◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 78:1-8 17-29 (God fed the people with manna); Deuteronomy 26:1-15 (A tithe from God’s harvest); Acts 2:37-47 (The believers breaking bread) (New English Translation)
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August 4, 2026 Use the calendar to view readings from this plan.
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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 78:1-8

Psalm 78[a]

A well-written song[b] by Asaph.

78 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction.
Listen to the words I speak.[c]
2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past.[d]
3 What we have heard and learned[e]—
that which our ancestors[f] have told us—
4 we will not hide from their[g] descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,[h]
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
5 He established a rule[i] in Jacob;
he set up a law in Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to make his deeds known to their descendants,[j]
6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them.[k]
7 Then they will place their confidence in God.
They will not forget the works of God,
and they will obey[l] his commands.
8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,
who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that was not committed
and faithful to God.[m]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78:1 sn Psalm 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.
  2. Psalm 78:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 74.
  3. Psalm 78:1 tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”
  4. Psalm 78:2 tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה + מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).
  5. Psalm 78:3 tn Or “known.”
  6. Psalm 78:3 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 5, 8, 12, 57).
  7. Psalm 78:4 tn The pronominal suffix refers back to the “fathers” (“our ancestors,” v. 3).
  8. Psalm 78:4 tn Heb “to a following generation telling the praises of the Lord.” “Praises” stand by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.
  9. Psalm 78:5 tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (ʿedut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).
  10. Psalm 78:5 tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).
  11. Psalm 78:6 tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons [who] will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”
  12. Psalm 78:7 tn Heb “keep.”
  13. Psalm 78:8 tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).
Psalm 78:17-29

17 Yet they continued to sin against him,
and rebelled against the Most High[a] in the desert.
18 They willfully challenged God[b]
by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.
19 They insulted God, saying,[c]
“Is God really able to give us food[d] in the wilderness?
20 Yes,[e] he struck a rock and water flowed out;
streams gushed forth.
But can he also give us food?
Will he provide meat for his people?”
21 When[f] the Lord heard this, he was furious.
A fire broke out against Jacob,
and his anger flared up[g] against Israel,
22 because they did not have faith in God,
and did not trust his ability to deliver them.[h]
23 He gave a command to the clouds above,
and opened the doors in the sky.
24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven.[i]
25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones.[j]
He sent them more than enough to eat.[k]
26 He brought the east wind through the sky,
and by his strength led forth the south wind.
27 He rained down meat on them like dust,
birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores.[l]
28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp,
all around their homes.
29 They ate until they were beyond full;[m]
he gave them what they desired.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78:17 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.
  2. Psalm 78:18 tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.
  3. Psalm 78:19 tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”
  4. Psalm 78:19 tn Heb “to arrange a table [for food].”
  5. Psalm 78:20 tn Heb “look.”
  6. Psalm 78:21 tn Heb “therefore.”
  7. Psalm 78:21 tn Heb “and also anger went up.”
  8. Psalm 78:22 tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”
  9. Psalm 78:24 sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.
  10. Psalm 78:25 sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).
  11. Psalm 78:25 tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”
  12. Psalm 78:27 tn Heb “and like the sand of the seas winged birds.”
  13. Psalm 78:29 tn Heb “and they ate and were extremely filled.” The verb שָׂבַע (savaʿ, “be satisfied, full”) is often used of eating and/or drinking one’s fill, to have had fully enough and want no more. See BDB 959 s.v. שָׂבַע. In some cases it means to have had more than enough of something (cf. Prov 25:17; Isa 1:11). Here the use of מְאֹד (meʾod, “very”) and the context of the account indicate they felt filled beyond capacity.
Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Presentation of the Firstfruits

26 When[a] you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you occupy it and live in it, 2 you must take the first of all the ground’s produce you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you, place it in a basket, and go to the place where he[b] chooses to locate his name.[c] 3 You must go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, “I declare today to the Lord your[d] God that I have come into the land that the Lord[e] promised[f] to our ancestors[g] to give us.” 4 The priest will then take the basket from you[h] and set it before the altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you must affirm before the Lord your God, “A wandering[i] Aramean[j] was my ancestor,[k] and he went down to Egypt and lived there as a foreigner with a household few in number,[l] but there he became a great, powerful, and numerous people. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome labor. 7 So we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and he[m] heard us and saw our humiliation, toil, and oppression. 8 Therefore the Lord brought us out of Egypt with tremendous strength and power,[n] as well as with great awe-inspiring signs and wonders. 9 Then he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now, look! I have brought the first of the ground’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.” Then you must set it down before the Lord your God and worship before him.[o] 11 You will celebrate all the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your family,[p] along with the Levites and the resident foreigners among you.

Presentation of the Third-year Tithe

12 When you finish tithing all[q] your income in the third year (the year of tithing), you must give it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows[r] so that they may eat to their satisfaction in your villages.[s] 13 Then you shall say before the Lord your God, “I have removed the sacred offering[t] from my house and given it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows just as you have commanded me.[u] I have not violated or forgotten your commandments. 14 I have not eaten anything when I was in mourning, or removed any of it while ceremonially unclean, or offered any of it to the dead;[v] I have obeyed you[w] and have done everything you have commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 26:1 tn Heb “and it will come to pass that.”
  2. Deuteronomy 26:2 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  3. Deuteronomy 26:2 sn The place where he chooses to locate his name. This is a circumlocution for the central sanctuary, first the tabernacle and later the Jerusalem temple. See Deut 12:1-14 and especially the note on the word “you” in v. 14.
  4. Deuteronomy 26:3 tc For the MT reading “your God,” certain LXX mss have “my God,” a contextually superior rendition followed by some English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, TEV). Perhaps the text reflects dittography of the kaf (כ) at the end of the word with the following preposition כִּי (ki).
  5. Deuteronomy 26:3 tc The Syriac adds “your God” to complete the usual formula.
  6. Deuteronomy 26:3 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
  7. Deuteronomy 26:3 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 7, 15).
  8. Deuteronomy 26:4 tn Heb “your hand.”
  9. Deuteronomy 26:5 tn Though the Hebrew term אָבַד (ʾavad) generally means “to perish” or the like (HALOT 2-3 s.v.; BDB 1-2 s.v.; cf. KJV “a Syrian ready to perish”), a meaning “to go astray” or “to be lost” is also attested. The ambivalence in the Hebrew text is reflected in the versions where LXX Vaticanus reads ἀπέβαλεν (apebalen, “lose”) for a possibly metathesized reading found in Alexandrinus, Ambrosianus, ἀπέλαβεν (apelaben, “receive”); others attest κατέλειπεν (kateleipen, “leave, abandon”). “Wandering” seems to suit best the contrast with the sedentary life Israel would enjoy in Canaan (v. 9) and is the meaning followed by many English versions.
  10. Deuteronomy 26:5 sn A wandering Aramean. This is a reference to Jacob whose mother Rebekah was an Aramean (Gen 24:10; 25:20, 26) and who himself lived in Aram for at least twenty years (Gen 31:41-42).
  11. Deuteronomy 26:5 tn Heb “father.”
  12. Deuteronomy 26:5 tn Heb “sojourned there few in number.” The words “with a household” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.
  13. Deuteronomy 26:7 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 26:2.
  14. Deuteronomy 26:8 tn Heb “by a powerful hand and an extended arm.” These are anthropomorphisms designed to convey God’s tremendously great power in rescuing Israel from their Egyptian bondage. They are preserved literally in many English versions (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
  15. Deuteronomy 26:10 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 26:2.
  16. Deuteronomy 26:11 tn Or “household” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); Heb “house” (so KJV, NRSV).
  17. Deuteronomy 26:12 tn Heb includes “the tithes of.” This has not been included in the translation to avoid redundancy.
  18. Deuteronomy 26:12 tn The terms “Levite, resident foreigner, orphan, and widow” are collective singulars in the Hebrew text (also in v. 13).
  19. Deuteronomy 26:12 tn Heb “gates.”
  20. Deuteronomy 26:13 tn Heb “the sacred thing.” The term הַקֹּדֶשׁ (haqqodesh) likely refers to an offering normally set apart for the Lord but, as a third-year tithe, given on this occasion to people in need. Sometimes this is translated as “the sacred portion” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV), but that could sound to a modern reader as if a part of the house were being removed and given away.
  21. Deuteronomy 26:13 tn Heb “according to all your commandment that you commanded me.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  22. Deuteronomy 26:14 sn These practices suggest overtones of pagan ritual, all of which the confessor denies having undertaken. In Canaan they were connected with fertility practices associated with harvest time. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 335-36.
  23. Deuteronomy 26:14 tn Heb “the Lord my God.” See note on “he” in 26:2.
Acts 2:37-47

The Response to Peter’s Address

37 Now when they heard this,[a] they were acutely distressed[b] and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized[c] in the name of Jesus Christ[d] for[e] the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.[f] 39 For the promise[g] is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 40 With many other words he testified[h] and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse[i] generation!” 41 So those who accepted[j] his message[k] were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people[l] were added.[m]

The Fellowship of the Early Believers

42 They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship,[n] to the breaking of bread and to prayer.[o] 43 Reverential awe[p] came over everyone,[q] and many wonders and miraculous signs[r] came about by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and held[s] everything in common, 45 and they began selling[t] their property[u] and possessions and distributing the proceeds[v] to everyone, as anyone had need. 46 Every day[w] they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts,[x] breaking bread from[y] house to house, sharing their food with glad[z] and humble hearts,[aa] 47 praising God and having the good will[ab] of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day[ac] those who were being saved.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 2:37 tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
  2. Acts 2:37 tn Grk “they were pierced to the heart” (an idiom for acute emotional distress).
  3. Acts 2:38 tn The verb is a third person imperative, but the common translation “let each of you be baptized” obscures the imperative force in English, since it sounds more like a permissive (“each of you may be baptized”) to the average English reader.
  4. Acts 2:38 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn In the name of Jesus Christ. Baptism in Messiah Jesus’ name shows how much authority he possesses.
  5. Acts 2:38 tn There is debate over the meaning of εἰς in the prepositional phrase εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν (eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn humōn, “for/because of/with reference to the forgiveness of your sins”). Although a causal sense has been argued, it is difficult to maintain here. ExSyn 369-71 discusses at least four other ways of dealing with the passage: (1) The baptism referred to here is physical only, and εἰς has the meaning of “for” or “unto.” Such a view suggests that salvation is based on works—an idea that runs counter to the theology of Acts, namely: (a) repentance often precedes baptism (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20), and (b) salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43 [cf. v. 47]; 13:38-39, 48; 15:11; 16:30-31; 20:21; 26:18); (2) The baptism referred to here is spiritual only. Although such a view fits well with the theology of Acts, it does not fit well with the obvious meaning of “baptism” in Acts—especially in this text (cf. 2:41); (3) The text should be repunctuated in light of the shift from second person plural to third person singular back to second person plural again. The idea then would be, “Repent for/with reference to your sins, and let each one of you be baptized…” Such a view is an acceptable way of handling εἰς, but its subtlety and awkwardness count against it; (4) Finally, it is possible that to a first-century Jewish audience (as well as to Peter), the idea of baptism might incorporate both the spiritual reality and the physical symbol. That Peter connects both closely in his thinking is clear from other passages such as Acts 10:47 and 11:15-16. If this interpretation is correct, then Acts 2:38 is saying very little about the specific theological relationship between the symbol and the reality, only that historically they were viewed together. One must look in other places for a theological analysis. For further discussion see R. N. Longenecker, “Acts,” EBC 9:283-85; B. Witherington, Acts, 154-55; F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 129-30; BDAG 290 s.v. εἰς 4.f.
  6. Acts 2:38 tn Here the genitive τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (tou hagiou pneumatos) is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Holy Spirit.
  7. Acts 2:39 sn The promise refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus received from the Father in 2:33 and which he now pours out on others. The promise consists of the Holy Spirit (see note in 2:33). Jesus is the active mediator of God’s blessing.
  8. Acts 2:40 tn Or “warned.”
  9. Acts 2:40 tn Or “crooked” (in a moral or ethical sense). See Luke 3:5.
  10. Acts 2:41 tn Or “who acknowledged the truth of.”
  11. Acts 2:41 tn Grk “word.”
  12. Acts 2:41 tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).
  13. Acts 2:41 tn Or “were won over.”
  14. Acts 2:42 sn Fellowship refers here to close association involving mutual involvement and relationships.
  15. Acts 2:42 tn Grk “prayers.” This word was translated as a collective singular in keeping with English style.
  16. Acts 2:43 tn Or “Fear.”
  17. Acts 2:43 tn Grk “on every soul” (here “soul” is an idiom for the whole person).
  18. Acts 2:43 tn In this context the miraculous nature of these signs is implied. Cf. BDAG 920 s.v. σημεῖον 2.a.
  19. Acts 2:44 tn Grk “had.”
  20. Acts 2:45 tn The imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive (“began…”). Since in context this is a description of the beginning of the community of believers, it is more likely that these statements refer to the start of various activities and practices that the early church continued for some time.
  21. Acts 2:45 tn It is possible that the first term for property (κτήματα, ktēmata) refers to real estate (as later usage seems to indicate) while the second term (ὑπάρξεις, huparxeis) refers to possessions in general, but it may also be that the two terms are used together for emphasis, simply indicating that all kinds of possessions were being sold. However, if the first term is more specifically a reference to real estate, it foreshadows the incident with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11.
  22. Acts 2:45 tn Grk “distributing them” (αὐτά, auta). The referent (the proceeds of the sales) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  23. Acts 2:46 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.
  24. Acts 2:46 tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
  25. Acts 2:46 tn Here κατά (kata) is used as a distributive (BDAG 512 s.v. B.1.d).
  26. Acts 2:46 sn The term glad (Grk “gladness”) often refers to joy brought about by God’s saving acts (Luke 1:14, 44; also the related verb in 1:47; 10:21).
  27. Acts 2:46 tn Grk “with gladness and humbleness of hearts.” It is best to understand καρδίας (kardias) as an attributed genitive, with the two nouns it modifies actually listing attributes of the genitive noun which is related to them.
  28. Acts 2:47 tn Or “the favor.”
  29. Acts 2:47 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.
New English Translation (NET)

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