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19 Now this is the basis for judging:[a] that the light has come into the world and people[b] loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.

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Footnotes

  1. John 3:19 tn Or “this is the reason for God judging,” or “this is how judgment works.”
  2. John 3:19 tn Grk “and men,” but in a generic sense, referring to people of both genders (as “everyone” in v. 20 makes clear).

A Monotonous Cycle

11 The Israelites did evil before[a] the Lord by worshiping[b] the Baals.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 2:11 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  2. Judges 2:11 tn Or “serving”; or “following.”

12 Do you want to really live?[a]
Would you love to live a long, happy life?[b]
13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words[c]
or use deceptive speech.[d]
14 Turn away from evil and do what is right.[e]
Strive for peace and promote it.[f]
15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help.[g]
16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth.[h]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 34:12 tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.
  2. Psalm 34:12 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
  3. Psalm 34:13 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
  4. Psalm 34:13 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
  5. Psalm 34:14 tn Or “do good.”
  6. Psalm 34:14 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
  7. Psalm 34:15 tn Heb “the eyes of the Lord [are] toward the godly, and his ears [are] toward their cry for help.”
  8. Psalm 34:16 tn Heb “the face of the Lord [is] against the doers of evil to cut off from the earth memory of them.”

13 The fear of the Lord is to hate[a] evil;
I hate arrogant pride[b] and the evil way
and perverse utterances.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 8:13 tn The verb שָׂנֵא (saneʾ) means “to hate.” In this sentence it functions nominally as the predicate. Fearing the Lord is hating evil.sn The verb translated “hate” has the basic idea of rejecting something spontaneously. For example, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” (Mal 1:2b, 3a). It frequently has the idea of disliking or loathing (as English does), but almost always with an additional aspect of rejection. To “hate evil” is not only to dislike it, but to reject it and have nothing to do with it.
  2. Proverbs 8:13 tn Since גֵּאָה (geʾah, “pride”) and גָּאוֹן (gaʾon, “arrogance; pride”) are both from the same verbal root גָּאָה (gaʾah, “to rise up”), they should here be interpreted as one idea, forming a nominal hendiadys: “arrogant pride.”
  3. Proverbs 8:13 tn Heb “and a mouth of perverse things.” The word “mouth” is a metonymy of cause for what is said; and the noun תַהְפֻּכוֹת (tahpukhot, “perverse things”) means destructive things (the related verb is used for the overthrowing of Sodom).

Their webs cannot be used for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are sinful;
they commit violent crimes.[a]
They are eager to do evil,[b]
quick to shed innocent blood.[c]
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:6 tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”
  2. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”
  3. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”
  4. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”

35 The good person[a] brings good things out of his[b] good treasury,[c] and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:35 tn The Greek text reads here ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos). The term is generic referring to any person.
  2. Matthew 12:35 tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“his evil treasury”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  3. Matthew 12:35 sn The treasury here is a metaphorical reference to a person’s heart (cf. BDAG 456 s.v. θησαυρός 1.b and the parallel passage in Luke 6:45).

45 The good person out of the good treasury of his[a] heart[b] produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury[c] produces evil, for his mouth speaks[d] from what fills[e] his heart.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 6:45 tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“out of the evil”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  2. Luke 6:45 sn Mention of the heart shows that Jesus is not interested in what is done, but why. Motives are more important than actions for him.
  3. Luke 6:45 tn The word “treasury” is not repeated in the Greek text at this point, but is implied.
  4. Luke 6:45 sn What one utters from one’s mouth is especially singled out as the example of this principle. James seems to have known this teaching (Jas 1:26; 3:1-12).
  5. Luke 6:45 tn Grk “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”