◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 1 (Their delight is in the law); Deuteronomy 9:25—10:5 (The second set of commandments); Titus 2:7-8 11-15 (A life devoted to good works) (New English Translation)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 1

Book 1 (Psalms 1-41)

Psalm 1^[a]

1 How blessed^[b] is the one^[c] who does not follow^[d] the advice^[e] of the wicked,^[f]
or stand in the pathway^[g] with sinners,
or sit in the assembly^[h] of scoffers.^[i]
²Instead^[j] he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;^[k]
he meditates on^[l] his commands^[m] day and night.
³He is like^[n] a tree planted by flowing streams;^[o]
it^[p] yields^[q] its fruit at the proper time,^[r]
and its leaves never fall off.^[s]
He succeeds in everything he attempts.^[t]
⁴Not so with the wicked!
Instead^[u] they are like wind-driven chaff.^[v]
⁵For this reason^[w] the wicked cannot withstand^[x] judgment,^[y]
nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly.^[z]
⁶Certainly^[aa] the Lord guards the way of the godly,^[ab]
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.^[ac]

Footnotes

Psalm 1:1 sn Psalm 1. In this wisdom psalm the author advises his audience to reject the lifestyle of the wicked and to be loyal to God. The psalmist contrasts the destiny of the wicked with that of the righteous, emphasizing that the wicked are eventually destroyed while the godly prosper under the Lord’s protective care.
Psalm 1:1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 3; Pss 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
Psalm 1:1 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” (Generic “he” is employed in vv. 2-3). Since the godly man described in the psalm is representative of followers of God (note the plural form צַדִּיקִים [tsadiqim, “righteous, godly”] in vv. 5-6), one could translate the collective singular with the plural “those” both here and in vv. 2-3, where singular pronouns and verbal forms are utilized in the Hebrew text (cf. NRSV). However, here the singular form may emphasize that godly individuals are usually outnumbered by the wicked. Retaining the singular allows the translation to retain this emphasis.
Psalm 1:1 tn Heb “walk in.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 1 refer in this context to characteristic behavior. The sequence “walk—stand—sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them.
Psalm 1:1 tn The Hebrew noun translated “advice” most often refers to the “counsel” or “advice” one receives from others. To “walk in the advice of the wicked” means to allow their evil advice to impact and determine one’s behavior.
Psalm 1:1 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (r^eshaʿim, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21).
Psalm 1:1 tn “Pathway” here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To “stand in the pathway of/with sinners” means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior.
Psalm 1:1 tn Here the Hebrew term מוֹשַׁב (moshav), although often translated “seat” (cf. NEB, NIV), appears to refer to the whole assembly of evildoers. The word also carries the semantic nuance “assembly” in Ps 107:32, where it is in synonymous parallelism with קָהָל (qahal, “assembly”).
Psalm 1:1 tn The Hebrew word refers to arrogant individuals (Prov 21:24) who love conflict (Prov 22:10) and vociferously reject wisdom and correction (Prov 1:22; 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12). To “sit in the assembly” of such people means to completely identify with them in their proud, sinful plans and behavior.
Psalm 1:2 tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki ʾim, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.
Psalm 1:2 tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”
Psalm 1:2 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.
Psalm 1:2 tn Or “his law.”
Psalm 1:3 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same characteristic force as the imperfect in the preceding verse. According to the psalmist, the one who studies and obeys God’s commands typically prospers.
Psalm 1:3 tn Heb “channels of water.”
Psalm 1:3 tn Heb “which.”
Psalm 1:3 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the typical nature of the actions/states they describe.
Psalm 1:3 tn Heb “in its season.”
Psalm 1:3 tn Or “fade”; “wither.”sn The author compares the godly individual to a tree that has a rich water supply (planted by flowing streams), develops a strong root system, and is filled with leaves and fruit. The simile suggests that the godly have a continual source of life which in turn produces stability and uninterrupted prosperity.
Psalm 1:3 tn Heb “and all which he does prospers”; or “and all which he does he causes to prosper.” (The simile of the tree does not extend to this line.) It is not certain if the Hiphil verbal form (יַצְלִיחַ, yatsliakh) is intransitive-exhibitive (“prospers”) or causative (“causes to prosper”) here. If the verb is intransitive, then כֹּל (kol, “all, everything”) is the subject. If the verb is causative, then the godly individual or the Lord himself is the subject and כֹּל is the object. The wording is reminiscent of Josh 1:8, where the Lord tells Joshua: “This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper (literally, “cause your way to prosper”) and be successful.”
Psalm 1:4 tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki ʾim, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.
Psalm 1:4 tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.sn Wind-driven chaff. In contrast to the well-rooted and productive tree described in v. 3, the wicked are like a dried up plant that has no root system and is blown away by the wind. The simile describes the destiny of the wicked (see vv. 5-6).
Psalm 1:5 tn Or “Therefore.”
Psalm 1:5 tn Heb “arise in,” but the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “stand”; “endure,” as in 1 Sam 13:14 and Job 8:15. The negated Hebrew imperfect verbal form is here taken as indicating incapability or lack of potential, though one could understand the verb form as indicating what is typical (“do not withstand”) or what will happen (“will not withstand”).
Psalm 1:5 tn Heb “the judgment.” The article indicates a judgment that is definite in the mind of the speaker. In the immediate context this probably does not refer to the “final judgment” described in later biblical revelation, but to a temporal/historical judgment which the author anticipates. Periodically during the OT period, God would come in judgment, removing the wicked from the scene, while preserving a godly remnant (see Gen 6-9; Ps 37; Hab 3).
Psalm 1:5 tn Heb “and sinners in the assembly (or “circle”) of [the] godly.” The negative particle and verb from the preceding line are assumed by ellipsis here (“will not arise/stand”).sn The assembly of the godly is insulated from divine judgment (Ps 37:12-17, 28-29).
Psalm 1:6 tn The translation understands כי (ki) as asseverative. Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theological explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrasts the respective destinies of the godly and the wicked.
Psalm 1:6 tn Heb “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” To “know a way” means, in its most basic sense, “to recognize/acknowledge a pathway, route, or prescribed way of life” (see Josh 3:4; Job 21:14; Ps 67:2; Isa 42:16; Jer 5:4-5). Here it could refer to the Lord recognizing the behavior of the godly and, by metonymy, rewarding their godliness with security and prosperity (resulting in the translation, “the Lord rewards the behavior of the godly”). The present translation takes the verb in the sense of “mark out” (cf. Job 23:10), which metonymically could mean “watch over, protect, guard.” In this case the “way of the godly” is not their behavior, but their course of life or destiny; a translation reflecting this would be “the Lord protects the lives of the godly” or “the Lord watches over the destiny of the godly” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The Hebrew active participle יוֹדֵעַ (yodeaʿ, “knows”) has here a characteristic durative force.
Psalm 1:6 tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what typically happens, though one could take the form as indicating what will happen (“will perish”).

Deuteronomy 9:25-10:5

Moses’ Plea on Behalf of God’s Reputation

²⁵I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights,^[a] for he^[b] had said he would destroy you. ²⁶I prayed to him:^[c] O, Sovereign Lord,^[d] do not destroy your people, your valued property^[e] that you have powerfully redeemed,^[f] whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength.^[g] ²⁷Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. ²⁸Otherwise the people of the land^[h] from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.” ²⁹They are your people, your valued property,^[i] whom you brought out with great strength and power.^[j]

The Opportunity to Begin Again

10 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark.^[k] ²I will write on the tablets the same words^[l] that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark.” ³So I made an ark of acacia^[m] wood and carved out two stone tablets just like the first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. ⁴The Lord^[n] then wrote on the tablets the same words,^[o] the Ten Commandments,^[p] which he^[q] had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he^[r] gave them to me. ⁵Then I turned, went down the mountain, and placed the tablets into the ark I had made—they are still there, just as the Lord commanded me.

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 9:25 tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.
Deuteronomy 9:25 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh” (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, ʾadonay y^ehvih). The phrase is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God” (אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהִים, ʾadonay ʾelohim).
Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “your inheritance”; NLT “your special (very own NRSV) possession.” Israel is compared to landed property that one would inherit from his ancestors and pass on to his descendants.
Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”
Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “by your strong hand.”
Deuteronomy 9:28 tc The MT reads only “the land.” Smr supplies עַם (ʿam, “people”) and LXX and its dependents supply “the inhabitants of the land.” The truncated form found in the MT is adequate to communicate the intended meaning; the words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Deuteronomy 9:29 tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.
Deuteronomy 9:29 tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”
Deuteronomy 10:1 tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.
Deuteronomy 10:2 sn The same words. The care with which the replacement copy must be made underscores the importance of verbal precision in relaying the Lord’s commandments.
Deuteronomy 10:3 sn Acacia wood (Heb “shittim wood”). This is wood from the acacia, the most common timber tree of the Sinai region. Most likely it is the species Acacia raddiana because this has the largest trunk. See F. N. Hepper, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, 63.
Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.
Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”
Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” earlier in this verse.

Titus 2:7-8

⁷showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, ⁸and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss,^[a] because he has nothing evil to say about us.

Titus 2:11-15

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.^[a] ¹²It trains us^[b] to reject godless ways^[c] and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing^[d] of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.^[e] ¹⁴He^[f] gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his,^[g] who are eager to do good.^[h] ¹⁵So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke^[i] that carries full authority.^[j] Don’t let anyone look down^[k] on you.

Footnotes

Titus 2:11 tn Grk “all men”; but ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) is generic here, referring to both men and women.
Titus 2:12 tn Grk “training us” (as a continuation of the previous clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 by translating the participle παιδεύουσα (paideuousa) as a finite verb and supplying the pronoun “it” as subject.
Titus 2:12 tn Grk “ungodliness.”
Titus 2:13 tn Grk “the blessed hope and glorious appearing.”
Titus 2:13 tn The terms “God and Savior” both refer to the same person, Jesus Christ. This is one of the clearest statements in the NT concerning the deity of Christ. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [kai] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they always had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. The only issue is whether terms such as “God” and “Savior” could be considered common nouns as opposed to proper names. Sharp and others who followed (such as T. F. Middleton in his masterful The Doctrine of the Greek Article) demonstrated that a proper name in Greek was one that could not be pluralized. Since both “God” (θεός, theos) and “savior” (σωτήρ, sōtēr) were occasionally found in the plural, they did not constitute proper names, and hence, do fit Sharp’s rule. Although there have been 200 years of attempts to dislodge Sharp’s rule, all attempts have been futile. Sharp’s rule stands vindicated after all the dust has settled. For more information on Sharp’s rule see ExSyn 270-78, esp. 276. See also 2 Pet 1:1 and Jude 4.
Titus 2:14 tn Grk “who” (as a continuation of the previous clause).
Titus 2:14 tn Or “a people who are his very own.”
Titus 2:14 tn Grk “for good works.”
Titus 2:15 tn Or “reproof,” “censure.” The Greek word ἐλέγχω (elenchō) implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
Titus 2:15 tn Grk “speak these things and exhort and rebuke with all authority.”
Titus 2:15 tn Or “let anyone despise you”; or “let anyone disregard you.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Book 1 (Psalms 1-41)

Psalm 1[a]

Footnotes

Moses’ Plea on Behalf of God’s Reputation

The Opportunity to Begin Again

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 1^[a]