticks.”
  7. Acts 28:4 tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”
  8. Acts 28:4 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  9. Acts 28:4 tn That is, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live. BDAG 250 s.v. δίκη 2 states, “Justice personified as a deity Ac 28:4”; L&N 12.27, “a goddess who personifies justice in seeking out and punishing the guilty—‘the goddess Justice.’ ἡ δίκη ζῆν οὐκ εἴασεν ‘the goddess Justice would not let him live’ Ac 28:4.” Although a number of modern English translations have rendered δίκη (dikē) “justice,” preferring to use an abstraction, in the original setting it is almost certainly a reference to a pagan deity. In the translation, the noun “justice” was capitalized and the reflexive pronoun “herself” was supplied to make the personification clear. This was considered preferable to supplying a word like ‘goddess’ in connection with δίκη.
  10. Acts 28:4 sn The entire scene is played out initially as a kind of oracle from the gods resulting in the judgment of a guilty person (Justice herself has not allowed him to live). Paul’s survival of this incident without ill effects thus spoke volumes about his innocence.
  11. Acts 28:5 tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 4 indicates the particle has an adversative sense here: “but, however.”
  12. Acts 28:5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  13. Acts 28:5 tn Grk “shaking the creature off…he suffered no harm.” The participle ἀποτινάξας (apotinaxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  14. Acts 28:6 tn Or “going to burn with fever.” According to BDAG 814 s.v. πίμπρημι, either meaning (“swell up” or “burn with fever”) is possible for Acts 28:6.
  15. Acts 28:6 tn The participle προσδοκώντων (prosdokōntōn) has been taken temporally.
  16. Acts 28:6 tn The participle θεωρούντων (theōrountōn) has been taken temporally.
  17. Acts 28:6 tn Grk “happening.” The participle γινόμενον (ginomenon) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  18. Acts 28:6 tn Grk “changing their minds.” The participle μεταβαλόμενοι (metabalomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  19. Acts 28:6 sn And said he was a god. The reaction is like Acts 14:11-19 where the crowd wanted to make Paul and Barnabas into gods. The providence of God had protected Paul again.
  20. Acts 28:7 tn BDAG 798 s.v. περί 2.a.γ states, “of nearby places…τὰ περὶ τὸν τὸπον the region around the place Ac 28:7.” The presence of ἐκεῖνον (ekeinon) results in the translation “that place.”
  21. Acts 28:7 tn That is, the chief Roman official. Several inscriptions have confirmed the use of πρῶτος (prōtos) as an administrative title used on the island of Malta for the highest Roman official. See further BDAG 852 s.v. Πόπλιος.
  22. Acts 28:8 tn Grk “It happened that the father.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  23. Acts 28:8 tn Grk “to whom Paul going in.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation. The participle εἰσελθών (eiselthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  24. Acts 28:8 tn The participle ἐπιθείς (epitheis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  25. Acts 28:8 sn And healed him. Here are healings like Luke 9:40; 10:30; 13:13; Acts 16:23.
  26. Acts 28:9 tn BDAG 142 s.v. ἀσθένεια 1 states, “ἔχειν ἀ. be ill Ac 28:9.”
  27. Acts 28:9 sn Many…also came and were healed. Again, here is irony. Paul, though imprisoned, “frees” others of their diseases.
  28. Acts 28:10 tn Or “they also honored us greatly”; Grk “they also honored us with many honors” (an idiom).
  29. Acts 28:10 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.” In this case the simpler English “sail” is more appropriate. The English participle “preparing” has also been supplied, since the provisioning of the ship would take place some time before the actual departure.
  30. Acts 28:10 tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 1.b has “give τινί τι someth. to someone…ἀναγομένοις τὰ πρὸς τὰς χρείας when we sailed they gave us what we needed Ac 28:10.”
  31. Acts 28:10 sn They gave us all the supplies we needed. What they had lost in the storm and shipwreck was now replaced. Luke describes these pagans very positively.
New English Translation (NET)

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