◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Isaiah 43:16-21 (The Lord gives water in the wilderness); Psalm 126 (Sowing with tears reaping with joy); Philippians 3:4b-14 (To know Christ and his resurrection); John 12:1-8 (Mary anoints Jesus for his burial) (New English Translation)

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April 6, 2025

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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

Isaiah 43:16-21

¹⁶This is what the Lord says,
the one who made a road through the sea,
a pathway through the surging waters,
¹⁷the one who led chariots and horses to destruction,^[a]
together with a mighty army.
They fell down,^[b] never to rise again;
they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:
¹⁸“Don’t remember these earlier events;^[c]
don’t recall these former events.

¹⁹Look, I am about to do something new.
Now it begins to happen!^[d] Do you not recognize^[e] it?
Yes, I will make a road in the wilderness
and paths^[f] in the wastelands.
²⁰The wild animals^[g] honor me,
the jackals and ostriches,
because I put water in the wilderness
and streams in the wastelands,
to quench the thirst of my chosen people,
²¹the people whom I formed for myself,
so they might praise me.^[h]

Psalm 126

Psalm 126^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

126 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion,^[c]
we thought we were dreaming.^[d]
²At that time we laughed loudly
and shouted for joy.^[e]
At that time the nations said,^[f]
“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”
³The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.
We were happy.
⁴O Lord, restore our well-being,
just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.^[g]
⁵Those who shed tears as they plant
will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.^[h]
⁶The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag^[i] of seed,
will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.^[j]

Footnotes

Psalm 126:1 sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.
Psalm 126:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 126:1 tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] Zion.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (sh^evit) or שְׁבוּת (sh^evut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb שׁוּב. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or “restoration” (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that שְׁבִית should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward” (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes שְׁבִית as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.
Psalm 126:1 tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPs^a. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.
Psalm 126:2 tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”
Psalm 126:2 tn Heb “they said among the nations.”
Psalm 126:4 tn Heb “like the streams in the Negev.”sn The streams in the arid south. Y. Aharoni writes of the streams in the Negev: “These usually dry wadis collect water on rainy days from vast areas. The situation is also aggravated by floods from the desert mountains and southern Judah. For a day or two or, more frequently, for only a few hours they turn into dangerous torrents” (Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 26). God’s people were experiencing a “dry season” after a time of past blessing; they pray here for a “flash flood” of his renewed blessing. This does not imply that they are requesting only a brief display of God’s blessing. Rather the point of comparison is the suddenness with which the wadis swell during a rain, as well as the depth and power of these raging waters. The community desires a sudden display of divine favor in which God overwhelms them with blessings.
Psalm 126:5 sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.
Psalm 126:6 tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I מֶשֶׁךְ which gives “leather pouch” as the meaning.
Psalm 126:6 tn The Hebrew noun אֲלֻמָּה (ʾalummah, “sheaf”) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.sn Verse 6 expands the image of v. 5. See the note on the word “harvest” there.

Philippians 3:4-14

⁴—though mine too are significant.^[a] If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials,^[b] I have more: ⁵I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee.^[c] ⁶In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. ⁷But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. ⁸More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things—indeed, I regard them as dung!^[d]—that I may gain Christ, ⁹and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness^[e]—a righteousness from God that is in fact^[f] based on Christ’s^[g] faithfulness.^[h] ¹⁰My aim is to know him,^[i] to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings,^[j] and to be like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow,^[k] to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Keep Going Forward

¹²Not that I have already attained this—that is, I have not already been perfected—but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me.^[l] ¹³Brothers and sisters,^[m] I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded:^[n] Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, ¹⁴with this goal in mind,^[o] I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God^[p] in Christ Jesus.

Footnotes

Philippians 3:4 tn Grk “though I have reason for confidence even in the flesh.”
Philippians 3:4 tn Grk “flesh.”
Philippians 3:5 sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
Philippians 3:8 tn The word here translated “dung” was often used in Greek as a vulgar term for fecal matter. As such it would most likely have had a certain shock value for the readers. This may well be Paul’s meaning here, especially since the context is about what the flesh produces.
Philippians 3:9 tn Or “faith in Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pistis Christou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view. sn ExSyn 116, which notes that the grammar is not decisive, nevertheless suggests that “the faith/faithfulness of Christ is not a denial of faith in Christ as a Pauline concept (for the idea is expressed in many of the same contexts, only with the verb πιστεύω rather than the noun), but implies that the object of faith is a worthy object, for he himself is faithful.” Though Paul elsewhere teaches justification by faith, this presupposes that the object of our faith is reliable and worthy of such faith.
Philippians 3:9 tn The words “in fact” are supplied because of English style, picking up the force of the Greek article with πίστει (pistei). See also the following note on the word “Christ’s.”
Philippians 3:9 tn Grk “based on the faithfulness.” The article before πίστει (pistei) is taken as anaphoric, looking back to διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ (dia pisteōs Christou); hence, “Christ’s” is implied.
Philippians 3:9 tn Or “based on faith.”
Philippians 3:10 tn The articular infinitive τοῦ γνῶναι (tou gnōnai, “to know”) here expresses purpose. The words “My aim is” have been supplied in the translation to emphasize this nuance and to begin a new sentence (shorter sentences are more appropriate for English style).
Philippians 3:10 tn Grk “to know him, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.”
Philippians 3:11 tn On εἰ πῶς (ei pōs) as “so, somehow” see BDAG 279, s.v. εἰ 6.n.
Philippians 3:12 tn Grk “that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” The passive has been translated as active in keeping with contemporary English style.
Philippians 3:13 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
Philippians 3:13 tn Grk “But this one thing (I do).”
Philippians 3:14 tn Grk “according to the goal.”
Philippians 3:14 tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”

John 12:1-8

Jesus’ Anointing

12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he^[a] had raised from the dead. ²So they prepared a dinner for Jesus^[b] there. Martha^[c] was serving, and Lazarus was among those present at the table^[d] with him. ³Then Mary took three quarters of a pound^[e] of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard^[f] and anointed the feet of Jesus. She^[g] then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.)^[h] ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was going to betray him)^[i] said, ⁵“Why wasn’t this oil sold for 300 silver coins^[j] and the money^[k] given to the poor?” ⁶(Now Judas^[l] said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box,^[m] he used to steal what was put into it.)^[n] ⁷So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial.^[o] ⁸For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!”^[p]

Footnotes

John 12:1 tn Grk “whom Jesus,” but a repetition of the proper name (Jesus) here would be redundant in the English clause structure, so the pronoun (“he”) is substituted in the translation.
John 12:2 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity and to conform with contemporary English style.
John 12:2 tn Grk “And Martha.” The connective καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation because it would produce a run-on sentence in English.
John 12:2 tn Grk “reclining at the table.”sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
John 12:3 tn Or “half a liter”; Grk “a pound” (that is, a Roman pound, about 325 grams or 12 ounces).
John 12:3 tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The adjective πιστικῆς (pistikēs) is difficult with regard to its exact meaning; some have taken it to derive from πίστις (pistis) and relate to the purity of the oil of nard. More probably it is something like a brand name, “pistic nard,” the exact significance of which has not been discovered.sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This aromatic oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.
John 12:3 tn Grk “And she.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
John 12:3 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. With a note characteristic of someone who was there and remembered, the author adds that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil. In the later rabbinic literature, Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.1.1 states “The fragrance of good oil is diffused from the bedroom to the dining hall, but a good name is diffused from one end of the world to the other.” If such a saying was known in the 1st century, this might be the author’s way of indicating that Mary’s act of devotion would be spoken of throughout the entire world (compare the comment in Mark 14:9).
John 12:4 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 12:5 tn Grk “300 denarii.” The denarius was a silver coin worth a standard day’s wage, so the value exceeded what a laborer could earn in a year (taking into account Sabbaths and feast days when no work was done).
John 12:5 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).
John 12:6 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 12:6 tn Grk “a thief, and having the money box.” Dividing the single Greek sentence improves the English style.
John 12:6 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. This is one of the indications in the gospels that Judas was of bad character before the betrayal of Jesus. John states that he was a thief and had responsibility for the finances of the group. More than being simply a derogatory note about Judas’ character, the inclusion of the note at this particular point in the narrative may be intended to link the frustrated greed of Judas here with his subsequent decision to betray Jesus for money. The parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark seem to indicate that after this incident Judas went away immediately and made his deal with the Jewish authorities to deliver up Jesus. Losing out on one source of sordid gain, he immediately went out and set up another.
John 12:7 tn Grk “Leave her alone, that for the day of my burial she may keep it.” The construction with ἵνα (hina) is somewhat ambiguous. The simplest way to read it would be, “Leave her alone, that she may keep it for the day of my burial.” This would imply that Mary was going to use the perfumed oil on that day, while vv. 3 and 5 seem to indicate clearly that she had already used it up. Some understand the statement as elliptical: “Leave her alone; (she did this) in order to keep it for the day of my burial.” Another alternative would be an imperatival use of ἵνα with the meaning: “Leave her alone; let her keep it.” The reading of the Byzantine text, which omits the ἵνα and substitutes a perfect tense τετήρηκεν (tetērēken), while not likely to be the reading of the initial text, probably comes close to the meaning of the text, and that has been followed in this translation.
John 12:8 tc A few isolated witnesses omit v. 8 (D sy^s), part of v. 8 (P⁷⁵), or vv. 7-8 ({0250}). The latter two omissions are surely due to errors of sight, while the former can be attributed to D’s sometimes erratic behavior. The verse is secure in light of the overwhelming evidence on its behalf.tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Footnotes

Psalm 126[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

Footnotes

Keep Going Forward

Footnotes

Jesus’ Anointing

Footnotes

Psalm 126^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]