Proverbs 14:34
New English Translation
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:34 sn The verb תְּרוֹמֵם (teromem, translated “exalts”) is a Polel imperfect; it means “to lift up; to raise up; to elevate.” Here the upright dealings of the leaders and the people will lift up the people. The people’s condition in that nation will be raised.
- Proverbs 14:34 tn The term is the homonymic root II חֶסֶד (khesed, “shame; reproach”; BDB 340 s.v.), as reflected by the LXX translation. Rabbinic exegesis generally took it as I חֶסֶד (“loyal love; kindness”) as if it said, “even the kindness of some nations is a sin because they do it only for a show” (so Rashi, a Jewish scholar who lived a.d. 1040-1105).
Joshua 7:1-16
New English Translation
Achan Sins and is Punished
7 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches.[a] Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi,[b] son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches.[c] The Lord was furious with the Israelites.[d]
2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 3 They returned and reported to Joshua,[e] “Don’t send the whole army.[f] About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai.[g] Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.”[h]
4 So about 3,000 men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures[i] and defeated them on the steep slope.[j] The people’s[k] courage melted away like water.[l]
6 Joshua tore his clothes;[m] he and the leaders[n] of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening[o] and threw dirt on their heads.[p] 7 Joshua prayed,[q] “O, Sovereign Lord! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated[r] before its enemies? 9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us[s] from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?”[t]
10 The Lord responded[u] to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down?[v] 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment![w] They have taken some of the riches;[x] they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions.[y] 12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation.[z] I will no longer be with you,[aa] unless you destroy what has contaminated you.[ab] 13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because this is what the Lord God of Israel has said, “You are contaminated,[ac] O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.”[ad] 14 In the morning you must approach in tribal order.[ae] The tribe the Lord selects[af] must approach by clans. The clan the Lord selects must approach by families.[ag] The family the Lord selects must approach man by man.[ah] 15 The one caught with the riches[ai] must be burned up[aj] along with all who belong to him, because he violated the Lord’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
16 Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal order,[ak] and the tribe of Judah was selected.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Joshua 7:1 tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord].”
- Joshua 7:1 tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also Josh 7:17, 18).
- Joshua 7:1 tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the Lord].”
- Joshua 7:1 tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.”sn This incident illustrates well the principle of corporate solidarity and corporate guilt. The sin of one man brought the Lord’s anger down upon the entire nation.
- Joshua 7:3 tn Heb “and they returned to Joshua and said to him.”
- Joshua 7:3 tn Heb “Don’t let all the people go up.”
- Joshua 7:3 tn Heb “Let about two thousand men or about three thousand men go up to defeat Ai.”
- Joshua 7:3 tn Heb “all the people for they are small.”
- Joshua 7:5 tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shevarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).
- Joshua 7:5 sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.
- Joshua 7:5 tn Or “army’s.”
- Joshua 7:5 tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”
- Joshua 7:6 sn Tearing one’s clothes was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Gen 37:34; 44:13).
- Joshua 7:6 tn Or “elders.”
- Joshua 7:6 tn Heb “and fell on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel.”
- Joshua 7:6 sn Throwing dirt on one’s head was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30).
- Joshua 7:7 tn Heb “said.”
- Joshua 7:8 tn Heb “turned [the] back.”
- Joshua 7:9 tn Heb “and cut off our name.”
- Joshua 7:9 tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”
- Joshua 7:10 tn Heb “said.”
- Joshua 7:10 tn Heb “Why are you falling on your face?”
- Joshua 7:11 tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”
- Joshua 7:11 tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”
- Joshua 7:11 tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”
- Joshua 7:12 tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the Lord].”
- Joshua 7:12 tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.
- Joshua 7:12 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”
- Joshua 7:13 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] [is] in your midst.”
- Joshua 7:13 tn Heb “remove what is set apart [i.e., to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”
- Joshua 7:14 tn Heb “by your tribes.”
- Joshua 7:14 tn Heb “takes forcefully, seizes.”
- Joshua 7:14 tn Heb “houses.”
- Joshua 7:14 tn Heb “by men.”
- Joshua 7:15 tn Heb “with what was set apart [to the Lord].”
- Joshua 7:15 tn Heb “burned with fire.”
- Joshua 7:16 tn Heb “by tribes.”
1 Kings 8:33-40
New English Translation
33 “The time will come when[a] your people Israel are defeated by an enemy[b] because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you,[c] and pray for your help[d] in this temple, 34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
35 “The time will come when[e] the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people[f] sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you,[g] and turn away from their sin because you punish[h] them, 36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly[i] you will then teach them the right way to live[j] and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess.[k]
37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust[l] invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land,[m] or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help,[n] as they acknowledge their pain[o] and spread out their hands toward this temple, 39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin,[p] and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives.[q] (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.)[r] 40 Then they will obey[s] you throughout their lifetimes as[t] they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 8:33 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Kings 8:33 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
- 1 Kings 8:33 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
- 1 Kings 8:33 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
- 1 Kings 8:35 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 35-36a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Kings 8:35 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Kings 8:35 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
- 1 Kings 8:35 tn The Hebrew text has “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (ʿanah, “to answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם (teʿannem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (ʿanah, “to afflict”).
- 1 Kings 8:36 tn The translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense.
- 1 Kings 8:36 tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
- 1 Kings 8:36 tn Or “for an inheritance.”
- 1 Kings 8:37 tn Actually two Hebrew terms appear here, both of which are usually taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view.
- 1 Kings 8:37 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
- 1 Kings 8:38 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
- 1 Kings 8:38 tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”
- 1 Kings 8:39 tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.
- 1 Kings 8:39 tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 37-39a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Kings 8:39 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
- 1 Kings 8:40 tn Heb “fear.”
- 1 Kings 8:40 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”
Isaiah 1:4-9
New English Translation
4 [a] Beware sinful nation,
the people weighed down by evil deeds.
They are offspring who do wrong,
children[b] who do wicked things.
They have abandoned the Lord,
and rejected the Holy One of Israel.[c]
They are alienated from him.[d]
5 [e] Why do you insist on being battered?
Why do you continue to rebel?[f]
Your head has a massive wound,[g]
your whole heart is sick.
6 From the soles of your feet to your head,
there is no spot that is unharmed.[h]
There are only bruises, cuts,
and open wounds.
They have not been cleansed[i] or bandaged,
nor have they been treated[j] with olive oil.[k]
7 Your land is devastated,
your cities burned with fire.
Right before your eyes your crops
are being destroyed by foreign invaders.[l]
They leave behind devastation and destruction.[m]
8 Daughter Zion[n] is left isolated,
like a hut in a vineyard,
or a shelter in a cucumber field;
she is a besieged city.[o]
9 If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[p] had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly been like Sodom,[q]
we would have become like Gomorrah.
Footnotes
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- Isaiah 1:5 sn In vv. 5-9 Isaiah addresses the battered nation (5-8) and speaks as their representative (9).
- 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?”
- Isaiah 1:5 tn Heb “all the head is ill”; NRSV “the whole head is sick”; CEV “Your head is badly bruised.”
- Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “there is not in it health”; NAB “there is no sound spot.”
- Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “pressed out.”
- Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “softened” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “soothed.”
- Isaiah 1:6 sn This verse describes wounds like those one would receive in battle. These wounds are comprehensive and without remedy.
- Isaiah 1:7 tn Heb “As for your land, before you foreigners are devouring it.”
- 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.”
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
Romans 1:21-32
New English Translation
21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts[a] were darkened. 22 Although they claimed[b] to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings[c] or birds or four-footed animals[d] or reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over[e] in the desires of their hearts to impurity,[f] to dishonor[g] their bodies among themselves.[h] 25 They[i] exchanged the truth of God for a lie[j] and worshiped and served the creation[k] rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones,[l] 27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women[m] and were inflamed in their passions[n] for one another. Men[o] committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God,[p] God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.[q] 29 They are filled[r] with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with[s] envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, covenant-breakers,[t] heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they fully know[u] God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die,[v] they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.[w]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Romans 1:21 tn Grk “heart.”
- Romans 1:22 tn The participle φάσκοντες (phaskontes) is used concessively here.
- Romans 1:23 tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (aphthartos, “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (phthartos, “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).
- Romans 1:23 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.
- Romans 1:24 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.
- Romans 1:24 tn Or “God delivered them up to the desires of their hearts for impurity.” It is possible that a technical, legal idiom is used here; if so, it would describe God delivering sinners up to a custodian for punishment (see R. Jewett, Romans [Hermeneia], 166-67). In this instance, then, sinners would be given over to their own desires for the express purpose of working more impurity.
- Romans 1:24 tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesthai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.
- Romans 1:24 tn Grk “among them.”
- Romans 1:25 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Romans 1:25 tn Grk “the lie.”
- Romans 1:25 tn Or “creature, created things.”
- Romans 1:26 tn Grk “for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is contrary to nature.” The term χρῆσις (chrēsis) has the force of “sexual relations” here (L&N 23.65).
- Romans 1:27 tn Grk “likewise so also the males abandoning the natural function of the female.”
- Romans 1:27 tn Grk “burned with intense desire” (L&N 25.16).
- Romans 1:27 tn Grk “another, men committing…and receiving,” continuing the description of their deeds. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Romans 1:28 tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”
- Romans 1:28 tn Grk “the things that are improper.”
- Romans 1:29 tn Grk “being filled” or “having been filled,” referring to those described in v. 28. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Romans 1:29 tn Grk “malice, full of,” continuing the description. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Romans 1:31 tn Or “promise-breakers.”
- Romans 1:32 tn Grk “who, knowing…, not only do them but also approve…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Romans 1:32 tn Grk “are worthy of death.”
- Romans 1:32 sn “Vice lists” like vv. 28-32 can be found elsewhere in the NT in Matt 15:19; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and 1 Pet 4:3. An example from the intertestamental period can be found in Wis 14:25-26.
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