◀ All Reading Plans / M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan / Family: 2 Samuel 7; 2 Corinthians 1. Secret: Ezekiel 15; Psalms 56–57. (New English Translation)

Prev Day

September 12, 2014

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

September 2014
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

Return to today's reading

M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The classic M'Cheyne plan--read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels every day.

Duration: 365 days

2 Samuel 7

The Lord Establishes a Covenant with David

7 The king settled into his palace,^[a] for the Lord gave him relief^[b] from all his enemies on all sides.^[c] ²The king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of God sits in the middle of a tent.” ³Nathan replied to the king, “You should go^[d] and do whatever you have in mind,^[e] for the Lord is with you.” ⁴That night the Lord’s message came to Nathan, ⁵“Go, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has said: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in? ⁶I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a tent.^[f] ⁷Wherever I moved among all the Israelites, I did not say^[g] to any of their leaders^[h] whom I appointed to care for^[i] my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?”’

⁸“So now, say this to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd^[j] to make you leader of my people Israel. ⁹I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated^[k] all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth.^[l] ¹⁰I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle^[m] them there; they will live there and not be disturbed^[n] anymore. Violent men^[o] will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning ¹¹and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief^[p] from all your enemies. The Lord declares^[q] to you that he himself^[r] will build a dynastic house^[s] for you. ¹²When the time comes for you to die,^[t] I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you,^[u] and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent.^[v] ¹⁴I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom will stand before me^[w] permanently; your dynasty^[x] will be permanent.’” ¹⁷Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him.^[y]

David Offers a Prayer to God

¹⁸King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family,^[z] that you should have brought me to this point? ¹⁹And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family.^[aa] Is this your usual way of dealing with men,^[ab] O Sovereign Lord? ²⁰What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition,^[ac] O Sovereign Lord! ²¹For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose^[ad] you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant.^[ae] ²²Therefore you are great, O Sovereign Lord, for there is none like you. There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true.^[af] ²³Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation^[ag] on the earth? Their God^[ah] went^[ai] to claim^[aj] a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and awesome acts for your land,^[ak] before your people whom you delivered for yourself from the Egyptian empire and its gods.^[al] ²⁴You made Israel your very own people for all time.^[am] You, O Lord, became their God. ²⁵So now, O Lord God, make this promise you have made about your servant and his family a permanent reality.^[an] Do as you promised,^[ao] ²⁶so you may gain lasting fame,^[ap] as people say,^[aq] ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ The dynasty^[ar] of your servant David will be established before you, ²⁷for you, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, have told^[as] your servant, ‘I will build you a dynastic house.’^[at] That is why your servant has had the courage^[au] to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸Now, O Sovereign Lord, you are the true God.^[av] May your words prove to be true!^[aw] You have made this good promise to your servant.^[ax] ²⁹Now be willing to bless your servant’s dynasty^[ay] so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O Sovereign Lord, have spoken. By your blessing may your servant’s dynasty be blessed from now on into the future!”^[az]

Footnotes

2 Samuel 7:1 tn Heb “house” (also in the following verse).
2 Samuel 7:1 tn Or “rest.”
2 Samuel 7:1 tn The translation understands the disjunctive clause in v. 1b as circumstantial-causal.
2 Samuel 7:3 tc Several medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta lack this word.
2 Samuel 7:3 tn Heb “all that is in your heart.”
2 Samuel 7:6 tn Heb “in a tent and in a dwelling.” The expression is a hendiadys, using two terms to express one idea.
2 Samuel 7:7 tn Heb “Did I speak a word?” In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question.
2 Samuel 7:7 tn Heb “tribes of Israel” (so KJV, NASB, NCV), but the parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:6 has “judges of Israel.”
2 Samuel 7:7 tn Heb “whom I commanded to shepherd” (so NIV, NRSV).
2 Samuel 7:8 tn Heb “and from after the sheep.”
2 Samuel 7:9 tn Heb “cut off.”
2 Samuel 7:9 tn Heb “and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.”
2 Samuel 7:10 tn Heb “plant.”
2 Samuel 7:10 tn Heb “shaken.”
2 Samuel 7:10 tn Heb “the sons of violence.”
2 Samuel 7:11 tn Or “rest.”
2 Samuel 7:11 tn In the Hebrew text the verb is apparently perfect with vav consecutive, which would normally suggest a future sense (“he will declare”; so the LXX, ἀπαγγελεῖ [apangelei]). But the context seems instead to call for a present or past nuance (“he declares” or “he has declared”). The synoptic passage in 1 Chr 17:10 has וָאַגִּד (vaʾaggid, “and I declared”). The construction used in 2 Sam 7:11 highlights this important statement.
2 Samuel 7:11 tn Heb “the Lord.”
2 Samuel 7:11 tn Heb “house,” but used here in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. Here the Lord’s use of the word plays off the literal sense that David had in mind as he contemplated building a temple for the Lord. To reflect this in the English translation the adjective “dynastic” has been supplied.
2 Samuel 7:12 tn Heb, “when your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors.”
2 Samuel 7:12 tn Heb “your seed after you who comes out from your insides.”
2 Samuel 7:13 tn Heb “and I will establish the throne of his kingdom permanently.”
2 Samuel 7:16 tc Heb “before you.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read instead “before me,” which makes better sense contextually. (See also the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta.) The MT reading is probably the result of dittography (note the כ [kaf] at the beginning of the next form), with the extra כ then being interpreted as a pronominal suffix.
2 Samuel 7:16 tn Heb “throne.”
2 Samuel 7:17 tn Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”
2 Samuel 7:18 tn Heb “house.”
2 Samuel 7:19 tn Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O Lord God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”
2 Samuel 7:19 tn Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; KJV “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; NAB “this too you have shown to man”; NRSV “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the MT by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the note there).
2 Samuel 7:20 tn Heb “and you know your servant.” The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18). Some English versions take this to refer to the Lord’s knowledge of David himself: CEV “you know my thoughts”; NLT “know what I am really like.”
2 Samuel 7:21 tn Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”
2 Samuel 7:21 tn Heb “to make known, your servant.”
2 Samuel 7:22 tn Heb “in all which we heard with our ears.” The phrase translated “in all” בְּכֹל (b^ekhol) should probably be emended to “according to all” כְּכֹל (k^ekhol).
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “a nation, one.”
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “whose God” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 Samuel 7:23 tn The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “redeem.”
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land.”
2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “from Egypt, nations and their gods.” The LXX has “nations and tents,” which reflects a mistaken metathesis of letters in אֶלֹהָיו (ʾelohayv, “its gods”) and אֹהָלָיו (ʾohalayv, “its tents”).
2 Samuel 7:24 tn Heb “and you established for yourself your people Israel for yourself for a people permanently.”
2 Samuel 7:25 tn Heb “and now, O Lord God, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, establish permanently.”
2 Samuel 7:25 tn Heb “as you have spoken.”
2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result.
2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “the house.” See the note on “dynastic house” in the following verse.
2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “have uncovered the ear of.”
2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “a house.” This maintains the wordplay from v. 11 (see the note on the word “house” there) and is continued in v. 29.
2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “has found his heart.”
2 Samuel 7:28 tn Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.
2 Samuel 7:28 tn The translation understands the prefixed verb form as a jussive, indicating David’s wish/prayer. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect and translate “your words are true.”
2 Samuel 7:28 tn Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”
2 Samuel 7:29 tn Heb “house” (again later in this verse). See the note on “dynastic house” in v. 27.
2 Samuel 7:29 tn Or “permanently”; cf. NLT “it is an eternal blessing.”

2 Corinthians 1

Salutation

1 From Paul,^[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.^[b] ²Grace and peace to you^[c] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort

³Blessed is^[d] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles^[e] so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble^[f] with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For just as the sufferings^[g] of Christ^[h] overflow^[i] toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.^[j] ⁶But if we are afflicted,^[k] it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer. ⁷And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in^[l] our sufferings, so also you will share in^[m] our comfort. ⁸For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,^[n] regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia,^[o] that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. ⁹Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us,^[p] so that we would not trust in ourselves^[q] but in God who raises the dead. ¹⁰He^[r] delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him^[s] that^[t] he will deliver us yet again, ¹¹as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God^[u] on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.

Paul Defends His Changed Plans

¹²For our reason for confidence^[v] is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives^[w] and sincerity which are from God^[x]—not by human wisdom^[y] but by the grace of God—we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more^[z] toward you. ¹³For we do not write you anything other than what^[aa] you can read and also understand. But I hope that you will understand completely^[ab] ¹⁴just as also you have partly understood us, that we are your source of pride just as you also are ours^[ac] in the day of the Lord Jesus.^[ad] ¹⁵And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us,^[ae] ¹⁶and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back^[af] to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you. ¹⁷Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I?^[ag] Or do I make my plans^[ah] according to mere human standards^[ai] so that I would be saying^[aj] both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? ¹⁸But as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” ¹⁹For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us—by me and Silvanus^[ak] and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but it has always been “Yes” in him. ²⁰For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in him; therefore also through him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God. ²¹But it is God who establishes^[al] us together with you in Christ and who anointed us,^[am] ²²who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.^[an]

Why Paul Postponed His Visit

²³Now I appeal to God as my witness,^[ao] that to spare^[ap] you I did not come again to Corinth.^[aq] ²⁴I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm.^[ar]

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 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.
2 Corinthians 1:1 tn Or “are throughout Achaia.”
2 Corinthians 1:2 tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
2 Corinthians 1:3 tn There is no verb in the Greek text; either the optative (“be”) or the indicative (“is”) can be supplied. The meaning of the term εὐλογητός (eulogētos) and the author’s intention at this point in the epistle must both come into play to determine which is the preferred nuance. εὐλογητός as an adjective can mean either that one is praised or that one is blessed, that is, in a place of favor and benefit. The meaning “blessed” would be more naturally paired with an indicative verb and would suggest that blessedness is an intrinsic part of God’s character. The meaning “praised” would be more naturally paired with an optative verb and would suggest that God ought to be praised. Pauline style in the epistles generally moves from statements to obligations, expressing the reality first and then the believer’s necessary response. When considered as a whole, although a decision is difficult, the general Pauline style of beginning with statements and moving to obligations argues for the indicative. Cf. also Eph 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3.
2 Corinthians 1:4 tn Or “our trials”; traditionally, “our affliction.” The term θλῖψις (thlipsis) refers to trouble (including persecution) that involves direct suffering (L&N 22.2).
2 Corinthians 1:4 tn Or “any trials”; traditionally, “any affliction.”
2 Corinthians 1:5 tn This Greek word translated “sufferings” here (πάθημα, pathēma) is a different one than the one Paul uses for his own afflictions/persecutions (θλῖψις, thlipsis) in v. 4.
2 Corinthians 1:5 tn I.e., suffering incurred by Paul as a consequence of his relationship to Christ. The genitive could be considered to have a causative nuance here.
2 Corinthians 1:5 tn Traditionally, “abound” (here and throughout this section).
2 Corinthians 1:5 tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the statements in the following verse.
2 Corinthians 1:6 tn Or “are troubled.”
2 Corinthians 1:7 tn Grk “as you are sharers in.”
2 Corinthians 1:7 tn Grk “will be sharers in.”
2 Corinthians 1:8 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).
2 Corinthians 1:8 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia. The Roman province of Asia made up about one-third of modern Asia Minor and was on the western side of it. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
2 Corinthians 1:9 tn Grk “we ourselves had the sentence of death within ourselves.” Here ἀπόκριμα (apokrima) is being used figuratively; no actual official verdict had been given, but in light of all the difficulties that Paul and his colleagues had suffered, it seemed to them as though such an official verdict had been rendered against them (L&N 56.26).
2 Corinthians 1:9 tn Or “might not put confidence in ourselves.”
2 Corinthians 1:10 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative clause “who delivered us…” was made a separate sentence in the translation.
2 Corinthians 1:10 tn Grk “deliver us, on whom we have set our hope.”
2 Corinthians 1:10 tc Several significant witnesses, especially Alexandrian (P⁴⁶ B D* 0121 0243 1739 1881 Did), lack ὅτι (hoti, “that”) here, while others, most notably Western (D¹ F G 104 630 1505 ar b sy^h Or Ambst), lack ἔτι (eti, “yet”). Most mss, including significant Alexandrians (א A C D² Ψ 33 M f t vg), have the full expression ὅτι καὶ ἔτι (hoti kai eti). Although the predominantly Alexandrian reading has much to commend it, the fact that either ὅτι or ἔτι has been dropped, while the καί has been retained, suggests that the initial text had ὅτι καὶ ἔτι, and that either particle dropped out intentionally for stylistic reasons. (F and G have the order καί ὅτι, suggesting that in their archetype the ἔτι was unintentionally dropped due to homoioteleuton.) If, however, ὅτι is not authentic, v. 10b should be translated “We have set our hope on him, and he will deliver us again.” Overall, a decision is difficult, but preference should be given to ὅτι καὶ ἔτι.
2 Corinthians 1:11 tn Grk “so that thanks may be given by many.” The words “to God” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. The passive construction has been converted to an active one for clarity, in keeping with contemporary English style.
2 Corinthians 1:12 tn Or “for boasting.”
2 Corinthians 1:12 tc Two viable variants exist at this place in the text: ἁγιότητι (hagiotēti, “holiness”) vs. ἁπλότητι (haplotēti, “pure motives”). A confusion of letters could well have produced the variant (TCGNT 507): In majuscule script the words would have been written agiothti and aplothti. This, however, does not explain which reading created the other. Overall ἁπλότητι, though largely a Western-Byzantine reading (א² D F G M lat sy), is better suited to the context; it is also a Pauline word while ἁγιότης (hagiotēs) is not. It also best explains the rise of the other variants, πραότητι (praotēti, “gentleness”) and σπλάγχνοις (splanchnois, “compassion”). On the other hand, the external evidence in favor of ἁγιότητι is extremely strong (P⁴⁶ א* A B C K P Ψ 0121 0243 33 81 1739 1881 al co). This diversity of mss provides excellent evidence for authenticity, but because of the internal evidence listed above, ἁπλότητι is to be preferred, albeit only slightly.tn Or “sincerity.” The two terms translated “pure motives” (ἁπλότης, haplotēs) and “sincerity” (εἰλικρίνεια, eilikrineia) are close synonyms.
2 Corinthians 1:12 tn Grk “pure motives and sincerity of God.”
2 Corinthians 1:12 tn Or “not by worldly wisdom.”
2 Corinthians 1:12 tn Or “and especially.”
2 Corinthians 1:13 tn Grk “than the things.”
2 Corinthians 1:13 tn Grk “to the end,” a Greek idiom for “fully,” “totally,” “completely.”
2 Corinthians 1:14 tn Grk “that we are your boast even as you are our boast.”
2 Corinthians 1:14 tc ‡ On the wording “the Lord Jesus” (τοῦ κυρίου ᾿Ιησοῦ, tou kuriou Iēsou) there is some variation in the extant witnesses: ἡμῶν (hēmōn, “our”) is found after κυρίου in several significant witnesses (א B F G P 0121 0243 6 33 81 1739 1881 2464 al lat co); the pronoun is lacking from P^46vid A C D Ψ M. Although in Paul “our Lord Jesus Christ” is a common expression, “our Lord Jesus” is relatively infrequent (cf., e.g., Rom 16:20; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thess 2:19; 3:11, 13; 2 Thess 1:8, 12). “The Lord Jesus” occurs about as often as “our Lord Jesus” (cf. 1 Cor 11:23; 16:23; 2 Cor 4:14; 11:31; Eph 1:15; 1 Thess 4:2; 2 Thess 1:7; Phlm 5). Thus, on balance, since scribes would tend to expand on the text, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic. NA²⁸ places the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.
2 Corinthians 1:15 tn Grk “a second grace,” “a second favor” (used figuratively of a second visit by Paul).
2 Corinthians 1:16 tn Grk “come again.”
2 Corinthians 1:17 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative answer. This is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question “did I?” at the end of the sentence.
2 Corinthians 1:17 tn Grk “the things that I plan, do I plan (them).”
2 Corinthians 1:17 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
2 Corinthians 1:17 tn Grk “so that with me there should be.”
2 Corinthians 1:19 sn Silvanus is usually considered to be the same person as Silas (L&N 93.340).
2 Corinthians 1:21 tn Or “strengthens.”
2 Corinthians 1:21 tn Grk “But he who establishes us together with you in Christ and anointed us is God.”
2 Corinthians 1:22 tn Or “first installment,” “pledge,” “deposit.”sn Down payment. The Greek word ἀρραβών (arrabōn) denotes the first payment or first installment of money or goods which serves as a guarantee or pledge for the completion of the transaction. In the NT the term is used only figuratively of the Holy Spirit as the down payment of the blessings promised by God (it occurs later in 2 Cor 5:5, and also in Eph 1:14). In the “already—not yet” scheme of the NT the possession of the Spirit now by believers (“already”) can be viewed as a guarantee that God will give them the balance of the promised blessings in the future (“not yet”).
2 Corinthians 1:23 tn Grk “I call upon God as witness against my soul.” Normally this implies an appeal for help (L&N 33.176).
2 Corinthians 1:23 tn Here φειδόμενος (pheidomenos) has been translated as a telic participle.
2 Corinthians 1:23 sn Paul had promised to come again to visit (see 2 Cor 1:15, 24) but explains here why he had changed his plans.
2 Corinthians 1:24 tn Or “because you stand firm in the faith.”

Ezekiel 15

Burning a Useless Vine

15 The Lord’s message came to me: ²“Son of man, of all the woody branches among the trees of the forest, what happens to the wood of the vine?^[a] ³Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? ⁴No!^[b] It is thrown in the fire for fuel; when the fire has burned up both ends of it and it is charred in the middle, will it be useful for anything? ⁵Indeed! If it was not made into anything useful when it was whole, how much less can it be made into anything when the fire has burned it up and it is charred?

⁶“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Like the wood of the vine is among the trees of the forest that I have provided as fuel for the fire—so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem as fuel.^[c] ⁷I will set^[d] my face against them—although they have escaped from the fire,^[e] the fire will still consume them! Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them. ⁸I will make^[f] the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Psalm 56-57

Psalm 56^[a]

For the music director, according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.^[d]

56 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me.^[e]
All day long hostile enemies^[f] are tormenting me.^[g]
²Those who anticipate my defeat^[h] attack me all day long.
Indeed,^[i] many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.^[j]
³When^[k] I am afraid,
I trust in you.
⁴In God—I boast in his promise^[l]—
in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can mere men^[m] do to me?^[n]
⁵All day long they cause me trouble;^[o]
they make a habit of plotting my demise.^[p]
⁶They stalk^[q] and lurk;^[r]
they watch my every step,^[s]
as^[t] they prepare to take my life.^[u]
⁷Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape.^[v]
In your anger^[w] bring down the nations,^[x] O God.
⁸You keep track of my misery.^[y]
Put my tears in your leather container.^[z]
Are they not recorded in your scroll?^[aa]
⁹My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help;^[ab]
I know that God is on my side.^[ac]
¹⁰In God—I boast in his promise^[ad]—
in the Lord—I boast in his promise^[ae]—
¹¹in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can mere men^[af] do to me?^[ag]
¹²I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God;^[ah]
I will give you the thank offerings you deserve,^[ai]
¹³when you deliver^[aj] my life from death.
You keep my feet from stumbling,^[ak]
so that I might serve^[al] God as I enjoy life.^[am]

Psalm 57^[an]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[ao] a prayer^[ap] of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave.^[aq]

57 Have mercy on me, O God. Have mercy on me.
For in you I have taken shelter.^[ar]
In the shadow of your wings^[as] I take shelter
until trouble passes.
²I cry out for help to God Most High,^[at]
to the God who vindicates^[au] me.
³May he send help from heaven and deliver me^[av]
from my enemies who hurl insults.^[aw] (Selah)
May God send his loyal love and faithfulness.
⁴I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down^[ax] among those who want to devour me,^[ay]
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.^[az]
⁵Rise up^[ba] above the sky, O God.
May your splendor cover the whole earth.^[bb]
⁶They have prepared a net to trap me;^[bc]
I am discouraged.^[bd]
They have dug a pit for me.^[be]
They will fall^[bf] into it. (Selah)
⁷I am determined,^[bg] O God. I am determined.
I will sing and praise you.
⁸Awake, my soul!^[bh]
Awake, O stringed instrument and harp!
I will wake up at dawn.^[bi]
⁹I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord.
I will sing praises to you before foreigners.^[bj]
¹⁰For your loyal love extends beyond the sky,^[bk]
and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
¹¹Rise up^[bl] above the sky, O God.
May your splendor cover the whole earth.^[bm]

Footnotes

Psalm 56:1 sn Psalm 56. Despite the threats of his enemies, the psalmist is confident the Lord will keep his promise to protect and deliver him.
Psalm 56:1 tn The literal meaning of this phrase is “silent dove, distant ones.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a type of musical instrument.
Psalm 56:1 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 57-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
Psalm 56:1 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm when the Philistines seized him and took him to King Achish of Gath (see 1 Sam 21:11-15).
Psalm 56:1 tn According to BDB 983 s.v. II שָׁאַף, the verb is derived from שָׁאַף (shaʾaf, “to trample, crush”) rather than the homonymic verb “pant after.”
Psalm 56:1 tn Heb “a fighter.” The singular is collective for his enemies (see vv. 5-6). The Qal of לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) also occurs in Ps 35:1.
Psalm 56:1 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the continuing nature of the enemies’ attacks.
Psalm 56:2 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.
Psalm 56:2 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 56:2 tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The Lord is pictured as enthroned “on high” in Ps 92:8. (Note the substantival use of the term in Isa 24:4 and see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:34), who prefer to place the term at the beginning of the next verse.)
Psalm 56:3 tn Heb “[in] a day.”
Psalm 56:4 tn Heb “in God I boast, his word.” The syntax in the Hebrew text is difficult. (1) The line could be translated, “in God I boast, [in] his word.” Such a translation assumes that the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and that “his word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. Another option (2) is to translate, “in God I will boast [with] a word.” In this case, the “word” is a song of praise. (In this view the pronominal suffix “his” must be omitted as in v. 10.) The present translation reflects yet another option (3): In this case “I praise his word” is a parenthetical statement, with “his word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in the next line, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.
Psalm 56:4 tn Heb “flesh,” which refers by metonymy to human beings (see v. 11, where “man” is used in this same question), envisioned here as mortal and powerless before God.
Psalm 56:4 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.
Psalm 56:5 tn Heb “my affairs they disturb.” For other instances of דָּבָר (davar) meaning “affairs, business,” see BDB 183 s.v.. The Piel of עָצַב (ʿatsav, “to hurt”) occurs only here and in Isa 63:10, where it is used of “grieving” (or “offending”) the Lord’s holy Spirit. Here in Ps 56:5, the verb seems to carry the nuance “disturb, upset,” in the sense of “cause trouble.”
Psalm 56:5 tn Heb “against me [are] all their thoughts for harm.”
Psalm 56:6 tn The verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 59:3.
Psalm 56:6 tn Or “hide.”
Psalm 56:6 tn Heb “my heels.”
Psalm 56:6 tn Heb “according to,” in the sense of “inasmuch as; since,” or “when; while.”
Psalm 56:6 tn Heb “they wait [for] my life.”
Psalm 56:7 tc Heb “because of wickedness, deliver them.” As it stands, the MT makes no sense. The translation assumes that the negative particle אַיִן (ʾayin, “there is not,”) was lost due to haplography because of its similarity to the immediately preceding אָוֶן (ʾaven, “wickedness”) as suggested by BHS with external support. Also, פַּלֵּט (pallet) is read as the noun “deliverance” instead of as an imperative verb (each has the same form). Even so, the presence of an imperative in the next line (note “bring down”) suggests that this line should be translated as a prayer as well, “may there not be deliverance to them.”
Psalm 56:7 tn Heb “in anger.” The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
Psalm 56:7 tn Or perhaps “people” in a general sense.
Psalm 56:8 tn Heb “my wandering you count, you.” The Hebrew term נֹד (nod, “wandering,” derived from the verbal root נוֹד, nod, “to wander”; cf. NASB) here refers to the psalmist’s “changeable circumstances of life” and may be translated “misery.” The verb סָפַר (safar, “count”) probably carries the nuance “assess” here. Cf. NIV “my lament”; NRSV “my tossings.”
Psalm 56:8 tn Traditionally “your bottle.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word נֹאד (noʾd, “leather container”) refers to a container made from animal skin which is used to hold wine or milk (see Josh 9:4, 13; Judg 4:19; 1 Sam 16:20). If such a container is metaphorically in view here, then the psalmist seems to be asking God to store up his tears as a reminder of his suffering.
Psalm 56:8 tn The word “recorded” is supplied in the translation for clarification. The rhetorical question assumes a positive response (see the first line of the verse).
Psalm 56:9 tn Heb “then my enemies will turn back in the day I cry out.” The Hebrew particle אָז (ʾaz, “then”) is probably used here to draw attention to the following statement.
Psalm 56:9 tn Heb “this I know, that God is for me.”
Psalm 56:10 tn Heb “in God I praise a word.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult. The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except that the third person pronominal suffix is omitted here, where the text has simply “a word” instead of “his word.” (1) One could translate, “in God I will boast [with] a word.” In this case, the “word” refers to a song of praise. (2) If one assumes that God’s word is in view, as in v. 4, then one option is to translate, “in God I boast, [in] his word.” In this case the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and “[his] word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. (3) The present translation reflects another option: In this case “I praise [his] word” is a parenthetical statement, with “[his] word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in v. 11, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.
Psalm 56:10 tn The phrase “in the Lord” parallels “in God” in the first line. Once again the psalmist parenthetically remarks “I boast in [his] word” before completing the sentence in v. 11.
Psalm 56:11 tn The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except “flesh” is used there instead of “man.”
Psalm 56:11 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.
Psalm 56:12 tn Heb “upon me, O God, [are] your vows.”
Psalm 56:12 tn Heb “I will repay thank-offerings to you.”
Psalm 56:13 tn The perfect verbal form is probably future perfect; the psalmist promises to make good on his vows once God has delivered him (see Pss 13:5; 52:9). (2) Another option is to understand the final two verses as being added later, after the Lord intervened on the psalmist’s behalf. In this case one may translate, “for you have delivered.” Other options include taking the perfect as (3) generalizing (“for you deliver”) or (4) rhetorical (“for you will”).
Psalm 56:13 tn Heb “are not my feet [kept] from stumbling?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they are!” The question has been translated as an affirmation for the sake of clarification of meaning.
Psalm 56:13 tn Heb “walk before.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254; cf. the same idiom in 2 Kgs 20:3; Isa 38:3.
Psalm 56:13 tn Heb “in the light of life.” The phrase is used here and in Job 33:30.
Psalm 57:1 sn Psalm 57. The psalmist asks for God’s protection and expresses his confidence that his ferocious enemies will be destroyed by their own schemes.
Psalm 57:1 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 58-59, 75.
Psalm 57:1 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56, 58-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
Psalm 57:1 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3.
Psalm 57:1 tn Heb “my life has taken shelter.” The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
Psalm 57:1 sn In the shadow of your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7).
Psalm 57:2 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 Ps 47:2.
Psalm 57:2 tn Or “avenges in favor of.”
Psalm 57:3 tn Heb “may he send from heaven and deliver me.” The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. The second verb, which has a vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, probably indicates purpose. Another option is to take the forms as imperfects expressing confidence, “he will send from heaven and deliver me” (cf. NRSV).
Psalm 57:3 tn Heb “he hurls insults, one who crushes me.” The translation assumes that this line identifies those from whom the psalmist seeks deliverance. (The singular is representative; the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, see v. 4.) Another option is to understand God as the subject of the verb חָרַף (kharaf), which could then be taken as a homonym of the more common root חָרַף (“insult”) meaning “confuse.” In this case “one who crushes me” is the object of the verb. One might translate, “he [God] confuses my enemies.”
Psalm 57:4 tn The cohortative form אֶשְׁכְּבָה (ʾeshk^evah, “I lie down”) is problematic, for it does not seem to carry one of the normal functions of the cohortative (resolve or request). One possibility is that the form here is a “pseudo-cohortative” used here in a gnomic sense (IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3b).
Psalm 57:4 tn The Hebrew verb לָהַט (lahat) is here understood as a hapax legomenon meaning “devour” (see HALOT 521 s.v. II להט), a homonym of the more common verb meaning “to burn.” A more traditional interpretation takes the verb from this latter root and translates, “those who are aflame” (see BDB 529 s.v.; cf. NASB “those who breathe forth fire”).
Psalm 57:4 tn Heb “my life, in the midst of lions, I lie down, devouring ones, sons of mankind, their teeth a spear and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.” The syntax of the verse is difficult. Another option is to take “my life” with the preceding verse. For this to make sense, one must add a verb, perhaps “and may he deliver” (cf. the LXX), before the phrase. One might then translate, “May God send his loyal love and faithfulness and deliver my life.” If one does take “my life” with v. 4, then the parallelism of v. 5 is altered and one might translate: “in the midst of lions I lie down, [among] men who want to devour me, whose teeth….”
Psalm 57:5 tn Or “be exalted.”
Psalm 57:5 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
Psalm 57:6 tn Heb “for my feet.”
Psalm 57:6 tn Heb “my life bends low.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
Psalm 57:6 tn Heb “before me.”
Psalm 57:6 tn The perfect form is used rhetorically here to express the psalmist’s certitude. The demise of the enemies is so certain that he can speak of it as already accomplished.
Psalm 57:7 tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
Psalm 57:8 tn Heb “glory,” but that makes little sense in the context. Some view כָּבוֹד (kavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (k^evedi, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
Psalm 57:8 tn BDB 1007 s.v. שַׁחַר takes “dawn” as an adverbial accusative, though others understand it as a personified direct object. “Dawn” is used metaphorically for the time of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates. When salvation “dawns,” the psalmist will “wake up” in praise.
Psalm 57:9 tn Or “the peoples.”
Psalm 57:10 tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”
Psalm 57:11 tn Or “be exalted.”
Psalm 57:11 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)

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:

M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Lord Establishes a Covenant with David

David Offers a Prayer to God

Footnotes

Salutation

Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort

Paul Defends His Changed Plans

Why Paul Postponed His Visit

Footnotes

Burning a Useless Vine

Footnotes

Psalm 56[a]

For the music director, according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style;[b] a prayer[c] of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.[d]

Psalm 57[an]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;[ao] a prayer[ap] of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave.[aq]

Footnotes

Psalm 56^[a]

For the music director, according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style;^[b] a prayer^[c] of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.^[d]

Psalm 57^[an]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[ao] a prayer^[ap] of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave.^[aq]