Psalm 15
New English Translation
Psalm 15[a]
A psalm of David.
15 Lord, who may be a guest in your home?[b]
Who may live on your holy hill?[c]
2 Whoever lives a blameless life,[d]
does what is right,
and speaks honestly.[e]
3 He[f] does not slander,[g]
or do harm to others,[h]
or insult his neighbor.[i]
4 He despises a reprobate,[j]
but honors the Lord’s loyal followers.[k]
He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise.[l]
5 He does not charge interest when he lends his money.[m]
He does not take bribes to testify against the innocent.[n]
The one who lives like this[o] will never be shaken.
Footnotes
- Psalm 15:1 sn Psalm 15. This psalm describes the character qualities that one must possess to be allowed access to the divine presence.
- Psalm 15:1 tn Heb “Who may live as a resident foreigner in your tent?”
- Psalm 15:1 sn In this context the Lord’s holy hill probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 43:3; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.
- Psalm 15:2 tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”
- Psalm 15:2 tn Heb “one who speaks truth in his heart”; or “one who speaks truth [that is] in his heart.” This apparently refers to formulating a truthful statement in one’s mind and then honestly revealing that statement in one’s speech.
- Psalm 15:3 sn Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age.
- Psalm 15:3 tn Heb “he does not slander upon his tongue.” For another example of רָגַל (ragal, “slander”) see 2 Sam 19:28.
- Psalm 15:3 tn Or “his fellow.”
- Psalm 15:3 tn Heb “and he does not lift up an insult against one who is near to him.”
- Psalm 15:4 tn Heb “despised in his eyes [is] a rejected [one].” The Hebrew term נִמְאָס (nimʾas, “rejected [one]”) apparently refers here to one who has been rejected by God because of his godless behavior. It stands in contrast to “those who fear God” in the following line.
- Psalm 15:4 tn Heb “those who fear the Lord.” The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.
- Psalm 15:4 tn Heb “he takes an oath to do harm and does not change.” The phrase “to do harm” cannot mean “do harm to others,” for the preceding verse clearly characterizes this individual as one who does not harm others. In this context the phrase must refer to an oath to which a self-imprecation is attached. The godly individual takes his commitments to others so seriously he is willing to “swear to his own hurt.” For an example of such an oath, see Ruth 1:16-17.
- Psalm 15:5 sn He does not charge interest. Such an individual is truly generous, and not simply concerned with making a profit.
- Psalm 15:5 tn Heb “a bribe against the innocent he does not take.” For other texts condemning the practice of a judge or witness taking a bribe, see Exod 23:8; Deut 16:19; 27:25; 1 Sam 8:3; Ezek 22:12; Prov 17:23.
- Psalm 15:5 tn Heb “does these things.”
Deuteronomy 24:17-25:4
New English Translation
17 You must not pervert justice[a] due a resident foreigner or an orphan, or take a widow’s garment as security for a loan. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do all this. 19 Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there,[b] you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the Lord your God may bless all the work you do.[c] 20 When you beat your olive tree you must not repeat the procedure;[d] the remaining olives belong to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard you must not do so a second time;[e] they should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt; therefore, I am commanding you to do all this.
25 If controversy arises between people,[f] they should go to court for judgment. When the judges[g] hear the case, they shall exonerate[h] the innocent but condemn[i] the guilty. 2 Then,[j] if the guilty person is sentenced to a beating,[k] the judge shall force him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows his wicked behavior deserves.[l] 3 The judge[m] may sentence him to forty blows,[n] but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite[o] with contempt.
4 You must not muzzle your[p] ox when it is treading grain.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 24:17 sn Besides not oppressing the resident foreigner (גֵּר; ger) (Exod 22:21; Deut 24:14, 17; 27:19), Israel was told to love them (Lev 19:33-34; Deut 10:18-19).
- Deuteronomy 24:19 tn Heb “in the field.”
- Deuteronomy 24:19 tn Heb “of your hands.” This law was later applied in the story of Ruth who, as a poor widow, was allowed by generous Boaz to glean in his fields (Ruth 2:1-13).
- Deuteronomy 24:20 tn Heb “knock down after you.”
- Deuteronomy 24:21 tn Heb “glean after you.”
- Deuteronomy 25:1 tn Heb “men.”
- Deuteronomy 25:1 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the judges) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 25:1 tn Heb “declare to be just”; KJV, NASB “justify the righteous”; NAB, NIV “acquitting the innocent.”
- Deuteronomy 25:1 tn Heb “declare to be evil”; NIV “condemning the guilty (+ party NAB).”
- Deuteronomy 25:2 tn Heb “and it will be.”
- Deuteronomy 25:2 tn Heb “if the evil one is a son of smiting.”
- Deuteronomy 25:2 tn Heb “according to his wickedness, by number.”
- Deuteronomy 25:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the judge) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 25:3 tn Heb “Forty blows he may strike him”; however, since the judge is to witness the punishment (v. 2) it is unlikely the judge himself administered it.
- Deuteronomy 25:3 tn Heb “your brothers” but not limited only to an actual sibling; cf. NAB) “your kinsman”; NRSV, NLT “your neighbor.”
- Deuteronomy 25:4 tn Heb “an.” By implication this is one’s own animal.
1 Timothy 5:17-24
New English Translation
17 Elders who provide effective leadership[a] must be counted worthy[b] of double honor,[c] especially those who work hard in speaking[d] and teaching. 18 For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,”[e] and, “The worker deserves his pay.”[f] 19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by two or three witnesses.[g] 20 Those guilty of sin[h] must be rebuked[i] before all,[j] as a warning to the rest.[k] 21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind.[l] 22 Do not lay hands on anyone[m] hastily and so identify with the sins of others.[n] Keep yourself pure. 23 (Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion[o] and your frequent illnesses.)[p] 24 The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later.[q]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Timothy 5:17 tn Grk “who lead well.”
- 1 Timothy 5:17 tn Or “deserving.”
- 1 Timothy 5:17 tn Like the similar use of “honor” in v. 3, this phrase denotes both respect and remuneration: “honor plus honorarium.”
- 1 Timothy 5:17 tn Or “in preaching”; Grk “in word.”
- 1 Timothy 5:18 sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.
- 1 Timothy 5:18 sn A quotation from Luke 10:7.
- 1 Timothy 5:19 sn An allusion to Deut 17:6; 19:15.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 sn As a continuation of v. 19, this refers to elders who sin, not to sinning believers more generally.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 tn Or “censured.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 tn “Before all” probably refers to the whole congregation, not just all the elders; “the rest” is more likely to denote the remaining elders.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 tn Grk “that the rest may have fear.”
- 1 Timothy 5:21 tn Grk “doing nothing according to partiality.”
- 1 Timothy 5:22 tn In context “laying hands on anyone” refers to ordination or official installation of someone as an elder.
- 1 Timothy 5:22 tn Grk “and do not share in the sins of others.”
- 1 Timothy 5:23 tn Grk “for the sake of your stomach.”
- 1 Timothy 5:23 sn This verse gives parenthetical advice to Timothy, to clarify what it means to keep pure (5:22c). Verse 24 resumes the instructions about elders.
- 1 Timothy 5:24 tn Grk “they [the sins] follow after others.”
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