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Romans 3:9-19
New English Translation
Romans 3:9-19
New English Translation
The Condemnation of the World
9 What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, 10 just as it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one,
11 there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”[a]
13 “Their throats are open graves,[b]
they deceive with their tongues,
the poison of asps is under their lips.”[c]
14 “Their mouths are[d] full of cursing and bitterness.”[e]
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 ruin and misery are in their paths,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”[f]
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[g]
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under[h] the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
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- Romans 3:12 sn Verses 10-12 are a quotation from Ps 14:1-3.
- Romans 3:13 tn Grk “their throat is an opened grave.”
- Romans 3:13 sn A quotation from Pss 5:9; 140:3.
- Romans 3:14 tn Grk “whose mouth is.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Romans 3:14 sn A quotation from Ps 10:7.
- Romans 3:17 sn Rom 3:15-17 is a quotation from Isa 59:7-8.
- Romans 3:18 sn A quotation from Ps 36:1.
- Romans 3:19 tn Grk “in,” “in connection with.”
Psalm 5:9
New English Translation
Psalm 5:9
New English Translation
9 For[a] they do not speak the truth;[b]
their stomachs are like the place of destruction,[c]
their throats like an open grave,[d]
their tongues like a steep slope leading into it.[e]
Footnotes
- Psalm 5:9 tn Or “certainly.”
- Psalm 5:9 tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun (“his”) probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates, and so has been translated “they.”
- Psalm 5:9 tn Heb “their inward part[s] [is] destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse.
- Psalm 5:9 tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.
- Psalm 5:9 tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2. The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ קֶרֶב (qerev, “inward part”) refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise.sn As the psalmist walks down the path in which God leads him, he asks the Lord to guide his steps and remove danger from the path (v. 8), because he knows his enemies have “dug a grave” for him and are ready to use their deceitful words to “swallow him up” like the realm of death (i.e., Sheol) and bring him to ruin.
Psalm 10:7
New English Translation
Psalm 10:7
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Psalm 10:7 tn Heb “[with] a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”
- Psalm 10:7 tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.
Psalm 14:1-3
New English Translation
Psalm 14:1-3
New English Translation
Psalm 14[a]
For the music director, by David.
14 Fools say to themselves,[b] “There is no God.”[c]
They sin and commit evil deeds;[d]
none of them does what is right.[e]
2 The Lord looks down from heaven[f] at the human race,[g]
to see if there is anyone who is wise[h] and seeks God.[i]
3 Everyone rejects God;[j]
they are all morally corrupt.[k]
None of them does what is right,[l]
not even one.
Footnotes
- Psalm 14:1 sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
- Psalm 14:1 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
- Psalm 14:1 sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
- Psalm 14:1 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism—living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions—makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
- Psalm 14:1 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
- Psalm 14:2 sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.
- Psalm 14:2 tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”
- Psalm 14:2 tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.
- Psalm 14:2 sn Anyone who is wise and seeks God refers to the person who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.
- Psalm 14:3 tn Heb “everyone turns aside.”
- Psalm 14:3 tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”
- Psalm 14:3 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
Psalm 53:1-3
New English Translation
Psalm 53:1-3
New English Translation
Psalm 53[a]
For the music director, according to the machalath style;[b] a well-written song[c] by David.
53 Fools say to themselves,[d] “There is no God.”[e]
They sin and commit evil deeds;[f]
none of them does what is right.[g]
2 God looks down from heaven[h] at the human race,[i]
to see if there is anyone who is wise[j] and seeks God.[k]
3 Everyone rejects God;[l]
they are all morally corrupt.[m]
None of them does what is right,[n]
not even one!
Footnotes
- Psalm 53:1 sn Psalm 53. This psalm is very similar to Ps 14. The major difference comes in v. 5, which corresponds to, but differs quite a bit from, Ps 14:5-6, and in the use of the divine name. Ps 14 uses “the Lord” (יְהוָה, yehvah, “Yahweh”) in vv. 2a, 4, 6, and 7, while Ps 53 employs “God” (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) throughout, as one might expect in Pss 42-83, where the name “Yahweh” is relatively infrequent. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
- Psalm 53:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מָחֲלַת (makhalat, “machalath”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term also appears in the heading of Ps 88.
- Psalm 53:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.
- Psalm 53:1 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
- Psalm 53:1 sn There is no God. This statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
- Psalm 53:1 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they do evil [with] injustice.” Ps 14:1 has עֲלִילָה (ʿalilah, “a deed”) instead of עָוֶל (ʿaval, “injustice”). The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism—living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions—makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
- Psalm 53:1 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
- Psalm 53:2 sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.
- Psalm 53:2 tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”
- Psalm 53:2 tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.
- Psalm 53:2 tn That is, who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.
- Psalm 53:3 tn Heb “all of it turns away.” Ps 14:1 has הָכֹּל (hakkol, “the whole/all”) instead of כֻּלּוֹ (kullo, “all of it”) and סָר (sar, “turn aside”) instead of סָג (sag, “turn away”).
- Psalm 53:3 tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”
- Psalm 53:3 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
Psalm 36:1
New English Translation
Psalm 36:1
New English Translation
Psalm 36[a]
For the music director, an oracle, written by the Lord’s servant David.[b]
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- Psalm 36:1 sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked.
- Psalm 36:1 tn In the Hebrew text the word נאם (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach נאם (ne’um, “oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.
- Psalm 36:1 tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a few medieval Hebrew mss, the Hebrew text of Origen’s Hexapla, and the Syriac.
- Psalm 36:1 tn Heb “there is no dread of God before his eyes.” The phrase “dread of God” refers here to a healthy respect for God which recognizes that he will punish evil behavior.
Psalm 140:3
New English Translation
Psalm 140:3
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Psalm 140:3 tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
- Psalm 140:3 tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.
- Psalm 140:3 tn Heb “under.”
Isaiah 59:7-8
New English Translation
Isaiah 59:7-8
New English Translation
7 They are eager to do evil,[a]
quick to shed innocent blood.[b]
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy.[c]
8 They are unfamiliar with peace;
their deeds are unjust.[d]
They use deceitful methods,
and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.[e]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”
- Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”
- Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”
- Isaiah 59:8 tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”
- Isaiah 59:8 tn Heb “their paths they make crooked; everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”
New English Translation (NET)
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