◀ All Reading Plans / Book of Common Prayer / Ps. 41 52; Ps. 44; Wisdom 1:16—2:11 21–24; Col. 1:1–14; Luke 6:1–11 (New English Translation)

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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.

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Psalm 41

Psalm 41^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

41 How blessed^[b] is the one who treats the poor properly.^[c]
When trouble comes,^[d] may^[e] the Lord deliver him.^[f]
²May the Lord protect him and save his life.^[g]
May he be blessed^[h] in the land.
Do not turn him over^[i] to his enemies.^[j]
³The Lord supports^[k] him on his sickbed;
you have healed him from his illness.^[l]
⁴As for me, I said:^[m]
“O Lord, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you.
⁵My enemies ask this cruel question about me,^[n]
‘When will he finally die and be forgotten?’^[o]
⁶When someone comes to visit,^[p] he pretends to be friendly;^[q]
he thinks of ways to defame me,^[r]
and when he leaves he slanders me.^[s]
⁷All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another;^[t]
they plan ways to harm me.
⁸They say,^[u]
‘An awful disease^[v] overwhelms him,^[w]
and now that he is bedridden he will never recover.’^[x]
⁹Even my close friend^[y] whom I trusted,
he who shared meals with me, has turned against me.^[z]
¹⁰As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up,
so I can pay them back!”^[aa]
¹¹By this^[ab] I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does^[ac] not triumph^[ad] over me.
¹²As for me, you uphold^[ae] me because of my integrity;^[af]
you allow^[ag] me permanent access to your presence.^[ah]
¹³The Lord God of Israel deserves praise^[ai]
in the future and forevermore.^[aj]
We agree! We agree!^[ak]

Footnotes

Psalm 41:1 sn Psalm 41. The psalmist is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10), and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 319-20). The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third, and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19; 89:52, and 106:48 respectively).
Psalm 41:1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
Psalm 41:1 sn One who treats the poor properly. The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.
Psalm 41:1 tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).
Psalm 41:1 tn The prefixed verb יְמַלְּטֵהוּ (y^emall^etehu) has the form of the pronominal suffix typical of the jussive not the imperfect (יְמַלְּטֶנּוּ, y^emall^etennu). The jussive form continues throughout the next verse. The principle that begins v. 1 is the basis for the petition in vv. 1b-2. Verse 3 transitions to a statement of confidence and testimony.
Psalm 41:1 tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor.
Psalm 41:2 tn The prefixed verbal forms are taken as jussives in the translation because of the form of the pronominal suffix (-ehu rather than -ennu) and because the jussive is clearly used in the final line of the verse.
Psalm 41:2 tc The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib), which has a Pual (passive) prefixed form, regarded here as a jussive. The Pual of the verb אָשַׁר (ʾashar) also appears in Prov 3:18. The marginal reading (Qere) assumes a vav (ו) consecutive and Pual perfect. Some, with the support of the LXX, change the verb to a Piel (active) form with an objective pronominal suffix, “and may he bless him,” or “and he will bless him” (cf. NIV).
Psalm 41:2 tn The negative particle אַל (ʾal) before the prefixed verbal form indicates the verb is a jussive and the statement a prayer. Those who want to take v. 2 as a statement of confidence suggest emending the negative particle to לֹא (loʾ), which is used with the imperfect. See the earlier note on the verbal forms in line one of this verse. According to GKC 322 §109.e, this is a case where the jussive is used rhetorically to “express that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one might translate, “you will not turn him over to his enemies,” and take the preceding verbal forms as indicative in mood. However, none of the examples offered in GKC for this use of the jussive are compelling.
Psalm 41:2 tn Heb “do not give him over to the desire of his enemies” (see Ps 27:12).
Psalm 41:3 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive, continuing the prayer of v. 2, but the parallel line in v. 3b employs the perfect, suggesting that the psalmist is again speaking in the indicative mood (see v. 1b). The imperfect can be understood as future or as generalizing (see v. 1).
Psalm 41:3 tn Heb “all his bed you have changed in his illness.” The perfect verb may indicate a testimony of what God has done in the past as part of the statement of confidence.
Psalm 41:4 sn In vv. 4-10 the psalmist recites the prayer of petition and lament he offered to the Lord.
Psalm 41:5 tn Heb “my enemies speak evil concerning me.”
Psalm 41:5 tn Heb “and his name perish.”
Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “to see.”
Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”
Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”
Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”
Psalm 41:7 tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The Hitpael of לָחַשׁ (lakhash) refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).
Psalm 41:8 tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).
Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.
Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.
Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”
Psalm 41:9 tn Heb “man of my peace.” The phrase here refers to one’s trusted friend (see Jer 38:22; Obad 7).
Psalm 41:9 tn Heb “has made a heel great against me.” The precise meaning of this phrase, which appears only here, is uncertain.sn The language of this verse is applied to Judas Iscariot in John 13:18.
Psalm 41:10 tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) here indicates purpose or result (“Then I will repay them”) after the preceding imperatives.
Psalm 41:11 sn By this. Having recalled his former lament and petition, the psalmist returns to the confident mood of vv. 1-3. The basis for his confidence may be a divine oracle of deliverance, assuring him that God would intervene and vindicate him. The demonstrative pronoun “this” may refer to such an oracle, which is assumed here, though its contents are not included. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 319, 321.
Psalm 41:11 tn Or “will.” One may translate the imperfect verbal form as descriptive (present, cf. NIV) or as anticipatory (future, cf. NEB).
Psalm 41:11 tn Heb “shout.”
Psalm 41:12 tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.
Psalm 41:12 sn Because of my integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.
Psalm 41:12 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).
Psalm 41:12 tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”
Psalm 41:13 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
Psalm 41:13 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.” See 1 Chr 16:36; Neh 9:5; Pss 90:2; 106:48.
Psalm 41:13 tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [ʾamen v^eʾamen], i.e., “amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.

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.”

Psalm 44

Psalm 44^[a]

For the music director, by the Korahites; a well-written song.^[b]

44 O God, we have clearly heard;^[c]
our ancestors^[d] have told us
what you did^[e] in their days,
in ancient times.^[f]
²You, by your power,^[g] defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land;^[h]
you crushed^[i] the people living there^[j] and enabled our ancestors to occupy it.^[k]
³For they did not conquer^[l] the land by their swords,
and they did not prevail by their strength,^[m]
but rather by your power,^[n] strength,^[o] and good favor,^[p]
for you were partial to^[q] them.
⁴You are my^[r] king, O God.
Decree^[s] Jacob’s^[t] deliverance.
⁵By your power^[u] we will drive back^[v] our enemies;
by your strength^[w] we will trample down^[x] our foes.^[y]
⁶For I do not trust in my bow,
and I do not prevail by my sword.
⁷For you deliver^[z] us from our enemies;
you humiliate^[aa] those who hate us.
⁸In God we boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
⁹But^[ab] you rejected and embarrassed us.
You did not go into battle with our armies.^[ac]
¹⁰You made us retreat^[ad] from the enemy.
Those who hate us take whatever they want from us.^[ae]
¹¹You handed us^[af] over like sheep to be eaten;
you scattered us among the nations.
¹²You sold^[ag] your people for a pittance;^[ah]
you did not ask a high price for them.^[ai]
¹³You made us^[aj] an object of disdain to our neighbors;
those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.^[ak]
¹⁴You made us^[al] an object of ridicule^[am] among the nations;
foreigners treat us with contempt.^[an]
¹⁵All day long I feel humiliated^[ao]
and am overwhelmed with shame,^[ap]
¹⁶before the vindictive enemy
who ridicules and insults me.^[aq]
¹⁷All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you^[ar]
or violated your covenant with us.^[as]
¹⁸We have not been unfaithful,^[at]
nor have we disobeyed your commands.^[au]
¹⁹Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs;^[av]
you have covered us with darkness.^[aw]
²⁰If we had rejected our God,^[ax]
and spread out our hands in prayer to another god,^[ay]
²¹would not God discover it,
for he knows^[az] a person’s secret thoughts?^[ba]
²²Yet because of you^[bb] we are killed all day long;
we are treated like^[bc] sheep at the slaughtering block.^[bd]
²³Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Wake up!^[be] Do not reject us forever.
²⁴Why do you look the other way,^[bf]
and ignore^[bg] the way we are oppressed and mistreated?^[bh]
²⁵For we lie in the dirt,
with our bellies pressed to the ground.^[bi]
²⁶Rise up and help us.
Rescue us^[bj] because of your loyal love.

Footnotes

Psalm 44:1 sn Psalm 44. The speakers in this psalm (the worshiping community within the nation Israel) were disappointed with God. The psalm begins on a positive note, praising God for leading Israel to past military victories. Verses 1-8 appear to be a song of confidence and petition which the people recited prior to battle. But suddenly the mood changes as the nation laments a recent defeat. The stark contrast between the present and the past only heightens the nation’s confusion. Israel trusted in God for victory, but the Lord rejected them and allowed them to be humiliated in battle. If Israel had been unfaithful to God, their defeat would make sense, but the nation was loyal to the Lord. Comparing the Lord to a careless shepherd, the nation urges God to wake up and to extend his compassion to his suffering people.
Psalm 44:1 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 42.
Psalm 44:1 tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”
Psalm 44:1 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 2; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “fathers” or “ancestors” depending on the context.
Psalm 44:1 tn Heb “the work you worked.”
Psalm 44:1 tn Heb “in the days of old.” This refers specifically to the days of Joshua, during Israel’s conquest of the land, as vv. 2-3 indicate.
Psalm 44:2 tn Heb “you, your hand.”
Psalm 44:2 tn Heb “dispossessed nations and planted them.” The third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1). See Ps 80:8, 15.
Psalm 44:2 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Hiphil preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive) from רָעַע (raʿaʿ, “be evil; be bad”). If retained it apparently means, “you injured; harmed.” Some prefer to derive the verb from רָעַע (“break”; cf. NEB “breaking up the peoples”), in which case the form must be revocalized as Qal (since this verb is unattested in the Hiphil).
Psalm 44:2 tn Or “peoples.”
Psalm 44:2 tn Heb “and you sent them out.” The translation assumes that the third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1), as in the preceding parallel line. See Ps 80:11, where Israel, likened to a vine, “spreads out” its tendrils to the west and east. Another option is to take the “peoples” as the referent of the pronoun and translate, “and you sent them away,” though this does not provide as tight a parallel with the corresponding line.
Psalm 44:3 tn Or “take possession of.”
Psalm 44:3 tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.
Psalm 44:3 tn Heb “your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Pss 17:7; 20:6; 21:8).
Psalm 44:3 tn Heb “your arm.”
Psalm 44:3 tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
Psalm 44:3 tn Or “favorable toward.”
Psalm 44:4 sn The speaker changes here to an individual, perhaps the worship leader or the king. The oscillation between singular (vv. 4, 6) and plural (vv. 1-3, 5, 7-8) in vv. 1-8 may reflect an antiphonal ceremony.
Psalm 44:4 tc The LXX assumes a participle here (מְצַוֶּה [m^etsavveh], “the one who commands/decrees”) which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the MT, which has the imperative (צַוֵּה, tsavveh) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem (ם). Note that the preceding word (אֱלֹהִים, ʾelohim) ends in mem. Another option is that the MT is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from אֱלֹהִים to the beginning of the next word and read מְצַוֶּה אֱלֹהָי (ʾelohay m^etsavveh, “[You are my king,] my God, the one who decrees”).tn Or “command.” This may be the Israelites’ petition prior to the battle. See the introductory note to the psalm.
Psalm 44:4 tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.
Psalm 44:5 tn Heb “by you.”
Psalm 44:5 tn Heb “gore” (like an ox). If this portion of the psalm contains the song of confidence/petition the Israelites recited prior to battle, then the imperfects here and in the next line may express their expectation of victory. Another option is that the imperfects function in an emphatic generalizing manner. In this case one might translate, “you [always] drive back…you [always] trample down.”sn The Hebrew verb translated “drive back” is literally “gore”; the imagery is that of a powerful wild ox that “gores” its enemies and tramples them underfoot.
Psalm 44:5 tn Heb “in your name.” The Lord’s “name” refers here to his revealed character or personal presence. Specifically in this context his ability to deliver, protect, and energize for battle is in view (see Ps 54:1).
Psalm 44:5 sn The image of the powerful wild ox continues; see the note on the phrase “drive back” in the preceding line.
Psalm 44:5 tn Heb “those who rise up [against] us.”
Psalm 44:7 tn Or “have delivered,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
Psalm 44:7 tn Or “have humiliated,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
Psalm 44:9 tn The particle אַף (ʾaf, “but”) is used here as a strong adversative contrasting the following statement with what precedes.
Psalm 44:9 tn Heb “you did not go out with our armies.” The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:10 tn Heb “you caused us to turn backward.”
Psalm 44:10 tn Heb “plunder for themselves.” The prepositional phrase לָמוֹ (lamo, “for themselves”) here has the nuance “at their will” or “as they please” (see Ps 80:6).
Psalm 44:11 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:12 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:12 tn Heb “for what is not wealth.”
Psalm 44:12 tn Heb “you did not multiply their purchase prices.”
Psalm 44:13 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:13 tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.”
Psalm 44:14 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:14 tn Heb “a proverb,” or “[the subject of] a mocking song.”
Psalm 44:14 tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).
Psalm 44:15 tn Heb “all the day my humiliation [is] in front of me.”
Psalm 44:15 tn Heb “and the shame of my face covers me.”
Psalm 44:16 tn Heb “from the voice of one who ridicules and insults, from the face of an enemy and an avenger.” See Ps 8:2.
Psalm 44:17 tn Heb “we have not forgotten you.” To “forget” God refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see v. 20, as well as Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 9:17).Thus the translation “we have not rejected you” has been used.
Psalm 44:17 tn Heb “and we did not deal falsely with your covenant.”
Psalm 44:18 tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” Cf. Ps 78:57.
Psalm 44:18 tn Heb “and our steps did [not] turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.
Psalm 44:19 tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”
Psalm 44:19 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (מָוֶת + צֵל [tsel + mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.
Psalm 44:20 tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the Lord’s authority (see Jer 23:27) and abandoning him as an object of prayer and worship (see the next line).
Psalm 44:20 tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense זָר (zar, “another; foreign; strange”) refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see L. A. Snijders, TDOT 4:54-55).
Psalm 44:21 tn The active participle describes what is characteristically true.
Psalm 44:21 tn Heb “would not God search out this, for he knows the hidden things of [the] heart?” The expression “search out” is used metonymically here, referring to discovery, the intended effect of a search. The “heart” (i.e., mind) is here viewed as the seat of one’s thoughts. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he would!” The point seems to be this: There is no way the Israelites who are the speakers in the psalm would reject God and turn to another god, for the omniscient God would easily discover such a sin.
Psalm 44:22 tn The statement “because of you” (1) may simply indicate that God is the cause of the Israelites’ defeat (see vv. 9-14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity, and cf. NEB, NRSV), or (2) it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake” (cf. NASB, NIV). The citation of this verse in Rom 8:36 follows the LXX (Ps 43:23 LXX), where the Greek term ἕνεκεν (heneken; LXX ἕνεκα) may likewise mean “because of” or “for the sake of” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἕνεκα 1).
Psalm 44:22 tn Or “regarded as.”
Psalm 44:22 tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
Psalm 44:23 sn Wake up! See Ps 35:23.
Psalm 44:24 tn Heb “Why do you hide your face?” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
Psalm 44:24 tn Or “forget.”
Psalm 44:24 tn Heb “our oppression and our affliction.”
Psalm 44:25 tn Heb “for our being/life sinks down to the dirt, our belly clings to the earth.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
Psalm 44:26 tn Or “redeem us.” See Pss 25:22; 26:11; 69:18; 119:134.

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Colossians 1:1-14

Salutation

1 From Paul,^[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ²to the saints, the faithful^[b] brothers and sisters^[c] in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you^[d] from God our Father!^[e]

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

³We always^[f] give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴since^[g] we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. ⁵Your faith and love have arisen^[h] from the hope laid up^[i] for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel^[j] ⁶that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel^[k] is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing^[l] among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. ⁷You learned the gospel^[m] from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave^[n]—a^[o] faithful minister of Christ on our^[p] behalf— ⁸who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

⁹For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you,^[q] have not ceased praying for you and asking God^[r] to fill^[s] you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so that you may live^[t] worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects^[u]—bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of^[v] all patience and steadfastness, joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share^[w] in the saints’^[x] inheritance in the light. ¹³He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves,^[y] ¹⁴in whom we have redemption,^[z] the forgiveness of sins.

Footnotes

Colossians 1:1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
Colossians 1:2 tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.
Colossians 1:2 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
Colossians 1:2 tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”
Colossians 1:2 tc Most witnesses, including some significant ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 2464 M it bo Hier), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa Ambst) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.
Colossians 1:3 tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucharistoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri humōn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseuchomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).
Colossians 1:4 tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousantes) is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).
Colossians 1:5 tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.
Colossians 1:5 tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenēn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.
Colossians 1:5 tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tō logō tēs alētheias) as indicated in the translation.
Colossians 1:6 tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Colossians 1:6 tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.
Colossians 1:7 tn Or “learned it.” The Greek text simply has “you learned” without the reference to “the gospel,” but “the gospel” is supplied to clarify the sense of the clause. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Colossians 1:7 tn The Greek word translated “fellow slave” is σύνδουλος (sundoulos); the σύν- prefix here denotes association. Though δοῦλος is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). One good translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force. Also, many slaves in the Roman world became slaves through Rome’s subjugation of conquered nations, kidnapping, or by being born into slave households.
Colossians 1:7 tn The Greek text has “who (ὅς, hos) is a faithful minister.” The above translation conveys the antecedent of the relative pronoun quite well and avoids the redundancy with the following substantival participle of v. 8, namely, “who told” (ὁ δηλώσας, ho dēlōsas).
Colossians 1:7 tc ‡ Judging by the superior witnesses for the first person pronoun ἡμῶν (hēmōn, “us”; P⁴⁶ א* A B D* F G 326* 1505) vs. the second person pronoun ὑμῶν (humōn, “you”; found in א² C D¹ Ψ 075 33 1175 1739 1881 2464 M lat sy co), ἡμῶν should be regarded as the initial reading. Although it is possible that ἡμῶν was an early alteration of ὑμῶν (either unintentionally, as dittography, since it comes seventeen letters after the previous ἡμῶν; or intentionally, to conform to the surrounding first person pronouns), this supposition is difficult to maintain in light of the varied and valuable witnesses for this reading. Further, the second person is both embedded in the verb ἐμάθετε (emathete) and is explicit in v. 8 (ὑμῶν). Hence, the motivation to change to the first person pronoun is counterbalanced by such evidence. The second person pronoun may have been introduced unintentionally via homoioarcton with the ὑπέρ (huper) that immediately precedes it. As well, the second person reading is somewhat harder for it seems to address Epaphras’ role only in relation to Paul and his colleagues, rather than in relation to the Colossians. Nevertheless, the decision must be based ultimately on external evidence (since the internal evidence can be variously interpreted), and this strongly supports ἡμῶν.
Colossians 1:9 tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.
Colossians 1:9 tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.
Colossians 1:9 tn The ἵνα (hina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.
Colossians 1:10 tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripatēsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseuchomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”
Colossians 1:10 tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”
Colossians 1:11 tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.
Colossians 1:12 tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.
Colossians 1:12 tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (tōn hagiōn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”
Colossians 1:13 tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).
Colossians 1:14 tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou haimatos autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 M latt co as well as several other versions and fathers. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

Luke 6:1-11

Lord of the Sabbath

6 Jesus^[a] was going through the grain fields on^[b] a Sabbath,^[c] and his disciples picked some heads of wheat,^[d] rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.^[e] ²But some of the Pharisees^[f] said, “Why are you^[g] doing what is against the law^[h] on the Sabbath?” ³Jesus^[i] answered them,^[j] “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry— ⁴how he entered the house of God, took^[k] and ate the sacred bread,^[l] which is not lawful^[m] for any to eat but the priests alone, and^[n] gave it to his companions?”^[o] ⁵Then^[p] he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord^[q] of the Sabbath.”

Healing a Withered Hand

⁶On^[r] another Sabbath, Jesus^[s] entered the synagogue^[t] and was teaching. Now^[u] a man was there whose right hand was withered.^[v] ⁷The experts in the law^[w] and the Pharisees^[x] watched^[y] Jesus^[z] closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath,^[aa] so that they could find a reason to accuse him. ⁸But^[ab] he knew^[ac] their thoughts,^[ad] and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Get up and stand here.”^[ae] So^[af] he rose and stood there. ⁹Then^[ag] Jesus said to them, “I ask you,^[ah] is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰After^[ai] looking around^[aj] at them all, he said to the man,^[ak] “Stretch out your hand.” The man^[al] did so, and his hand was restored.^[am] ¹¹But they were filled with mindless rage^[an] and began debating with one another what they would do^[ao] to Jesus.

Footnotes

Luke 6:1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 6:1 tn Grk “Now it happened that on.” 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.
Luke 6:1 tc Most later mss (A C D Θ Ψ [ƒ¹³] M lat) read ἐν σαββάτῳ δευτεροπρώτῳ (en sabbatō deuteroprōtō, “a second-first Sabbath”), while the earlier and better witnesses have simply ἐν σαββάτῳ (P⁴ א B L W ƒ¹ 33 579 1241 2542 it sa). The longer reading is most likely secondary, though various explanations may account for it (for discussion, see TCGNT 116).
Luke 6:1 tn Or “heads of grain.” While the generic term στάχυς (stachus) can refer to the cluster of seeds at the top of grain such as barley or wheat, in the NT the term is restricted to wheat (L&N 3.40; BDAG 941 s.v. 1). KJV “corn” is the result of British English, in which “corn” refers to the main cereal crop of a district, wheat in England and oats in Scotland (British English uses “maize” to refer to American corn).
Luke 6:1 tn Grk “picked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.” The participle ψώχοντες (psōchontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style, and the order of the clauses has been transposed to reflect the logical order, which sounds more natural in English.
Luke 6:2 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
Luke 6:2 tn Note that the verb is second person plural (with an understood plural pronominal subject in Greek). The charge is again indirectly made against Jesus by charging the disciples.
Luke 6:2 sn The alleged violation expressed by the phrase what is against the law is performing work on the Sabbath. That the disciples ate from such a field is no problem given Deut 23:25, but Sabbath activity is another matter in the leaders’ view (Exod 20:8-11 and Mishnah, m. Shabbat 7.2). The supposed violation involved reaping, threshing, winnowing, and preparing food. This probably explains why the clause describing the disciples “rubbing” the heads of grain in their hands is mentioned last, in emphatic position. This was preparation of food.
Luke 6:3 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 6:3 tn Grk “Jesus, answering them, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Jesus answered them.”
Luke 6:4 tn Grk “and took.”
Luke 6:4 tn Grk “the bread of presentation.” sn The sacred bread refers to the “bread of presentation,” “showbread,” or “bread of the Presence,” twelve loaves prepared weekly for the tabernacle and later, the temple. See Exod 25:30; 35:13; 39:36; Lev 24:5-9. Each loaf was made from 3 quarts (3.5 liters; Heb “two-tenths of an ephah”) of fine flour. The loaves were placed on a table in the holy place of the tabernacle, on the north side opposite the lampstand (Exod 26:35). It was the duty of the priest each Sabbath to place fresh bread on the table; the loaves from the previous week were then given to Aaron and his descendants, who ate them in the holy place, because they were considered sacred (Lev 24:9). These were the loaves that David requested from Ahimelech for himself and his men (1 Sam 21:1-6; cf. also Matt 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28).
Luke 6:4 sn Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was not lawful is one of analogy: ‘If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.’ Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.
Luke 6:4 tc Most mss (א A D Θ ƒ¹³ 33 M) read “also” here, but this looks like it is a reading made to agree with Mark 2:26. A better combination of witnesses (B L W Ψ ƒ¹ lat sa) lacks the word “also.”
Luke 6:4 tc The Western ms D adds here a full saying that reads, “On the same day, as he saw someone working on the Sabbath he said, ‘Man, if you know what you are doing, you are blessed, but if you do not know, you are cursed and a violator of the law.’” Though this is not well enough attested to be considered authentic, many commentators have debated whether this saying might go back to Jesus. Most reject it, though it does have wording that looks like Rom 2:25, 27 and Jas 2:11.sn See 1 Sam 21:1-6.
Luke 6:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 6:5 tn The term “lord” is in emphatic position in the Greek text. To make this point even clearer a few mss add “also” before the reference to the Son of Man, while a few others add it before the reference to the Sabbath.sn A second point in Jesus’ defense of his disciples’ actions was that his authority as Son of Man also allowed it, since as Son of Man he was lord of the Sabbath.
Luke 6:6 tn Grk “Now it happened that on.” 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.
Luke 6:6 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 6:6 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
Luke 6:6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. In addition, because the Greek sentence is rather long and complex, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Luke 6:6 tn Grk “a man was there and his right hand was withered.”sn Withered means the man’s hand was shrunken and paralyzed.
Luke 6:7 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
Luke 6:7 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
Luke 6:7 sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.
Luke 6:7 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 6:7 sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).
Luke 6:8 tn Here the conjunction δέ (de) has been translated as contrastive.
Luke 6:8 sn The statement that Jesus knew their thoughts adds a prophetic note to his response; see Luke 5:22.
Luke 6:8 tn Grk “their reasonings.” The implication is that Jesus knew his opponents’ plans and motives, so the translation “thoughts” was used here.
Luke 6:8 sn Most likely synagogues were arranged with benches along the walls and open space in the center for seating on the floor.
Luke 6:8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s action was a result of Jesus’ order.
Luke 6:9 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 6:9 sn With the use of the plural pronoun (“you”), Jesus addressed not just the leaders but the crowd with his question to challenge what the leadership was doing. There is irony as well. As Jesus sought to restore on the Sabbath (but improperly according to the leaders’ complaints) the leaders were seeking to destroy, which surely is wrong. The implied critique recalls the OT: Isa 1:1-17; 58:6-14.
Luke 6:10 tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 6:10 tn The aorist participle περιβλεψάμενος (periblepsamenos) has been translated as antecedent (prior) to the action of the main verb. It could also be translated as contemporaneous (“Looking around…he said”).
Luke 6:10 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man with the withered hand) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 6:10 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Luke 6:10 sn The passive was restored points to healing by God. Now the question became: Would God exercise his power through Jesus, if what Jesus was doing were wrong? Note also Jesus’ “labor.” He simply spoke and it was so.
Luke 6:11 tn The term ἄνοια (anoia) denotes a kind of insane or mindless fury; the opponents were beside themselves with rage. They could not rejoice in the healing, but could only react against Jesus.
Luke 6:11 tn The use of the optative (ποιήσαιεν, poiēsaien, “might do”) in an indirect question indicates that the formal opposition and planning of Jesus’ enemies started here (BDF §§385.1; 386.1).

New English Translation (NET)

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 41[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

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]

Footnotes

Psalm 44[a]

For the music director, by the Korahites; a well-written song.[b]

Footnotes

Salutation

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

Footnotes

Lord of the Sabbath

Healing a Withered Hand

Footnotes

Psalm 41^[a]

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]

Psalm 44^[a]

For the music director, by the Korahites; a well-written song.^[b]