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2 Samuel 17

The Death of Ahithophel

17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out 12,000 men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. ²When I catch up with^[a] him he will be exhausted and worn out.^[b] I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king ³and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone.^[c] The entire army will return unharmed.”^[d]

⁴This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders^[e] of Israel. ⁵But Absalom said, “Call for^[f] Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.”^[g] ⁶So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

⁷Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.”^[h] ⁸Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men—they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.^[i] Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army. ⁹At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first,^[j] whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’ ¹⁰If that happens even the bravest soldier—one who is lion-hearted—will virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave. ¹¹My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba—in number like the sand by the sea—be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle. ¹²We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will be spared alive—not one of them! ¹³If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”

¹⁴Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided^[k] to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.

¹⁵Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the leaders^[l] of Israel to do, and here is what I have advised. ¹⁶Now send word quickly to David and warn him,^[m] “Don’t spend the night at the fords^[n] of the wilderness tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over,^[o] or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.”^[p]

¹⁷Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city. ¹⁸But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it. ¹⁹His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.

²⁰When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them, “They crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men^[q] searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan^[r] climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream^[s] quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.”^[t] ²²So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River.^[u] By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.

²³When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave^[v] of his father.

²⁴Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River. ²⁵Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab. (Now Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married^[w] Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.) ²⁶The army of Israel^[x] and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim ²⁸brought bedding, basins, and pottery utensils. They also brought food for David and all who were with him, including wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,^[y] ²⁹honey, curds, flocks, and cheese.^[z] For they said, “The people are no doubt hungry, tired, and thirsty there in the desert.”^[aa]

Footnotes

2 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”
2 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”
2 Samuel 17:3 tc Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.
2 Samuel 17:3 tn Heb “all of the people will be safe.”
2 Samuel 17:4 tn Heb “elders.”
2 Samuel 17:5 tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.
2 Samuel 17:5 tn Heb “what is in his mouth.”
2 Samuel 17:7 tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”
2 Samuel 17:8 tc The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”
2 Samuel 17:9 tn Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”
2 Samuel 17:14 tn Heb “commanded.”
2 Samuel 17:15 tn Heb “elders.”
2 Samuel 17:16 tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”
2 Samuel 17:16 tc The MT reads “the rift valleys (עֲרָבוֹת, ʿaravot) of the wilderness.” The plural form typically refers to the gently sloping plains at the basin of the rift valley just north of the Dead Sea (while the larger rift valley extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba). Many translations render as the “fords” (NASB, ESV, NIV, NRSV) assuming the reversal of two letters as עֲבָרוֹת (ʿavarot, “fords, crossing”).
2 Samuel 17:16 tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”
2 Samuel 17:16 tn Heb “swallowed up.”
2 Samuel 17:20 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “the water.”
2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.
2 Samuel 17:22 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 17:23 tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”
2 Samuel 17:25 tn Heb “come to.”
2 Samuel 17:26 tn Heb “and Israel.”
2 Samuel 17:28 tc The MT adds “roasted grain” וְקָלִי (v^eqali) at the end of v. 28, apparently accidentally repeating the word from its earlier occurrence in this verse. With the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and an Old Latin ms the translation deletes this second occurrence of the word.
2 Samuel 17:29 tn Heb “cheese of the herd,” probably referring to cheese from cow’s milk (rather than goat’s milk).
2 Samuel 17:29 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

John 19:23-42

²³Now when the soldiers crucified^[a] Jesus, they took his clothes and made four shares, one for each soldier,^[b] and the tunic^[c] remained. (Now the tunic^[d] was seamless, woven from top to bottom as a single piece.)^[e] ²⁴So the soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but throw dice^[f] to see who will get it.”^[g] This took place^[h] to fulfill the scripture that says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they threw dice.”^[i] So the soldiers did these things.

²⁵Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.^[j] ²⁶So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman,^[k] look, here is your son!” ²⁷He then said to his disciple, “Look, here is your mother!” From that very time^[l] the disciple took her into his own home.

Jesus’ Death

²⁸After this Jesus, realizing that by this time^[m] everything was completed,^[n] said (in order to fulfill the scripture),^[o] “I am thirsty!”^[p] ²⁹A jar full of sour wine^[q] was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssop^[r] and lifted it^[s] to his mouth. ³⁰When^[t] he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!”^[u] Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.^[v]

³¹Then, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not stay on the crosses on the Sabbath^[w] (for that Sabbath was an especially important one),^[x] the Jewish leaders^[y] asked Pilate to have the victims’ legs^[z] broken^[aa] and the bodies taken down.^[ab] ³²So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who had been crucified^[ac] with Jesus,^[ad] first the one and then the other.^[ae] ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴But one of the soldiers pierced^[af] his side with a spear, and blood and water^[ag] flowed out immediately. ³⁵And the person who saw it^[ah] has testified (and his testimony is true, and he^[ai] knows that he is telling the truth),^[aj] so that you also may believe. ³⁶For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will be broken.”^[ak] ³⁷And again another scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”^[al]

Jesus’ Burial

³⁸After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders^[am]),^[an] asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate^[ao] gave him permission, so he went and took the body away.^[ap] ³⁹Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus^[aq] at night,^[ar] accompanied Joseph,^[as] carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes^[at] weighing about seventy-five pounds.^[au] ⁴⁰Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices,^[av] in strips of linen cloth^[aw] according to Jewish burial customs.^[ax] ⁴¹Now at the place where Jesus^[ay] was crucified^[az] there was a garden,^[ba] and in the garden^[bb] was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried.^[bc] ⁴²And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparation^[bd] and the tomb was nearby,^[be] they placed Jesus’ body there.

Footnotes

John 19:23 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:23 sn Four shares, one for each soldier. The Gospel of John is the only one to specify the number of soldiers involved in the crucifixion. This was a quaternion, a squad of four soldiers. It was accepted Roman practice for the soldiers who performed a crucifixion to divide the possessions of the person executed among themselves.
John 19:23 tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, chitōn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.
John 19:23 tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). See the note on the same word earlier in this verse.
John 19:23 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:24 tn Grk “but choose by lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throw dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.
John 19:24 tn Grk “to see whose it will be.”
John 19:24 tn The words “This took place” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
John 19:24 tn Grk “cast lots.” See the note on “throw dice” earlier in the verse.sn A quotation from Ps 22:18.
John 19:25 sn Several women are mentioned, but it is not easy to determine how many. It is not clear whether his mother’s sister and Mary the wife of Clopas are to be understood as the same individual (in which case only three women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene) or as two different individuals (in which case four women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary Clopas’ wife, and Mary Magdalene). It is impossible to be certain, but when John’s account is compared to the synoptics it is easier to reconcile the accounts if four women were present than if there were only three. It also seems that if there were four women present, this would have been seen by the author to be in juxtaposition to the four soldiers present who performed the crucifixion, and this may explain the transition from the one incident in 23-24 to the other in 25-27. Finally, if only three were present, this would mean that both Jesus’ mother and her sister were named Mary, and this is highly improbable in a Jewish family of that time. If there were four women present, the name of the second, the sister of Jesus’ mother, is not mentioned. It is entirely possible that the sister of Jesus’ mother mentioned here is to be identified with the woman named Salome mentioned in Mark 15:40 and also with the woman identified as “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” mentioned in Matt 27:56. If so, and if John the Apostle is to be identified as the beloved disciple, then the reason for the omission of the second woman’s name becomes clear; she would have been John’s own mother, and he consistently omitted direct reference to himself or his brother James or any other members of his family in the Fourth Gospel.
John 19:26 sn The term Woman is Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing women (Matt 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15; see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1). But it is unusual for a son to address his mother with this term. The custom in both Hebrew (or Aramaic) and Greek would be for a son to use a qualifying adjective or title. Is there significance in Jesus’ use here? Jesus probably used the term here to help establish Mary and the beloved disciple in a new “mother-son” relationship. Someone would soon need to provide for Mary since Jesus, her oldest son, would no longer be alive. By using this term Jesus distanced himself from Mary so the beloved disciple could take his place as her earthly son (cf. John 2:4). See D. A. Carson, John, 617-18, for discussion about symbolic interpretations of this relationship between Mary and the beloved disciple.
John 19:27 tn Grk “from that very hour.”
John 19:28 tn Or “that already.”
John 19:28 tn Or “finished,” “accomplished”; Grk “fulfilled.”
John 19:28 sn A reference to Ps 69:21 or Ps 22:15.
John 19:28 sn In order to fulfill (τελειωθῇ [teleiōthē], a wordplay on the previous statement that everything was completed [τετέλεσται, tetelestai]) the scripture, he said, “I am thirsty.” The scripture referred to is probably Ps 69:21, “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Also suggested, however, is Ps 22:15, “My tongue cleaves to the roof of my mouth, and you [God] lay me in the dust of death.” Ps 22:1 reads “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?,” a statement Jesus makes from the cross in both Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34. In light of the connection in the Fourth Gospel between thirst and the living water which Jesus offers, it is highly ironic that here Jesus himself, the source of that living water, expresses his thirst. And since 7:39 associates the living water with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ statement here in 19:28 amounts to an admission that at this point he has been forsaken by God (cf. Ps 22:1, Matt 27:46, and Mark 15:34).
John 19:29 sn The cheap sour wine was called in Latin posca, and referred to a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and was probably there for the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion.
John 19:29 sn Hyssop was a small aromatic bush; exact identification of the plant is uncertain. The hyssop used to lift the wet sponge may have been a form of reed (κάλαμος, kalamos, “reed,” is used in Matt 27:48 and Mark 15:36); the biblical name can refer to several different species of plant (at least eighteen different plants have been suggested).
John 19:29 tn Or “and brought it.”
John 19:30 tn Grk “Then when.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
John 19:30 tn Or “It is accomplished,” “It is finished,” or “It is ended.” See tn on John 13:1.
John 19:30 tn Or “he bowed his head and died”; Grk “he bowed his head and gave over the spirit.”
John 19:31 sn The Jewish authorities, because this was the day of preparation for the Sabbath and the Passover (cf. 19:14), requested Pilate to order the legs of the three who had been crucified to be broken. This would hasten their deaths, so that the bodies could be removed before the beginning of the Sabbath at 6 p.m. This was based on the law of Deut 21:22-23 and Josh 8:29 that specified the bodies of executed criminals who had been hanged on a tree should not remain there overnight. According to Josephus this law was interpreted in the 1st century to cover the bodies of those who had been crucified (J. W. 4.5.2 [4.317]). Philo of Alexandria also mentions that on occasion, especially at festivals, the bodies were taken down and given to relatives to bury (Flaccus 10 [83]). The normal Roman practice would have been to leave the bodies on the crosses, to serve as a warning to other would-be offenders.
John 19:31 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:31 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.
John 19:31 tn Grk “asked Pilate that the legs of them might be broken.” The referent of “them” (the three individuals who were crucified, collectively referred to as “the victims”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
John 19:31 sn To have the legs…broken. Breaking the legs of a crucified person was a way of speeding up his death, since the victim could no longer use his legs to push upward in order to be able to draw a breath. This breaking of the legs was called in Latin crurifragium, and was done with a heavy mallet.
John 19:31 tn Grk “asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and they might be taken down.” Here because of the numerous ambiguous third person references it is necessary to clarify that it was the crucified men whose legs were to be broken and whose corpses were to be removed from the crosses.
John 19:32 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:32 tn Grk “with him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 19:32 tn Grk “broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.”
John 19:34 sn If it was obvious to the soldiers that the victim was already dead it is difficult to see why one of them would try to inflict a wound. The Greek verb pierced (νύσσω, nussō) can indicate anything from a slight prod to a mortal wound. Probably one of the soldiers gave an exploratory stab to see if the body would jerk. If not, he was really dead. This thrust was hard enough to penetrate the side, since the author states that blood and water flowed out immediately.
John 19:34 sn How is the reference to the blood and water that flowed out from Jesus’ side to be understood? This is probably to be connected with the statements in 1 John 5:6-8. In both passages water, blood, and testimony are mentioned. The Spirit is also mentioned in 1 John 5:7 as the source of the testimony, while here the testimony comes from one of the disciples (19:35). The connection between the Spirit and the living water with Jesus’ statement of thirst just before he died in the preceding context has already been noted (see 19:28). For the author, the water which flowed out of Jesus’ side was a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit who could now be given because Jesus was now glorified (cf. 7:39); Jesus had now departed and returned to that glory which he had with the Father before the creation of the world (cf. 17:5). The mention of blood recalls the motif of the Passover lamb as a sacrificial victim. Later references to sacrificial procedures in the Mishnah appear to support this: m. Pesahim 5:3 and 5:5 state that the blood of the sacrificial animal should not be allowed to congeal but should flow forth freely at the instant of death so that it could be used for sprinkling; m. Tamid 4:2 actually specifies that the priest is to pierce the heart of the sacrificial victim and cause the blood to come forth.
John 19:35 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
John 19:35 tn Grk “and that one.”
John 19:35 sn A parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:36 sn A quotation from Exod 12:46, Num 9:12, and Ps 34:20. A number of different OT passages lie behind this quotation: Exod 12:10 LXX, Exod 12:46, Num 9:12, or Ps 34:20. Of these, the first is the closest in form to the quotation here. The first three are all more likely candidates than the last, since the first three all deal with descriptions of the Passover lamb.
John 19:37 sn A quotation from Zech 12:10. Here a single phrase is quoted from Zech 12, but the entire context is associated with the events surrounding the crucifixion. The “Spirit of grace and of supplication” is poured out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the first part of v. 10. A few verses later in 13:1 Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT) says “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.” The blood which flowed from Jesus’ pierced side may well be what the author saw as the connection here, since as the shedding of the blood of the sacrificial victim it represents cleansing from sin. Although the Jewish authorities and Roman soldiers certainly “looked on the one whom they have pierced” as he hung on the cross, the author may also have in mind the parousia (second coming) here. The context in Zech 12-14 is certainly the second coming, so that these who crucified Jesus will look upon him in another sense when he returns in judgment.
John 19:38 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees (see John 12:42). See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.
John 19:38 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 19:38 tn Grk “And Pilate.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
John 19:38 tn Grk “took away his body.”
John 19:39 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 19:39 sn See John 3:1-21.
John 19:39 tn Grk “came”; the words “accompanied Joseph” are not in the Greek text but are supplied for clarity.
John 19:39 sn Aloes refers to an aromatic resin from a plant similar to a lily, used for embalming a corpse.
John 19:39 sn The Roman pound (λίτρα, litra) weighed twelve ounces or 325 grams. Thus 100 Roman pounds would be about 32.5 kilograms or 75 pounds.
John 19:40 tn On this term see BDAG 140-41 s.v. ἄρωμα. The Jews did not practice embalming, so these materials were used to cover the stench of decay and slow decomposition.
John 19:40 tn The Fourth Gospel uses ὀθονίοις (othoniois) to describe the wrappings, and this has caused a good deal of debate, since it appears to contradict the synoptic accounts which mention a σινδών (sindōn), a large single piece of linen cloth. If one understands ὀθονίοις to refer to smaller strips of cloth, like bandages, there would be a difference, but diminutive forms have often lost their diminutive force in Koine Greek (BDF §111.3), so there may not be any difference. Also, Luke uses both terms to refer to the wrappings, which suggests they are interchangeable in some contexts at least (Luke 23:53; 24:12).
John 19:40 tn Grk “cloth as is the custom of the Jews to prepare for burial.”
John 19:41 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 19:41 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
John 19:41 tn Or “an orchard.”
John 19:41 tn Or “orchard.”
John 19:41 tn Grk “been placed.”
John 19:42 sn The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath when everything had to be prepared for it, as no work could be done on the Sabbath.
John 19:42 sn The tomb was nearby. The Passover and the Sabbath would begin at 6 p.m., so those who had come to prepare and bury the body could not afford to waste time.

Psalm 119:129-152

פ (Pe)

¹²⁹Your rules are marvelous.
Therefore I observe them.
¹³⁰Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines.^[a]
They give^[b] insight to the untrained.^[c]
¹³¹I open my mouth and pant,
because I long^[d] for your commands.
¹³²Turn toward me and extend mercy to me,
as you typically do to your loyal followers.^[e]
¹³³Direct my steps by your word.^[f]
Do not let any sin dominate me.
¹³⁴Deliver me^[g] from oppressive men,
so that I can keep^[h] your precepts.
¹³⁵Smile^[i] on your servant.
Teach me your statutes!
¹³⁶Tears stream down from my eyes,^[j]
because people^[k] do not keep your law.

צ (Tsade)

¹³⁷You are just, O Lord,
and your judgments are fair.
¹³⁸The rules you impose are just,^[l]
and absolutely reliable.
¹³⁹My zeal^[m] consumes^[n] me,
for my enemies forget your instructions.^[o]
¹⁴⁰Your word is absolutely pure,
and your servant loves it.
¹⁴¹I am insignificant and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
¹⁴²Your justice endures,^[p]
and your law is reliable.^[q]
¹⁴³Distress and hardship confront^[r] me,
yet I find delight in your commands.
¹⁴⁴Your rules remain just.^[s]
Give me insight so that I can live.^[t]

ק (Qof)

¹⁴⁵I cried out with all my heart, “Answer me, O Lord!
I will observe your statutes.”
¹⁴⁶I cried out to you, “Deliver me,
so that I can keep^[u] your rules.”
¹⁴⁷I am up before dawn crying for help.
I find hope in your word.
¹⁴⁸My eyes anticipate the nighttime hours,
so that I can meditate on your word.
¹⁴⁹Listen to me^[v] because of^[w] your loyal love.
O Lord, revive me, as you typically do.^[x]
¹⁵⁰Those who are eager to do^[y] wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.
¹⁵¹You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable.^[z]
¹⁵²I learned long ago that
you ordained your rules to last.^[aa]

Footnotes

Psalm 119:130 tn Heb “the doorway of your words gives light.” God’s “words” refer here to the instructions in his law (see vv. 9, 57).
Psalm 119:130 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doorway] gives.”
Psalm 119:130 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Pss 19:7; 116:6.
Psalm 119:131 tn The verb occurs only here in the OT.
Psalm 119:132 tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the Lord’s loyal followers. See Pss 5:11; 69:36; Isa 56:6.
Psalm 119:133 tn God’s “word” refers here to his law (see v. 11).
Psalm 119:134 tn Or “redeem me.”
Psalm 119:134 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
Psalm 119:135 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
Psalm 119:136 tn Heb “[with] flowing streams my eyes go down.”
Psalm 119:136 tn Heb “they”; even though somewhat generic, the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Psalm 119:138 tn Heb “you commanded [in] justice your rules.”
Psalm 119:139 tn or “zeal.”
Psalm 119:139 tn Heb “destroys,” in a hyperbolic sense.
Psalm 119:139 tn Heb “your words.”
Psalm 119:142 tn Heb “your justice [is] justice forever.”
Psalm 119:142 tn Or “truth.”
Psalm 119:143 tn Heb “find.”
Psalm 119:144 tn Heb “just are your rules forever.”
Psalm 119:144 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
Psalm 119:146 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
Psalm 119:149 tn Heb “my voice.”
Psalm 119:149 tn Heb “according to.”
Psalm 119:149 tn Heb “according to your custom.”
Psalm 119:150 tn Heb “those who pursue.”
Psalm 119:151 tn Or “truth.”
Psalm 119:152 tn Heb “long ago I knew concerning your rules, that forever you established them.” See v. 89 for the same idea. The translation assumes that the preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “your rules” introduces the object of the verb יָדַע (yadaʿ), as in 1 Sam 23:23. Another option is that the preposition indicates source, in which case one might translate, “Long ago I realized from your rules that forever you established them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

Proverbs 16:12-13

¹²Doing wickedness^[a] is an abomination to kings,
because a throne^[b] is established in righteousness.
¹³The delight of a king^[c] is righteous counsel,^[d]
and he will love the one who speaks^[e] uprightly.^[f]

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The Death of Ahithophel

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Jesus’ Death

Jesus’ Burial

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פ (Pe)

צ (Tsade)

ק (Qof)

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