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19 But the leaders replied, “Since we have sworn an oath in the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel, we cannot touch them.

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19 but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.

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Obedience to the King

Obey the king since you vowed to God that you would.

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Obey the King

Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God.

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Then when you swear by my name, saying,
    ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
you could do so
    with truth, justice, and righteousness.
Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world,
    and all people would come and praise my name.”

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and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
    you swear,(A) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(B)
then the nations will invoke blessings(C) by him
    and in him they will boast.(D)

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The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad,[a] ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:2 As in Greek and Syriac versions and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew lacks or bad.

All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

As it is with the good,
    so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
    so with those who are afraid to take them.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.

20 This is what we must do. We must let them live, for divine anger would come upon us if we broke our oath.

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20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath(A) we swore to them.”

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