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2 Chronicles 30
New English Translation

Hezekiah Observes the Passover

30 Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem and observe a Passover celebration for the Lord God of Israel. 2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month. 3 They were unable to observe it at the regular[a] time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 4 The proposal seemed appropriate to[b] the king and the entire assembly. 5 So they sent an edict[c] throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people[d] to come and observe a Passover for the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they had not observed it on a nationwide scale as prescribed in the law.[e] 6 Messengers[f] delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah.

This royal edict read:[g] “O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return[h] to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria.[i] 7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their ancestors,[j] provoking him to destroy them,[k] as you can see. 8 Now, don’t be stubborn[l] like your fathers. Submit[m] to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has permanently consecrated. Serve the Lord your God so that he might relent from his raging anger.[n] 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you[o] if you return to him.”

10 The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them.[p] 11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 In Judah God moved the people to unite[q] and carry out the edict of the king and the officers in keeping with the Lord’s message. 13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.[r] 14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.[s]

15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt sacrifices to the Lord’s temple. 16 They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites handed it to them.[t] 17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered[u] the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord.[v] 18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law.[w] For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive[x] 19 everyone who has determined to follow God,[y] the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.”[z] 20 The Lord responded favorably[aa] to Hezekiah and forgave[ab] the people.

21 The Israelites who were in Jerusalem observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests were praising the Lord every day with all their might.[ac] 22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites,[ad] who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord.[ae] They feasted for the seven days of the festival,[af] and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors.

23 The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. 24 King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep[ag] for the assembly, while the officials supplied them[ah] with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves. 25 The celebration included[ai] the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident foreigners[aj] who came from the land of Israel, and those who were residents of Judah. 26 There was a great celebration in Jerusalem, unlike anything that had occurred in Jerusalem since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel.[ak] 27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them[al] as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 30:3 tn Heb “at that time.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 30:4 tn Heb “and the thing was proper in the eyes of.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn Heb “and they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass through.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn The words “summoning the people” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons, with the summons being the "voice" that passed throughout Israel.
  5. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn Heb “because not for abundance had they done as written.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “the runners.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “and according to the command of the king, saying.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
  9. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “to the survivors who are left to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 30:7 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 19, 22).
  11. 2 Chronicles 30:7 tn Heb “and he made them a devastation” (or, perhaps, “an object of horror”).
  12. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “don’t stiffen your neck” (a Hebrew idiom for being stubborn).
  13. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “give a hand.” On the meaning of the idiom here, see HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד 2.
  14. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from you.” The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
  15. 2 Chronicles 30:9 tn Heb “turn [his] face from you.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 30:10 tn Heb “and they were mocking them and ridiculing them.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 30:12 tn Heb “the hand of God was [such as] to give them one heart.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 30:13 tn The Hebrew text adds here, “a very large assembly.” This has not been translated to avoid redundancy with the expression “a huge crowd” at the beginning of the verse.
  19. 2 Chronicles 30:14 tn Heb “and they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed and threw into the Kidron Valley.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 30:16 tn Heb “from the hand of the Levites.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 30:17 tn Heb “were over the slaughter of.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 30:17 tn Heb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the Lord.”
  23. 2 Chronicles 30:18 tn Heb “without what is written.”
  24. 2 Chronicles 30:18 tn Heb “make atonement for.”
  25. 2 Chronicles 30:19 tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 30:19 tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 30:20 tn Heb “listened.”
  28. 2 Chronicles 30:20 tn Heb “healed.”
  29. 2 Chronicles 30:21 tn Heb “and they were praising the Lord day by day, the Levites and the priests with instruments of strength to the Lord.” The phrase בִּכְלֵי־עֹז (bikhle ʿoz, “with instruments of strength”) might refer to loud sounding musical instruments (NASB “with loud instruments”; NEB “with unrestrained fervour”). The present translation assumes an emendation to בְּכָל־עֹז (bekhol ʿoz, “with all strength”); see 1 Chr 13:8, as well as HALOT 805 s.v. I עֹז and BDB 739 s.v. עֹז).
  30. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “and Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites.” On the meaning of the idiom “speak to the heart of” here, see HALOT 210 s.v. II דבר 8.d.
  31. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “who demonstrated skill [with] good skill for the Lord.”
  32. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “and they ate [during] the appointed time [for] seven days.” מוֹעֵד (moʿed, “appointed time”) is probably an adverbial accusative of time referring to the festival. However, some understand it as metonymically referring to the food eaten during the festival. See BDB 417 s.v.
  33. 2 Chronicles 30:24 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tsoʾn, translated “sheep” twice in this verse) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but there is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
  34. 2 Chronicles 30:24 tn Heb “the assembly.” The pronoun “them” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  35. 2 Chronicles 30:25 tn Heb “they rejoiced.”
  36. 2 Chronicles 30:25 sn The term גֵּר (ger) refers to a foreign resident, but with different social implications in different settings. In Mosaic Law the resident foreigner was essentially a naturalized citizen and convert to worshiping the God of Israel (see Exod 12:19, 48; Deut 29:10-13). Here the term refers to those who had immigrated (or fled as refugees) from the conquered northern kingdom as well as those already residents of the southern kingdom of Judah.
  37. 2 Chronicles 30:26 tn Heb “and there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.”
  38. 2 Chronicles 30:27 tn Heb “and it was heard with their voice.” BDB 1034 s.v. שָׁמַע Niph.4 interprets this to mean “hearing was granted to their voice.” It is possible that the name יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) has been accidentally omitted.
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2 Chronicles 31
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2 Chronicles 31
New English Translation

31 When all this was over, the Israelites[a] who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished[b] all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh.[c] Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities.[d]

The People Contribute to the Temple

2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks[e]—to offer burnt sacrifices and present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary.[f]

3 The king contributed[g] some of what he owned for burnt sacrifices, including the morning and evening burnt sacrifices and the burnt sacrifices made on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other appointed times prescribed[h] in the law of the Lord. 4 He ordered[i] the people living in Jerusalem to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient[j] to the law of the Lord. 5 When the edict was issued,[k] the Israelites freely contributed[l] the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount. 6 The Israelites and people of Judah[m] who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the Lord their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps.[n] 7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps[o] and finished in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and pronounced blessings on his people Israel.[p]

9 When Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps, 10 Azariah, the head priest from the family of Zadok, said to him, “Since the contributions began arriving in the Lord’s temple, we have had plenty to eat and have a large quantity left over. For the Lord has blessed his people, and this large amount remains.” 11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Lord’s temple. When this was done,[q] 12 they brought in the contributions, tithes,[r] and consecrated items that had been offered.[s] Konaniah, a Levite, was in charge of all this, assisted by his brother Shimei. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as directed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God’s temple.

14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite and the guard on the east side, was in charge of the voluntary offerings made to God and disbursed the contributions made to the Lord and the consecrated items. 15 In the cities of the priests, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in making disbursements to their fellow priests[t] according to their divisions, regardless of age.[u] 16 They made disbursements to all the males three years old and up who were listed in the genealogical records—to all who would enter the Lord’s temple to serve on a daily basis and fulfill their duties as assigned to their divisions.[v] 17 They made disbursements to the priests listed in the genealogical records by their families, and to the Levites twenty years old and up, according to their duties as assigned to their divisions, 18 and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves. 19 As for the descendants of Aaron, the priests who lived in the outskirts of all their cities,[w] men were assigned[x] to disburse portions to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogical records.

20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what the Lord his God considered good and right and faithful. 21 He wholeheartedly and successfully reinstituted service in God’s temple and obedience to the law, in order to follow his God.[y]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tn Heb “all Israel.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tn Or “tore down.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tn Heb “the high places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and in Manasseh until finished.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession to their cities.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 31:2 tn Heb “and Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each in accordance with his service for the priests and for the Levites.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 31:2 tn Heb “in the gates of the encampments of the Lord.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 31:3 tn Heb “the portion of the king [was].”
  8. 2 Chronicles 31:3 tn Heb “festivals, as written.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 31:4 tn Heb “said to.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 31:4 tn Heb “might hold firmly.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 31:5 tn Heb “and when the word spread out.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 31:5 tn Heb “the sons of Israel multiplied.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 31:6 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel and Judah.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 31:6 tn Heb “heaps, heaps.” Repetition of the noun draws attention to the large number of heaps.
  15. 2 Chronicles 31:7 tn Heb “they began the heaps to establish.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 31:8 tn Heb “they blessed the Lord and his people Israel.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 31:11 tn Heb “and they prepared.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 31:12 tn Heb “tenth.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 31:12 tn Heb “and holy things in faithfulness.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 31:15 tn Heb “to their brothers.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 31:15 tn Heb “like great, like small” (i.e., old and young alike).
  22. 2 Chronicles 31:16 tn Heb “in addition enrolling them by males from a son of three years and upwards, to everyone who enters the house of the Lord for a matter of a day in its day, for their service by their duties according to their divisions.”
  23. 2 Chronicles 31:19 tn Heb “the priests in the fields of the pastureland of their cities in every city and city.”
  24. 2 Chronicles 31:19 tn Heb “designated by names.”
  25. 2 Chronicles 31:21 tn Heb “and in all the work which he began with regard to the service of the house of God and with respect to the law and with respect to the commandment, to seek his God; with all his heart he acted and he succeeded.”
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Proverbs 5
New English Translation

Admonition to Avoid Seduction to Evil[a]

5 My child,[b] be attentive to my wisdom,
pay close attention[c] to my understanding,
2 in order to safeguard[d] discretion,[e]
and that your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips[f] of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her seductive words[g] are smoother than olive oil,
4 but in the end[h] she is bitter[i] as wormwood,[j]
sharp as a two-edged[k] sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.[l]
6 Lest[m] she should make level[n] the path leading to life,[o]
her paths have wandered,[p] but she is not able to discern it.[q]
7 So now, children,[r] listen to me;
do not turn aside from the words I speak.[s]
8 Keep yourself[t] far[u] from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your vigor[v] to others
and your years to a cruel person,
10 lest strangers devour[w] your strength,[x]
and your labor[y] benefit[z] another man’s house.
11 And at the end of your life[aa] you will groan[ab]
when your flesh and your body are wasted away.[ac]
12 And you will say, “How I hated discipline!
My heart spurned reproof!
13 For[ad] I did not obey[ae] my teachers[af]
and I did not heed[ag] my instructors.[ah]
14 I almost[ai] came to complete ruin[aj]
in the midst of the whole congregation!”[ak]
15 Drink water from your own cistern
and running water from your own well.[al]
16 Should your springs be dispersed[am] outside,
your streams of water in the wide plazas?[an]
17 Let them be for yourself[ao] alone,
and not for strangers with you.[ap]
18 May your fountain be blessed,[aq]
and may you rejoice[ar] in the wife you married in your youth[as]—
19 a loving doe,[at] a graceful deer;
may her breasts satisfy you at all times,
may you be captivated[au] by her love always.
20 But why should you be captivated,[av] my son, by an adulteress,
and embrace the bosom of a different woman?[aw]
21 For the ways of a person[ax] are in front of the Lord’s eyes,
and the Lord[ay] weighs[az] all that person’s[ba] paths.
22 The wicked[bb] will be captured by his[bc] own iniquities,[bd]
and he will be held[be] by the cords of his own sin.[bf]
23 He will die because[bg] there was no discipline;
because of the greatness of his folly[bh] he will reel.[bi]

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:1 sn In this chapter the sage/father exhorts discretion (1, 2) then explains how to avoid seduction (3-6); this is followed by a second exhortation to prevention (7, 8) and an explanation that obedience will avoid ruin and regret (9-14); finally, he warns against sharing love with strangers (15-17) but to find it at home (18-23). For an analysis of the chapter, see J. E. Goldingay, “Proverbs V and IX,” RB 84 (1977): 80-93.
  2. Proverbs 5:1 tn The text again has “my son.” In this passage perhaps “son” would be the most fitting because of the warning against going to the adulterous woman. However, since the image of the adulterous woman probably represents all kinds of folly (through personification), and since even in this particular folly the temptation works both ways, the general address to either young men or women should be retained. The text was certainly not intended to convey that only women could seduce men.
  3. Proverbs 5:1 tn Heb “incline your ear” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “listen carefully.”
  4. Proverbs 5:2 tn Heb “keep, protect, guard.”
  5. Proverbs 5:2 sn This “discretion” is the same word in 1:4; it is wise, prudential consideration, careful planning, or the ability to devise plans with a view to the best way to carry them out. If that ability is retained then temptations to digress will not interfere.
  6. Proverbs 5:3 sn “Lips” is a metonymy of cause, referring to her words. Dripping honey is compared by implication to her words, which are flattering and smooth (cf. Song 4:11). See M. Dahood, “Honey That Drips. Notes on Proverbs 5:2-3, ” Bib 54 (1973): 65-66.
  7. Proverbs 5:3 tn Heb “her palate.” The word חֵךְ (khekh, “palate; roof of the mouth; gums”) is a metonymy of cause (= organ of speech) for what is said (= her seductive speech). The present translation clarifies this metonymy with the phrase “her seductive words.”
  8. Proverbs 5:4 sn Heb “her end” (so KJV). D. Kidner notes that Proverbs does not allow us to forget that there is an afterward (Proverbs [TOTC], 65).
  9. Proverbs 5:4 sn The verb “to be bitter” (מָרַר, marar) describes things that are harmful and destructive for life, such as the death of the members of the family of Naomi (Ruth 1:20) or finding water that was undrinkable (Exod 15:22-27). The word indicates that the sweet talking will turn out badly.
  10. Proverbs 5:4 tn The Hebrew term translated “wormwood” refers to the aromatic plant that contrasts with the sweetness of honey. Some follow the LXX and translate it as “gall” (cf. NIV). The point is that there was sweetness when the tryst had alluring glamour, but afterward it had an ugly ring (W. G. Plaut, Proverbs, 74).
  11. Proverbs 5:4 sn The Hebrew has “like a sword of [two] mouths,” meaning a double-edged sword that devours/cuts either way. There is no movement without damage. There may be a wordplay here with this description of the “sword with two mouths,” and the subject of the passage being the words of her mouth which also have two sides to them. The irony is cut by the idiom.
  12. Proverbs 5:5 tn The term שְׁאוֹל (sheʾol, “grave”) is paralleled to “death,” so it does not refer here to the realm of the unblessed. sn The terms death and grave could be hyperbolic of a ruined life, but probably refer primarily to the mortal consequences of a life of debauchery.
  13. Proverbs 5:6 tc The LXX and other versions read “not” instead of “lest.” This may be an effort to make sense of the unusual syntax, or perhaps the MT has been corrupted. The general sense is the same in either case.tn Heb “The path of life lest she clear the way.” This is the only occasion where the particle פֶּן (pen, “lest”) appears to occur in the middle of its clause rather than at the beginning. The particle implies some action has been taken to avert or avoid what follows. The translation treats the “path of life” as the object and links the clause to the previous verse. One may note, however, that if the two halves of this verse reversed, normal syntax and good sense are also restored. “Her paths have wandered. She is not able to discern—the path leading to life, lest she make it clear.” (Or “lest she examine it.” See note on the verb.)
  14. Proverbs 5:6 tn Two roots are proposed for the verb פָּלַס (palas), “to clear/make a way” or “to observe; to examine.” If the latter root, then it would mean “lest she examine the path of life.”
  15. Proverbs 5:6 tn Heb “the path of life.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “of life”) functions as a genitive of direction (“leading to”).
  16. Proverbs 5:6 tn The verb נוּעַ (nuaʿ) means “to quiver; to waver; to roam around.” As the perfect form of a dynamic verb, it is past or perfective. Here it should be perfective to recognize the continuing results. Some translations treat the verb as stative and so present tense (cf. KJV “her ways are moveable”), but it is morphologically dynamic as revealed by its imperfect form. Others treat it as an imperfect, rendering it in future tense (NAB “her paths will ramble”) or general present (NLT “She staggers down a crooked trail.”).
  17. Proverbs 5:6 tn The verb יָדַע (yadaʿ, “to know”) is a stative verb in the imperfect form, which can be either future or modal. Here it is a modal abilitive: she is unable to know. DCH includes יָדַע II, “be quiet, at rest; be submissive” citing Jer 4:18 and Job 21:19. See also D. W. Thomas, “A Note on לא תדע in Proverbs v 6, ” JTS 37 (1936): 59, proposing “she is not tranquil.”
  18. Proverbs 5:7 tn Heb “sons.”
  19. Proverbs 5:7 tn Heb “the words of my mouth” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).
  20. Proverbs 5:8 tn Heb “your way.”
  21. Proverbs 5:8 sn There is a contrast made between “keep far away” (הַרְחֵק, harkheq) and “do not draw near” (וְאַל־תִּקְרַב, veʾal tiqrav).
  22. Proverbs 5:9 sn The term הוֹד (hod, “vigor; splendor; majesty”) in this context means the best time of one’s life (cf. NIV “your best strength”), the full manly vigor that will be wasted with licentiousness. Here it is paralleled by “years,” which refers to the best years of that vigor, the prime of life. Life would be ruined by living this way, or the revenge of the woman’s husband would cut it short.
  23. Proverbs 5:10 tn Heb “eat their fill of” or “become sated from” your strength.
  24. Proverbs 5:10 tn The word כֹּחַ (koakh, “strength”) refers to what laborious toil would produce (so a metonymy of cause). Everything that this person worked for could become the property for others to enjoy.
  25. Proverbs 5:10 tn “labor, painful toil.”
  26. Proverbs 5:10 tn The term “benefit” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
  27. Proverbs 5:11 tn Heb “at your end.”
  28. Proverbs 5:11 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav consecutive; it is equal to a specific future within this context.sn The verb means “to growl, groan.” It refers to a lion when it devours its prey, and to a sufferer in pain or remorse (e.g., Ezek 24:23).
  29. Proverbs 5:11 tn Heb “in the finishing of your flesh and your body.” The construction uses the Qal infinitive construct of כָּלָה (kalah) in a temporal clause; the verb means “be complete, at an end, finished, spent.”
  30. Proverbs 5:13 tn The vav that introduces this clause functions in an explanatory sense.
  31. Proverbs 5:13 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.” The picture is that of treating the teacher’s instruction as background noise instead of paying attention to it or obeying it.
  32. Proverbs 5:13 tn The Hebrew term מוֹרַי (moray) is the nominal form based on the Hiphil plural participle with a suffix, from the root יָרָה (yarah). The verb is “to teach,” the common noun is “instruction, law [torah],” and this participle form is teacher (“my teachers”).
  33. Proverbs 5:13 tn The idiom is based on attentiveness: “did not incline my ear to.”
  34. Proverbs 5:13 tn The form is the Piel plural participle of לָמַד (lamad) used substantivally.
  35. Proverbs 5:14 tn The expression כִּמְעַט (kimʿat) is “like a little.” It means “almost,” and is used of unrealized action (BDB 590 s.v. 2). Cf. NCV “I came close to”; NLT “I have come to the brink of.”
  36. Proverbs 5:14 tn Heb “I was in all evil” (cf. KJV, ASV).
  37. Proverbs 5:14 tn The text uses the two words “congregation and assembly” to form a hendiadys, meaning the entire assembly.
  38. Proverbs 5:15 sn Paul Kruger develops this section as an allegory consisting of a series of metaphors. He suggests that what is at issue is private versus common property. The images of the cistern, well, or fountain are used of a wife (e.g., Song 4:15) because she, like water, satisfies desires. Streams of water in the street would then mean sexual contact with a lewd woman. According to 7:12 she never stays home but is in the streets and is the property of many (P. Kruger, “Promiscuity and Marriage Fidelity? A Note on Prov 5:15-18, ” JNSL 13 [1987]: 61-68).
  39. Proverbs 5:16 tn The verb means “to be scattered; to be dispersed”; here the imperfect takes a deliberative nuance in a rhetorical question.
  40. Proverbs 5:16 tc The verse is usually understood as a rhetorical question, expecting a “no” answer (e.g. NIV, NASB, ESV, NKJV). The LXX records a negative volitional statement “Let them not flow out.”
  41. Proverbs 5:17 tn The ל (lamed) preposition denotes possession: “for you” = “yours.” The term לְבַדֶּךָ (levadekha) is appositional, underscoring the possession as exclusive.
  42. Proverbs 5:17 sn The point is that what is private is not to be shared with strangers; it belongs in the home and in the marriage. The water from that cistern is not to be channeled to strangers or to the public.
  43. Proverbs 5:18 sn The positive instruction is now given: Find pleasure in a fulfilling marriage. The “fountain” is another in the series of implied comparisons with the sexual pleasure that must be fulfilled at home. That it should be blessed (the passive participle of בָּרַךְ, barakh) indicates that sexual delight is God-given; having it blessed would mean that it would be endowed with fruitfulness, that it would fulfill all that God intended it to do.
  44. Proverbs 5:18 tn The form is a Qal imperative with a vav (ו) of sequence; after the jussive of the first half this colon could be given an equivalent translation or logically subordinated.
  45. Proverbs 5:18 tn Or “your young wife”; Heb “in the wife of your youth” (so NIV, NLT, HCSB). The genitive may function as an attributive adjective: “young wife” or “youthful wife.” Or the genitive may be temporal in that it refers to the age in which a man married his wife: “the wife you married in your youth” (cf. NCV, CEV). The temporal genitive is supported by parallel passages with similar constructions in Prov 2:17 and Mal 2:14.
  46. Proverbs 5:19 tn The construct expression “a doe of loves” is an attributive genitive, describing the doe with the word “loves.” The plural noun may be an abstract plural of intensification (but this noun only occurs in the plural). The same construction follows with a “deer of grace”—a graceful deer.sn The imagery for intimate love in marriage is now employed to stress the beauty of sexual fulfillment as it was intended. The doe and deer, both implied comparisons, exhibit the grace and love of the wife.
  47. Proverbs 5:19 sn The verb שָׁגָה (shagah) means “to swerve; to meander; to reel” as in drunkenness; it signifies a staggering gait expressing the ecstatic joy of a captivated lover. It may also mean “to be always intoxicated with her love” (cf. NRSV).
  48. Proverbs 5:20 tn In the interrogative clause the imperfect has a deliberative nuance.
  49. Proverbs 5:20 tn Heb “foreigner” (so ASV, NASB), but this does not mean that the woman is non-Israelite. This term describes a woman who is outside the moral boundaries of the covenant community—she is another man’s wife, but since she acts with moral abandonment she is called “foreign.”
  50. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “man.”
  51. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  52. Proverbs 5:21 tn BDB 814 s.v. פָּלַס 2 suggests that the participle מְפַּלֵּס (mepalles) means “to make level [or, straight].” As one’s ways are in front of the eyes of the Lord, they become straight or right. It could be translated “weighs” since it is a denominative from the noun for “balance, scale”; the Lord weighs or examines the actions.
  53. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “all his”; the referent (the person mentioned in the first half of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  54. Proverbs 5:22 tn The suffix on the verb is the direct object suffix; “the wicked” is a second object by apposition: They capture him, the wicked. Since “the wicked” is not found in the LXX, it could be an old scribal error; or the Greek translator may have simply smoothed out the sentence. C. H. Toy suggests turning the sentence into a passive idea: “The wicked will be caught in his iniquities” (Proverbs [ICC], 117).
  55. Proverbs 5:22 tn The word is the subject of the clause, but the pronominal suffix has no clear referent. The suffix is proleptic, referring to the wicked.
  56. Proverbs 5:22 tn Heb “his own iniquities will capture the wicked.” The translation shifts the syntax for the sake of smoothness and readability.
  57. Proverbs 5:22 sn The lack of discipline and control in the area of sexual gratification is destructive. The one who plays with this kind of sin will become ensnared by it and led to ruin.
  58. Proverbs 5:22 tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically: “his own iniquities will capture the wicked, by the cords of his own sin will he be held.”
  59. Proverbs 5:23 tn The preposition ב (bet) is used in a causal sense: “because” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV).
  60. Proverbs 5:23 sn The word אִוַּלְתּוֹ (ʾivvalto, “his folly”) is from the root אול and is related to the noun אֶוִיל (ʾevil, “foolish; fool”). The noun אִוֶּלֶת (ʾivvelet, “folly”) describes foolish and destructive activity. It lacks understanding, destroys what wisdom builds, and leads to destruction if it is not corrected.
  61. Proverbs 5:23 sn The verb שָׁגָה (shagah, “to swerve; to reel”) is repeated in a negative sense. If the young man is not captivated by his wife but is captivated with a stranger in sinful acts, then his own iniquities will captivate him and he will be led to ruin.
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Proverbs 4
Proverbs 6
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1 Timothy 4
New English Translation

Timothy’s Ministry in the Later Times

4 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves[a] with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings,[b] 2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars[c] whose consciences are seared.[d] 3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creation of God is good and no food[e] is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. 5 For it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.

6 By pointing out such things to the brothers and sisters,[f] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, having nourished yourself on the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.[g] 7 But reject those myths[h] fit only for the godless and gullible,[i] and train yourself for godliness. 8 For “physical exercise[j] has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.” 9 This saying[k] is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. 10 In fact this is why[l] we work hard and struggle,[m] because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people,[n] especially of believers.

11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness,[o] and purity. 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture,[p] to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have,[q] given to you and confirmed by prophetic words[r] when the elders laid hands on you.[s] 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that everyone will see your progress.[t] 16 Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach.[u] Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 4:1 tn Or “desert the faith by occupying themselves.”
  2. 1 Timothy 4:1 tn Grk “teachings of demons” (speaking of the source of these doctrines).
  3. 1 Timothy 4:2 tn Grk “in the hypocrisy of liars.”
  4. 1 Timothy 4:2 tn Or “branded.” The Greek verb καυστηριάζω (kaustēriazō) can be used to refer either to the cause (“brand”) or the effect (“seared”).sn Consciences are seared. The precise meaning of this phrase is somewhat debated. Three primary interpretations are (1) the consciences of these false teachers are “branded” with Satan’s mark to indicate ownership, (2) their consciences are “branded” with a penal mark to show they are lawbreakers, or (3) their consciences have been “seared” (i.e., totally burnt and desensitized) so that they are unable to notice the difference between right and wrong. See G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles (NIGTC), 189.
  5. 1 Timothy 4:4 tn Grk “nothing.”
  6. 1 Timothy 4:6 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
  7. 1 Timothy 4:6 sn By pointing out…you have followed. This verse gives a theme statement for what follows in the chapter about Timothy’s ministry. The situation in Ephesus requires him to be a good servant of Christ, and he will do that by sound teaching and by living an exemplary life himself.
  8. 1 Timothy 4:7 sn Those myths refer to legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 2 Tim 4:4; and Titus 1:14.
  9. 1 Timothy 4:7 tn Grk “the godless and old-wifely myths.”
  10. 1 Timothy 4:8 tn Grk “bodily training” (using the noun form of the verb “train” in v. 7b).
  11. 1 Timothy 4:9 tn Grk “the saying.”sn This saying. The literal phrase “the saying” refers to the preceding citation. See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 2 Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase.
  12. 1 Timothy 4:10 tn Grk “for toward this,” denoting purpose. The conjunction “for” gives confirmation or emphasis to 1 Tim 4:8-9.
  13. 1 Timothy 4:10 tc A number of mss (א2 D 0241vid 1241 1739 1881 M al latt sy co) read ὀνειδιζόμεθα (oneidizometha, “suffer reproach”), while the reading behind the translation (ἀγωνιζόμεθα, agōnizometha) is supported by א* A C F G K Ψ 33 1175 1505 al. The reading from the verb ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnizomai) has somewhat better external credentials, but this verb is found in the corpus Paulinum five other times, twice in the Pastorals (1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7). The verb ὀνειδίζω (oneidizō) occurs only once in Paul (Rom 15:3), not at all in the Pastorals. In this instance, transcriptional and intrinsic evidence might seem to be opposed to each other. In such cases, the external evidence should be given more weight. With some hesitation, ἀγωνιζόμεθα is preferred.
  14. 1 Timothy 4:10 tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anthrōpōn) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, and is thus translated “people.”
  15. 1 Timothy 4:12 tn Or “faith.”
  16. 1 Timothy 4:13 tn Grk “reading.” sn The public reading of scripture refers to reading the scripture out loud in the church services. In a context where many were illiterate and few could afford private copies of scripture, such public reading was especially important.
  17. 1 Timothy 4:14 tn Grk “in you.”
  18. 1 Timothy 4:14 tn Grk “which was given to you through prophecy.” Here as in 2:15 the preposition “through” denotes not “means” but accompanying circumstances: “accompanied by prophecy.”sn These prophetic words perhaps spoke of what God would do through Timothy in his ministry (cf. 1 Tim 1:18).
  19. 1 Timothy 4:14 tn Grk “with the imposition of the hands of the presbytery” (i.e., the council of elders).
  20. 1 Timothy 4:15 tn Grk “that your progress may be evident to all.”
  21. 1 Timothy 4:16 tn Grk “about yourself and your teaching.”
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1 Timothy 3
1 Timothy 5
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New English Translation (NET)

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