◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 93 (God reigns above the floods); 2 Chronicles 34:20-33 (Josiah consults the prophet Huldah); Luke 2:25-38 (The spirit of God on Simeon and Anna) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

May 28, 2025

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

May 2025
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	31

Return to today's reading

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 93

Psalm 93^[a]

93 The Lord reigns.
He is robed in majesty.
The Lord is robed;
he wears strength around his waist.^[b]
Indeed, the world is established; it cannot be moved.
²Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king.^[c]
³The waves^[d] roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash.^[e]
⁴Above the sound of the surging water,^[f]
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty.^[g]
⁵The rules you set down^[h] are completely reliable.^[i]
Holiness^[j] aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever.^[k]

2 Chronicles 34:20-33

²⁰The king ordered Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah,^[a] Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, ²¹“Go, ask the Lord^[b] for me and for those who remain in Israel and Judah about the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s great fury has been ignited^[c] against us, because our ancestors did not obey the word of the Lord by living^[d] according to all that is written in this scroll.”

²²So Hilkiah and the others sent by the king^[e] went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah,^[f] the supervisor of the wardrobe.^[g] (She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh^[h] district.) They stated their business,^[i] ²³and she said to them: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say this to the man who sent you to me: ²⁴“This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on this place and its residents, all the curses that are recorded in the scroll which they read before the king of Judah. ²⁵This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices^[j] to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made.^[k] My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’” ²⁶Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the Lord: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says concerning the words you have heard: ²⁷‘You displayed a sensitive spirit^[l] and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words concerning this place and its residents. You humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord. ²⁸‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace.^[m] You will not have to witness all the disaster I will bring on this place and its residents.’”’” Then they reported back to the king.

²⁹The king summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem.^[n] ³⁰The king went up to the Lord’s temple, accompanied by all the people of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, the priests, and the Levites. All the people were there, from the oldest to the youngest. He read aloud all the words of the scroll of the covenant that had been discovered in the Lord’s temple. ³¹The king stood by his pillar^[o] and renewed^[p] the covenant before the Lord, agreeing to follow^[q] the Lord and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with all his heart and being,^[r] by carrying out the terms^[s] of this covenant recorded on this scroll. ³²He made all who were in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree to it.^[t] The residents of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. ³³Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the areas belonging to the Israelites and encouraged^[u] all who were in Israel to worship the Lord their God. Throughout the rest of his reign^[v] they did not turn aside from following the Lord God of their ancestors.

Footnotes

2 Chronicles 34:20 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 22:12 has the variant spelling “Achbor son of Micaiah.”
2 Chronicles 34:21 sn The implication is to seek a prophetic oracle.
2 Chronicles 34:21 tc The MT reads נִתְּכָה (nitt^ekah, “has gushed forth”) but the LXX implies נִצְתָה (nits^etah, “has been ignited”).
2 Chronicles 34:21 tn Heb “doing.”
2 Chronicles 34:22 tn Heb “and those who [were sent by] the king.”
2 Chronicles 34:22 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 22:14 has the variant spelling “son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas.”
2 Chronicles 34:22 tn Heb “the keeper of the clothes.”
2 Chronicles 34:22 tn Or “second.” For a discussion of the possible location of this district, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 283.
2 Chronicles 34:22 tn Heb “and they spoke to her like this.”
2 Chronicles 34:25 tn Or “burned incense.”
2 Chronicles 34:25 tn Heb “angering me with all the work of their hands.” The present translation assumes this refers to idols they have manufactured (note the preceding reference to “other gods”). However, it is possible that this is a general reference to their sinful practices, in which case one might translate, “angering me by all the things they do.”
2 Chronicles 34:27 tn Heb “Because your heart was tender.”
2 Chronicles 34:28 tn Heb “Therefore, behold, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your tomb in peace.”
2 Chronicles 34:29 tn Heb “and the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.”
2 Chronicles 34:31 tc This assumes an emendation to עַמּוּדוֹ (ʿammudo), see 23:13. The MT reads “at his place.”
2 Chronicles 34:31 tn Heb “cut,” that is, “made” or “agreed to.”
2 Chronicles 34:31 tn Heb “walk after.”
2 Chronicles 34:31 tn Or “soul.”
2 Chronicles 34:31 tn Heb “words.”
2 Chronicles 34:32 tn Heb “and he caused to stand everyone who was found in Jerusalem and Benjamin.”
2 Chronicles 34:33 tn Or “caused, forced.”
2 Chronicles 34:33 tn Heb “All his days.”

Luke 2:25-38

The Prophecy of Simeon

²⁵Now^[a] there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was righteous^[b] and devout, looking for the restoration^[c] of Israel, and the Holy Spirit^[d] was upon him. ²⁶It^[e] had been revealed^[f] to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die^[g] before^[h] he had seen the Lord’s Christ.^[i] ²⁷So^[j] Simeon,^[k] directed by the Spirit,^[l] came into the temple courts,^[m] and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law,^[n] ²⁸Simeon^[o] took him in his arms and blessed God, saying,^[p]

²⁹“Now, according to your word,^[q] Sovereign Lord,^[r] permit^[s] your servant^[t] to depart^[u] in peace.
³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation^[v]
³¹that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:^[w]
³²a light,^[x]
for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory^[y] to your people Israel.”

³³So^[z] the child’s^[aa] father^[ab] and mother were amazed^[ac] at what was said about him. ³⁴Then^[ad] Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully:^[ae] This child^[af] is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising^[ag] of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected.^[ah] ³⁵Indeed, as a result of him the thoughts^[ai] of many hearts will be revealed^[aj]—and a sword^[ak] will pierce your own soul as well!”^[al]

The Testimony of Anna

³⁶There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old,^[am] having been married to her husband for seven years until his death. ³⁷She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years.^[an] She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.^[ao] ³⁸At that moment,^[ap] she came up to them^[aq] and began to give thanks to God and to speak^[ar] about the child^[as] to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.^[at]

Footnotes

Luke 2:25 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Luke 2:25 tn Grk “This man was righteous.” The Greek text begins a new sentence here, but this was changed to a relative clause in the translation to avoid redundancy.
Luke 2:25 tn Or “deliverance,” “consolation.”sn The restoration of Israel refers to Simeon’s hope that the Messiah would come and deliver the nation (Isa 40:1; 49:13; 51:3; 57:18; 61:2; 2 Bar. 44:7).
Luke 2:25 sn Once again, by mentioning the Holy Spirit, Luke stresses the prophetic enablement of a speaker. The Spirit has fallen on both men (Zechariah, 1:67) and women (Elizabeth, 1:41) in Luke 1-2 as they share the will of the Lord.
Luke 2:26 tn Grk “And it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 2:26 tn The use of the passive suggests a revelation by God, and in the OT the corresponding Hebrew term represented here by κεχρηματισμένον (kechrēmatismenon) indicated some form of direct revelation from God (Jer 25:30; 33:2; Job 40:8).
Luke 2:26 tn Grk “would not see death” (an idiom for dying).
Luke 2:26 tn On the grammar of this temporal clause, see BDF §§383.3; 395.
Luke 2:26 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn The revelation to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ is yet another example of a promise fulfilled in Luke 1-2. Also, see the note on Christ in 2:11.
Luke 2:27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.
Luke 2:27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 2:27 tn Grk “So in the Spirit” or “So by the Spirit,” but since it refers to the Spirit’s direction the expanded translation “directed by the Spirit” is used here.
Luke 2:27 tn Grk “the temple.”sn The temple courts is a reference to the larger temple area, not the holy place. Simeon was either in the court of the Gentiles or the court of women, since Mary was present.
Luke 2:27 tn Grk “to do for him according to the custom of the law.” See Luke 2:22-24.
Luke 2:28 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 2:28 tn Grk “and said.” The finite verb in Greek has been replaced with a participle in English to improve the smoothness of the translation.
Luke 2:29 sn The phrase according to your word again emphasizes that God will perform his promise.
Luke 2:29 tn The Greek word translated here by “Sovereign Lord” is δεσπότης (despotēs).
Luke 2:29 sn This short prophetic declaration is sometimes called the Nunc dimittis, which comes from the opening phrase of the saying in Latin, “now dismiss,” a fairly literal translation of the Greek verb ἀπολύεις (apolueis, “now release”) in this verse.
Luke 2:29 tn Here the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos, “slave”) has been translated “servant” since it acts almost as an honorific term for one specially chosen and appointed to carry out the Lord’s tasks.sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”
Luke 2:29 tn Grk “now release your servant.”
Luke 2:30 sn To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.
Luke 2:31 sn Is the phrase all peoples a reference to Israel alone, or to both Israel and the Gentiles? The following verse makes it clear that all peoples includes Gentiles, another key Lukan emphasis (Luke 24:47; Acts 10:34-43).
Luke 2:32 tn The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78-79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78-79 and Acts 26:22-23 slightly favor this second option.
Luke 2:32 sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.
Luke 2:33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.
Luke 2:33 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the child) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 2:33 tc Most mss ([A] Θ [Ψ] ƒ¹³ 33 M it) read “Joseph,” but in favor of the reading ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ (ho patēr autou, “his father”) is both external (א B D L W 1 700 1241 sa) and internal evidence. Internally, the fact that Mary is not named at this point and that “Joseph” is an obviously motivated reading, intended to prevent confusion over the virgin conception of Christ, argues strongly for ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ as the authentic reading here. See also the tc note on “parents” in 2:43.
Luke 2:33 tn The term refers to the amazement at what was happening as in other places in Luke 1-2 (1:63; 2:18). The participle is plural, while the finite verb used in the periphrastic construction is singular, perhaps to show a unity in the parents’ response (BDF §135.1.d: Luke 8:19).
Luke 2:34 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 2:34 tn Grk “behold.”
Luke 2:34 tn Grk “this one”; the referent (the child) is supplied in the translation for clarity.
Luke 2:34 sn The phrase the falling and rising of many emphasizes that Jesus will bring division in the nation, as some will be judged (falling) and others blessed (rising) because of how they respond to him. The language is like Isa 8:14-15 and conceptually like Isa 28:13-16. Here is the first hint that Jesus’ coming will be accompanied with some difficulties.
Luke 2:34 tn Grk “and for a sign of contradiction.”
Luke 2:35 tn Or “reasonings” (in a hostile sense). See G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:97.
Luke 2:35 sn The remark the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed shows that how people respond to Jesus indicates where their hearts really are before God.
Luke 2:35 sn A sword refers to a very large, broad two-edged sword. The language is figurative, picturing great pain. Though it refers in part to the cross, it really includes the pain all of Jesus’ ministry will cause, including the next event in Luke 2:41-52 and extending to the opposition he faced throughout his ministry.
Luke 2:35 sn This remark looks to be parenthetical and addressed to Mary alone, not the nation. Many modern English translations transpose this to make it the final clause in Simeon’s utterance as above to make this clear.
Luke 2:36 tn Her age is emphasized by the Greek phrase here, “she was very old in her many days.”
Luke 2:37 tn Grk “living with her husband for seven years from her virginity and she was a widow for eighty four years.” The chronology of the eighty-four years is unclear, since the final phrase could mean “she was widowed until the age of eighty-four” (so BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.α). However, the more natural way to take the syntax is as a reference to the length of her widowhood, the subject of the clause, in which case Anna was about 105 years old (so D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:251-52; I. H. Marshall, Luke, [NIGTC], 123-24).
Luke 2:37 sn The statements about Anna worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day make her extreme piety clear.
Luke 2:38 tn Grk “at that very hour.”
Luke 2:38 tn Grk “And coming up.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. The participle ἐπιστᾶσα (epistasa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 2:38 tn The imperfect ἐλάλει (elalei) here looks at a process of declaration, not a single moment. She clearly was led by God to address men and women about the hope Jesus was. The testimony of Luke 1–2 to Jesus has involved all types of people.
Luke 2:38 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the child) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 2:38 tc A few mss (5 16 348 1071 1216) read ᾿Ισραήλ (Israēl, “Israel”) or ἐν τῷ ᾿Ισραήλ (en tō Israēl, “in Israel”), but this reading does not have enough ms support to be considered authentic. More substantial is the reading ἐν ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ (en Ierousalēm, “in Jerusalem”; found in A D L Θ Ψ 0130 ƒ¹³ 33 M), though the preposition was almost surely added to clarify (and perhaps alter) the meaning of the original. The simple ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ, without preposition, is found in א B W Ξ 1 565* lat co.

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:

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 93[a]

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Prophecy of Simeon

The Testimony of Anna

Footnotes

Psalm 93^[a]