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Psalm 32:1-7
New English Translation

Psalm 32[a]

By David; a well-written song.[b]

32 How blessed[c] is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,[d]
whose sin is pardoned.[e]
2 How blessed is the one[f] whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,[g]
in whose spirit there is no deceit.[h]
3 When I refused to confess my sin,[i]
my whole body wasted away,[j]
while I groaned in pain all day long.
4 For day and night you tormented me;[k]
you tried to destroy me[l] in the intense heat[m] of summer.[n] (Selah)
5 Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess[o] my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins.[p] (Selah)
6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers[q] should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity.[r]
Certainly[s] when the surging water[t] rises,
it will not reach them.[u]
7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance.[v] (Selah)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 32:1 sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
  2. Psalm 32:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
  3. Psalm 32:1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
  4. Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “lifted up.”
  5. Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “covered over.”
  6. Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”
  7. Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord does not impute wrongdoing.”
  8. Psalm 32:2 sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
  9. Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
  10. Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
  11. Psalm 32:4 tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
  12. Psalm 32:4 tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (leshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (leshuddi, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.sn You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
  13. Psalm 32:4 tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
  14. Psalm 32:4 sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
  15. Psalm 32:5 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
  16. Psalm 32:5 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
  17. Psalm 32:6 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
  18. Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the Lord]” and seek his forgiveness (cf. NIV). Some emend the text by combining מְצֹא (metsoʾ, “finding”) with the following term רַק (raq, “only, surely”) and read either ר[וֹ]מָצ (matsor, “distress”; see Ps 31:22) or ק[וֹ]מָצ (matsoq, “hardship”; see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate “in a time of distress/hardship” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
  19. Psalm 32:6 tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.
  20. Psalm 32:6 sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.
  21. Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.
  22. Psalm 32:7 tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”
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Psalm 33
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Isaiah 1:1-9
New English Translation

Heading

1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah.[a]

Obedience, not Sacrifice

2 Listen, O heavens,
pay attention, O earth![b]
For the Lord speaks:
“I raised children,[c] I brought them up,[d]
but[e] they have rebelled[f] against me!
3 An ox recognizes its owner,
a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food;[g]
but Israel does not recognize me,[h]
my people do not understand.”
4 [i] Beware sinful nation,
the people weighed down by evil deeds.
They are offspring who do wrong,
children[j] who do wicked things.
They have abandoned the Lord,
and rejected the Holy One of Israel.[k]
They are alienated from him.[l]
5 [m] Why do you insist on being battered?
Why do you continue to rebel?[n]
Your head has a massive wound,[o]
your whole heart is sick.
6 From the soles of your feet to your head,
there is no spot that is unharmed.[p]
There are only bruises, cuts,
and open wounds.
They have not been cleansed[q] or bandaged,
nor have they been treated[r] with olive oil.[s]
7 Your land is devastated,
your cities burned with fire.
Right before your eyes your crops
are being destroyed by foreign invaders.[t]
They leave behind devastation and destruction.[u]
8 Daughter Zion[v] is left isolated,
like a hut in a vineyard,
or a shelter in a cucumber field;
she is a besieged city.[w]
9 If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[x] had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly been like Sodom,[y]
we would have become like Gomorrah.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:1 tn Heb “The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”sn Isaiah’s prophetic career probably began in the final year of Uzziah’s reign (ca. 740 b.c., see Isa 6:1) and extended into the later years of Hezekiah’s reign, which ended in 686 b.c.
  2. Isaiah 1:2 sn The personified heavens and earth are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people. Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).
  3. Isaiah 1:2 tn Or “sons” (NAB, NASB).sn “Father” and “son” occur as common terms in ancient Near Eastern treaties and covenants, delineating the suzerain and vassal as participants in the covenant relationship. The prophet uses these terms, the reference to heavens and earth as witnesses, and allusions to deuteronomic covenant curses (1:7-9, 19-20) to set his prophecy firmly against the backdrop of Israel’s covenantal relationship with Yahweh.
  4. Isaiah 1:2 sn The normal word pair for giving birth to and raising children is יָלַד (yalad, “to give birth to”) and גָּדַל (gadal, “to grow, raise”). The pair גָּדַל and רוּם (rum, “to raise up”) probably occur here to highlight the fact that Yahweh made something important of Israel (cf. R. Mosis, TDOT 2:403).
  5. Isaiah 1:2 sn Against the backdrop of Yahweh’s care for his chosen people, Israel’s rebellion represents abhorrent treachery. The conjunction prefixed to a nonverbal element highlights the sad contrast between Yahweh’s compassionate care for His people and Israel’s thankless rebellion.
  6. Isaiah 1:2 sn To rebel carries the idea of “covenant treachery.” Although an act of פֶּשַׁע (peshaʿ, “rebellion”) often signifies a breach of the law, the legal offense also represents a violation of an existing covenantal relationship (E. Carpenter and M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 3:707).
  7. Isaiah 1:3 tn Heb “and the donkey the feeding trough of its owner.” The verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
  8. Isaiah 1:3 tn Although both verbs have no object, the parallelism suggests that Israel fails to recognize the Lord as the one who provides for their needs. In both clauses, the placement of “Israel” and “my people” at the head of the clause focuses the reader’s attention on the rebellious nation (C. van der Merwe, J. Naudé, J. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 346-47).
  9. Isaiah 1:4 sn Having summoned the witnesses and announced the Lord’s accusation against Israel, Isaiah mourns the nation’s impending doom. The third person references to the Lord in the second half of the verse suggest that the quotation from the Lord (cf. vv. 2-3) has concluded.
  10. Isaiah 1:4 tn Or “sons” (NASB). The prophet contrasts four terms of privilege—nation, people, offspring, children—with four terms that depict Israel’s sinful condition in Isaiah’s day—sinful, evil, wrong, wicked (see J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 43).
  11. Isaiah 1:4 sn Holy One of Israel is one of Isaiah’s favorite divine titles for God. It pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.
  12. Isaiah 1:4 tn Heb “they are estranged backward.” The LXX omits this statement, which presents syntactical problems and seems to be outside the synonymous parallelistic structure of the verse.
  13. Isaiah 1:5 sn In vv. 5-9 Isaiah addresses the battered nation (5-8) and speaks as their representative (9).
  14. Isaiah 1:5 tn Heb “Why are you still beaten? [Why] do you continue rebellion?” The rhetorical questions express the prophet’s disbelief over Israel’s apparent masochism and obsession with sin. The interrogative construction in the first line does double duty in the parallelism. H. Wildberger (Isaiah, 1:18) offers another alternative by translating the two statements with one question: “Why do you still wish to be struck that you persist in revolt?”
  15. Isaiah 1:5 tn Heb “all the head is ill”; NRSV “the whole head is sick”; CEV “Your head is badly bruised.”
  16. Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “there is not in it health”; NAB “there is no sound spot.”
  17. Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “pressed out.”
  18. Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “softened” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “soothed.”
  19. Isaiah 1:6 sn This verse describes wounds like those one would receive in battle. These wounds are comprehensive and without remedy.
  20. Isaiah 1:7 tn Heb “As for your land, before you foreigners are devouring it.”
  21. Isaiah 1:7 tn Heb “and [there is] devastation like an overthrow by foreigners.” The comparative preposition כ (kaf, “like, as”) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the land has all the earmarks of a destructive foreign invasion because that is what has indeed happened. One could paraphrase, “it is desolate as it can only be when foreigners destroy.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x. Many also prefer to emend “foreigners” here to “Sodom,” though there is no external attestation for such a reading in the mss or ancient versions. Such an emendation finds support from the following context (vv. 9-10) and usage of the preceding noun מַהְפֵּכָה (mahpekhah, “overthrow”). In its five other uses, this noun is associated with the destruction of Sodom. If one accepts the emendation, then one might translate, “the devastation resembles the destruction of Sodom.”
  22. Isaiah 1:8 tn Heb “daughter of Zion” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). The genitive is appositional, identifying precisely which daughter is in view. By picturing Zion as a daughter, the prophet emphasizes her helplessness and vulnerability before the enemy.
  23. Isaiah 1:8 tn Heb “like a city besieged.” Unlike the preceding two comparisons, which are purely metaphorical, this third one identifies the reality of Israel’s condition. In this case the comparative preposition, as in v. 7b, has the force, “in every way like,” indicating that all the earmarks of a siege are visible because that is indeed what is taking place. The verb form in MT is Qal passive participle of נָצַר (natsar, “guard”), but since this verb is not often used of a siege (see BDB 666 s.v. I נָצַר), some prefer to repoint the form as a Niphal participle from II צוּר (tsur, “besiege”). However, the latter is not attested elsewhere in the Niphal (see BDB 848 s.v. II צוּר).
  24. Isaiah 1:9 tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts.” The title pictures God as the sovereign king who has at his disposal a multitude of attendants, messengers, and warriors to do his bidding. In some contexts, like this one, the military dimension of his rulership is highlighted. In this case, the title pictures him as one who leads armies into battle against his enemies.
  25. Isaiah 1:9 tc The translation assumes that כִּמְעָט (kimʿat, “quickly,” literally, “like a little”) goes with what follows, contrary to the MT accents, which take it with what precedes. In this case, one could translate the preceding line, “If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors.” If כִּמְעָט goes with the preceding line (following the MT accents), this expression highlights the idea that there would only be a few survivors (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:20; H. Zobel, TDOT 8:456). Israel would not be almost like Sodom but exactly like Sodom.
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John 8:39-47
New English Translation

39 They answered him,[a] “Abraham is our father!”[b] Jesus replied,[c] “If you are[d] Abraham’s children, you would be doing[e] the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying[f] to kill me, a man who has told you[g] the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this![h] 41 You people[i] are doing the deeds of your father.”

Then[j] they said to Jesus,[k] “We were not born as a result of immorality![l] We have only one Father, God himself.” 42 Jesus replied,[m] “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here.[n] I[o] have not come on my own initiative,[p] but he[q] sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept[r] my teaching.[s] 44 You people[t] are from[u] your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.[v] He[w] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth,[x] because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies,[y] he speaks according to his own nature,[z] because he is a liar and the father of lies.[aa] 45 But because I am telling you[ab] the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you can prove me guilty[ac] of any sin?[ad] If I am telling you[ae] the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 The one who belongs to[af] God listens and responds[ag] to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond,[ah] because you don’t belong to God.”[ai]

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Footnotes

  1. John 8:39 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
  2. John 8:39 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
  3. John 8:39 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
  4. John 8:39 tc Although most mss (C W Θ Ψ 0250 ƒ1,13 33 M) have the imperfect ἦτε (ēte, “you were”) here, making this sentence a proper second class condition, the harder reading, ἐστε (este, “you are”), is found in the better witnesses (P66,75 א B D L 070 lat).
  5. John 8:39 tc Some significant mss (P66 B* [700]) have the present imperative ποιεῖτε (poieite) here: “If you are Abraham’s children, then do,” while many others (א2 C K L N Δ Ψ ƒ1,13 33 565 579 892 pm) add the contingent particle ἄν (an) to ἐποιεῖτε (epoieite) making it a more proper second class condition by Attic standards. The simple ἐποιεῖτε without the ἄν is the hardest reading, and is found in some excellent witnesses (P75 א* B2 D W Γ Θ 070 0250 1424 pm).tn Or “you would do.”
  6. John 8:40 tn Grk “seeking.”
  7. John 8:40 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
  8. John 8:40 tn The Greek word order is emphatic: “This Abraham did not do.” The emphasis is indicated in the translation by an exclamation point.
  9. John 8:41 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
  10. John 8:41 tc ‡ Significant and early witnesses (א B L W 070 it sys,p co) lack the conjunction here, while the earliest witnesses along with many others read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; P66,75 C D Θ Ψ 0250 ƒ13 33 M). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the combined testimony of two early papyri for the conjunction is impressive, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 52). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA28 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
  11. John 8:41 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. John 8:41 sn We were not born as a result of immorality! is ironic, because Jesus’ opponents implied that it was not themselves but Jesus who had been born as a result of immoral behavior. This shows they did not know Jesus’ true origin and were not aware of the supernatural events surrounding his birth. The author does not even bother to refute the opponents’ suggestion but lets it stand, assuming his readers will know the true story.
  13. John 8:42 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
  14. John 8:42 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
  15. John 8:42 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
  16. John 8:42 tn Grk “from myself.”
  17. John 8:42 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
  18. John 8:43 tn Grk “you cannot hear,” but this is not a reference to deafness, but rather hearing in the sense of listening to something and responding to it.
  19. John 8:43 tn Grk “my word.”
  20. John 8:44 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
  21. John 8:44 tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).
  22. John 8:44 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
  23. John 8:44 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
  24. John 8:44 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
  25. John 8:44 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
  26. John 8:44 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
  27. John 8:44 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
  28. John 8:45 tn Or “because I tell you.”
  29. John 8:46 tn Or “can convict me.”
  30. John 8:46 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
  31. John 8:46 tn Or “if I tell you.”
  32. John 8:47 tn Grk “who is of.”
  33. John 8:47 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
  34. John 8:47 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
  35. John 8:47 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
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