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Psalm 115
New English Translation

Psalm 115[a]

115 Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name bring honor,[b]
for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness.[c]
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven.
He does whatever he pleases.[d]
4 Their[e] idols are made of silver and gold—
they are man-made.[f]
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
6 ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell,
7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats.[g]
8 Those who make them will end up[h] like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[i] and protector.[j]
10 O family[k] of Aaron, trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[l] and protector.[m]
11 You loyal followers of the Lord,[n] trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[o] and protector.[p]
12 The Lord takes notice of us;[q] he will bless[r]—
he will bless the family[s] of Israel,
he will bless the family of Aaron.
13 He will bless his loyal followers,[t]
both young and old.[u]
14 May he increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s.[v]
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Creator[w] of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens belong to the Lord,[x]
but the earth he has given to mankind.[y]
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death.[z]
18 But we will praise the Lord
now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 115:1 sn Psalm 115. The psalmist affirms that Israel’s God is superior to pagan idols and urges Israel to place their confidence in him.
  2. Psalm 115:1 tn Or “give glory.”
  3. Psalm 115:1 sn The psalmist asks the Lord to demonstrate his loyal love and faithfulness, not simply so Israel may benefit, but primarily so that the Lord will receive honor among the nations, who will recognize, contrary to their present view (see v. 2), that Israel’s God is committed to his people.
  4. Psalm 115:3 sn He does whatever he pleases. Such sovereignty is characteristic of kings (see Eccl 8:3).
  5. Psalm 115:4 tn The referent of the pronominal suffix is “the nations” (v. 2).
  6. Psalm 115:4 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
  7. Psalm 115:7 tn Heb “they cannot mutter in their throats.” Verse 5a refers to speaking, v. 7c to inarticulate sounds made in the throat (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:140-41).
  8. Psalm 115:8 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.” sn Because the idols are lifeless, they cannot help their worshipers in times of crisis. Consequently the worshipers end up as dead as the gods in which they trust.
  9. Psalm 115:9 tn Or “[source of] help.”
  10. Psalm 115:9 tn Heb “and their shield.”
  11. Psalm 115:10 tn Heb “house.”
  12. Psalm 115:10 tn Or “[source of] help.”
  13. Psalm 115:10 tn Heb “and their shield.”
  14. Psalm 115:11 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.
  15. Psalm 115:11 tn Or “[source of] help.”
  16. Psalm 115:11 tn Heb “and their shield.”
  17. Psalm 115:12 tn Or “remembers us.”
  18. Psalm 115:12 tn Another option is to translate the prefixed form of the verb “bless” in vv. 12-13 as a jussive, “may he bless” (see v. 14).
  19. Psalm 115:12 tn Heb “house.”
  20. Psalm 115:13 tn Heb “the fearers of the Lord.”
  21. Psalm 115:13 tn Heb “the small along with the great.” The translation assumes that “small” and “great” here refer to age (see 2 Chr 15:13). Another option is to translate “both the insignificant and the prominent” (see Job 3:19; cf. NEB “high and low alike”).
  22. Psalm 115:14 tn Heb “may he add to you, to you and your sons.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
  23. Psalm 115:15 tn Or “maker.”
  24. Psalm 115:16 tn Heb “the heavens [are] heavens to the Lord.”
  25. Psalm 115:16 tn Heb “to the sons of man.”
  26. Psalm 115:17 tn Heb “silence,” a metonymy here for death (see Ps 94:17).
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Psalm 114
Psalm 116
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1 Samuel 9:15-10:1
New English Translation

15 Now the day before Saul arrived, the Lord had told[a] Samuel: 16 “At this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin. You must consecrate[b] him as a leader over my people Israel. He will save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked with favor on my people. Their cry has reached me.”

17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said,[c] “Here is the man that I told you about. He will rule over my people.” 18 As Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, he said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”

19 Samuel replied to Saul, “I am the seer! Go up in front of me to the high place! Today you will eat with me and in the morning I will send you away. I will tell you everything that you are thinking.[d] 20 Don’t be concerned[e] about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father’s family?”[f]

21 Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel’s tribes, and is not my family clan the smallest of all the clans in the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you speak to me in this way?”

22 Then Samuel brought[g] Saul and his servant into the room and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited. There were about thirty people present. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Give me the portion of meat that I gave to you—the one I asked you to keep with you.”

24 So the cook picked up the leg and brought it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel[h] said, “What was kept is now set before you! Eat, for it has been kept for you for this meeting time, from the time I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

25 When they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. 26 They got up at dawn and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, so I can send you on your way.” So Saul got up and the two of them—he and Samuel—went outside. 27 While they were going down to the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” So he did.[i] Samuel then said,[j] “You remain here awhile, so I can inform you of God’s message.”

Samuel Anoints Saul

10 Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s[k] head. Samuel[l] kissed him and said, “The Lord has chosen you[m] to lead his people Israel! You will rule over the Lord’s people and you will deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your sign that the Lord has chosen[n] you as leader over his inheritance.[o]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 9:15 tn Heb “uncovered the ear of.”
  2. 1 Samuel 9:16 tn Heb “anoint.”
  3. 1 Samuel 9:17 tn Heb “responded.”
  4. 1 Samuel 9:19 tn Heb “all that is in your heart.”
  5. 1 Samuel 9:20 tn Heb “do not fix your heart.”
  6. 1 Samuel 9:20 tn Heb “and all the house of your father.”
  7. 1 Samuel 9:22 tn Heb “took and brought.”
  8. 1 Samuel 9:24 tn Heb “he” (also in v. 25); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in both places in the translation for clarity.
  9. 1 Samuel 9:27 tc This statement is absent in the LXX (with the exception of Origen), an Old Latin ms, and the Syriac Peshitta.
  10. 1 Samuel 9:27 tn The words “Samuel then said” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  11. 1 Samuel 10:1 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. 1 Samuel 10:1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  13. 1 Samuel 10:1 tn Heb “Is it not that the Lord has anointed you?” The question draws attention to the fact and is a rhetorical way of affirming the Lord’s choice of Saul. The translation reflects the rhetorical force of the question.
  14. 1 Samuel 10:1 tn That is, “anointed.”
  15. 1 Samuel 10:1 tc The MT reads simply “Is it not that the Lord has anointed you over his inheritance for a leader?” The translation follows the LXX. The MT apparently suffers from parablepsis, whereby a scribe’s eye jumped from the first occurrence of the expression “the Lord has anointed you” to the second occurrence of this expression at the end of v. 1. This mistake caused the accidental omission of the intervening material in the LXX, which appears to preserve the original Hebrew text here.
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1 Samuel 8
1 Samuel 11
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1 Timothy 3:1-9
New English Translation

Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons

3 This saying[a] is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer,[b] he desires a good work.” 2 The overseer[c] then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[d] temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. 4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.[e] 5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God? 6 He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant[f] and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.[g] 7 And he must be well thought of by[h] those outside the faith,[i] so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.[j]

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified,[k] not two-faced,[l] not given to excessive drinking,[m] not greedy for gain, 9 holding to the mystery of the faith[n] with a clear conscience.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 3:1 tn Grk “the saying,” referring to the following citation (see 1 Tim 1:15; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase).
  2. 1 Timothy 3:1 tn Grk “aspires to oversight.”
  3. 1 Timothy 3:2 tn Or “bishop.”sn Although some see the article with overseer as indicating a single leader at the top of the ecclesiastical structure (thus taking the article as monadic), this is hardly necessary. It is naturally taken generically (referring to the class of leaders known as overseers) and, in fact, finds precedent in 2:11-12 (“a woman,” “a man”), 2:15 (“she”).
  4. 1 Timothy 3:2 tn Or “a man married only once,” “devoted solely to his wife” (see 1 Tim 3:12; 5:9; Titus 1:6). The meaning of this phrase is disputed. It is frequently understood to refer to the marital status of the church leader, excluding from leadership those who are (1) unmarried, (2) polygamous, (3) divorced, or (4) remarried after being widowed. A different interpretation is reflected in the NEB’s translation “faithful to his one wife.”
  5. 1 Timothy 3:4 tn Grk “having children in submission with all dignity.” The last phrase, “keep his children in control without losing his dignity,” may refer to the children rather than the parent: “having children who are obedient and respectful.”
  6. 1 Timothy 3:6 tn Grk “that he may not become arrogant.”
  7. 1 Timothy 3:6 tn Grk “the judgment of the devil,” which could also mean “the judgment that the devil incurred.” But see 1 Tim 1:20 for examples of the danger Paul seems to have in mind.
  8. 1 Timothy 3:7 tn Or “have a good reputation with”; Grk “have a good testimony from.”
  9. 1 Timothy 3:7 tn Grk “the ones outside.”
  10. 1 Timothy 3:7 tn Or “be trapped like the devil was”; Grk “fall into the trap of the devil.” The parallel in 2 Tim 2:26 supports the rendering given in the text.
  11. 1 Timothy 3:8 tn Or “respectable, honorable, of serious demeanor.”
  12. 1 Timothy 3:8 tn Or “insincere,” “deceitful”; Grk “speaking double.”
  13. 1 Timothy 3:8 tn Grk “not devoted to much wine.”
  14. 1 Timothy 3:9 sn The mystery of the faith is a reference to the revealed truths of the Christian faith.
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1 Timothy 2
1 Timothy 4
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