October 2024 – A Walk Through The Word

October 6, 2024

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday October 6, 2024 (NIV)

Jeremiah 6:16-8:7

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,^(A)
ask where the good way^(B) is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest^(C) for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
¹⁷I appointed watchmen^(D) over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’^(E)
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’^(F)
¹⁸Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
¹⁹Hear, you earth:^(G)
I am bringing disaster^(H) on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,^(I)
because they have not listened to my words^(J)
and have rejected my law.^(K)
²⁰What do I care about incense from Sheba^(L)
or sweet calamus^(M) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;^(N)
your sacrifices^(O) do not please me.”^(P)

²¹Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble^(Q) over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”

²²This is what the Lord says:

“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;^(R)
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.^(S)
²³They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.^(T)
They sound like the roaring sea^(U)
as they ride on their horses;^(V)
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.^(W)”

²⁴We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.^(X)
Anguish^(Y) has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.^(Z)
²⁵Do not go out to the fields
or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
and there is terror on every side.^(AA)
²⁶Put on sackcloth,^(AB) my people,
and roll in ashes;^(AC)
mourn with bitter wailing^(AD)
as for an only son,^(AE)
for suddenly the destroyer^(AF)
will come upon us.

²⁷“I have made you a tester^(AG) of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
²⁸They are all hardened rebels,^(AH)
going about to slander.^(AI)
They are bronze and iron;^(AJ)
they all act corruptly.
²⁹The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining^(AK) goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
³⁰They are called rejected silver,^(AL)
because the Lord has rejected them.”^(AM)

False Religion Worthless

7 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“Stand^(AN) at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:

“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. ³This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways^(AO) and your actions, and I will let you live^(AP) in this place. ⁴Do not trust^(AQ) in deceptive^(AR) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” ⁵If you really change^(AS) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,^(AT) ⁶if you do not oppress^(AU) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood^(AV) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods^(AW) to your own harm, ⁷then I will let you live in this place, in the land^(AX) I gave your ancestors^(AY) for ever and ever. ⁸But look, you are trusting^(AZ) in deceptive^(BA) words that are worthless.

⁹“‘Will you steal^(BB) and murder,^(BC) commit adultery^(BD) and perjury,^[a]^(BE) burn incense to Baal^(BF) and follow other gods^(BG) you have not known, ¹⁰and then come and stand^(BH) before me in this house,^(BI) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?^(BJ) ¹¹Has this house,^(BK) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers^(BL) to you? But I have been watching!^(BM) declares the Lord.

¹²“‘Go now to the place in Shiloh^(BN) where I first made a dwelling^(BO) for my Name,^(BP) and see what I did^(BQ) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. ¹³While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke^(BR) to you again and again,^(BS) but you did not listen;^(BT) I called^(BU) you, but you did not answer.^(BV) ¹⁴Therefore, what I did to Shiloh^(BW) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,^(BX) the temple^(BY) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. ¹⁵I will thrust you from my presence,^(BZ) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’^(CA)

¹⁶“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea^(CB) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen^(CC) to you. ¹⁷Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁸The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.^(CD) They pour out drink offerings^(CE) to other gods to arouse^(CF) my anger. ¹⁹But am I the one they are provoking?^(CG) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?^(CH)

²⁰“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign^(CI) Lord says: My anger^(CJ) and my wrath will be poured^(CK) out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.^(CL)

²¹“‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices^(CM) and eat^(CN) the meat yourselves! ²²For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands^(CO) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,^(CP) ²³but I gave them this command:^(CQ) Obey^(CR) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.^(CS) Walk in obedience to all^(CT) I command you, that it may go well^(CU) with you. ²⁴But they did not listen^(CV) or pay attention;^(CW) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.^(CX) They went backward^(CY) and not forward. ²⁵From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again^(CZ) I sent you my servants^(DA) the prophets.^(DB) ²⁶But they did not listen to me or pay attention.^(DC) They were stiff-necked^(DD) and did more evil than their ancestors.’^(DE)

²⁷“When you tell^(DF) them all this, they will not listen^(DG) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.^(DH) ²⁸Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.^(DI) Truth^(DJ) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

²⁹“‘Cut off^(DK) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament^(DL) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned^(DM) this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

³⁰“‘The people of Judah have done evil^(DN) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols^(DO) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled^(DP) it. ³¹They have built the high places of Topheth^(DQ) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom^(DR) to burn their sons and daughters^(DS) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.^(DT) ³²So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter,^(DU) for they will bury^(DV) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. ³³Then the carcasses^(DW) of this people will become food^(DX) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.^(DY) ³⁴I will bring an end to the sounds^(DZ) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom^(EA) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,^(EB) for the land will become desolate.^(EC)

8 “‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones^(ED) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed^(EE) from their graves. ²They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served^(EF) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.^(EG) They will not be gathered up or buried,^(EH) but will be like dung lying on the ground.^(EI) ³Wherever I banish them,^(EJ) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,^(EK) declares the Lord Almighty.’

Sin and Punishment

⁴“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?^(EL)
When someone turns away,^(EM) do they not return?
⁵Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;^(EN)
they refuse to return.^(EO)
⁶I have listened^(EP) attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent^(EQ) of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course^(ER)
like a horse charging into battle.
⁷Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know^(ES)
the requirements of the Lord.

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Colossians 2:8-23

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(A) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(B) rather than on Christ.

⁹For in Christ all the fullness^(C) of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head^(D) over every power and authority.^(E) ¹¹In him you were also circumcised^(F) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[b]^(G) was put off when you were circumcised by^[c] Christ, ¹²having been buried with him in baptism,^(H) in which you were also raised with him^(I) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.^(J)

¹³When you were dead in your sins^(K) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive^(L) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,^(M) ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,^(N) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.^(O) ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities,^(P) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them^(Q) by the cross.^[e]

Freedom From Human Rules

¹⁶Therefore do not let anyone judge you^(R) by what you eat or drink,^(S) or with regard to a religious festival,^(T) a New Moon celebration^(U) or a Sabbath day.^(V) ¹⁷These are a shadow of the things that were to come;^(W) the reality, however, is found in Christ. ¹⁸Do not let anyone who delights in false humility^(X) and the worship of angels disqualify you.^(Y) Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. ¹⁹They have lost connection with the head,^(Z) from whom the whole body,^(AA) supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.^(AB)

²⁰Since you died with Christ^(AC) to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,^(AD) why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:^(AE) ²¹“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? ²²These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish^(AF) with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.^(AG) ²³Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility^(AH) and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Footnotes:

Colossians 2:8 Or the basic principles; also in verse 20
Colossians 2:11 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13.
Colossians 2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of
Colossians 2:13 Some manuscripts us
Colossians 2:15 Or them in him

Cross references:

Colossians 2:8 : 1Ti 6:20
Colossians 2:8 : ver 20; Gal 4:3
Colossians 2:9 : S Jn 1:16
Colossians 2:10 : S Eph 1:22
Colossians 2:10 : S Mt 28:18
Colossians 2:11 : Ro 2:29; Php 3:3
Colossians 2:11 : S Gal 5:24
Colossians 2:12 : S Mt 28:19
Colossians 2:12 : S Ro 6:5
Colossians 2:12 : S Ac 2:24
Colossians 2:13 : Eph 2:1, 5
Colossians 2:13 : Eph 2:5
Colossians 2:13 : Eph 4:32
Colossians 2:14 : Eph 2:15
Colossians 2:14 : 1Pe 2:24
Colossians 2:15 : ver 10; Eph 6:12
Colossians 2:15 : Mt 12:29; Lk 10:18; Jn 12:31
Colossians 2:16 : Ro 14:3, 4
Colossians 2:16 : Mk 7:19; Ro 14:17
Colossians 2:16 : Lev 23:2; Ro 14:5
Colossians 2:16 : 1Ch 23:31
Colossians 2:16 : Mk 2:27, 28; Gal 4:10
Colossians 2:17 : Heb 8:5; 10:1
Colossians 2:18 : ver 23
Colossians 2:18 : 1Co 9:24; Php 3:14
Colossians 2:19 : S Eph 1:22
Colossians 2:19 : S 1Co 12:27
Colossians 2:19 : Eph 4:16
Colossians 2:20 : S Ro 6:6
Colossians 2:20 : ver 8; Gal 4:3, 9
Colossians 2:20 : ver 14, 16
Colossians 2:22 : 1Co 6:13
Colossians 2:22 : Isa 29:13; Mt 15:9; Tit 1:14
Colossians 2:23 : ver 18

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 78:1-31

Psalm 78

A maskil^[a] of Asaph.

¹My people, hear my teaching;^(A)
listen to the words of my mouth.
²I will open my mouth with a parable;^(B)
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
³things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.^(C)
⁴We will not hide them from their descendants;^(D)
we will tell the next generation^(E)
the praiseworthy deeds^(F) of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders^(G) he has done.
⁵He decreed statutes^(H) for Jacob^(I)
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
⁶so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,^(J)
and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget^(K) his deeds
but would keep his commands.^(L)
⁸They would not be like their ancestors^(M)—
a stubborn^(N) and rebellious^(O) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.

⁹The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,^(P)
turned back on the day of battle;^(Q)
¹⁰they did not keep God’s covenant^(R)
and refused to live by his law.^(S)
¹¹They forgot what he had done,^(T)
the wonders he had shown them.
¹²He did miracles^(U) in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt,^(V) in the region of Zoan.^(W)
¹³He divided the sea^(X) and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.^(Y)
¹⁴He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.^(Z)
¹⁵He split the rocks^(AA) in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
¹⁶he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.

¹⁷But they continued to sin^(AB) against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
¹⁸They willfully put God to the test^(AC)
by demanding the food they craved.^(AD)
¹⁹They spoke against God;^(AE)
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
²⁰True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,^(AF)
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat^(AG) for his people?”
²¹When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out^(AH) against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
²²for they did not believe in God
or trust^(AI) in his deliverance.
²³Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;^(AJ)
²⁴he rained down manna^(AK) for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
²⁵Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
²⁶He let loose the east wind^(AL) from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
²⁷He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds^(AM) like sand on the seashore.
²⁸He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
²⁹They ate till they were gorged—^(AN)
he had given them what they craved.
³⁰But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths,^(AO)
³¹God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest^(AP) among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.

Footnotes:

Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

Cross references:

Psalm 78:1 : Isa 51:4; 55:3
Psalm 78:2 : S Ps 49:4; S Mt 13:35*
Psalm 78:3 : S Jdg 6:13
Psalm 78:4 : S Dt 11:19
Psalm 78:4 : S Dt 32:7; S Ps 71:18
Psalm 78:4 : Ps 26:7; 71:17
Psalm 78:4 : S Job 5:9
Psalm 78:5 : Ps 19:7; 81:5
Psalm 78:5 : Ps 147:19
Psalm 78:6 : S Ps 22:31
Psalm 78:7 : S Dt 6:12
Psalm 78:7 : S Dt 5:29
Psalm 78:8 : S 2Ch 30:7
Psalm 78:8 : S Ex 32:9
Psalm 78:8 : S Ex 23:21; S Dt 21:18; Isa 30:9; 65:2
Psalm 78:9 : ver 57; 1Ch 12:2; Hos 7:16
Psalm 78:9 : S Jdg 20:39
Psalm 78:10 : S Jos 7:11; S 2Ki 17:15
Psalm 78:10 : S Ex 16:28; S Jer 11:8
Psalm 78:11 : Ps 106:13
Psalm 78:12 : S Ne 9:17; Ps 106:22
Psalm 78:12 : Ex 11:9
Psalm 78:12 : S Nu 13:22
Psalm 78:13 : S Ex 14:21; Ps 66:6; 136:13
Psalm 78:13 : S Ex 14:22; S 15:8
Psalm 78:14 : Ex 13:21; Ps 105:39
Psalm 78:15 : S Nu 20:11; 1Co 10:4
Psalm 78:17 : ver 32, 40; Dt 9:22; Isa 30:1; 63:10; Heb 3:16
Psalm 78:18 : S Ex 17:2; 1Co 10:9
Psalm 78:18 : S Ex 15:24; Nu 11:4
Psalm 78:19 : Nu 21:5
Psalm 78:20 : S Nu 20:11; S Isa 35:6
Psalm 78:20 : Nu 11:18
Psalm 78:21 : S Nu 11:1
Psalm 78:22 : S Dt 1:32; Heb 3:19
Psalm 78:23 : Ge 7:11; S 2Ki 7:2
Psalm 78:24 : Ex 16:4; Jn 6:31*
Psalm 78:26 : S Nu 11:31
Psalm 78:27 : S Ex 16:13; Nu 11:31
Psalm 78:29 : S Nu 11:20
Psalm 78:30 : S Nu 11:33
Psalm 78:31 : Isa 10:16

New International Version (NIV)

Proverbs 24:26

²⁶An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.

New International Version (NIV)

October 5, 2024

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday October 5, 2024 (NIV)

Jeremiah 4:19-6:15

¹⁹I said,^[a]

“Oh, the feeling in the pit of my stomach!^[b]
I writhe in anguish.
Oh, the pain in my heart!^[c]
My heart pounds within me.
I cannot keep silent.
For I hear the sound of the trumpet;^[d]
the sound of the battle cry pierces my soul!^[e]
²⁰I see^[f] one destruction after another taking place,
so that the whole land lies in ruins.
I see our^[g] tents suddenly destroyed,
their^[h] curtains torn down in a mere instant.^[i]
²¹How long must I see the enemy’s battle flags
and hear the military signals of their bugles?”^[j]

²²The Lord answered,^[k]

“This will happen^[l] because my people are foolish.
They do not know me.
They are like children who have no sense.^[m]
They have no understanding.
They are skilled at doing evil.
They do not know how to do good.”
²³I looked at the land and saw^[n] that it was an empty wasteland.^[o]

I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished.
²⁴I looked at the mountains and saw that they were shaking.
All the hills were swaying back and forth!
²⁵I looked and saw that there were no more people^[p]
and that all the birds in the sky had flown away.
²⁶I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desert
and that all the cities had been laid in ruins.
The Lord had brought this all about
because of his blazing anger.^[q]
²⁷All this will happen because the Lord said,^[r]
“The whole land will be desolate;
however, I will not completely destroy it.
²⁸Because of this the land will mourn
and the sky above will grow black.^[s]
For I have made my purpose known,^[t]
and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out.”^[u]
²⁹At the sound of the approaching horsemen and archers
the people of every town will flee.
Some of them will hide in the thickets.
Others will climb up among the rocks.
All the cities will be deserted.
No one will remain in them.
³⁰And you, Zion, city doomed to destruction,^[v]
you accomplish nothing^[w] by wearing a beautiful dress,^[x]
decking yourself out in jewels of gold,
and putting on eye shadow!^[y]
You are making yourself beautiful for nothing.
Your lovers spurn you.
They want to kill you.^[z]
³¹In fact,^[aa] I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor,
a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby.
It is the cry of Daughter Zion^[ab] gasping for breath,
reaching out for help,^[ac] saying, “I am done in!^[ad]
My life is ebbing away before these murderers!”

Judah is Justly Deserving of Coming Judgment

5 The Lord said,^[ae]

“Go up and down^[af] through the streets of Jerusalem.
Look around and see for yourselves.
Search through its public squares.
See if any of you can find a single person
who deals honestly and tries to be truthful.^[ag]
If you can,^[ah] then I will not punish this city.^[ai]
²These people make promises in the name of the Lord.^[aj]
But the fact is,^[ak] what they swear to is really a lie.”^[al]
³Lord, I know you look for faithfulness.^[am]
But even when you punish these people, they feel no remorse.^[an]
Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be corrected.
They have become as hardheaded as a rock.^[ao]
They refuse to change their ways.^[ap]
⁴I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way.^[aq]
They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands.^[ar]
They do not know what their God requires of them.^[as]
⁵I will go to the leaders^[at]
and speak with them.
Surely they know what the Lord demands.^[au]
Surely they know what their God requires of them.”^[av]
Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority
and refuse to submit to him.^[aw]
⁶So like a lion from the thicket their enemies will kill them.
Like a wolf from the rift valley they will destroy them.
Like a leopard they will lie in wait outside their cities
and totally destroy anyone who ventures out.^[ax]
For they have rebelled so much
and done so many unfaithful things.^[ay]

⁷The Lord asked,^[az]

“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem?^[ba]
Your people^[bb] have rejected me
and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all.^[bc]
Even though I supplied all their needs,^[bd] they were like an unfaithful wife to me.^[be]
They went flocking^[bf] to the houses of prostitutes.^[bg]
⁸They are like lusty, well-fed^[bh] stallions.
Each of them lusts after^[bi] his neighbor’s wife.
⁹I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!”^[bj]
¹⁰The Lord commanded the enemy,^[bk]
“March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah and ruin them.^[bl]
But do not destroy them completely.
Strip off their branches
for these people do not belong to the Lord.^[bm]
¹¹For the nations of Israel and Judah^[bn]
have been very unfaithful to me,”
says the Lord.
¹²“These people have denied what the Lord says.^[bo]
They have said, ‘That is not so!^[bp]
No harm will come to us.
We will not experience war and famine.^[bq]
¹³The prophets will prove to be full of wind.^[br]
The Lord has not spoken through them.^[bs]
So, let what they say happen to them.’”

¹⁴Because of that,^[bt] the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies^[bu] said to me:^[bv]

“Because these people have spoken^[bw] like this,^[bx]
I will make the words that I put in your mouth like fire.
And I will make this people like wood,
which the fiery judgments you speak will burn up.”^[by]
¹⁵The Lord says,^[bz] “Listen,^[ca] nation of Israel!^[cb]
I am about to bring a nation from far away to attack you.
It will be a nation that was founded long ago
and has lasted for a long time.
It will be a nation whose language you will not know.
Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.
¹⁶All its soldiers are strong and mighty.^[cc]
Their arrows will send you to your grave.^[cd]
¹⁷They will eat up your crops and your food.
They will kill off^[ce] your sons and your daughters.
They will eat up your sheep and your cattle.
They will destroy your vines and your fig trees.^[cf]
Their weapons will batter down^[cg]
the fortified cities you trust in.

¹⁸“Yet even then^[ch] I will not completely destroy you,” says the Lord. ¹⁹“So then, Jeremiah,^[ci] when your people^[cj] ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ tell them, ‘It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. So^[ck] you must serve foreigners^[cl] in a land that does not belong to you.’

²⁰“Proclaim^[cm] this message among the descendants of Jacob.^[cn]
Make it known throughout Judah.
²¹Tell them: ‘Hear this,
you foolish people who have no understanding,
who have eyes but do not discern,
who have ears but do not perceive:^[co]
²²‘You should fear me!’ says the Lord.
‘You should tremble in awe before me!^[cp]
I made the sand to be a boundary for the sea,
a permanent barrier that it can never cross.
Its waves may roll, but they can never prevail.
They may roar, but they can never cross beyond that boundary.’^[cq]
²³But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
They have turned aside and gone their own way.^[cr]
²⁴They do not say to themselves,^[cs]
‘Let us revere the Lord our God.
It is he who gives us the autumn rains and the spring rains at the proper time.
It is he who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.”^[ct]
²⁵Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming.^[cu]
Your sins have deprived you of my bounty.’^[cv]
²⁶Indeed, there are wicked scoundrels among my people.
They lie in wait like bird catchers hiding in ambush.^[cw]
They set deadly traps^[cx] to catch people.
²⁷Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught,^[cy]
their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit.^[cz]
That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful.^[da]
²⁸That is how^[db] they have grown fat and sleek.^[dc]
There is no limit to the evil things they do.^[dd]
They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.
They do not defend the rights of the poor.
²⁹I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!^[de]
³⁰Something horrible and shocking
is going on in the land of Judah:
³¹The prophets prophesy lies.
The priests exercise power by their own authority.^[df]
And my people love to have it this way.
But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes!^[dg]

The Destruction of Jerusalem Depicted

6 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin!
Get out of Jerusalem!^[dh]
Sound the trumpet^[di] in Tekoa!
Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem!
For disaster lurks^[dj] out of the north;
it will bring great destruction.^[dk]
²I will destroy^[dl] Daughter Zion,^[dm]
who is as delicate and defenseless as a young maiden.^[dn]
³Kings will attack her with their armies.^[do]
They will encamp in siege all around her.^[dp]
Each of them will devastate the portion assigned to him.^[dq]
⁴They will say,^[dr] ‘Prepare to do battle^[ds] against it!
Come on! Let’s attack it at noon!’
But later they will say,^[dt] ‘Woe to us!^[du]
For the day is almost over,
and the shadows of evening are getting long.
⁵So come on, let’s go ahead and attack it by night
and destroy all its fortified buildings.’
⁶All this is because^[dv] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies^[dw] has said:
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem
and build up a siege ramp against its walls.^[dx]
This is the city that is to be punished.^[dy]
Nothing but oppression happens in it.^[dz]
⁷As a well continually pours out fresh water
so it continually pours out wicked deeds.^[ea]
Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it.^[eb]
All I see are sick and wounded people.’^[ec]
⁸So^[ed] take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will abandon you in disgust^[ee]
and make you desolate,
a place where no one can live.”

⁹This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies^[ef] said to me:^[eg]

“Those who remain in Israel will be
like the grapes thoroughly gleaned^[eh] from a vine.
So go over them again, as though you were a grape harvester
passing your hand over the branches one last time.”^[ei]

¹⁰I answered,^[ej]

“Who would listen
if I spoke to them and warned them?^[ek]
Their ears are so closed^[el]
that they cannot hear!
Indeed,^[em] the Lord’s message is offensive to them.
They do not like it at all.^[en]
¹¹I am as full of anger as you are, Lord,^[eo]
I am tired of trying to hold it in.”

The Lord answered,^[ep]

“Vent it, then,^[eq] on the children who play in the street
and on the young men who are gathered together.
Husbands and wives are to be included,^[er]
as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.
¹²Their houses will be turned over to others
as will their fields and their wives.
For I will unleash my power^[es]
against those who live in this land,”
says the Lord.
¹³“That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike,
all of them practice deceit.
¹⁴They offer only superficial help
for the harm my people have suffered.^[et]
They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’
But everything is not all right!^[eu]
¹⁵Are they ashamed because they have done such shameful things?
No, they are not at all ashamed.
They do not even know how to blush!
So they will die, just like others have died.^[ev]
They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,”
says the Lord.

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 4:19 tn The words “I said” are not in the text. They are used to mark the shift from the Lord’s promise of judgment to Jeremiah’s lament concerning it.
Jeremiah 4:19 tn Heb “My bowels! My bowels!”
Jeremiah 4:19 tn Heb “the walls of my heart!”
Jeremiah 4:19 tn Heb “ram’s horn.” But the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
Jeremiah 4:19 tc The translation reflects a different division of the last two lines than that suggested by the Masoretes. The written text (the Kethib) reads “for the sound of the ram’s horn I have heard [or “you have heard,” if the form is understood as the old second feminine singular perfect] my soul” followed by “the battle cry” in the last line. The translation is based on taking “my soul” with the last line and understanding an elliptical expression “[to] my soul the battle cry.” Such an elliptical expression is in keeping with the elliptical nature of the exclamations at the beginning of the verse (cf. the literal translations of the first two lines of the verse in the notes on the words “stomach” and “heart”).
Jeremiah 4:20 tn The words “I see” are not in the text here or at the beginning of the third line. They are supplied in the translation to show that this is Jeremiah’s vision of what will happen as a result of the invasion announced in 4:5-9, 11-17a.
Jeremiah 4:20 tn Heb “my.” This is probably not a reference to Jeremiah’s own tents since he foresees the destruction of the whole land. Jeremiah so identifies with the plight of his people that he sees the destruction of their tents as though they were his very own. It would probably lead to confusion to translate literally, and it is not uncommon in Hebrew laments for the community or its representative to speak of the community as an “I.” See, for example, the interchange between first singular and first plural pronouns in Ps 44:4-8.
Jeremiah 4:20 tn Heb “my.”
Jeremiah 4:20 tn It is not altogether clear what Jeremiah intends by the use of this metaphor. In all likelihood he means that the defenses of Israel’s cities and towns have offered no more resistance than nomads’ tents. However, in light of the fact that the word “tent” came to be used generically for a person’s home (cf. 1 Kgs 8:66; 12:16), it is possible here that Jeremiah is referring to the destruction of their homes and the resultant feeling of homelessness and loss of even elementary protection. Given the lack of certainty, the present translation is rather literal here.
Jeremiah 4:21 tn Heb “the sound of ram’s horns.” But the modern equivalent is “bugles” and is more readily understandable.
Jeremiah 4:22 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show clearly the shift in speaker. Jeremiah has been speaking; now the Lord answers, giving the reason for the devastation Jeremiah foresees.
Jeremiah 4:22 tn Heb “For….” This gives the explanation for the destruction envisaged in 4:20 to which Jeremiah responds in 4:19, 21.
Jeremiah 4:22 tn Heb “They are senseless children.”
Jeremiah 4:23 tn Heb “I looked at the land and behold…” This indicates the visionary character of Jeremiah’s description of the future condition of the land of Israel.
Jeremiah 4:23 tn Heb “formless and empty.” This is a case of hendiadys (two nouns joined by “and” both describe the same thing): one noun retains its full nominal force; the other functions as an adjective. The words תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ (tohu vavohu) allude to Gen 1:2, hyperbolically picturing a reversal of creation and return to the original precreation chaos.
Jeremiah 4:25 tn Heb “there was no man/human being.”
Jeremiah 4:26 tn Heb “because of the Lord, because of his blazing anger.”
Jeremiah 4:27 tn Heb “For this is what the Lord said.”
Jeremiah 4:28 sn The earth and the heavens are personified here and depicted in the act of mourning and wearing black clothes because of the destruction of the land of Israel.
Jeremiah 4:28 tn Heb “has spoken and purposed.” This is an example of hendiadys where two verbs are joined by “and” but one is meant to serve as a modifier of the other.
Jeremiah 4:28 tn Heb “will not turn back from it.”
Jeremiah 4:30 tn Heb “And you that are doomed to destruction.” The referent is supplied from the following context and the fact that Zion/Jerusalem represents the leadership that was continually making overtures to foreign nations for help.
Jeremiah 4:30 tn Heb “What are you accomplishing…?” The rhetorical question assumes a negative answer, made clear by the translation in the indicative.
Jeremiah 4:30 tn Heb “clothing yourself in scarlet.”
Jeremiah 4:30 tn Heb “enlarging your eyes with antimony.” Antimony was a black powder used by women as eyeliner to make their eyes look larger.
Jeremiah 4:30 tn Heb “they seek your life.”
Jeremiah 4:31 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is more likely asseverative here than causal.
Jeremiah 4:31 sn Jerusalem is personified as a helpless young woman giving birth.
Jeremiah 4:31 tn Heb “spreading out her hands.” The idea of asking or pleading for help is implicit in the figure.
Jeremiah 4:31 tn Heb “Woe, now to me!” See the translator’s note on 4:13 for the usage of “Woe to…”
Jeremiah 5:1 tn These words are not in the text, but since the words at the end are obviously those of the Lord, they are supplied in the translation here to mark the shift in speaker from 4:29-31, where Jeremiah is the obvious speaker.
Jeremiah 5:1 tn It is not clear who is being addressed here. The verbs are plural so they are not addressed to Jeremiah per se. Since the passage is talking about the people of Jerusalem, it is unlikely they are addressed here except perhaps rhetorically. Some have suggested that the heavenly court is being addressed as in Job 1:6-8; 2:1-3. It is clear from Jer 23:18, 22; Amos 3:7 that the prophets had access to this heavenly council through visions (cf. 1 Kgs 22:19-23), so Jeremiah could have been privy to this speech through that means. Though these angels are the most likely addressees, it is too presumptuous to supply such an explicit addressee without clearer indication in the text.
Jeremiah 5:1 tn Heb “who does justice and seeks faithfulness.”
Jeremiah 5:1 tn Heb “squares. If you can find…if there is one person…then I will…”
Jeremiah 5:1 tn Heb “forgive [or pardon] it.”
Jeremiah 5:2 tn Heb “Though they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives.’” The idea of “swear on oath” comes from the second line.
Jeremiah 5:2 tc The translation follows many Hebrew mss and the Syriac version in reading “surely” (אָכֵן, ʾakhen) instead of “therefore” (לָכֵן, lakhen) in the MT. tn Heb “Surely.”
Jeremiah 5:2 tn Heb “they swear falsely.”
Jeremiah 5:3 tn Heb “O Lord, are your eyes not to faithfulness?” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
Jeremiah 5:3 tn Commentaries and lexicons debate the meaning of the verb here. The MT is pointed as though from a verb meaning “to writhe in anguish or contrition” (חוּל [khul]; see, e.g., BDB 297 s.v. חוּל 2.c), but some commentaries and lexicons repoint the text as though from a verb meaning “to be sick,” thus “to feel pain” (חָלָה [khalah]; see, e.g., HALOT 304 s.v. חָלָה 3). The former appears more appropriate to the context.
Jeremiah 5:3 tn Heb “They made their faces as hard as a rock.”
Jeremiah 5:3 tn Or “to repent”; Heb “to turn back.”
Jeremiah 5:4 tn Heb “Surely they are poor.” The translation is intended to make clear the explicit contrasts and qualifications drawn in this verse and the next.
Jeremiah 5:4 tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 5:4 tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”
Jeremiah 5:5 tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”
Jeremiah 5:5 tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 5:5 tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”
Jeremiah 5:5 tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Cf. Jer 2:20 and the note there.
Jeremiah 5:6 tn Heb “So a lion from the thicket will kill them. A wolf from the desert will destroy them. A leopard will watch outside their cities. Anyone who goes out from them will be torn in pieces.” However, it is unlikely that, in the context of judgment that Jeremiah has previously been describing, literal lions are meant. The animals are metaphorical for their enemies. Cf. Jer 4:7.
Jeremiah 5:6 tn Heb “their rebellions are so many, and their unfaithful acts so numerous.”
Jeremiah 5:7 tn These words are not in the text, but are supplied in the translation to make clear who is speaking.
Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “How can I forgive [or pardon] you?” The pronoun “you” is second feminine singular, referring to the city. See v. 1.
Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “your children.”
Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “and they have sworn [oaths] by not-gods.”
Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “I satisfied them to the full.”
Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “they committed adultery.” It is difficult to decide whether literal adultery with other women or spiritual adultery with other gods is meant. The word for adultery is used for both in the book of Jeremiah. For examples of its use for spiritual adultery see 3:8, 9; 9:2. For examples of its use for literal adultery see 7:9; 23:14. The context here could argue for either. The swearing by other gods and the implicit contradiction in their actions in contrast to the expected gratitude for supplying their needs argues for spiritual adultery. However, the reference to prostitution in the next line and the reference to chasing after their neighbor’s wives argues for literal adultery. The translation opts for spiritual adultery because of the contrast implicit in the concessive clause.
Jeremiah 5:7 tn There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of this word. Most of the modern English versions follow the lead of lexicographers who relate this word to a noun meaning “troop” and understand it to mean “they trooped together” (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.2 and compare the usage in Mic 5:1 [4:14 HT]). A few of the modern English versions and commentaries follow the reading of the Greek and read a word meaning “they lodged” (reading יִתְגּוֹרְרוּ [yitgor^eru] from I גּוּר [gur; cf. HALOT 177 s.v. Hithpo. and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 17:20] instead of יִתְגֹּדָדוּ [yitgodadu]). W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:180) sees a reference here to the cultic practice of cutting oneself in supplication to pagan gods (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.1 and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 18:28). The houses of prostitutes would then be a reference to ritual prostitutes at the pagan shrines. The translation follows BDB and the majority of modern English versions.
Jeremiah 5:7 tn Heb “to a house of a prostitute.”sn This could be a reference to cultic temple prostitution connected with the pagan shrines. For allusion to this in the OT, see, e.g., Deut 23:17 and 2 Kgs 23:7.
Jeremiah 5:8 tn The meanings of these two adjectives are uncertain. The translation of the first adjective is based on assuming that the word is a defectively written participle related to the noun “testicle” (a Hiphil participle מַאֲשִׁכִים [maʾashikhim] from a verb related to אֶשֶׁךְ [ʾeshekh, “testicle”]; cf. Lev 21:20) and hence “having testicles” (cf. HALOT 1379 s.v. שָׁכָה) instead of the Masoretic form מַשְׁכִּים (mashkim) from a root שָׁכָה (shakhah), which is otherwise unattested in either verbal or nominal forms. The second adjective is best derived from a verb root meaning “to feed” (a Hophal participle מוּזָנִים [muzanim, the Kethib] from a root זוּן [zun; cf. BDB 266 s.v. זוּן] for which there is the cognate noun מָזוֹן [mazon; cf. 2 Chr 11:23]). This is more likely than the derivation from a root יָזַן ([yazan]reading מְיֻזָּנִים [m^eyuzzanim], a Pual participle with the Qere) which is otherwise unattested in verbal or nominal forms and whose meaning is dependent only on a supposed Arabic cognate (cf. HALOT 387 s.v. יָזַן).
Jeremiah 5:8 tn Heb “neighs after.”
Jeremiah 5:9 tn Heb “Should I not punish them…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions have the force of strong declarations.
Jeremiah 5:10 tn These words to not appear in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for the sake of clarity to identify the implied addressee.
Jeremiah 5:10 tn Heb “through her vine rows and destroy.” No object is given but “vines” must be implicit. The word for “vineyards” (or “vine rows”) is a hapax legomenon and its derivation is debated. BDB 1004 s.v. שּׁוּרָה repoints שָׁרוֹתֶיהָ (sharoteha) to שֻׁרוֹתֶיהָ (shuroteha) and relates it to a Mishnaic Hebrew and Palestinian Aramaic word meaning “row.” HALOT 1348 s.v. שּׁוּרָה also repoints to שֻׁרוֹתֶיהָ and relates it to a noun meaning “wall,” preferring to see the reference here to the walled terraces on which the vineyards were planted. The difference in meaning is minimal.
Jeremiah 5:10 tn Heb “for they do not belong to the Lord.” In the light of the context and Jeremiah’s identification of Israel as a vine (cf., e.g., 2:21) and a vineyard (cf., e.g., 12:10), it is likely that this verse has a totally metaphorical significance. The enemy is to go through the vineyard that is Israel and Judah and destroy all those who have been unfaithful to the Lord. It is not impossible, however, that the verse has a double meaning, a literal one and a figurative one: the enemy is not only to destroy Israel and Judah’s vines but to destroy Israel and Judah, lopping off the wicked Israelites who, because of their covenant unfaithfulness, the Lord has disowned. If the verse is totally metaphorical one might translate, “Pass through my vineyard, Israel and Judah, wreaking destruction. But do not destroy all of the people. Cut down like branches those unfaithful people because they no longer belong to the Lord.”
Jeremiah 5:11 tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
Jeremiah 5:12 tn Heb “have denied the Lord.” The words “What…says” are implicit in what follows.
Jeremiah 5:12 tn Or “he will do nothing”; Heb “Not he [or it]!”
Jeremiah 5:12 tn Heb “we will not see the sword and famine.”
Jeremiah 5:13 tn Heb “will be wind.”sn There is a wordplay on the Hebrew word translated “wind” (רוּחַ, ruakh) which also means “spirit.” The prophets spoke by inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord (cf., e.g., 2 Chr 20:14); hence the prophet was sometimes called “the man of the spirit” (cf. Hos 9:7). The people were claiming that the prophets were speaking lies and hence were full of wind, not the Spirit.
Jeremiah 5:13 tc Heb “the word is not in them.” The MT has a highly unusual form here, the Piel perfect with the definite article (הַדִּבֵּר, haddibber). It is undoubtedly best to read with the LXX (Greek version) and one Hebrew ms the article on the noun (הַדָּבָר, haddavar).
Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “Therefore.”
Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “The Lord God of Armies.” See the translator’s note at 2:19.sn Here the emphasis appears to be on the fact that the Lord is in charge of the enemy armies whom he will use to punish Israel for their denial of his prior warnings through the prophets.
Jeremiah 5:14 tn The words, “to me” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “you have spoken.” The text here דַּבֶּרְכֶם (dabber^ekhem, “you have spoken”) is either a case of a scribal error for דַּבֶּרָם (dabberam, “their speaking”; preceding יַעַן [ya‘an] would function as a preposition meaning “because of”) or an example of the rapid shift in addressee which is common in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “this word.”
Jeremiah 5:14 tn Heb “like wood and it [i.e., the fire I put in your mouth] will consume them.”
Jeremiah 5:15 tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 5:15 tn Heb “Behold!”
Jeremiah 5:15 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
Jeremiah 5:16 tn Heb “All of them are mighty warriors.”
Jeremiah 5:16 tn Heb “his quiver [is] an open grave.” The order of the lines has been reversed to make the transition from “nation” to “their arrows” easier.
Jeremiah 5:17 tn Heb “eat up.”
Jeremiah 5:17 tn Or “eat up your grapes and figs”; Heb “eat up your vines and your fig trees.”sn It was typical for an army in time of war in the ancient Near East not only to eat up the crops but to destroy the means of further production.
Jeremiah 5:17 tn Heb “They will beat down with the sword.” The term “sword” is a figure of speech (synecdoche) for military weapons in general. Siege ramps, not swords, beat down city walls; swords kill people, not city walls.
Jeremiah 5:18 tn Heb “in those days.”
Jeremiah 5:19 tn The word, “Jeremiah,” is not in the text but the second person address in the second half of the verse is obviously to him. The word is supplied in the translation here for clarity.
Jeremiah 5:19 tn The MT reads the second masculine plural; this is probably a case of attraction to the second masculine plural pronoun in the preceding line. An alternative would be to understand a shift from speaking first to the people in the first half of the verse and then speaking to Jeremiah in the second half, where the verb is second masculine singular (e.g., “When you [people] say, “Why…?” then you, Jeremiah, tell them…”).
Jeremiah 5:19 tn Heb “As you left me and…, so you will….” The translation was chosen so as to break up a rather long and complex sentence.
Jeremiah 5:19 sn This is probably a case of deliberate ambiguity (double entendre). The adjective “foreigners” is used for both foreign people (so Jer 30:8; 51:51) and foreign gods (so Jer 2:25; 3:13). See also Jer 16:13 for the idea of having to serve other gods in the lands of exile.
Jeremiah 5:20 sn The verbs are second plural here. Jeremiah, speaking for the Lord, addresses his people, calling on them to make the message further known.
Jeremiah 5:20 tn Heb “in the house of Jacob.”
Jeremiah 5:21 tn Heb “they have eyes but they do not see; they have ears but they do not hear.”
Jeremiah 5:22 tn Heb “Should you not fear me? Should you not tremble in awe before me?” The rhetorical questions expect the answer explicit in the translation.
Jeremiah 5:22 tn Heb “it.” The referent is made explicit to avoid any possible confusion.
Jeremiah 5:23 tn The words, “their own way” are not in the text but are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Jeremiah 5:24 tn Heb “say in their hearts.”
Jeremiah 5:24 tn Heb “who keeps for us the weeks appointed for harvest.
Jeremiah 5:25 tn Heb “have turned these things away.”
Jeremiah 5:25 tn Heb “have withheld the good from you.”
Jeremiah 5:26 tn The meaning of the last three words is uncertain. The pointing and meaning of the Hebrew word rendered “hiding in ambush” is debated. BDB relates the form (כְּשַׁךְ, k^eshakh) to a root שָׁכַךְ (shakhakh), which elsewhere means “decrease, abate” (cf. BDB 1013 s.v. שָׁכַךְ). BDB notes that this is usually understood here as “like the crouching of fowlers,” but they say this meaning is dubious. HALOT 1345 s.v. I שׁוֹר questions the validity of the text and offers three proposals; the second appears to create the least textual modification, i.e., reading כְּשַׂךְ (k^esakh, “as in the hiding place of (bird catchers).” For the word שַׂךְ (sakh) see HALOT 1236 s.v. שׂךְ 4 and compare Lam 2:6 for usage. The versions do not help. The Greek does not translate the first two words of the line. The proposal given in HALOT is accepted with some hesitancy.
Jeremiah 5:26 tn Heb “a destroying thing.”
Jeremiah 5:27 tn The words, “that have been caught” are not in the text but are implicit in the comparison.
Jeremiah 5:27 tn Heb “are filled with deceit.” The translation assumes a figure of speech of cause for effect (metonymy). Compare the same word in the same figure in Zeph 1:9.
Jeremiah 5:27 tn Heb “therefore they have gotten great and rich.”
Jeremiah 5:28 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.
Jeremiah 5:28 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.
Jeremiah 5:28 tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”sn There is a wordplay in the use of this verb, which has twice been applied in v. 22 to the sea not crossing the boundary set for it by God.
Jeremiah 5:29 tn Heb “Should I not punish…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions function as emphatic declarations.sn These words are repeated from 5:9 to give a kind of refrain justifying again the necessity of punishment in the light of such sins.
Jeremiah 5:31 tn Heb “they shall rule at their hands.” Since the word “hand” can be used figuratively for authority or mean “side,” and the pronoun “them” can refer to the priests themselves or the prophets, the following translations have also been suggested: “the priests rule under their [the prophets’] directions,” or “the priests rule in league with them [the prophets].” From the rest of the book it would appear that the prophets did not exercise authority over the priests, nor did they exercise the same authority over the people that the priests did. Hence it probably means “by their own hand/power/authority.”
Jeremiah 5:31 tn Heb “But what will you do at its end?” The rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “Nothing!”
Jeremiah 6:1 tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”sn Compare and contrast Jer 4:6. There people in the outlying areas were warned to seek safety in the fortified city of Jerusalem. Here they are told to flee it because it was about to be destroyed.
Jeremiah 6:1 tn Heb “ram’s horn.” But the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
Jeremiah 6:1 tn Heb “leans down” or “looks down.” This verb personifies destruction leaning/looking down from its window in the sky, ready to attack.
Jeremiah 6:1 tn Heb “[It will be] a severe fracture.” The nation is pictured as a limb being fractured.sn This passage is emotionally charged. There are two examples of assonance or wordplay in the verse. “Sound” and “Tekoa” are built on the same root: תָּקַע (taqaʿ, “blow”). “Light” and “signal fire,” also come from the same root: נָשָׂא (nasaʾ, “lift up”). Also disaster is personified when it is said to “lurk” (Heb “look down on”) out of the north. This gives a sense of urgency and concern for the coming destruction.
Jeremiah 6:2 tn The verb here is another example of the Hebrew verb form that indicates the action is as good as done (a Hebrew prophetic perfect).
Jeremiah 6:2 sn Jerusalem is personified as a young maiden who is helpless in the hands of her enemies.
Jeremiah 6:2 tn Heb “The beautiful and delicate one I will destroy, the daughter of Zion.” The English versions and commentaries are divided over the rendering of this verse because (1) there are two verbs with these same consonants, one meaning “to be like” and the other meaning “to be destroyed” (intransitive) or “to destroy” (transitive), and (2) the word rendered “beautiful” (נָוָה, navah) can be understood as a noun meaning “pasture” or as a defective writing of an adjective meaning “beautiful, comely” (נָאוָה, naʾvah). Hence some render, “Fair Zion, you are like a lovely pasture,” reading the verb form as an example of the old second feminine singular perfect. Although this may fit the imagery of the next verse, that rendering ignores the absence of a preposition (לְ or אֶל, l^e or ʾel, both of which can be translated “to”) that normally goes with the verb “be like,” and it drops the conjunction in front of the adjective “delicate.” The parallel usage of the verb in Hos 4:5 argues for the meaning “destroy.”
Jeremiah 6:3 tn Heb “Shepherds and their flocks will attack it.” Rulers are often depicted as shepherds; see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 1.d(2) (cf. Jer 12:10). The translation of this verse attempts to clarify the point of this extended metaphor.
Jeremiah 6:3 tn Heb “They will thrust [= pitch] tents around it.” The shepherd imagery has a surprisingly ominous tone. The beautiful pasture filled with shepherds grazing their sheep is in reality a city under siege from an attacking enemy.
Jeremiah 6:3 tn Heb “They will graze each one his portion.” For the use of the verb “graze” to mean “strip” or “devastate” see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 2.c. For a similar use of the word normally meaning “hand” to mean portion, compare 2 Sam 19:43 (19:44 HT).sn There is another wordplay involving the root תָּקַע (taqaʿ). Here it is the verb for pitching tents, while in v. 1 it was used for sounding the trumpet. It is the root for the place name “Tekoa.”
Jeremiah 6:4 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Jeremiah 6:4 tn Heb “Sanctify war.” This is probably an idiom from early Israel’s holy wars in which religious rites were to precede the battle.
Jeremiah 6:4 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some commentaries and English versions see these not as the words of the enemy but as those of the Israelites expressing their fear that the enemy will launch a night attack against them and further destroy them. The connection with the next verse, however, fits better with them if they are the words of the enemy.
Jeremiah 6:4 tn For the usage of this phrase see the translator’s note on 4:13. The usage of this particle here is a little exaggerated. They have lost the most advantageous time for attack but they are scarcely in a hopeless or doomed situation. The equivalent in English slang is “Bad news!”
Jeremiah 6:6 tn Heb “For.” The translation attempts to make the connection clearer.
Jeremiah 6:6 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
Jeremiah 6:6 tn Heb “Cut down its trees and build up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.” The referent has been moved forward from the second line for clarity.
Jeremiah 6:6 tn Or “has been appointed.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The LXX reads, “Woe, city of falsehood!” The MT presents a masculine singular verb with a feminine singular subject. The verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Hophal verbal stem elsewhere means “to be appointed, designated.” It is used of officials who have been appointed to tasks or of leaving something deposited with someone. Hence many follow the Greek, which presupposes הוֹי עִיר הַשֶּׁקֶר (hoy ʿir hasheqer) instead of הִיא הָעִיר הָפְקַד (hiʾ haʿir hofqad). The Greek is the easier reading in light of the parallelism, and it would be hard to explain how the MT arose from it. KBL suggests reading a noun meaning “licentiousness” that occurs elsewhere only in Mishnaic Hebrew, hence “this is the city, the licentious one” (attributive apposition; cf. KBL 775 s.v. פֶּקֶר). Perhaps the Hophal perfect (הָפְקַד, hofqad) should be revocalized as a Niphal infinitive absolute (הִפָּקֹד, hippaqod), which would solve both anomalies in the MT since the Niphal is used in this nuance and the infinitive absolute can function in place of a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ee and ff). This change, however, is mere speculation and is supported by no Hebrew ms.
Jeremiah 6:6 tn Heb “All of it oppression in its midst.”
Jeremiah 6:7 tc Heb “As a well makes cool/fresh its water, she makes cool/fresh her wickedness.” The translation follows the reading proposed by the Masoretes (Qere) which reads a rare form of the word “well” (בַּיִר [bayir] for בְּאֵר [b^eʾer]) in place of the form written in the text (Kethib, בּוֹר [bor]), which means “cistern.” The latter noun is masculine and the pronoun “its” is feminine. If indeed בַּיִר (bayir) is a byform of בְּאֵר (b^eʾer), which is feminine, it would agree in gender with the pronoun. It also forms a more appropriate comparison since cisterns do not hold fresh water.
Jeremiah 6:7 tn Heb “Violence and destruction are heard in it.”
Jeremiah 6:7 tn Heb “Sickness and wound are continually before my face.”
Jeremiah 6:8 tn This word is not in the text but is supplied in the translation. Jeremiah uses a figure of speech (enallage) where the speaker turns from talking about someone to address him/her directly.
Jeremiah 6:8 tn Heb “lest my soul [= I] becomes disgusted with you.”sn The wordplay begun with “sound…in Tekoa” in v. 1 and continued with “encamp” (they will pitch [their tents]) in v. 3 is concluded here with “turn away in disgust” (תֵּקַע [teqaʿ]), which uses the same consonants although built now on the root יָקַע (yaqaʿ).
Jeremiah 6:9 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.”sn For an explanation of the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
Jeremiah 6:9 tn The words “to me” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Jeremiah 6:9 tn Heb “They will thoroughly glean those who are left in Israel like a vine.” That is, they will be carried off by judgment. It is not necessary to read the verb forms here the way some English versions and commentaries do: as two imperatives, or as an infinitive absolute followed by an imperative. “Glean” is an example of a third plural verb used impersonally and translated as a passive (cf. GKC 460 §144.g).
Jeremiah 6:9 tn Heb “Pass your hand back over the branches like a grape harvester.” The translation is intended to clarify the metaphor that Jeremiah should try to rescue some from the coming destruction.
Jeremiah 6:10 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Jeremiah 6:10 tn Heb “To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may listen?”
Jeremiah 6:10 tn Heb “are uncircumcised.”
Jeremiah 6:10 tn Heb “Behold!”
Jeremiah 6:10 tn Heb “They do not take pleasure in it.”
Jeremiah 6:11 tn Heb “I am full of the wrath of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 6:11 tn These words are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Jeremiah 6:11 tn Heb “Pour it out.”
Jeremiah 6:11 tn Heb “are to be captured.”
Jeremiah 6:12 tn Heb “I will reach out my hand.” This figure involves both comparing God to a person (anthropomorphism) and substituting the hand for its actions or exertions (metonymy). A common use of “hand” is for the exertion of power or strength (cf. BDB 290 s.v. יָד 2 and 289-90 s.v. יָד 1.e(2); cf. Deut 34:12; Ps 78:42; Jer 16:21).
Jeremiah 6:14 tn Heb “They heal [= bandage] the wound of my people lightly”; TEV “They act as if my people’s wounds were only scratches.”
Jeremiah 6:14 tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”
Jeremiah 6:15 tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”

New English Translation (NET)

Colossians 1:18-2:7

¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn^[a] from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.^[b]
¹⁹For God^[c] was pleased to have all his^[d] fullness dwell^[e] in the Son^[f]
²⁰and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him,^[g] whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

²¹And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your^[h] minds^[i] as expressed through^[j] your evil deeds, ²²but now he has reconciled you^[k] by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him— ²³if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm,^[l] without shifting^[m] from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body—for the sake of his body, the church—what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. ²⁵I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship^[n] from God—given to me for you—in order to complete^[o] the word of God, ²⁶that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. ²⁷God wanted to make known to them the glorious^[p] riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸We proclaim him by instructing^[q] and teaching^[r] all people^[s] with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature^[t] in Christ. ²⁹Toward this goal^[u] I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully^[v] works in me.

2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you,^[w] and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face.^[x] ²My goal is that^[y] their hearts, having been knit together^[z] in love, may be encouraged, and that^[aa] they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ,^[ab] ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments^[ac] that sound reasonable.^[ad] ⁵For though^[ae] I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see^[af] your morale^[ag] and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Warnings Against the Adoption of False Philosophies

⁶Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,^[ah] continue to live your lives^[ai] in him, ⁷rooted^[aj] and built up in him and firm^[ak] in your^[al] faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Footnotes:

Colossians 1:18 tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.
Colossians 1:18 tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”
Colossians 1:19 tn The noun “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the similar phrase “all the fullness of deity” in 2:9 lends credence to God as the subject of εὐδόκησεν (eudokēsen).
Colossians 1:19 tn The Greek article τό (to), insofar as it relates to God, may be translated as a possessive pronoun, i.e., “his.” BDAG 404 s.v. εὐδοκέω 1 translates the phrase as “all the fullness willed to dwell in him” thus leaving the referent as impersonal. Insofar as Paul is alluding to the so-called emanations from God this is acceptable. But the fact that “the fullness” dwells in a person (i.e., “in him”) seems to argue for the translation “his fullness” where “his” refers to God.
Colossians 1:19 tn The aorist verb κατοικῆσαι (katoikēsai) could be taken as an ingressive, in which case it refers to the incarnation and may be translated as “begin to dwell, to take up residence.” It is perhaps better, though, to take it as a constative aorist and simply a reference to the fact that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus Christ. This is a permanent dwelling, though, not a temporary one, as the present tense in 2:9 makes clear.
Colossians 1:19 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the Son; see v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Colossians 1:20 tc The presence or absence of the second occurrence of the phrase δι᾿ αὐτοῦ (di’ autou, “through him”) is a difficult textual problem to solve. External evidence is fairly evenly divided. Many ancient and excellent witnesses lack the phrase (B D* F G I 0278 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 al latt sa), but equally significant witnesses have it (P⁴⁶ א A C D¹ Ψ 048^vid 33 M al sy bo). Both readings have strong Alexandrian support, which makes the problem difficult to decide on external evidence alone. The phrase, however, has stronger evidence geographically. Internal evidence points to the inclusion of the phrase as autographic. The word immediately preceding the phrase is the masculine pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou); thus the possibility of omission through homoioteleuton in various witnesses is likely. Scribes might have deleted the phrase because of perceived redundancy or awkwardness in the sense: The shorter reading is smoother and more elegant, so scribes would be prone to correct the text in that direction. As far as style is concerned, repetition of key words and phrases for emphasis is not foreign to the corpus Paulinum (see, e.g., Rom 8:23, Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 12:7). In sum, it is easier to account for the shorter reading arising from the longer reading than vice versa, so the longer reading is more likely original, though a decision is not easy. The NA²⁸ prints the prepositional phrase in brackets indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
Colossians 1:21 tn The article τῇ (tē) has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
Colossians 1:21 tn Although διανοία (dianoia) is singular in Greek, the previous plural noun ἐχθρούς (echthrous) indicates that all those from Colossae are in view here.
Colossians 1:21 tn The dative ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς (en tois ergois tois ponērois) is taken as means, indicating the avenue through which hostility in the mind is revealed and made known.
Colossians 1:22 tc Some of the better representatives of the Alexandrian and Western groups have a passive verb here instead of the active ἀποκατήλλαξεν (apokatēllaxen, “he has reconciled”): ἀποκατηλλάγητε (apokatēllagēte) in P⁴⁶ B, ἀποκατήλλακται [sic] (apokatēllaktai) in 33, and ἀποκαταλλαγέντες (apokatallagentes) in D* F G. Yet the active verb is strongly supported by א A C D² Ψ 048 075 0278 1175 1505 1739 1881 2464 M al lat sy. Internally, the passive creates an anacoluthon in that it looks back to the accusative ὑμᾶς (humas, “you”) of v. 21 and leaves the following παραστῆσαι (parastēsai) dangling (“you were reconciled…to present you”). The passive reading is certainly the harder reading. As such, it may well explain the rise of the others. At the same time, it is possible that the passive was produced by scribes who wanted some symmetry between the ποτε (pote, “at one time”) of v. 21 and the νυνὶ δέ (nuni de, “but now”) of v. 22: Since a passive periphrastic participle is used in v. 21, there may have been a temptation to produce a corresponding passive form in v. 22, so that the ὑμᾶς of v. 21 functioned as subject by way of constructio ad sensum. Since παραστῆσαι occurs ten words later, it may not have been considered in this scribal modification. Further, the Western reading (ἀποκαταλλαγέντες) hardly seems to have arisen from ἀποκατηλλάγητε (contra TCGNT 555). As difficult as this decision is, the preferred reading is the active form because it is superior externally and seems to explain the rise of all forms of the passive readings.tn The direct object is omitted in the Greek text, but it is clear from context that “you” (ὑμᾶς, humas) is implied.
Colossians 1:23 tn BDAG 276 s.v. ἑδραῖος suggests “firm, steadfast.”
Colossians 1:23 tn BDAG 639 s.v. μετακινέω suggests “without shifting from the hope” here.
Colossians 1:25 tn BDAG 697 s.v. οἰκονομία 1.b renders the term here as “divine office.”
Colossians 1:25 tn See BDAG 828 s.v. πληρόω 3. The idea here seems to be that the apostle wants to “complete the word of God” in that he wants to preach it to every person in the known world (cf. Rom 15:19). See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 82.
Colossians 1:27 tn The genitive noun τῆς δόξης (tēs doxēs) is an attributive genitive and has therefore been translated as “glorious riches.”
Colossians 1:28 tn Or “admonishing,” or “warning.” BDAG 679 s.v. νουθετέω states, “to counsel about avoidance or cessation of an improper course of conduct, admonish, warn, instruct.” After the participle νουθετοῦντες (nouthetountes, “instructing”) the words πάντα ἄνθρωπον (panta anthrōpon, “all men”) occur in the Greek text, but since the same phrase appears again after διδάσκοντες (didaskontes) it was omitted in translation to avoid redundancy in English.
Colossians 1:28 tn The two participles “instructing” (νουθετοῦντες, nouthetountes) and “teaching” (διδάσκοντες, didaskontes) are translated as participles of means (“by”) related to the finite verb “we proclaim” (καταγγέλλομεν, katangellomen).
Colossians 1:28 tn Here ἄνθρωπον (anthrōpon) is twice translated as a generic (“people” and “person”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.
Colossians 1:28 tn Since Paul’s focus is on the present experience of the Colossians, “mature” is a better translation of τέλειον (teleion) than “perfect,” since the latter implies a future, eschatological focus.
Colossians 1:29 tn The Greek phrase εἴς ὅ (eis ho, “toward which”) implies “movement toward a goal” and has been rendered by the English phrase “Toward this goal.”
Colossians 1:29 tn The prepositional phrase ἐν δυνάμει (en dunamei) seems to be functioning adverbially, related to the participle, and has therefore been translated “powerfully.”
Colossians 2:1 tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”
Colossians 2:1 tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”
Colossians 2:2 tn Verse two begins a subordinate ἵνα (hina) clause which was divided up into two sentences for the sake of clarity in English. Thus the phrase “My goal is that” is an attempt to reflect in the translation the purpose expressed through the ἵνα clauses.
Colossians 2:2 tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβιβάζω 1.b reads “unite, knit together.” Some commentators take the verb as a reference to instruction, “instructed in love.” See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 93.
Colossians 2:2 tn The phrase “and that” translates the first εἰς (eis) clause of v. 2 and reflects the second goal of Paul’s striving and struggle for the Colossians—the first is “encouragement” and the second is “full assurance.”
Colossians 2:2 tc There are at least a dozen variants here, almost surely generated by the unusual wording τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ (tou theou, Christou, “of God, [namely,] Christ”; so P⁴⁶ B Hil). Scribes would be prone to conform this to more common Pauline expressions such as “of God, who is in Christ” (33), “of God, the Father of Christ” (א* A C 048^vid 1175 bo), and “of the God and Father of Christ” (א² Ψ 365 945 1505). Several witnesses, especially later Byzantines, read “of the God and Father, and of Christ” (D² K L 075 [0208 0278] M). Even though the external support for the wording τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ is hardly overwhelming, it clearly best explains the rise of the other readings and should thus be regarded as authentic.
Colossians 2:4 tn BDAG 812 s.v. πιθανολογία states, “persuasive speech, art of persuasion (so Pla., Theaet. 162e) in an unfavorable sense in its only occurrence in our lit. ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ by specious arguments Col 2:4 (cp. PLips 40 III, 7 διὰ πιθανολογίας).”
Colossians 2:4 sn Paul’s point is that even though the arguments seem to make sense (sound reasonable), they are in the end false. Paul is not here arguing against the study of philosophy or serious thinking per se, but is arguing against the uncritical adoption of a philosophy that is at odds with a proper view of Christ and the ethics of the Christian life.
Colossians 2:5 tn The conditional particle εἰ (ei) together with καί (kai) here indicates a first class condition in Greek and carries a concessive force, especially when seen in contrast to the following phrase which begins with ἀλλά (alla).
Colossians 2:5 tn Grk “rejoicing and seeing.”
Colossians 2:5 tn The Greek word τάξις can mean “order,” “discipline,” or even “unbroken ranks” (REB).
Colossians 2:6 tn Though the verb παρελάβετε (parelabete) does not often take a double accusative, here it seems to do so. Both τὸν Χριστὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν (ton Christon Iēsoun) and τὸν κύριον (ton kurion) are equally definite insofar as they both have an article, but both the word order and the use of “Christ Jesus” as a proper name suggest that it is the object (cf. Rom 10:9, 10). Thus Paul is affirming that the tradition that was delivered to the Colossians by Epaphras was Christ-centered and focused on him as Lord.
Colossians 2:6 tn The present imperative περιπατεῖτε (peripateite) implies, in this context, a continuation of something already begun. This is evidenced by the fact that Paul has already referred to their faith as “orderly” and “firm” (2:5), despite the struggles of some of them with this deceptive heresy (cf. 2:16-23). The verb is used literally to refer to a person “walking” and is thus used metaphorically (i.e., ethically) to refer to the way a person lives his or her life.
Colossians 2:7 tn Or “having been rooted.”
Colossians 2:7 sn The three participles rooted, built up, and firm belong together and reflect three different metaphors. The first participle “rooted” (perfect tense) indicates a settled condition on the part of the Colossian believers and refers to horticulture. The second participle “built up” (present passive) comes from the world of architecture. The third participle “firm [established]” (present passive) comes from the law courts. With these three metaphors (as well as the following comment on thankfulness) Paul explains what he means when he commands them to continue to live their lives in Christ. The use of the passive probably reflects God’s activity among them. It was he who had rooted them, had been building them up, and had established them in the faith (cf. 1 Cor 3:5-15 for the use of mixed metaphors).
Colossians 2:7 tn Or “the.” The Greek text has the article τῇ (tē), not the possessive pronoun ὑμῶν (humōn), but the article often functions as a possessive pronoun and was translated as such here (ExSyn 215).

New English Translation (NET)

Psalm 77

Psalm 77^[a]

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.

77 I will cry out to God^[b] and call for help.
I will cry out to God and he will pay attention^[c] to me.
²In my time of trouble I sought^[d] the Lord.
I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night.^[e]
I^[f] refused to be comforted.
³I said, “I will remember God while I groan;
I will think about him while my strength leaves me.”^[g] (Selah)
⁴You held my eyelids open;^[h]
I was troubled and could not speak.^[i]
⁵I thought about the days of old,
about ancient times.^[j]
⁶I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang;
I will think very carefully.”
I tried to make sense of what was happening.^[k]
⁷I asked,^[l] “Will the Lord reject me forever?
Will he never again show me his favor?
⁸Has his loyal love disappeared forever?
Has his promise^[m] failed forever?
⁹Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has his anger stifled his compassion?” (Selah)
¹⁰Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
that the Most High^[n] might become inactive.^[o]
¹¹I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.^[p]
¹²I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds.”
¹³^[q] O God, your deeds are extraordinary.^[r]
What god can compare to our great God?^[s]
¹⁴You are the God who does amazing things;
you have revealed your strength among the nations.
¹⁵You delivered^[t] your people by your strength^[u]—
the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)
¹⁶The waters^[v] saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and trembled.^[w]
Yes, the depths of the sea^[x] shook with fear.^[y]
¹⁷The clouds poured down rain;^[z]
the skies thundered.^[aa]
Yes, your arrows^[ab] flashed about.
¹⁸Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;
the lightning bolts lit up the world.
The earth trembled and shook.^[ac]
¹⁹You walked through the sea;^[ad]
you passed through the surging waters,^[ae]
but left no footprints.^[af]
²⁰You led your people like a flock of sheep,
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Footnotes:

Psalm 77:1 sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.
Psalm 77:1 tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qaraʾ, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.
Psalm 77:1 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).
Psalm 77:2 tn Here the psalmist refers back to the very recent past, when he began to pray for divine help.
Psalm 77:2 tn Heb “my hand [at] night was extended and was not growing numb.” The verb נָגַר (nagar), which can mean “flow” in certain contexts, here has the nuance “be extended.” The imperfect form (תָפוּג, tafug, “to be numb”) is used here to describe continuous action in the past.
Psalm 77:2 tn Or “my soul.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
Psalm 77:3 tn Heb “I will remember God and I will groan, I will reflect and my spirit will grow faint.” The first three verbs are cohortatives, the last a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. The psalmist’s statement in v. 4 could be understood as concurrent with v. 1, or, more likely, as a quotation of what he had said earlier as he prayed to God (see v. 2). The words “I said” are supplied in the translation at the beginning of the verse to reflect this interpretation (see v. 10).
Psalm 77:4 tn Heb “you held fast the guards of my eyes.” The “guards of the eyes” apparently refers to his eyelids. The psalmist seems to be saying that God would not bring him relief, which would have allowed him to shut his eyes and get some sleep (see v. 2).
Psalm 77:4 tn The imperfect is used in the second clause to emphasize that this was an ongoing condition in the past.
Psalm 77:5 tn Heb “the years of antiquity.”
Psalm 77:6 tn Heb “I will remember my song in the night, with my heart I will reflect. And my spirit searched.” As in v. 4, the words of v. 6a are understood as what the psalmist said earlier. Consequently the words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 10). The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive at the beginning of the final line is taken as sequential to the perfect “I thought” in v. 6.
Psalm 77:7 tn As in vv. 4 and 6a, the words of vv. 7-9 are understood as a quotation of what the psalmist said earlier. Therefore the words “I asked” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Psalm 77:8 tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).
Psalm 77:10 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
Psalm 77:10 tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khalloti) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khaloti), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbחָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (sh^enot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.
Psalm 77:11 tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”sn The psalmist refuses to allow skepticism to win out. God has revealed himself to his people in tangible, incontrovertible ways in the past and the psalmist vows to remember the historical record as a source of hope for the future.
Psalm 77:13 sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).
Psalm 77:13 tn Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.
Psalm 77:13 tn Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”
Psalm 77:15 tn Or “redeemed.”
Psalm 77:15 tn Heb “with [your] arm.”
Psalm 77:16 tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.
Psalm 77:16 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
Psalm 77:16 tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Psalm 77:16 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
Psalm 77:17 tn Heb “water.”
Psalm 77:17 tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”
Psalm 77:17 tn The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the Lord’s “arrows” (see v. 18).
Psalm 77:18 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.sn Verses 16-18 depict the Lord coming in the storm to battle his enemies and subdue the sea. There is no record of such a storm in the historical account of the Red Sea crossing. The language the psalmist uses here is stereotypical and originates in Canaanite myth, where the storm god Baal subdues the sea in his quest for kingship. The psalmist has employed the stereotypical imagery to portray the exodus vividly and at the same time affirm that it is not Baal who subdues the sea, but Yahweh.
Psalm 77:19 tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”
Psalm 77:19 tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”
Psalm 77:19 tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”

New English Translation (NET)

Proverbs 24:23-25

Further Sayings of the Wise

²³These sayings also are from the wise:

To show partiality^[a] in judgment is terrible:^[b]
²⁴The one who says to the guilty,^[c] “You are innocent,”^[d]
peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce^[e] him.
²⁵But there will be delight^[f] for those who convict^[g] the guilty,^[h]
and a pleasing blessing^[i] will come on them.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:23 tn Heb “to recognize faces”; KJV, ASV “to have respect of persons”; NLT “to show favoritism.”
Proverbs 24:23 tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure known as tapeinosis—a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is terrible!”
Proverbs 24:24 tn The word means “wicked; guilty” or “criminal”; the contrast could be “wicked—righteous” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB) or “innocent—guilty” (cf. NIV, TEV, CEV). Since this line follows the statement about showing partiality in judgment, it involves a forensic setting. Thus the statement describes one who calls a guilty person innocent or acquitted.
Proverbs 24:24 tn Or “righteous”; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “innocent” or “righteous” depending on the context.
Proverbs 24:24 tn The verb means “to be indignant.” It can be used within the range of “have indignation,” meaning “loathe” or “abhor,” or express indignation, meaning “denounce” or “curse.” In this passage, in collocation with the previous term “curse,” the latter is intended (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).
Proverbs 24:25 tn The verb means “to be pleasant; to be delightful.” The imperfect tense promises that there “will be delight” to those who rebuke the wicked.
Proverbs 24:25 tn The verb יָכַח (yakhakh) means “to decide; to adjudge; to prove.” This word occurs frequently in the book of Proverbs meaning “to reprove” or “to rebuke.” It deals with disputes, legal or otherwise. It can refer to a charge against someone or starting a dispute (and so rebuke); it can mean quarrel, argue; and it can mean settle a dispute. In this context the first or last use would work: (1) reproving the wicked for what they do (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV), or (2) convicting them in a legal setting (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT). In light of the previous forensic context the second sense is preferred here.
Proverbs 24:25 tn “The guilty” is supplied in the translation for clarity based on the preceding context. See the previous note on the word “convict”: If a non-forensic context is preferred for vv. 23-25, “wicked” would be supplied here.
Proverbs 24:25 tn The expression is בִרְכַּת־טוֹב (birkat tov, “blessing of good”); the genitive “good” has to be an attributive genitive modifying “blessings.” The word is general enough to mean any number of things—rich, healthy, pleasing, etc. The parallelism here narrows the choice. Some English versions interpret the “blessing” here as prosperity (cf. NAB, TEV, CEV).

New English Translation (NET)

October 4, 2024

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday October 4, 2024 (NIV)

Jeremiah 2:31-4:18

³¹“You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord:

“Have I been a desert to Israel
or a land of great darkness?^(A)
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’?^(B)
³²Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten^(C) me,
days without number.
³³How skilled you are at pursuing^(D) love!
Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
³⁴On your clothes is found
the lifeblood^(E) of the innocent poor,
though you did not catch them breaking in.^(F)
Yet in spite of all this
³⁵you say, ‘I am innocent;^(G)
he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment^(H) on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’^(I)
³⁶Why do you go about so much,
changing^(J) your ways?
You will be disappointed by Egypt^(K)
as you were by Assyria.
³⁷You will also leave that place
with your hands on your head,^(L)
for the Lord has rejected those you trust;
you will not be helped^(M) by them.

3 “If a man divorces^(N) his wife
and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
Would not the land be completely defiled?^(O)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers^(P)—
would you now return to me?”^(Q)
declares the Lord.
²“Look up to the barren heights^(R) and see.
Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside^(S) you sat waiting for lovers,
sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land^(T)
with your prostitution^(U) and wickedness.
³Therefore the showers have been withheld,^(V)
and no spring rains^(W) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen^(X) look of a prostitute;
you refuse to blush with shame.^(Y)
⁴Have you not just called to me:
‘My Father,^(Z) my friend from my youth,^(AA)
⁵will you always be angry?^(AB)
Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
but you do all the evil you can.”

Unfaithful Israel

⁶During the reign of King Josiah,^(AC) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless^(AD) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree^(AE) and has committed adultery^(AF) there. ⁷I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister^(AG) Judah saw it.^(AH) ⁸I gave faithless Israel^(AI) her certificate of divorce^(AJ) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;^(AK) she also went out and committed adultery. ⁹Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land^(AL) and committed adultery^(AM) with stone^(AN) and wood.^(AO) ¹⁰In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return^(AP) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,^(AQ)” declares the Lord.^(AR)

¹¹The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous^(AS) than unfaithful^(AT) Judah.^(AU) ¹²Go, proclaim this message toward the north:^(AV)

“‘Return,^(AW) faithless^(AX) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’^(AY) declares the Lord,
‘I will not be angry^(AZ) forever.
¹³Only acknowledge^(BA) your guilt—
you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods^(BB)
under every spreading tree,^(BC)
and have not obeyed^(BD) me,’”
declares the Lord.

¹⁴“Return,^(BE) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.^(BF) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. ¹⁵Then I will give you shepherds^(BG) after my own heart,^(BH) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. ¹⁶In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark^(BI) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;^(BJ) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. ¹⁷At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne^(BK) of the Lord, and all nations^(BL) will gather in Jerusalem to honor^(BM) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.^(BN) ¹⁸In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,^(BO) and together^(BP) they will come from a northern^(BQ) land to the land^(BR) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

¹⁹“I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
and give you a pleasant land,^(BS)
the most beautiful inheritance^(BT) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’^(BU)
and not turn away from following me.
²⁰But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithful^(BV) to me,”
declares the Lord.

²¹A cry is heard on the barren heights,^(BW)
the weeping^(BX) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten^(BY) the Lord their God.

²²“Return,^(BZ) faithless people;
I will cure^(CA) you of backsliding.”^(CB)

“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
²³Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills^(CC)
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
is the salvation^(CD) of Israel.
²⁴From our youth shameful^(CE) gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
²⁵Let us lie down in our shame,^(CF)
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned^(CG) against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors;^(CH)
from our youth^(CI) till this day
we have not obeyed^(CJ) the Lord our God.”

4 “If you, Israel, will return,^(CK)
then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols^(CL) out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
²and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear,^(CM) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’^(CN)
then the nations will invoke blessings^(CO) by him
and in him they will boast.^(CP)”

³This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Break up your unplowed ground^(CQ)
and do not sow among thorns.^(CR)
⁴Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
circumcise your hearts,^(CS)
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath^(CT) will flare up and burn like fire^(CU)
because of the evil^(CV) you have done—
burn with no one to quench^(CW) it.

Disaster From the North

⁵“Announce in Judah and proclaim^(CX) in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpet^(CY) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’^(CZ)
⁶Raise the signal^(DA) to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster^(DB) from the north,^(DC)
even terrible destruction.”

⁷A lion^(DD) has come out of his lair;^(DE)
a destroyer^(DF) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste^(DG) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins^(DH)
without inhabitant.
⁸So put on sackcloth,^(DI)
lament^(DJ) and wail,
for the fierce anger^(DK) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.

⁹“In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,^(DL)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”^(DM)

¹⁰Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived^(DN) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’^(DO) when the sword is at our throats!”

¹¹At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind^(DP) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; ¹²a wind^(DQ) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments^(DR) against them.”

¹³Look! He advances like the clouds,^(DS)
his chariots^(DT) come like a whirlwind,^(DU)
his horses^(DV) are swifter than eagles.^(DW)
Woe to us! We are ruined!^(DX)
¹⁴Jerusalem, wash^(DY) the evil from your heart and be saved.^(DZ)
How long^(EA) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
¹⁵A voice is announcing from Dan,^(EB)
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.^(EC)
¹⁶“Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,^(ED)
raising a war cry^(EE) against the cities of Judah.^(EF)
¹⁷They surround^(EG) her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled^(EH) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
¹⁸“Your own conduct and actions^(EI)
have brought this on you.^(EJ)
This is your punishment.
How bitter^(EK) it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Colossians 1:1-17

1 Paul, an apostle^(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,^(B) and Timothy^(C) our brother,

²To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters^[a] in Christ:

Grace^(D) and peace to you from God our Father.^[b]^(E)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³We always thank God,^(F) the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love^(G) you have for all God’s people^(H)— ⁵the faith and love that spring from the hope^(I) stored up for you in heaven^(J) and about which you have already heard in the true message^(K) of the gospel ⁶that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit^(L) and growing throughout the whole world^(M)—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. ⁷You learned it from Epaphras,^(N) our dear fellow servant,^[c] who is a faithful minister^(O) of Christ on our^[d] behalf, ⁸and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.^(P)

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you,^(Q) we have not stopped praying for you.^(R) We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will^(S) through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^[e]^(T) ¹⁰so that you may live a life worthy^(U) of the Lord and please him^(V) in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,^(W) ¹¹being strengthened with all power^(X) according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,^(Y) ¹²and giving joyful thanks to the Father,^(Z) who has qualified you^[f] to share in the inheritance^(AA) of his holy people in the kingdom of light.^(AB) ¹³For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness^(AC) and brought us into the kingdom^(AD) of the Son he loves,^(AE) ¹⁴in whom we have redemption,^(AF) the forgiveness of sins.^(AG)

The Supremacy of the Son of God

¹⁵The Son is the image^(AH) of the invisible God,^(AI) the firstborn^(AJ) over all creation. ¹⁶For in him all things were created:^(AK) things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;^(AL) all things have been created through him and for him.^(AM) ¹⁷He is before all things,^(AN) and in him all things hold together.

Footnotes:

Colossians 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 4:15.
Colossians 1:2 Some manuscripts Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Colossians 1:7 Or slave
Colossians 1:7 Some manuscripts your
Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us

Cross references:

Colossians 1:1 : S 1Co 1:1
Colossians 1:1 : S 2Co 1:1
Colossians 1:1 : S Ac 16:1
Colossians 1:2 : Col 4:18
Colossians 1:2 : S Ro 1:7
Colossians 1:3 : S Ro 1:8
Colossians 1:4 : Gal 5:6
Colossians 1:4 : S Ac 9:13; Eph 1:15; Phm 5
Colossians 1:5 : ver 23; 1Th 5:8; Tit 1:2
Colossians 1:5 : 1Pe 1:4
Colossians 1:5 : S 2Ti 2:15
Colossians 1:6 : Jn 15:16
Colossians 1:6 : ver 23; S Ro 10:18
Colossians 1:7 : Col 4:12; Phm 23
Colossians 1:7 : Col 4:7
Colossians 1:8 : Ro 15:30
Colossians 1:9 : ver 4; Eph 1:15
Colossians 1:9 : S Ro 1:10
Colossians 1:9 : S Eph 5:17
Colossians 1:9 : S Eph 1:17
Colossians 1:10 : S Eph 4:1
Colossians 1:10 : S 2Co 5:9
Colossians 1:10 : ver 6
Colossians 1:11 : S Php 4:13
Colossians 1:11 : Eph 4:2
Colossians 1:12 : Eph 5:20
Colossians 1:12 : S Ac 20:32
Colossians 1:12 : S Ac 26:18
Colossians 1:13 : S Ac 26:18
Colossians 1:13 : 2Pe 1:11
Colossians 1:13 : Mt 3:17
Colossians 1:14 : S Ro 3:24
Colossians 1:14 : Eph 1:7
Colossians 1:15 : S Jn 14:9
Colossians 1:15 : S Jn 1:18; 1Ti 1:17; Heb 11:27
Colossians 1:15 : S ver 18
Colossians 1:16 : S Jn 1:3
Colossians 1:16 : Eph 1:20, 21
Colossians 1:16 : S Ro 11:36
Colossians 1:17 : S Jn 1:2

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 76

Psalm 76^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.

¹God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.^(A)
²His tent is in Salem,^(B)
his dwelling place in Zion.^(C)
³There he broke the flashing arrows,^(D)
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.^[b]^(E)

⁴You are radiant with light,^(F)
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
⁵The valiant^(G) lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;^(H)
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
⁶At your rebuke,^(I) God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot^(J) lie still.

⁷It is you alone who are to be feared.^(K)
Who can stand^(L) before you when you are angry?^(M)
⁸From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared^(N) and was quiet—
⁹when you, God, rose up to judge,^(O)
to save all the afflicted^(P) of the land.
¹⁰Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,^(Q)
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.^[c]

¹¹Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;^(R)
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts^(S) to the One to be feared.
¹²He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.

Footnotes:

Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.
Psalm 76:10 Or Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself

New International Version (NIV)

Proverbs 24:21-22

Saying 30

²¹Fear the Lord and the king,^(A) my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
²²for those two will send sudden destruction^(B) on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

October 3, 2024

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday October 3, 2024 (NIV)

Jeremiah 1:1-2:30

The Superscription

1 The following is a record of what Jeremiah son of Hilkiah prophesied.^[a] He was one of the priests who lived at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. ²The Lord’s^[b] message came to him^[c] in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah. ³It also came in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, and continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile in the fifth month of that year.^[d]

Jeremiah’s Call and Commission

⁴The Lord’s message came to me,

⁵“Before I formed you in your mother’s womb^[e] I chose you.^[f]
Before you were born I set you apart.
I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”

⁶I answered, “Oh, Sovereign Lord,^[g] Really^[h] I do not know how to speak well enough for that,^[i] for I am too young.”^[j] ⁷The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ But go^[k] to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. ⁸Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you,^[l] for I will be with you to protect^[m] you,” says the Lord. ⁹Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me.^[n] ¹⁰Know for certain that^[o] I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be^[p] uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.”^[q]

Visions Confirming Jeremiah’s Call and Commission

¹¹Later the Lord’s message came to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” ¹²Then the Lord said, “You have observed correctly. This means^[r] I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out.”^[s]

¹³The Lord’s message came to me a second time, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped away from the north.”^[t] ¹⁴Then the Lord said, “From the north^[u] destruction will break out on all who live in the land. ¹⁵For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord. “They will come and their kings will set up their thrones^[v] near the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all the walls surrounding it and all the towns in Judah.^[w] ¹⁶In this way^[x] I will pass sentence^[y] on the people of Jerusalem and Judah^[z] because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.^[aa]

¹⁷“But you, Jeremiah,^[ab] get yourself ready!^[ac] Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them.^[ad] ¹⁸I, the Lord,^[ae] hereby promise to make you^[af] as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in^[ag] the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. ¹⁹They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,” says the Lord.

The Lord Recalls Israel’s Earlier Faithfulness

2 The Lord’s message came to me, ²“Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you,^[ah] how devoted you were to me in your early years.^[ai] I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. ³Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the firstfruits of a harvest to him.^[aj] All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the Lord.’”

The Lord Reminds Them of the Unfaithfulness of Their Ancestors

⁴Now listen to the Lord’s message, you descendants^[ak] of Jacob,
all you family groups from the nation^[al] of Israel.
⁵This is what the Lord says:
“What fault could your ancestors^[am] have possibly found in me
that they strayed so far from me?^[an]
They paid allegiance to^[ao] worthless idols, and so became worthless to me.^[ap]
⁶They did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord who delivered us out of Egypt,
who brought us through the wilderness,
through a land of valleys and gorges,^[aq]
through a land of desert and deep darkness,^[ar]
through a land in which no one travels,
and where no one lives?’^[as]
⁷I brought you^[at] into a fertile land
so you could enjoy^[au] its fruits and its rich bounty.
But when you entered my land, you defiled it;^[av]
you made the land I call my own^[aw] loathsome to me.
⁸Your priests^[ax] did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’^[ay]
Those responsible for teaching my law^[az] did not really know me.^[ba]
Your rulers rebelled against me.
Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal.^[bb]
They all worshiped idols that could not help them.^[bc]

The Lord Charges Contemporary Israel with Spiritual Adultery

⁹“So, once more I will state my case^[bd] against you,” says the Lord.
“I will also state it against your children and grandchildren.^[be]
¹⁰Go west^[bf] across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus^[bg] and see.
Send someone east to Kedar^[bh] and have them look carefully.
See if such a thing as this has ever happened:
¹¹Has a nation ever changed its gods
(even though they are not really gods at all)?
But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God,^[bi]
for a god that cannot help them at all!^[bj]
¹²Be amazed at this, O heavens.^[bk]
Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”
says the Lord.
¹³“Do so because my people have committed a double wrong:
They have rejected me,
the fountain of life-giving water,^[bl]
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that cannot even hold water.

Israel’s Reliance on Foreign Alliances (not on God)

¹⁴“Israel is not a slave, is he?
He was not born into slavery, was he?^[bm]
If not, why then is he being carried off?
¹⁵Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;
they raise their voices in triumph.^[bn]
They have laid his land waste;
his cities have been burned down and deserted.^[bo]
¹⁶Even the soldiers^[bp] from Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls, people of Israel.^[bq]
¹⁷You have brought all this on yourself, Israel,^[br]
by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path.^[bs]
¹⁸What good will it do you^[bt] then^[bu] to go down to Egypt
to seek help from the Egyptians?^[bv]
What good will it do you^[bw] to go over to Assyria
to seek help from the Assyrians?^[bx]
¹⁹Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.
Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you.^[by]
Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful^[bz]
it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God,^[ca]
to show no respect for me,”^[cb]
says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.^[cc]

The Lord Expresses His Exasperation at Judah’s Persistent Idolatry

²⁰“Indeed,^[cd] long ago you threw off my authority
and refused to be subject to me.^[ce]
You said, ‘I will not serve you.’^[cf]
Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill
and under every green tree,
like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers.^[cg]
²¹I planted you in the land
like a special vine of the very best stock.
Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine
that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes?^[ch]
²²You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,”^[ci]
says the Sovereign Lord.^[cj]
²³“How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to^[ck] the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom!^[cl]
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.^[cm]
²⁴You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male.^[cn]
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find.^[co]
²⁵Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out
and your throats become dry.^[cp]
But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me
because I love those foreign gods^[cq] and want to pursue them!’
²⁶Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,
so the people of Israel^[cr] will suffer dishonor for what they have done.^[cs]
So will their kings and officials,
their priests and their prophets.
²⁷They say to a wooden idol,^[ct] ‘You are my father.’
They say to a stone image, ‘You gave birth to me.’^[cu]
Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me.^[cv]
Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’
²⁸But where are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them save you when you are in trouble.
The sad fact is that^[cw] you have as many gods
as you have towns, Judah.
²⁹Why do you try to refute me?^[cx]
All of you have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
³⁰“It did no good for me to punish your people.
They did not respond to such correction.
You slaughtered your prophets
like a voracious lion.^[cy]

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 1:1 tn Or “This is a record of what Jeremiah prophesied and did”; Heb “The words [or affairs] of Jeremiah.” The phrase could refer to either the messages of Jeremiah recorded in the book or to both his messages and the biographical (and autobiographical) narratives recorded about him in the book. Since the phrase is intended to serve as the title or superscription for the whole book and recurs again in 51:64 at the end of the book before the final appendix, it might refer to the latter. The expression “The words of [someone]” is a standard introductory formula (Deut 29:1 [28:69]; 2 Sam 23:1; Amos 1:1; Eccl 1:1; Neh 1:1).
Jeremiah 1:2 sn The translation reflects the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the word for “Lord” for the proper name for Israel’s God which is now generally agreed to have been Yahweh. Jewish scribes wrote the consonants YHWH but substituted the vowels for the word “Lord.” The practice of calling him “Lord” rather than using his proper name is also reflected in the Greek translation which is the oldest translation of the Hebrew Bible. The meaning of the name Yahweh occurs in Exod 3:13-14 where God identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and tells Moses that his name is “I am” (אֶהְיֶה, ʾehyeh). However, he instructs the Israelites to refer to him as YHWH (“Yahweh” = “He is”); see further Exod 34:5-6.
Jeremiah 1:2 tn Heb “that which was the Lord’s message to him,” also at 14:1: 46:1; 47:1; 49:34.
Jeremiah 1:3 sn That is, August, 586 b.c.
Jeremiah 1:5 tn Heb “the womb.” The words “your mother’s” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Jeremiah 1:5 tn Heb “I knew you.” The parallelism here with “set you apart” and “appointed you” make clear that Jeremiah is speaking of his foreordination to be a prophet. For this same nuance of the Hebrew verb see Gen 18:19; Amos 3:2.
Jeremiah 1:6 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.”sn In Jewish tradition, instead of pronouncing the Lord’s name (Yahweh), they would substitute the word for “Lord” (אֲדוֹנַי, ʾadonay). But when the word אֲדוֹנַי (ʾadonay) preceded the Lord’s name, for Yahweh they would substitute the pronunciation of the word for “God” (אֱלֹהִים, ʾelohim). One translation convention is to use small caps for the Lord’s name, as in “Lord” or “Lord God.” The convention here is to translate אֲדוֹנַי (ʾadonay, “Lord”) as “Sovereign” and consistently use “Lord” for the Lord’s name. The English word “Jehovah” results from combining the consonants of the divine name and the vowels of the term אֲדוֹנַי (ʾadonay), resulting in Y^ehovah. The “J” of Jehovah comes from German convention, while the “e” instead of “a” has to do with the nature of the Hebrew consonant.
Jeremiah 1:6 tn The Hebrew particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, commonly rendered “behold” in the KJV) often introduces a speech and calls special attention to a specific word or the statement as a whole (see IBHS 675-78 §40.2.1).
Jeremiah 1:6 tn The words “well enough for that” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity. Jeremiah is not claiming an absolute inability to speak.
Jeremiah 1:6 tn Heb “I am a boy/youth.” The Hebrew word can refer to an infant (Exod 2:6), a young boy (1 Sam 2:11), a teenager (Gen 21:12), or a young man (2 Sam 18:5). The translation is deliberately ambiguous since it is unclear how old Jeremiah was when he was called to begin prophesying.
Jeremiah 1:7 tn Or “For you must go and say.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is likely adversative here after a negative statement (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.e). The Lord is probably not giving a rationale for the denial of Jeremiah’s objection but redirecting his focus, i.e., “do not say…but go…and say.”
Jeremiah 1:8 tn Heb “be afraid of them.” The antecedent is the “whomever” in v. 7.
Jeremiah 1:8 tn Heb “rescue.”
Jeremiah 1:9 tn Heb “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.” This is an example of the Hebrew “scheduling” perfect or the “prophetic” perfect where a future event is viewed as so certain it is spoken of as past. The Hebrew particle rendered here “assuredly” (Heb הִנֵּה, hinneh) underlines the certitude of the promise for the future. See the translator’s note on v. 6.sn The passage is reminiscent of Deut 18:18, which refers to the Lord’s promise of future revelation through a line of prophets who, like Moses, would speak God’s word.
Jeremiah 1:10 tn Heb “See!” The Hebrew imperative of the verb used here (רָאָה, raʾah) functions the same as the particle in v. 9. See the translator’s note there.
Jeremiah 1:10 tn Heb “I appoint you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot….” The phrase refers to the Lord giving Jeremiah authority as a prophet to declare what he, the Lord, will do; it does not mean that Jeremiah himself will do these things. The expression involves a figure of speech where the subject of a declaration is stated instead of the declaration about it. Compare a similar use of the same figure in Gen 41:13.
Jeremiah 1:10 sn These three pairs represent the twofold nature of Jeremiah’s prophecies, prophecies of judgment and restoration. For the further programmatic use of these pairs for Jeremiah’s ministry see 18:7-10 and 31:27-28.
Jeremiah 1:12 tn This represents the Hebrew particle (כִּי, ki) that is normally rendered “for” or “because.” The particle here is meant to give the significance of the vision, not the rationale for the statement “you have observed correctly.”
Jeremiah 1:12 tn Heb “watching over my word to do it.”sn There is a play on the Hebrew word for “almond tree” (שָׁקֵד, shaqed) and the word “watching” (שֹׁקֵד, shoqed). The vision is not the prophecy but is simply the occasion for the prophecy. Getting Jeremiah to say shaqed (almond tree) becomes the occasion for God to announce he is shoqed (watching). The verb refers to someone watching over someone or something in preparation for action. Compare Jer 1:13-14 and Amos 7:7-8; 8:1-2, which each follow the formula of God asking the prophet what he sees and then giving a prophecy based on a sound play. Here the play on words announces the certainty and imminence of the Lord carrying out the covenant curses of Lev 26 and Deut 28 threatened by the earlier prophets.
Jeremiah 1:13 tn Heb “its face is away from the north.”
Jeremiah 1:14 sn This works like the sound play in 1:11-12 (see note at 1:12), although the word “north” is repeated with the same meaning both times. The boiling pot is only relevant as a scene that prompts Jeremiah to say “north,” which is the jumping off point for giving the prophecy.
Jeremiah 1:15 tn Heb “they will each set up.” The pronoun “they” refers back to the “kingdoms” in the preceding sentence. However, kingdoms do not sit on thrones; their kings do. This is an example of a figure of speech called metonymy, where the kingdom is put for its king. For a similar use see 2 Chr 12:8.
Jeremiah 1:15 tn Or “They will come and set up their thrones in the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will destroy all the walls surrounding it and also destroy all the towns in Judah.” The text of v. 15b reads in Hebrew, “they will each set up his throne [near? in?] the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem and against all its walls…and against all the towns….” Commentators are divided over whether the passage refers to the kings setting up their thrones after victory in preparation for passing judgment on their defeated enemies in the city or whether it refers to setting up siege against it. There is no Hebrew preposition before the word for “the entrance” so that it could be “in” (which would imply victory) or “at/near” (which would imply siege), and the same verb + object (i.e., “they will set up their thrones”) governs all the locative statements. It is most often taken to refer to the aftermath of victory because of the supposed parallel in Jer 43:8-13 and the supposed fulfillment in Jer 39:3. Though this may fit well with the first part of the compound expression, it does not fit well with the latter part, which is most naturally taken to refer to hostile attacks against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah. The translation given in the text is intended to reflect the idea of an army setting up for siege. The alternate translation is intended to reflect the other view.
Jeremiah 1:16 tn The Hebrew particle (the vav [ו] consecutive), which is often rendered in some English versions as “and” and in others is simply left untranslated, is rendered here epexegetically, reflecting a summary statement.
Jeremiah 1:16 sn The Hebrew idiom (literally “I will speak my judgments against”) is found three other times in Jeremiah (4:12; 39:5; 52:9), where it is followed by the carrying out of the sentence. Here the carrying out of the sentence precedes in v. 15.
Jeremiah 1:16 tn Heb “on them.” The antecedent goes back to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah (i.e., the people in them) in v. 15.
Jeremiah 1:16 tn That is, idols.
Jeremiah 1:17 tn The name “Jeremiah” is not in the text. The use of the personal pronoun followed by the proper name is an attempt to reflect the correlative emphasis between Jeremiah’s responsibility noted here and the Lord’s promise noted in the next verse. The emphasis in the Hebrew text is marked by the presence of the subject pronouns at the beginning of each of the two verses.
Jeremiah 1:17 tn Heb “gird up your loins.” For the literal use of this idiom to refer to preparation for action see 2 Kgs 4:29; 9:1. For the idiomatic use to refer to spiritual and emotional preparation as here, see Job 38:3; 40:7, and 1 Pet 1:13 in the NT.
Jeremiah 1:17 tn Heb “I will make you terrified in front of them.” There is a play on words here involving two different forms of the same Hebrew verb and two different but related prepositional phrases, “from before/of,” a preposition introducing the object of a verb of fearing, and “before, in front of,” a preposition introducing a spatial location.
Jeremiah 1:18 tn See the note on “Jeremiah” at the beginning of v. 17.
Jeremiah 1:18 tn Heb “today I have made you.” The Hebrew verb form here emphasizes the certainty of a yet future act; the Lord is promising to protect Jeremiah from any future attacks which may result from his faithfully carrying out his commission. See a similar use of the same Hebrew verb tense in v. 9, and see the translator’s note there.
Jeremiah 1:18 tn Heb “I make you a fortified city…against all the land….” The words “as strong as,” “You will be able to stand,” “who live in,” and “all [before “the people”]” are given to clarify the meaning of the metaphor.
Jeremiah 2:2 tn Heb “I remember to/for you.”
Jeremiah 2:2 tn Heb “the loyal love of your youth.”sn The Hebrew word translated “how devoted you were” (חֶסֶד, khesed) refers metaphorically to the devotion of a new bride to her husband. In typical Hebraic fashion, contemporary Israel is identified with early Israel after she first entered into covenant with (= married) the Lord. The reference to her earlier devotion is not absolute but relative. Compared to her unfaithfulness in worshiping other gods after she got into the land, the murmuring and complaining in the wilderness are ignored.
Jeremiah 2:3 sn Heb “the firstfruits of his harvest.” Many commentators see the figure here as having theological significance for the calling of the Gentiles. It is likely, however, that in this context the metaphor—here rendered as a simile—is intended to bring out the special relationship and inviolability that Israel had with God. As the firstfruits were the special possession of the Lord, to be eaten only by the priests and off limits to the common people, so Israel was God’s special possession and was not to be “eaten” by the nations.
Jeremiah 2:4 tn Heb “house.”
Jeremiah 2:4 tn Heb “house.”
Jeremiah 2:5 tn Heb “fathers.”
Jeremiah 2:5 tn Or “I did not wrong your ancestors in any way. Yet they went far astray from me.” Both translations are an attempt to render the rhetorical question which demands a negative answer.
Jeremiah 2:5 tn Heb “They went/followed after.” This idiom is found most often in Deuteronomy or covenant contexts. It refers to loyalty to God and to his covenant or his commandments (e.g., 1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (e.g., Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (i.e., to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (e.g., 2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21, where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions,” whether the Lord was the true God or Baal was. The idiom is often found followed by “to serve and to worship” or “they served and worshiped” such and such a god or entity (see, e.g., Jer 8:2; 11:10; 13:10; 16:11; 25:6; 35:15).
Jeremiah 2:5 tn The words “to me” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context: Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” There is an obvious wordplay on the verb “became worthless” and the noun “worthless thing,” which is probably to be understood collectively and to refer to idols, as it does in Jer 8:19; 10:8; 14:22; Jonah 2:8.
Jeremiah 2:6 tn Heb “a land of the rift valley and gorges.” Geographically, the עֲרָבָה (ʿaravah) is the rift valley that extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba. Biblical references are usually to sections of the rift valley, such as the Jordan Valley, the region of the Dead Sea, or the portion south of the Dead Sea. The term שׁוּחָה (shukhah) can refer to a trapper’s pit, a gorge, or a precipice (HALOT 1439 s.v.). The point here seems to be the terrain; cf. REB “a barren and broken country.”
Jeremiah 2:6 tn This word is erroneously rendered “shadow of death” in most older English versions; that translation is based on a faulty etymology. Contextual studies and comparative Semitic linguistics have demonstrated that the word is merely another word for darkness. It is confined to poetic texts and often carries connotations of danger and distress. It is associated in poetic texts with the darkness of a prison (Ps 107:10, 14), a mine (Job 28:3), and a ravine (Ps 23:4). Here it is associated with the darkness of the wasteland and ravines of the Sinai desert.
Jeremiah 2:6 sn The context suggests that the question is related to a lament where the people turn to God in their troubles, asking him for help and reminding him of his past benefactions. See for example Isa 63:11-19 and Ps 44. It is an implicit prayer for his intervention; compare 2 Kgs 2:14.
Jeremiah 2:7 sn Note how contemporary Israel is again identified with her early ancestors. See the study note on 2:2.
Jeremiah 2:7 tn Heb “eat.”
Jeremiah 2:7 sn I.e., made it ceremonially unclean. See Lev 18:19-30; Num 35:34; Deut 21:23.
Jeremiah 2:7 tn Heb “my inheritance.” Or “the land [i.e., inheritance] I gave you,” reading the pronoun as indicating source rather than possession. The parallelism and the common use in Jeremiah of the term to refer to the land or people as the Lord’s (e.g., 12:7, 8, 9; 16:18; 50:11) make the possessive use more likely here.sn The land belonged to the Lord; it was given to the Israelites in trust (or usufruct) as their heritage. See Lev 25:23.
Jeremiah 2:8 tn Heb “The priests…the ones who grasp my law…the shepherds…the prophets…they…”
Jeremiah 2:8 sn See the study note on 2:6.
Jeremiah 2:8 tn Heb “those who handle my law.”sn The reference is likely to the priests and Levites who were responsible for teaching the law (so Jer 18:18; cf. Deut 33:10). According to Jer 8:8 it could possibly refer to the scribes who copied the law.
Jeremiah 2:8 tn Or “were not committed to me.” The Hebrew verb rendered “know” refers to more than mere intellectual knowledge. It carries also the ideas of emotional and volitional commitment as well intimacy. See, for example, its use in contexts like Hos 4:1 and 6:6.
Jeremiah 2:8 tn Heb “by Baal.”
Jeremiah 2:8 tn Heb “and they followed after those things [the word is plural] which do not profit.” The poetic structure of the verse, four lines in which a distinct subject appears at the beginning followed by a fifth line beginning with a prepositional phrase and no distinct subject, argues that this line is climactic and refers to all four classes enumerated in the preceding lines. See W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:88-89. There may be a play or pun in the Hebrew text on the name for the god Baal (בַּעַל, baʿal) and the verb “cannot help you” (Heb “do not profit”) which is spelled יַעַל (yaʿal).
Jeremiah 2:9 tn Or “bring charges against you.”sn The language used here is that of the law court. In international political contexts it was the language of a great king charging his subject with breach of covenant. See for examples in earlier prophets, Isa 1:2-20 and Mic 6:1-8.
Jeremiah 2:9 tn The words “your children and” are supplied in the translation to bring out the idea of corporate solidarity implicit in the passage.sn The passage reflects the Hebrew concept of corporate solidarity: The actions of parents had consequences for their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Compare the usage in the ten commandments (Deut 5:10) and note the execution of the children of Dathan and Abiram (Deut 11:6) and of Achan (Josh 7:24-25).
Jeremiah 2:10 tn Heb “For go west.”
Jeremiah 2:10 tn Heb “pass over to the coasts of Kittim.” The words “west across the sea” in this line and “east of” in the next are implicit in the text and are supplied in the translation to give geographical orientation.sn The Hebrew term translated Cyprus (“Kittim”) originally referred to the island of Cyprus but later was used for the lands in the west, including Macedonia (1 Macc 1:1; 8:5) and Rome (Dan 11:30). It is used here as part of a figure called merism to denote the lands in the west as opposed to Kedar, which was in the east. The figure includes polar opposites to indicate totality, i.e., everywhere from west to east.
Jeremiah 2:10 sn Kedar is the home of the bedouin tribes in the Syro-Arabian desert. See Gen 25:18 and Jer 49:38. See also the previous note for the significance of the reference here.
Jeremiah 2:11 tn Heb “have exchanged their glory [i.e., the God in whom they glory].” This is a case of a figure of speech where the attribute of a person or thing is put for the person or thing. Compare the common phrase in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel, obviously referring to the Lord, the God of Israel.
Jeremiah 2:11 tn Heb “what cannot profit.” The verb is singular and the allusion is likely to Baal. See the translator’s note on 2:8 for the likely pun or wordplay.
Jeremiah 2:12 sn In earlier literature the heavens (and the earth) were called on to witness Israel’s commitment to the covenant (Deut 30:12) and were called to serve as witnesses to Israel’s fidelity or infidelity to it (Isa 1:2; Mic 6:1).
Jeremiah 2:13 tn It is difficult to decide whether to translate “fresh, running water” which the Hebrew term for “living water” often refers to (e.g., Gen 26:19; Lev 14:5), or “life-giving water” which the idiom “fountain of life” as source of life and vitality often refers to (e.g., Ps 36:9; Prov 13:14; 14:27). The contrast with cisterns, which collected and held rain water, suggests “fresh, running water,” but the reality underlying the metaphor contrasts the Lord, the source of life, health, and vitality, with useless idols that cannot do anything.
Jeremiah 2:14 tn Heb “Is Israel a slave? Or is he a house-born slave?” The questions are rhetorical, expecting a negative answer.sn The Lord is here contrasting Israel’s lofty status as the Lord’s bride and special possession, which he had earlier reminded her of (see 2:2-3), with her current status of servitude to Egypt and Assyria.
Jeremiah 2:15 tn Heb “Lions shout over him; they give out [raise] their voices.”sn The reference to lions is here a metaphor for the Assyrians (and later the Babylonians; see Jer 50:17). The statement about lions roaring over their prey implies that the prey has been vanquished.
Jeremiah 2:15 tn Heb “without inhabitant.”
Jeremiah 2:16 tn Heb “the sons of…”
Jeremiah 2:16 tc The translation follows the reading of the Syriac version. The Hebrew text reads, “have grazed [= “shaved” ?] your skulls [as a sign of disgracing them].” Note that the reference shifts from third person, “him,” to second person, “you,” which is common in Hebrew style. The words “people of Israel” have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent and ease the switch. The reading presupposes יְרֹעוּךְ (y^eroʿukh) a Qal imperfect from the verb רָעַע (raʿaʿ; see BDB 949 s.v. II רָעַע Qal.1, and compare usage in Jer 15:2; Ps 2:9). The MT reads יִרְעוּךְ (yirʿukh), a Qal imperfect from the root רָעָה (raʿah; see BDB 945 s.v. I רָעָה Qal.2.b, for usage). The use of the verb in the MT is unparalleled in the sense suggested, but the resultant figure, if “graze” can mean “shave,” is paralleled in Jer 47:5; 48:37; Isa 7:20. The reading of the variant is accepted on the basis that it is the rarer root; the scribe would have been more familiar with the root “graze” even though it is unparalleled in the figurative nuance implied here. The noun “head/skull” is functioning as an accusative of further specification (see GKC 372 §117.ll, and compare usage in Gen 3:8), i.e., “they crack you on the skull” or “they shave you on the skull.” The verb is a prefixed form and in this context is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an iterative imperfect denoting repeated action. Some modern English versions render the verb in the future tense, “they will break [or shave] your skull.”
Jeremiah 2:17 tn Heb “Are you not bringing this on yourself.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
Jeremiah 2:17 tn Heb “at the time of leading you in the way.”
Jeremiah 2:18 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
Jeremiah 2:18 tn The introductory particle וְעַתָּה (v^eʿattah, “and now”) carries a logical, not temporal, connotation here (cf. BDB 274 s.v. עַתָּה 2.b).
Jeremiah 2:18 tn Heb “to drink water from the Shihor [a branch of the Nile].” The reference is to seeking help through political alliance with Egypt as opposed to trusting in God for help. This is an extension of the figure in 2:13.
Jeremiah 2:18 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
Jeremiah 2:18 tn Heb “to drink water from the River [a common designation in biblical Hebrew for the Euphrates River].” This refers to seeking help through political alliance. See the preceding note.
Jeremiah 2:19 tn Or “teach you a lesson”; Heb “rebuke/chide you.”
Jeremiah 2:19 tn Heb “how evil and bitter.” The reference is to the consequences of their acts. This is a figure of speech (hendiadys) where two nouns or adjectives joined by “and” introduce a main concept modified by the other noun or adjective.
Jeremiah 2:19 tn Heb “to leave the Lord your God.” The change in person is intended to ease the problem of the rapid transition, which is common in Hebrew style but not in English, from third to first person between this line and the next.
Jeremiah 2:19 tn Heb “and no fear of me was on you.”
Jeremiah 2:19 tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh, [the God of] Armies.” The title “Yahweh of Armies” is an abbreviation of a longer title “Yahweh, the God of Armies” which occurs 5 times in Jeremiah (5:14; 15:16; 35:17; 38:17; 44:7). The abbreviated title occurs 77 times in the book of Jeremiah. On 32 occasions it is further qualified by the title “the God of Israel,” showing his special relation to Israel. It is preceded on 5 occasions, including here, by the title “my Lord” (אֲדוֹנָי; ʾadonay, 46:10; 49:5; 50:25, 31) and 3 times by the title “the King” (46:18; 48:15; 51:17). While the “host of heaven” is a phrase that can refer to the sun, moon, and stars or to astral gods (e.g. Deut 4:19; 17:13; 2 Kgs 21:3, 5), it also refers to the angels that surround his throne (Isa 6:3, 5; 1 Kgs 22:19) and that he sends to protect his servants (2 Kgs 6:17). As a title, the “Armies” in “Lord [God] of Armies” refer to the heavenly armies of angels and emphasize his sovereignty and power. This title is commonly found in the messenger formula “Thus says…” introducing divine oracles (52 of 80 such cases occur in Jeremiah).
Jeremiah 2:20 tn Or “For.” The Hebrew particle (כִּי, ki) here introduces the evidence that they had no respect for him.
Jeremiah 2:20 tn Heb “you broke your yoke…tore off your yoke ropes.” The metaphor is that of a recalcitrant ox or heifer which has broken free from its master.
Jeremiah 2:20 tc The MT of this verse has two examples of the old second feminine singular perfect, שָׁבַרְתִּי (shavarti) and נִתַּקְתִּי (nittaqti), which the Masoretes mistook for first singulars leading to the proposal to read אֶעֱבוֹר (ʾeʿevor, “I will not transgress”) for אֶעֱבֹד (ʾeʿevod, “I will not serve”). The latter understanding of the forms is accepted in KJV but rejected by almost all modern English versions as being less appropriate to the context than the reading accepted in the translation given here.
Jeremiah 2:20 tn Heb “you sprawled as a prostitute on….” The translation reflects the meaning of the metaphor.
Jeremiah 2:21 tc Heb “I planted you as a choice vine, all of it true seed. How then have you turned into a putrid thing to me, a strange [or wild] vine.” The question expresses surprise and consternation. The translation is based on a redivision of the Hebrew words סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן (sure haggefen) into סוֹרִיָּה גֶּפֶן (soriyyah gefen) and the recognition of a hapax legomenon סוֹרִיָּה (soriyyah) meaning “putrid, stinking thing.” See HALOT 749 s.v. סוֹרִי.
Jeremiah 2:22 tn Heb “Even if you wash with natron/lye, and use much soap, your sin is a stain before me.”
Jeremiah 2:22 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of this title see the study notes on 1:6.
Jeremiah 2:23 tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.
Jeremiah 2:23 tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.
Jeremiah 2:23 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the Lord’s control.
Jeremiah 2:24 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Jeremiah 2:24 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
Jeremiah 2:25 tn Heb “Refrain your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry/thirsty.”
Jeremiah 2:25 tn Heb “It is useless! No!” For this idiom, see Jer 18:12; NEB “No; I am desperate.”
Jeremiah 2:26 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
Jeremiah 2:26 tn The words “for what they have done” are implicit in the comparison and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Jeremiah 2:27 tn Heb “wood…stone…”
Jeremiah 2:27 sn The reference to wood and stone is, of course, a pejorative reference to idols made by human hands. See the next verse where reference is made to “the gods you have made.”
Jeremiah 2:27 tn Heb “they have turned [their] backs to me, not [their] faces.”
Jeremiah 2:28 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki, “for, indeed”) contextually.
Jeremiah 2:29 sn This is still part of the Lord’s case against Israel. See 2:9 for the use of the same Hebrew verb. The Lord here denies their counterclaims that they do not deserve to be punished.
Jeremiah 2:30 tn Heb “Your sword devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.” However, the reference to the sword in this and many similar idioms is merely idiomatic for death by violent means.

New English Translation (NET)

Philippians 4

Christian Practices

4 So then, my brothers and sisters,^[a] dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

²I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord. ³Yes, I say also to you, true companion,^[b] help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry^[c] along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life. ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! ⁵Let everyone see your gentleness.^[d] The Lord is near! ⁶Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds^[e] in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers and sisters,^[f] whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. ⁹And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

Appreciation for Support

¹⁰I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.)^[g] ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance. ¹²I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment,^[h] whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. ¹³I am able to do all things^[i] through the one^[j] who strengthens me. ¹⁴Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble.

¹⁵And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone. ¹⁶For even in Thessalonica on more than one occasion^[k] you sent something for my need. ¹⁷I do not say this because I am seeking a gift.^[l] Rather, I seek the credit that abounds to your account. ¹⁸For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God. ¹⁹And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. ²⁰May glory be given to God our Father forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

²¹Give greetings to all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers^[m] with me here send greetings. ²²All the saints greet you, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. ²³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.^[n]

Footnotes:

Philippians 4:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
Philippians 4:3 tn Or “faithful fellow worker.” This is more likely a descriptive noun, although some scholars interpret the word σύζυγος (suzugos) here as a proper name (“Syzygos”), L&N 42.45.
Philippians 4:3 tn Grk “in the gospel,” a metonymy in which the gospel itself is substituted for the ministry of making the gospel known.
Philippians 4:5 tn Grk “let your gentleness be seen by all.” The passive voice construction has been converted to active voice in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Philippians 4:7 tn Grk “will guard the hearts of you and the minds of you.” To improve the English style, the second occurrence of ὑμῶν (humōn, “of you”) has not been translated, since it is somewhat redundant in English.
Philippians 4:8 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
Philippians 4:10 tn Grk “for you were even concerned, but you lacked opportunity.”
Philippians 4:12 tn The words “of contentment” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by Paul’s remarks at the end of v. 11.
Philippians 4:13 tn The Greek word translated “all things” is in emphatic position at the beginning of the Greek sentence.
Philippians 4:13 tc Although some excellent witnesses lack explicit reference to the one strengthening Paul (so א* A B D* I 33 1739 lat co Cl), the majority of witnesses (א² D² [F G] Ψ 075 1175 1241 1505 1881 2464 M al sy Hier) add Χριστῷ (Christō) here (thus, “through Christ who strengthens me”). But this kind of reading is patently secondary, and is a predictable variant. Further, the shorter reading is much harder, for it leaves the agent unspecified.
Philippians 4:16 tn Or “several times”; Grk, “both once and twice.” The literal expression “once and twice” is frequently used as a Greek idiom referring to an indefinite low number, but more than once (“several times”); see L&N 60.70.
Philippians 4:17 tn Grk “Not that I am seeking the gift.” The phrase “I do not say this…” has been supplied in the translation to complete the thought for the modern reader.
Philippians 4:21 tn Or perhaps, “The brothers and sisters” (so TEV, TNIV; cf. NRSV “The friends”; CEV “The Lord’s followers”) If “brothers” refers to Paul’s traveling companions, it is probably that only men are in view (cf. NAB, NLT). Since v. 22 mentions “all the saints,” which presumably includes everyone, it is more probable here that only Paul’s traveling companions are in view.
Philippians 4:23 tc Most witnesses, including several significant ones (P⁴⁶ א A D Ψ 33 1175 1241 1505 2464 M lat sy bo), have ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”) at the end of this letter, while an impressive combination of Alexandrian and Western mss (B F G 075 6 075 1739* 1881 sa Ambst) lack the valedictory particle. Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Thus, on internal grounds, with sufficient support from external evidence, the preferred reading is the omission of ἀμήν.

New English Translation (NET)

Psalm 75

Psalm 75^[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[b] a psalm of Asaph, a song.

75 We give thanks to you, O God. We give thanks.
You reveal your presence;^[c]
people tell about your amazing deeds.
²God says,^[d]
“At the appointed times,^[e]
I judge^[f] fairly.
³When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear,^[g]
I make its pillars secure.”^[h] (Selah)
⁴^[i] I say to the proud, “Do not be proud,”
and to the wicked, “Do not be so confident of victory.^[j]
⁵Do not be so certain you have won.^[k]
Do not speak with your head held so high.^[l]
⁶For victory does not come from the east or west,
or from the wilderness.^[m]
⁷For God is the judge.^[n]
He brings one down and exalts another.^[o]
⁸For the Lord holds in his hand a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices,^[p]
and pours it out.^[q]
Surely all the wicked of the earth
will slurp it up and drink it to its very last drop.”^[r]
⁹As for me, I will continually tell what you have done;^[s]
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
¹⁰God says,^[t]
“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;
the godly will be victorious.”^[u]

Footnotes:

Psalm 75:1 sn Psalm 75. The psalmist celebrates God’s just rule, which guarantees that the godly will be vindicated and the wicked destroyed.
Psalm 75:1 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-59.
Psalm 75:1 tn Heb “and near [is] your name.”
Psalm 75:2 tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in vv. 2-3.
Psalm 75:2 tn Heb “when I take an appointed time.”
Psalm 75:2 tn Heb “I, [in] fairness, I judge.” The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically executes fair judgment as he governs the world. One could take this as referring to an anticipated (future) judgment, “I will judge.”
Psalm 75:3 tn Heb “melt.”
Psalm 75:3 tn The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically prevents the world from being overrun by chaos. One could take this as referring to an anticipated event, “I will make its pillars secure.”
Psalm 75:4 tn The identity of the speaker in vv. 4-6 is unclear. The present translation assumes that the psalmist, who also speaks in vv. 7-9 (where God/the Lord is spoken of in the third person) here addresses the proud and warns them of God’s judgment. The presence of כִּי (ki, “for”) at the beginning of both vv. 6-7 seems to indicate that vv. 4-9 are a unit. However, there is no formal indication of a new speaker in v. 4 (or in v. 10, where God appears to speak). Another option is to see God speaking in vv. 2-6 and v. 10 and to take only vv. 7-9 as the words of the psalmist. In this case one must interpret כִּי at the beginning of v. 7 in an asseverative or emphatic sense (“surely; indeed”).
Psalm 75:4 tn Heb “do not lift up a horn.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Here the idiom seems to refer to an arrogant attitude that assumes victory has been achieved.
Psalm 75:5 tn Heb “do not lift up on high your horn.”
Psalm 75:5 tn Heb “[do not] speak with unrestrained neck.” The negative particle is understood in this line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).sn The image behind the language of vv. 4-5 is that of a powerful wild ox that confidently raises its head before its enemies.
Psalm 75:6 tn Heb “for not from the east or from the west, and not from the wilderness of the mountains.” If one follows this reading the sentence is elliptical. One must supply “does help come,” or some comparable statement. However, it is possible to take הָרִים (harim) as a Hiphil infinitive from רוּם (rum), the same verb used in vv. 4-5 of “lifting up” a horn. In this case one may translate the form as “victory.” In this case the point is that victory does not come from alliances with other nations.
Psalm 75:7 tn Or “judges.”
Psalm 75:7 tn The imperfects here emphasize the generalizing nature of the statement.
Psalm 75:8 tn Heb “for a cup [is] in the hand of the Lord, and wine foams, it is full of a spiced drink.” The noun מֶסֶךְ (mesekh) refers to a “mixture” of wine and spices.
Psalm 75:8 tn Heb “and he pours out from this.”
Psalm 75:8 tn Heb “surely its dregs they slurp up and drink, all the wicked of the earth.”sn The psalmist pictures God as forcing the wicked to gulp down an intoxicating drink that will leave them stunned and vulnerable. Divine judgment is also depicted this way in Ps 60:3; Isa 51:17-23; Hab 2:16.
Psalm 75:9 tn Heb “I will declare forever.” The object needs to be supplied; God’s just judgment is in view.
Psalm 75:10 tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.
Psalm 75:10 tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).

New English Translation (NET)

Proverbs 24:17-20

¹⁷Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,^[a]
and when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice,
¹⁸lest the Lord see it, and be displeased,^[b]
and turn his wrath away from him.^[c]
¹⁹Do not fret because of evil people
or be envious of wicked people,
²⁰for the evil person has no future,^[d]
and the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.^[e]

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:17 sn The saying (vv. 17, 18) warns against gloating over the misfortune of one’s enemies. The prohibition is formed with two negated jussives “do not rejoice” and “let not be glad,” the second qualified by “your heart” as the subject, signifying the inner satisfaction of such a defeat.
Proverbs 24:18 tn Heb “and [it is] evil in his eyes.”
Proverbs 24:18 sn The judgment of God should strike a note of fear in the heart of people (e.g., Lev 19:17-18). His judgment is not to be taken lightly, or personalized as a victory. If that were to happen, then the Lord might take pity on the enemies in their calamity, for he champions the downtrodden and defeated. These are probably personal enemies; the imprecatory psalms and the prophetic oracles present a different set of circumstances for the downfall of God’s enemies—even the book of Proverbs says that brings joy to the community.
Proverbs 24:20 tn Heb “there is no end [i.e., future] for the evil.”
Proverbs 24:20 sn The saying warns against envying the wicked; v. 19 provides the instruction, and v. 20 the motivation. The motivation is that there is no future hope for them—nothing to envy, or as C. H. Toy explains, there will be no good outcome for their lives (Proverbs [ICC], 449). They will die suddenly, as the implied comparison with the lamp being snuffed out signifies.

New English Translation (NET)

October 2, 2024

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday October 2, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 66

66 This is what the Lord says:
“The heavens are my throne
and the earth is my footstool.
Where then is the house you will build for me?
Where is the place where I will rest?
²My hand made them;^[a]
that is how they came to be,”^[b] says the Lord.
“I show special favor^[c] to the humble and contrite,

who respect what I have to say.^[d]
³The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man;^[e]
the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck;^[f]
the one who presents an offering includes pig’s blood with it;^[g]
the one who offers incense also praises an idol.^[h]
They have decided to behave this way;^[i]
they enjoy these disgusting practices.^[j]
⁴So I will choose severe punishment^[k] for them;
I will bring on them what they dread,
because I called, and no one responded.
I spoke and they did not listen.
They did evil before me;^[l]
they chose to do what displeases me.”
⁵Listen to the Lord’s message,
you who respect^[m] his word!
“Your countrymen,^[n] who hate you

and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,
say, ‘May the Lord be glorified,
then we will witness your joy.’^[o]
But they will be put to shame.
⁶The sound of battle comes from the city;
the sound comes from the temple!
It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies.
⁷Before she goes into labor, she gives birth!
Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy!
⁸Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen this?
Can a country^[p] be brought forth in one day?
Can a nation be born in a single moment?
Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!
⁹Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?”
asks the Lord.
“Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?”
asks your God.^[q]
¹⁰“Be happy for Jerusalem
and rejoice with her, all you who love her!
Share in her great joy,
all you who have mourned over her!
¹¹For^[r] you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished;^[s]
you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts.^[t]

¹²For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,
the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks.^[u]
You will nurse from her breast^[v] and be carried at her side;
you will play on her knees.
¹³As a mother consoles a child,^[w]
so I will console you,
and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”
¹⁴When you see this, you will be happy,^[x]
and you will be revived.^[y]
The Lord will reveal his power to his servants
and his anger to his enemies.^[z]
¹⁵For look, the Lord comes with fire,
his chariots come like a windstorm,^[aa]
to reveal his raging anger,
his battle cry, and his flaming arrows.^[ab]
¹⁶For the Lord judges all humanity^[ac]
with fire and his sword;
the Lord will kill many.^[ad]

¹⁷“As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards,^[ae] those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice^[af]—they will all be destroyed together,”^[ag] says the Lord. ¹⁸“I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming^[ah] to gather all the nations and ethnic groups;^[ai] they will come and witness my splendor. ¹⁹I will perform a mighty act among them^[aj] and then send some of those who remain to the nations—to Tarshish, Pul,^[ak] Lud^[al] (known for its archers^[am]), Tubal, Javan,^[an] and to the distant coastlands^[ao] that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor. ²⁰They will bring back all your countrymen^[ap] from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them^[aq] on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels^[ar] to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers. ²¹And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord. ²²“For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me,” says the Lord, “so your descendants and your name will remain. ²³From one month^[as] to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people^[at] will come to worship me,”^[au] says the Lord. ²⁴“They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die,^[av] and the fire that consumes them will not die out.^[aw] All people will find the sight abhorrent.”^[ax]

Footnotes:

Isaiah 66:2 tn Heb “all these.” The phrase refers to the heavens and earth, mentioned in the previous verse.
Isaiah 66:2 tn Heb “and all these were.” Some prefer to emend וַיִּהְיוּ (vayyihyu, “and they were”) to וְלִי הָיוּ (v^eli hayu, “and to me they were”), i.e., “and they belong to me.”
Isaiah 66:2 tn Heb “and to this one I look” (KJV and NASB both similar).
Isaiah 66:2 tn Heb “to the humble and the lowly in spirit and the one who trembles at my words.”
Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “one who slaughters a bull, one who strikes down a man.” Some understand a comparison here and in the following lines. In God’s sight the one who sacrifices is like (i.e., regarded as) a murderer or one whose worship is ritually defiled or idolatrous. The translation above assumes that the language is not metaphorical, but descriptive of the sinners’ hypocritical behavior. (Note the last two lines of the verse, which suggest they are guilty of abominable practices.) On the one hand, they act pious and offer sacrifices, but at the same time they commit violent crimes against men, defile their sacrifices, and worship other gods.
Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “one who sacrifices a lamb, one who breaks a dog’s neck.” Some understand a comparison, but see the previous note.sn The significance of breaking a dog’s neck is uncertain, though the structure of the statement when compared to the preceding and following lines suggests the action is viewed in a negative light. According to Exod 13:13 and 34:20, one was to “redeem” a firstborn donkey by offering a lamb; if one did not “redeem” the firstborn donkey in this way, then its neck must be broken. According to Deut 21:1-9 a heifer’s neck was to be broken as part of the atonement ritual to purify the land from the guilt of bloodshed. It is not certain if these passages relate in any way to the action described in Isa 66:3.
Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “one who offers an offering, pig’s blood.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line.
Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “one who offers incense as a memorial offering, one who blesses something false.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line. אָוֶן (ʾaven), which has a wide variety of attested nuances, here refers metonymically to an idol. See HALOT 22 s.v. and BDB 20 s.v. 2.
Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “also they have chosen their ways.”
Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “their being [or “soul”] takes delight in their disgusting [things].”
Isaiah 66:4 tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (ʿalal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”
Isaiah 66:4 tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”
Isaiah 66:5 tn Heb “tremble.”
Isaiah 66:5 tn Heb “brothers” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “Your own people”; NLT “Your close relatives.”
Isaiah 66:5 tn Or “so that we might witness your joy.” The point of this statement is unclear.
Isaiah 66:8 tn Heb “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (ʾerets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).
Isaiah 66:9 sn The rhetorical questions expect the answer, “Of course not!”
Isaiah 66:11 tn Or “in order that”; ASV, NRSV “that.”
Isaiah 66:11 tn Heb “you will suck and be satisfied from her comforting breast.”
Isaiah 66:11 tn Heb “you will slurp and refresh yourselves from her heavy breast.”sn Zion’s residents will benefit from and enjoy her great material prosperity. See v. 12.
Isaiah 66:12 tn Heb “Look, I am ready to extend to her like a river prosperity [or “peace”], and like an overflowing stream, the riches of nations.”
Isaiah 66:12 tn The words “from her breast” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 11).
Isaiah 66:13 tn Heb “like a man whose mother comforts him.”
Isaiah 66:14 tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”
Isaiah 66:14 tn Heb “and your bones like grass will sprout.”
Isaiah 66:14 tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, and anger to his enemies.”
Isaiah 66:15 sn Chariots are like a windstorm in their swift movement and in the way that they kick up dust.
Isaiah 66:15 tn Heb “to cause to return with the rage of his anger, and his battle cry [or “rebuke”] with flames of fire.”
Isaiah 66:16 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “upon all men”; TEV “all the people of the world.”
Isaiah 66:16 tn Heb “many are the slain of the Lord.”
Isaiah 66:17 tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.
Isaiah 66:17 tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”
Isaiah 66:17 tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”
Isaiah 66:18 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming.” The syntax here is very problematic, suggesting that the text may need emendation. Some suggest that the words “their deeds and their thoughts” have been displaced from v. 17. This line presents two primary challenges. In the first place, the personal pronoun “I” has no verb after it. Most translations insert “know” for the sake of clarity (NASB, NRSV, NLT, ESV). The NIV has “I, because of their actions and their imaginations…” Since God’s “knowledge” of Israel’s sin occasions judgment, the verb “hate” is an option as well (see above translation). The feminine form of the next verb (בָּאָה, baʾah) could be understood in one of two ways. One could provide an implied noun “time” (עֵת, ʿet) and render the next line “the time is coming/has come” (NASB, ESV). One could also emend the feminine verb to the masculine בָּא (baʾ) and have the “I” at the beginning of the line govern this verb as well (for the Lord is speaking here): “I am coming” (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
Isaiah 66:18 tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”
Isaiah 66:19 tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).
Isaiah 66:19 tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).
Isaiah 66:19 sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).
Isaiah 66:19 tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).
Isaiah 66:19 sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).
Isaiah 66:19 tn Or “islands” (NIV).
Isaiah 66:20 tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”
Isaiah 66:20 tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Isaiah 66:20 tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.
Isaiah 66:23 tn Heb “new moon.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
Isaiah 66:23 tn Heb “all flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NAB, NASB, NIV “all mankind”; NLT “All humanity.”
Isaiah 66:23 tn Or “bow down before” (NASB).
Isaiah 66:24 tn Heb “for their worm will not die.”
Isaiah 66:24 tn Heb “and their fire will not be extinguished.”
Isaiah 66:24 tn Heb “and they will be an abhorrence to all flesh.”sn This verse depicts a huge mass burial site where the seemingly endless pile of maggot-infested corpses are being burned.

New English Translation (NET)

Philippians 3:4-21

⁴—though mine too are significant.^[a] If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials,^[b] I have more: ⁵I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee.^[c] ⁶In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. ⁷But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. ⁸More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things—indeed, I regard them as dung!^[d]—that I may gain Christ, ⁹and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness^[e]—a righteousness from God that is in fact^[f] based on Christ’s^[g] faithfulness.^[h] ¹⁰My aim is to know him,^[i] to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings,^[j] and to be like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow,^[k] to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Keep Going Forward

¹²Not that I have already attained this—that is, I have not already been perfected—but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me.^[l] ¹³Brothers and sisters,^[m] I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded:^[n] Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, ¹⁴with this goal in mind,^[o] I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God^[p] in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view.^[q] If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways.^[r] ¹⁶Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard^[s] that we have already attained.^[t]

¹⁷Be imitators of me,^[u] brothers and sisters,^[v] and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example. ¹⁸For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.^[w] ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who will transform these humble bodies of ours^[x] into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.

Footnotes:

Philippians 3:4 tn Grk “though I have reason for confidence even in the flesh.”
Philippians 3:4 tn Grk “flesh.”
Philippians 3:5 sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
Philippians 3:8 tn The word here translated “dung” was often used in Greek as a vulgar term for fecal matter. As such it would most likely have had a certain shock value for the readers. This may well be Paul’s meaning here, especially since the context is about what the flesh produces.
Philippians 3:9 tn Or “faith in Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pistis Christou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view. sn ExSyn 116, which notes that the grammar is not decisive, nevertheless suggests that “the faith/faithfulness of Christ is not a denial of faith in Christ as a Pauline concept (for the idea is expressed in many of the same contexts, only with the verb πιστεύω rather than the noun), but implies that the object of faith is a worthy object, for he himself is faithful.” Though Paul elsewhere teaches justification by faith, this presupposes that the object of our faith is reliable and worthy of such faith.
Philippians 3:9 tn The words “in fact” are supplied because of English style, picking up the force of the Greek article with πίστει (pistei). See also the following note on the word “Christ’s.”
Philippians 3:9 tn Grk “based on the faithfulness.” The article before πίστει (pistei) is taken as anaphoric, looking back to διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ (dia pisteōs Christou); hence, “Christ’s” is implied.
Philippians 3:9 tn Or “based on faith.”
Philippians 3:10 tn The articular infinitive τοῦ γνῶναι (tou gnōnai, “to know”) here expresses purpose. The words “My aim is” have been supplied in the translation to emphasize this nuance and to begin a new sentence (shorter sentences are more appropriate for English style).
Philippians 3:10 tn Grk “to know him, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.”
Philippians 3:11 tn On εἰ πῶς (ei pōs) as “so, somehow” see BDAG 279, s.v. εἰ 6.n.
Philippians 3:12 tn Grk “that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” The passive has been translated as active in keeping with contemporary English style.
Philippians 3:13 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
Philippians 3:13 tn Grk “But this one thing (I do).”
Philippians 3:14 tn Grk “according to the goal.”
Philippians 3:14 tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”
Philippians 3:15 tn Grk “those of us who are ‘perfect’ should think this,” or possibly “those of us who are mature should think this.”sn The adjective perfect comes from the same root as the verb perfected in v. 12; Paul may well be employing a wordplay to draw in his opponents. Thus, perfect would then be in quotation marks and Paul would then argue that no one—neither they nor he—is in fact perfect. The thrust of vv. 1-16 is that human credentials can produce nothing that is pleasing to God (vv. 1-8). Instead of relying on such, Paul urges his readers to trust God for their righteousness (v. 9) rather than their own efforts, and at the same time to press on for the prize that awaits them (vv. 12-14). He argues further that perfection is unattainable in this life (v. 15), yet the level of maturity that one has reached should not for this reason be abandoned (v. 16).
Philippians 3:15 tn Grk “reveal this to you.” The referent of the pronoun “this” is the fact that the person is thinking differently than Paul does. This has been specified in the translation with the phrase “the error of your ways”; Paul is stating that God will make it known to these believers when they are not in agreement with Paul.
Philippians 3:16 tc Although κανόνι (kanoni, “standard, rule”) is found in most witnesses, though in various locations in this verse (א² D² Ψ 075 1505 2464 M), it is almost surely a motivated reading, for it clarifies the cryptic τῷ αὐτῷ (tō autō, “the same”). Both the fact that the word floats, and that there are other variants which accomplish greater clarity by other means, strongly suggests the secondary nature of any of the longer readings here. Further, the shortest text has excellent and early support in P^16,46 א* A B I^vid 6 33 1739 co, rendering it decidedly the preferred reading. The translation adds “standard” because of English requirements, not because of textual basis.
Philippians 3:16 tn Grk “Nevertheless, to what we have attained, to the same hold fast.”
Philippians 3:17 tn Or “become fellow imitators with me [of Christ].”
Philippians 3:17 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
Philippians 3:19 tn Grk “whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly and glory is their shame, these who think of earthly things.”
Philippians 3:21 tn Grk “transform the body of our humility.”

New English Translation (NET)

Psalm 74

Psalm 74^[a]

A well-written song^[b] by Asaph.

74 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us?^[c]
Why does your anger burn^[d] against the sheep of your pasture?
²Remember your people^[e] whom you acquired in ancient times,
whom you rescued^[f] so they could be your very own nation,^[g]
as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell.
³Hurry^[h] to the permanent ruins,
and to all the damage the enemy has done to the temple.^[i]
⁴Your enemies roar^[j] in the middle of your sanctuary;^[k]
they set up their battle flags.^[l]
⁵They invade like lumberjacks
swinging their axes in a thick forest.^[m]
⁶And now^[n] they are tearing down^[o] all its engravings^[p]
with axes^[q] and crowbars.^[r]
⁷They set your sanctuary on fire;
they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground.^[s]
⁸They say to themselves,^[t]
“We will oppress all of them.”^[u]
They burn down all the places in the land where people worship God.^[v]
⁹We do not see any signs of God’s presence;^[w]
there are no longer any prophets,^[x]
and we have no one to tell us how long this will last.^[y]
¹⁰How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?
Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
¹¹Why do you remain inactive?
Intervene and destroy him.^[z]
¹²But God has been my^[aa] king from ancient times,
performing acts of deliverance on the earth.^[ab]
¹³You destroyed^[ac] the sea by your strength;
you shattered the heads of the sea monster^[ad] in the water.
¹⁴You crushed the heads of Leviathan;^[ae]
you fed^[af] him to the people who live along the coast.^[ag]
¹⁵You broke open the spring and the stream;^[ah]
you dried up perpetually flowing rivers.^[ai]
¹⁶You established the cycle of day and night;^[aj]
you put the moon^[ak] and sun in place.^[al]
¹⁷You set up all the boundaries^[am] of the earth;
you created the cycle of summer and winter.^[an]
¹⁸Remember how^[ao] the enemy hurls insults, O Lord,^[ap]
and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name.
¹⁹Do not hand the life of your dove^[aq] over to a wild animal.
Do not continue to disregard^[ar] the lives of your oppressed people.
²⁰Remember your covenant promises,^[as]
for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules.^[at]
²¹Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame.
Let the oppressed and poor praise your name.^[au]
²²Rise up, O God. Defend your honor.^[av]
Remember how fools insult you all day long.^[aw]
²³Do not disregard^[ax] what your enemies say,^[ay]
or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you.^[az]

Footnotes:

Psalm 74:1 sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.
Psalm 74:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
Psalm 74:1 sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.
Psalm 74:1 tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.
Psalm 74:2 tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.
Psalm 74:2 tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
Psalm 74:2 tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).
Psalm 74:3 tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”
Psalm 74:3 tn Heb “everything [the] enemy has damaged in the holy place.”
Psalm 74:4 tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.
Psalm 74:4 tn Heb “your meeting place.”
Psalm 74:4 tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (ʾot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).
Psalm 74:5 tn Heb “it is known like one bringing upwards, in a thicket of wood, axes.” The Babylonian invaders destroyed the woodwork in the temple.
Psalm 74:6 tn This is the reading of the Qere (marginal reading). The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and a time.”
Psalm 74:6 tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.
Psalm 74:6 tn Heb “its engravings together.”
Psalm 74:6 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49-50).
Psalm 74:6 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. An Akkadian cognate refers to a “pickaxe” (cf. NEB “hatchet and pick”; NIV “axes and hatchets”; NRSV “hatchets and hammers”).
Psalm 74:7 tn Heb “to the ground they desecrate the dwelling place of your name.”
Psalm 74:8 tn Heb “in their heart.”
Psalm 74:8 tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).
Psalm 74:8 tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”
Psalm 74:9 tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).
Psalm 74:9 tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”
Psalm 74:9 tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”
Psalm 74:11 tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.
Psalm 74:12 tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.
Psalm 74:12 tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”
Psalm 74:13 tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”
Psalm 74:13 tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters” (cf. NRSV “dragons”), but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the note on “Leviathan” in v. 14.
Psalm 74:14 sn You crushed the heads of Leviathan. The imagery of vv. 13-14 originates in West Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon [Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַּנִין (tanin), translated “sea monster” in v. 13] vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling [Ugaritic ʿqltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן (ʿaqallaton), translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13). (See CTA 3.iii.38-39 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 50.) (2) “For all that you smote Leviathan the slippery [Ugaritic brḥ, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ (bariakh), translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1] serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5.i.1-3 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and, in turn, the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the waters of chaos is related to his kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.
Psalm 74:14 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite in this narrational context.
Psalm 74:14 sn You fed him to the people. This pictures the fragments of Leviathan’s dead corpse washing up on shore and being devoured by those who find them. If the exodus is in view, then it may allude to the bodies of the dead Egyptians which washed up on the shore of the Red Sea (see Exod 14:30).
Psalm 74:15 sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).
Psalm 74:15 sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).
Psalm 74:16 tn Heb “To you [is] day, also to you [is] night.”
Psalm 74:16 tn Heb “[the] light.” Following the reference to “day and night” and in combination with “sun,” it is likely that the Hebrew term מָאוֹר (maʾor, “light”) refers here to the moon.
Psalm 74:16 tn Heb “you established [the] light and [the] sun.”
Psalm 74:17 tn This would appear to refer to geographical boundaries, such as mountains, rivers, and seacoasts. However, since the day-night cycle has just been mentioned (v. 16) and the next line speaks of the seasons, it is possible that “boundaries” here refers to the divisions of the seasons. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:156.
Psalm 74:17 tn Heb “summer and winter, you, you formed them.”
Psalm 74:18 tn Heb “remember this.”
Psalm 74:18 tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the Lord.”
Psalm 74:19 sn Your dove. The psalmist compares weak and vulnerable Israel to a helpless dove.
Psalm 74:19 tn Heb “do not forget forever.”
Psalm 74:20 tc Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix, which would be written with ך (kaf). The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word, כִּי (ki), begins with כ (kaf) .
Psalm 74:20 tn Heb “for the dark places of the earth are full of dwelling places of violence.” The “dark regions” are probably the lands where the people have been exiled (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:157). In some contexts “dark regions” refers to Sheol (Ps 88:6) or to hiding places likened to Sheol (Ps 143:3; Lam 3:6).
Psalm 74:21 sn Let the oppressed and poor praise your name. The statement is metonymic. The point is this: May the oppressed be delivered from their enemies. Then they will have ample reason to praise God’s name.
Psalm 74:22 tn Or “defend your cause.”
Psalm 74:22 tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”
Psalm 74:23 tn Or “forget.”
Psalm 74:23 tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”
Psalm 74:23 tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”

New English Translation (NET)

Proverbs 24:15-16

¹⁵Do not lie in wait like the wicked^[a] against the place where the righteous live;
do not assault^[b] his home.
¹⁶Indeed^[c] a righteous person will fall^[d] seven times, and then get up again,
but the guilty will collapse^[e] in calamity.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:15 tn The word “wicked” could be taken as a vocative (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, “O wicked man”), but since the next line refers to the wicked this is unlikely. It serves better as an adverbial accusative (“like the wicked”).
Proverbs 24:15 sn The saying warns that it is futile and self-defeating to mistreat God’s people, for they survive—the wicked do not. The warning is against a deliberate, planned assault on their places of dwelling.
Proverbs 24:16 tn The clause beginning with כִּי (ki) could be interpreted as temporal, conditional, or emphatic. It may be viewed as concessive (“although”) but a concessive force would typically arise from its context and relationship to other independent clauses. In any case, the first half of the proverb assures that the righteous keep getting up and going again.sn The righteous may suffer adversity or misfortune any number of times—seven times here—but they will “rise” for virtue triumphs over evil in the end (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 140).
Proverbs 24:16 tn The verb is a Hebrew imperfect of נָפַל (nafal) which should be understood as future “will fall” or modal “may fall.” If it is future, it is exemplary and not predictive of the number of times a righteous person will metaphorically fall down. It is followed by a vav plus perfect consecutive, which either continues the force of the preceding verb, or advances it one logical step, like the apodosis of a condition.
Proverbs 24:16 tn The Niphal of כָּשַׁל (kashal; to stumble) is typically reflexive “to collapse.” Intransitive verbs do not tend to have passive meanings, but the Niphal may refer to the resulting state, “be collapsed, fallen, brought down,” (although some take the Niphal unusually as “caused to stagger”). The imperfect verb form could be taken as a general present, but the future presents a better parallel to the first half of the proverb.

New English Translation (NET)

October 1, 2024

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday October 1, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 62:6-65:25

⁶I^[a] post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they should keep praying all day and all night.^[b]
You who pray to^[c] the Lord, don’t be silent!
⁷Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem,^[d]
until he makes Jerusalem the pride^[e] of the earth.
⁸The Lord swears an oath by his right hand,
by his strong arm:^[f]
“I will never again give your grain
to your enemies as food,
and foreigners will not drink your wine,
which you worked hard to produce.

⁹But those who harvest the grain^[g] will eat it,
and will praise the Lord.
Those who pick the grapes will drink the wine^[h]
in the courts of my holy sanctuary.”
¹⁰Come through! Come through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people!
Build it—Build the roadway!
Remove the stones.
Lift a signal flag for the nations.
¹¹Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth:^[i]
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘Look, your deliverer comes!
Look, his reward is with him,
and his reward goes before him!’”^[j]
¹²They will be called, “The Holy People,
the Ones Protected^[k] by the Lord.”
You will be called, “Sought After,
City Not Abandoned.”

The Victorious Divine Warrior

63 Who is this who comes from Edom,^[l]
dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah?^[m]
Who^[n] is this one wearing royal attire,^[o]
who marches confidently^[p] because of his great strength?
“It is I, the one who announces vindication,
and who is able to deliver!”^[q]
²Why are your clothes red?
Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat?^[r]
³“I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;
no one from the nations joined me.
I stomped on them^[s] in my anger;
I trampled them down in my rage.
Their juice splashed on my garments,
and stained^[t] all my clothes.
⁴For I looked forward to the day of vengeance,
and then payback time arrived.^[u]
⁵I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was shocked because there was no one offering support.^[v]
So my right arm accomplished deliverance;
my raging anger drove me on.^[w]
⁶I trampled nations in my anger;
I made them drunk^[x] in my rage;
I splashed their blood on the ground.”^[y]

A Prayer for Divine Intervention

⁷I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,
of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.
I will tell about all^[z] the Lord did for us,
the many good things he did for the family of Israel,^[aa]
because of^[ab] his compassion and great faithfulness.
⁸He said, “Certainly they will be my people,
children who are not disloyal.”^[ac]
He became their deliverer.
⁹Through all that they suffered, he suffered too.^[ad]
The messenger sent from his very presence^[ae] delivered them.
In his love and mercy he protected^[af] them;
he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times.^[ag]
¹⁰But they rebelled and offended^[ah] his holy Spirit,^[ai]
so he turned into an enemy
and fought against them.
¹¹His people remembered the ancient times.^[aj]
Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,
along with the shepherd of^[ak] his flock?
Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them,^[al]
¹²the one who made his majestic power available to Moses,^[am]
who divided the water before them,
gaining for himself a lasting reputation,^[an]
¹³who led them through the deep water?
Like a horse running through the wilderness^[ao] they did not stumble.
¹⁴As an animal that goes down into a valley to graze,^[ap]
so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.
In this way^[aq] you guided your people,
gaining for yourself an honored reputation.^[ar]
¹⁵Look down from heaven and take notice,
from your holy, majestic palace!
Where are your zeal^[as] and power?
Do not hold back your tender compassion!^[at]
¹⁶For you are our father,
though Abraham does not know us
and Israel does not recognize us.
You, Lord, are our father;
you have been called our Protector from ancient times.^[au]
¹⁷Why, Lord, do you make us stray^[av] from your ways,^[aw]
and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you?^[ax]
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your inheritance!
¹⁸For a short time your special^[ay] nation possessed a land,^[az]
but then our adversaries knocked down^[ba] your holy sanctuary.
¹⁹We existed from ancient times,^[bb]
but you did not rule over them;
they were not your subjects.^[bc]
64 (63:19b)^[bd] If only you would tear apart the sky^[be] and come down!
The mountains would tremble^[bf] before you!
²(64:1) As when fire ignites dry wood,
or fire makes water boil,
let your adversaries know who you are,^[bg]
and may the nations shake at your presence!
³When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise,^[bh]
you came down, and the mountains trembled^[bi] before you.
⁴Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived,^[bj]
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who intervenes for those who wait for him.
⁵You assist^[bk] those who delight in doing what is right,^[bl]
who observe your commandments.^[bm]
Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.
How then can we be saved?^[bn]
⁶We are all like one who is unclean,
all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight.^[bo]
We all wither like a leaf;
our sins carry us away like the wind.
⁷No one invokes^[bp] your name,
or makes an effort^[bq] to take hold of you.
For you have rejected us^[br]
and handed us over to our own sins.^[bs]
⁸Yet,^[bt] Lord, you are our father.
We are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the product of your labor.^[bu]
⁹Lord, do not be too angry!
Do not hold our sins against us continually.^[bv]
Take a good look at your people, at all of us.^[bw]
¹⁰Your chosen^[bx] cities have become a wilderness;
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem, a desolate ruin.
¹¹Our holy temple, our pride and joy,^[by]
the place where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned with fire;
all our prized possessions have been destroyed.^[bz]
¹²In light of all this,^[ca] how can you still hold back, Lord?
How can you be silent and continue to humiliate us?

The Lord Will Distinguish Between Sinners and the Godly

65 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me;^[cb]
I appeared to those who did not look for me.^[cc]
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
to a nation that did not invoke^[cd] my name.
²I spread out my hands all day long
to my rebellious people,
who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable,
and who did what they desired.^[ce]
³These people continually and blatantly offend me^[cf]
as they sacrifice in their sacred orchards^[cg]
and burn incense on brick altars.^[ch]
⁴They sit among the tombs^[ci]
and keep watch all night long.^[cj]
They eat pork,^[ck]
and broth^[cl] from unclean sacrificial meat is in their pans.
⁵They say, ‘Keep to yourself!
Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’
These people are like smoke in my nostrils,
like a fire that keeps burning all day long.
⁶Look, I have decreed:^[cm]
I will not keep silent, but will pay them back;
I will pay them back exactly what they deserve,^[cn]
⁷for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,”^[co] says the Lord.
“Because they burned incense on the mountains
and offended^[cp] me on the hills,
I will punish them in full measure.”^[cq]

⁸This is what the Lord says:

“When^[cr] juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes,
someone says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for it contains juice.’^[cs]
So I will do for the sake of my servants—
I will not destroy everyone.^[ct]
⁹I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains.
My chosen ones will take possession of the land;^[cu]
my servants will live there.
¹⁰Sharon^[cv] will become a pasture for sheep,
and the Valley of Achor^[cw] a place where cattle graze;^[cx]
they will belong to my people, who seek me.^[cy]
¹¹But as for you who abandon the Lord
and forget about worshiping at^[cz] my holy mountain,
who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’^[da]
and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’^[db]—
¹²I predestine you to die by the sword,^[dc]
all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block,^[dd]
because I called to you, and you did not respond;
I spoke and you did not listen.
You did evil before me;^[de]
you chose to do what displeases me.”

¹³So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry.
Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty.
Look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated.
¹⁴Look, my servants will shout for joy as happiness fills their hearts.^[df]
But you will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts;^[dg]
you will wail because your spirits will be crushed.^[dh]
¹⁵Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones.^[di]
The Sovereign Lord will kill you,
but he will give his servants another name.
¹⁶Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth^[dj]
will do so in the name of the faithful God;^[dk]
whoever makes an oath in the earth
will do so in the name of the faithful God.^[dl]
For past problems will be forgotten;
I will no longer think about them.^[dm]
¹⁷For look, I am ready to create
new heavens and a new earth!^[dn]
The former ones^[do] will not be remembered;
no one will think about them anymore.^[dp]
¹⁸But be happy and rejoice forevermore
over what I am about to create!
For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy,^[dq]
and her people to be a source of happiness.^[dr]
¹⁹Jerusalem will bring me joy,
and my people will bring me happiness.^[ds]
The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow
will never be heard in her again.
²⁰Never again will one of her infants live just a few days^[dt]
or an old man die before his time.^[du]
Indeed, no one will die before the age of one hundred;^[dv]
anyone who fails to reach^[dw] the age of one hundred will be considered cursed.
²¹They will build houses and live in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²²No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it,^[dx]
or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit,^[dy]
for my people will live as long as trees,^[dz]
and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced.^[ea]
²³They will not work in vain,
or give birth to children that will experience disaster.^[eb]
For the Lord will bless their children
and their descendants.^[ec]
²⁴Before they even call out,^[ed] I will respond;
while they are still speaking, I will hear.
²⁵A wolf and a lamb will graze together;^[ee]
a lion, like an ox, will eat straw,^[ef]
and a snake’s food will be dirt.^[eg]
They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain,”^[eh] says the Lord.

Footnotes:

Isaiah 62:6 sn The speaker here is probably the prophet.
Isaiah 62:6 tn Heb “all day and all night continually they do not keep silent.” The following lines suggest that they pray for the Lord’s intervention and restoration of the city.
Isaiah 62:6 tn Or “invoke”; NIV “call on”; NASB, NRSV “remind.”
Isaiah 62:7 tn “Jerusalem” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; note the following line.
Isaiah 62:7 tn Heb “[the object of] praise.”
Isaiah 62:8 tn The Lord’s right hand and strong arm here symbolize his power and remind the audience that his might guarantees the fulfillment of the following promise.
Isaiah 62:9 tn Heb “it,” the grain mentioned in v. 8a.
Isaiah 62:9 tn Heb “and those who gather it will drink it.” The masculine singular pronominal suffixes attached to “gather” and “drink” refer back to the masculine noun תִּירוֹשׁ (tirosh, “wine”) in v. 8b.
Isaiah 62:11 tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).
Isaiah 62:11 sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.
Isaiah 62:12 tn Or “the redeemed of the Lord” (KJV, NAB).
Isaiah 63:1 sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.
Isaiah 63:1 tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”
Isaiah 63:1 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.
Isaiah 63:1 tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”
Isaiah 63:1 tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsaʿah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsaʿad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).
Isaiah 63:1 tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”
Isaiah 63:2 tn Heb “and your garments like one who treads in a vat?”
Isaiah 63:3 sn Nations, headed by Edom, are the object of the Lord’s anger (see v. 6). He compares military slaughter to stomping on grapes in a vat.
Isaiah 63:3 tn Heb “and I stained.” For discussion of the difficult verb form, see HALOT 170 s.v. II גאל. Perhaps the form is mixed, combining the first person forms of the imperfect (note the alef prefix) and perfect (note the תי- ending).
Isaiah 63:4 tn Heb “for the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my revenge came.” The term גְּאוּלַי (g^eʾulay) is sometimes translated here “my redemption,” for the verbal root גאל often means “deliver, buy back.” A גֹּאֵל (goʾel, “kinsman-redeemer”) was responsible for protecting the extended family’s interests, often by redeeming property that had been sold outside the family. However, the responsibilities of a גֹּאֵל extended beyond financial concerns. He was also responsible for avenging the shed blood of a family member (see Num 35:19-27; Deut 19:6-12). In Isa 63:4, where vengeance is a prominent theme (note the previous line), it is probably this function of the family protector that is in view. The Lord pictures himself as a blood avenger who waits for the day of vengeance to arrive and then springs into action.
Isaiah 63:5 sn See Isa 59:16 for similar language.
Isaiah 63:5 tn Heb “and my anger, it supported me”; NIV “my own wrath sustained me.”
Isaiah 63:6 sn See Isa 49:26 and 51:23 for similar imagery.
Isaiah 63:6 tn Heb “and I brought down to the ground their juice.” “Juice” refers to their blood (see v. 3).
Isaiah 63:7 tn Heb “according to all which.”
Isaiah 63:7 tn Heb “greatness of goodness to the house of Israel which he did for them.”
Isaiah 63:7 tn Heb “according to.”
Isaiah 63:8 tn Heb “children [who] do not act deceitfully.” Here the verb refers to covenantal loyalty.
Isaiah 63:9 tn Heb “in all their distress, there was distress to him” (reading לוֹ [lo] with the margin/Qere).
Isaiah 63:9 tn Heb “the messenger [or “angel”] of his face”; NIV “the angel of his presence.”sn This may refer to the “angel of God” mentioned in Exod 14:19, who in turn may be identical to the divine “presence” (literally, “face”) referred to in Exod 33:14-15 and Deut 4:37. Here in Isa 63 this messenger may be equated with God’s “holy Spirit” (see vv. 10-11) and “the Spirit of the Lord” (v. 14). See also Ps 139:7, where God’s “Spirit” seems to be equated with his “presence” (literally, “face”) in the synonymous parallelistic structure.
Isaiah 63:9 tn Or “redeemed” (KJV, NAB, NIV), or “delivered.”
Isaiah 63:9 tn Heb “all the days of antiquity”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “days of old.”
Isaiah 63:10 tn Or “grieved, hurt the feelings of.”
Isaiah 63:10 sn The phrase “holy Spirit” occurs in the OT only here (in v. 11 as well) and in Ps 51:11 (51:13 HT), where it is associated with the divine presence.
Isaiah 63:11 tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.
Isaiah 63:11 tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, raʿah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.
Isaiah 63:11 sn See the note at v. 10.
Isaiah 63:12 tn Heb “who caused to go at the right hand of Moses the arm of his splendor.”
Isaiah 63:12 tn Heb “making for himself a lasting name.”
Isaiah 63:13 tn Heb “in the desert [or “steppe”].”
Isaiah 63:14 tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Isaiah 63:14 tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).
Isaiah 63:14 tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”
Isaiah 63:15 tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.
Isaiah 63:15 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (ʾelay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (ʾal). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, titʾappaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (ʾafaq) also occurs in 42:14.
Isaiah 63:16 tn Heb “our protector [or “redeemer”] from antiquity [is] your name.”
Isaiah 63:17 tn Some suggest a tolerative use of the Hiphil here, “[why do] you allow us to stray?” (cf. NLT). Though the Hiphil of תָעָה (taʿah) appears to be tolerative in Jer 50:6, elsewhere it is preferable or necessary to take it as causative. See Isa 3:12; 9:15; and 30:28, as well as Gen 20:13; 2 Kgs 21:9; Job 12:24-25; Prov 12:26; Jer 23:13, 32; Hos 4:12; Amos 2:4; Mic 3:5.
Isaiah 63:17 tn This probably refers to God’s commands.
Isaiah 63:17 tn Heb “[Why do] you harden our heart[s] so as not to fear you.” The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).sn How direct this hardening is, one cannot be sure. The speaker may envision direct involvement on the Lord’s part. The Lord has brought the exile as judgment for the nation’s sin and now he continues to keep them at arm’s length by blinding them spiritually. The second half of 64:7 might support this, though the precise reading of the final verb is uncertain. On the other hand, the idiom of lament is sometimes ironic and hyperbolically deterministic. For example, Naomi lamented that Shaddai was directly opposing her and bringing her calamity (Ruth 1:20-21), while the author of Ps 88 directly attributes his horrible suffering and loneliness to God (see especially vv. 6-8, 16-18). Both individuals make little, if any, room for intermediate causes or the principle of sin and death which ravages the human race. In the same way, the speaker in Isa 63:17 (who evidences great spiritual sensitivity and is anything but “hardened”) may be referring to the hardships of exile, which discouraged and even embittered the people, causing many of them to retreat from their Yahwistic faith. In this case, the “hardening” in view is more indirect and can be lifted by the Lord’s intervention. Whether the hardening here is indirect or direct, it is important to recognize that the speaker sees it as one of the effects of rebellion against the Lord (note especially 64:5-6).
Isaiah 63:18 tn Or “holy” (ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
Isaiah 63:18 tn Heb “for a short time they had a possession, the people of your holiness.”
Isaiah 63:18 tn Heb “your adversaries trampled on.”
Isaiah 63:19 tn Heb “we were from antiquity” (see v. 16). The collocation of הָיָה, מִן, and עוֹלָם (hayah, min, and ʿolam) occurs only here.
Isaiah 63:19 tn Heb “you did not rule them; your name was not called over them.” The expression “the name is called over” indicates ownership; see the note at 4:1. As these two lines stand, they are very difficult to interpret. They appear to be stating that the adversaries just mentioned in v. 18 have not been subject to the Lord’s rule in the past, perhaps explaining why they could commit the atrocity described in v. 18b.
Isaiah 64:1 sn In BHS the chapter division occurs in a different place from the English Bible: 64:1 ET (63:19b HT) and 64:2-12 (64:1-11 HT). Beginning with 65:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
Isaiah 64:1 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
Isaiah 64:1 tn Or “quake.” נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) is from the verbal root זָלַל (zalal, “quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). Perhaps there is a verbal allusion to Judg 5:5, the only other passage where this verb occurs. In that passage the poet tells how the Lord’s appearance to do battle caused the mountains to shake.
Isaiah 64:2 tn Heb “to make known your name to your adversaries.” Perhaps the infinitive construct with preposition לְ (lamed) should be construed with “come down” in v. 1a, or subordinated to the following line: “To make known your name to your adversaries, let the nations shake from before you.”
Isaiah 64:3 tn Heb “[for which] we were not waiting.”
Isaiah 64:3 tn See the note at v. 1.
Isaiah 64:4 tn Heb “from ancient times they have not heard, they have not listened.”
Isaiah 64:5 tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”
Isaiah 64:5 tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”
Isaiah 64:5 tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”
Isaiah 64:5 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry, and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context—God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirshaʿ, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).
Isaiah 64:6 tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”
Isaiah 64:7 tn Or “calls out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “calls on.”
Isaiah 64:7 tn Or “rouses himself”; NASB “arouses himself.”
Isaiah 64:7 tn Heb “for you have hidden your face from us.”
Isaiah 64:7 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and you caused us to melt in the hand of our sin.” The verb וַתְּמוּגֵנוּ (vatt^emugenu) is a Qal preterite second person masculine singular with a first person common plural suffix from the root מוּג (mug, “melt”). However, elsewhere the Qal of this verb is intransitive. If the verbal root מוּג (mug) is retained here, the form should be emended to a Polel pattern (וַתְּמֹגְגֵנוּ, vatt^emog^egenu). The translation assumes an emendation to וַתְּמַגְּנֵנוּ (vatt^emagg^enenu, “and you handed us over”). This form is a Piel preterite second person masculine singular with a first person common plural suffix from the verb מָגָן (magan, “hand over, surrender”; see HALOT 545 s.v. מגן and BDB 171 s.v. מָגָן). The point is that God has abandoned them to their sinful ways and no longer seeks reconciliation.
Isaiah 64:8 tn On the force of וְעַתָּה (v^eʿattah) here, see HALOT 902 s.v. עַתָּה.
Isaiah 64:8 tn Heb “the work of your hand.”
Isaiah 64:9 tn Heb “do not remember sin continually.”
Isaiah 64:9 tn Heb “Look, gaze at your people, all of us.” Another option is to translate, “Take a good look! We are all your people.”
Isaiah 64:10 tn Heb “holy” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT); NIV “sacred.”
Isaiah 64:11 tn Heb “our source of pride.”
Isaiah 64:11 tn Or “all that we valued has become a ruin.”
Isaiah 64:12 tn Heb “because of these”; KJV, ASV “for these things.”
Isaiah 65:1 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be sought by those who did not ask.”
Isaiah 65:1 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be found by those who did not seek.”
Isaiah 65:1 tn Heb “call out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “call on.”
Isaiah 65:2 tn Heb “who walked [in] the way that is not good, after their thoughts.”
Isaiah 65:3 tn Heb “the people who provoke me to anger to my face continually.”
Isaiah 65:3 tn Or “gardens” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
Isaiah 65:3 tn Or perhaps, “on tiles.”
Isaiah 65:4 sn Perhaps the worship of underworld deities or dead spirits is in view.
Isaiah 65:4 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and in the watches they spend the night.” Some understand נְּצוּרִים (n^etsurim) as referring to “secret places” or “caves,” while others emend the text to וּבֵין צוּרִים (uven tsurim, “between the rocky cliffs”).
Isaiah 65:4 tn Heb “the flesh of the pig”; KJV, NAB, NASB “swine’s flesh.”
Isaiah 65:4 tc The marginal reading (Qere), supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a, reads מְרַק (m^eraq, “broth”), while the consonantal text (Kethib) has פְרַק (f^eraq, “fragment”).
Isaiah 65:6 tn Heb “Look, it is written before me.”
Isaiah 65:6 tn Heb “I will pay back into their lap.”
Isaiah 65:7 tn Heb “the iniquities of your fathers.”
Isaiah 65:7 tn Or perhaps, “taunted”; KJV “blasphemed”; NAB “disgraced”; NASB “scorned”; NIV “defied”; NRSV “reviled.”
Isaiah 65:7 tn Heb “I will measure out their pay [from the] beginning into their lap,” i.e., he will give them everything they have earned.
Isaiah 65:8 tn Heb “just as.” In the Hebrew text the statement is one long sentence, “Just as…, so I will do….”
Isaiah 65:8 tn Heb “for a blessing is in it.”
Isaiah 65:8 tn Heb “by not destroying everyone.”
Isaiah 65:9 tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to the land that contains the aforementioned mountains.
Isaiah 65:10 sn Sharon was a plain located to the west, along the Mediterranean coast north of Joppa and south of Carmel.
Isaiah 65:10 sn The Valley of Achor (“Achor” means “trouble” in Hebrew) was the site of Achan’s execution. It was located to the east, near Jericho.
Isaiah 65:10 tn Heb “a resting place for cattle”; NASB, NIV “for herds.”
Isaiah 65:10 tn Heb “for my people who seek me.”
Isaiah 65:11 tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Isaiah 65:11 tn The Hebrew has לַגַּד (laggad, “for Gad”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 176 s.v. II גַּד 2.
Isaiah 65:11 tn The Hebrew has לַמְנִי (lamni, “for Meni”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 602 s.v. מְגִי.
Isaiah 65:12 tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, m^eni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.
Isaiah 65:12 tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”
Isaiah 65:12 tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”
Isaiah 65:14 tn Heb “from the good of the heart.”
Isaiah 65:14 tn Heb “from the pain of the heart.”
Isaiah 65:14 tn Heb “from the breaking of the spirit.”
Isaiah 65:15 tn Heb “you will leave your name for an oath to my chosen ones.”sn For an example of such a curse formula see Jer 29:22.
Isaiah 65:16 tn Or “in the land” (NIV, NCV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs again later in this verse, with the same options.
Isaiah 65:16 tn Heb “will pronounce a blessing by the God of truth.”
Isaiah 65:16 tn Heb “will take an oath by the God of truth.”
Isaiah 65:16 tn Heb “for the former distresses will be forgotten, and they will be hidden from my eyes.”
Isaiah 65:17 sn This hyperbolic statement likens the coming transformation of Jerusalem (see vv. 18-19) to a new creation of the cosmos.
Isaiah 65:17 tn Or perhaps, “the former things” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “The events of the past.”
Isaiah 65:17 tn Heb “and they will not come up on the mind.”
Isaiah 65:18 tn Heb “Jerusalem, joy.” The next verse suggests the meaning: The Lord will create Jerusalem to be a source of joy to himself.
Isaiah 65:18 tn Heb “her people, happiness.” See the preceding note.
Isaiah 65:19 tn Heb “and I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be happy in my people.”
Isaiah 65:20 tn Heb “and there will not be from there again a nursing infant of days,” i.e., one that lives just a few days.
Isaiah 65:20 tn Heb “or an old [man] who does not fill out his days.”
Isaiah 65:20 tn Heb “for the child as a son of one hundred years will die.” The point seems to be that those who die at the age of a hundred will be considered children, for the average life span will be much longer than that. The category “child” will be redefined in light of the expanded life spans that will characterize this new era.
Isaiah 65:20 tn Heb “the one who misses.” חָטָא (khataʾ) is used here in its basic sense of “miss the mark.” See HALOT 305 s.v. חטא. Another option is to translate, “and the sinner who reaches the age of a hundred will be cursed.”
Isaiah 65:22 tn Heb “they will not build, and another live [in it].”
Isaiah 65:22 tn Heb “they will not plant, and another eat.”
Isaiah 65:22 tn Heb “for like the days of the tree [will be] the days of my people.”
Isaiah 65:22 tn Heb “the work of their hands” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “their hard-won gains.”
Isaiah 65:23 tn Heb “and they will not give birth to horror.”
Isaiah 65:23 tn Heb “for offspring blessed by the Lord they [will be], and their descendants along with them.”
Isaiah 65:24 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
Isaiah 65:25 sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.
Isaiah 65:25 sn These words also appear in 11:7.
Isaiah 65:25 sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)
Isaiah 65:25 tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.sn As in 11:1-9 the prophet anticipates a time when the categories predator-prey no longer exist. See the note at the end of 11:8.

New English Translation (NET)

Philippians 2:19-3:3

Models for Ministry

¹⁹Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be encouraged by hearing news about you. ²⁰For there is no one here like him who will readily demonstrate his deep concern for you.^[a] ²¹Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ. ²²But you know his qualifications, that like a son working with his father, he served with me in advancing the gospel. ²³So I hope to send him as soon as I know more about my situation, ²⁴though I am confident in the Lord that I too will be coming to see you^[b] soon.

²⁵But for now^[c] I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For he is my brother,^[d] coworker and fellow soldier, and your messenger^[e] and minister^[f] to me in my need.^[g] ²⁶Indeed, he greatly missed all of you and was distressed because you heard that he had been ill. ²⁷In fact he became so ill that he nearly died.^[h] But God showed mercy to him—and not to him only, but also to me—so that I would not have grief on top of grief. ²⁸Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,^[i] so that when you see him again you can rejoice^[j] and I can be free from anxiety. ²⁹So welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, ³⁰since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me.^[k]

True and False Righteousness

3 Finally, my brothers and sisters,^[l] rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

²Beware of the dogs,^[m] beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!^[n] ³For we are the circumcision,^[o] the ones who worship by the Spirit of God,^[p] exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials^[q]

Footnotes:

Philippians 2:20 tn Grk “For I have no one who is like-minded who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.”
Philippians 2:24 tn The words “to see you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied, and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Philippians 2:25 tn Grk “But.” The temporal notion (“for now”) is implied in the epistolary aorist (“I have considered”), for Epaphroditus was dispatched with this letter to the Philippians.
Philippians 2:25 tn Grk “my brother” instead of “For he is my brother.” Verse 25 constitutes one sentence in Greek, with “my brother…” functioning appositionally to “Epaphroditus.” sn The reason why Paul refers to Epaphroditus as his brother, coworker, fellow soldier, etc., is because he wants to build up Epaphroditus in the eyes of the Philippians, since Paul is sending him back instead of Timothy. This accent on Epaphroditus’ character and service is implied in the translation “For he is…”
Philippians 2:25 tn Grk “apostle.”
Philippians 2:25 tn The Greek word translated “minister” here is λειτουργός (leitourgos).
Philippians 2:25 tn Grk “servant of my need.”
Philippians 2:27 tn Grk “For he became ill to the point of death.”
Philippians 2:28 tn Grk “I have sent him to you with earnestness.” But the epistolary aorist needs to be translated as a present tense with this adverb due to English stylistic considerations.
Philippians 2:28 tn Or “when you see him you can rejoice again.”
Philippians 2:30 tn Grk “make up for your lack of service to me.”
Philippians 3:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
Philippians 3:2 sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.
Philippians 3:2 tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”
Philippians 3:3 tn There is a significant wordplay here in the Greek text. In v. 2 a rare, strong word is used to describe those who were pro-circumcision (κατατομή, katatomē, “mutilation”; see BDAG 528 s.v.), while in v. 3 the normal word for circumcision is used (περιτομή, peritomē; see BDAG 807 s.v.). Both have τομή (the feminine form of the adjective τομός [tomos], meaning “cutting, sharp”) as their root; the direction of the action of the former is down or off (from κατά, kata), hence the implication of mutilation or emasculation, while the direction of the action of the latter is around (from περί, peri). The similarity in sound yet wide divergence of meaning between the two words highlights in no uncertain terms the differences between Paul and his opponents.
Philippians 3:3 tc The verb λατρεύω (latreuō; here the participial form, λατρεύοντες [latreuontes]) either takes a dative direct object or no object at all, bearing virtually a technical nuance of “worshiping God” (see BDAG 587 s.v.). In this text, πνεύματι (pneumati) takes an instrumental force (“by the Spirit”) rather than functioning as object of λατρεύοντες. However, the word after πνεύματι is in question, no doubt because of the collocation with λατρεύοντες. Most witnesses, including some of the earliest and best representatives of the Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine texts (א* A B C D² F G 0278^vid 33 1241 1505 1739 1881 2464 M co Ambr), read θεοῦ (theou; thus, “worship by the Spirit of God”). But several other significant witnesses (א² D* P Ψ 075 365 1175 lat sy Chr) have the dative θεῷ (theō) here (“worship God by the Spirit”). P⁴⁶ is virtually alone in its omission of the divine name, probably due to an unintentional oversight. The dative θεῷ was most likely a scribal emendation intended to give the participle its proper object, and thus avoid confusion about the force of πνεύματι. Although the Church came to embrace the full deity of the Spirit, the NT does not seem to speak of worshiping the Spirit explicitly. The reading θεῷ thus appears to be a clarifying reading. On external and internal grounds, then, θεοῦ is the preferred reading.
Philippians 3:3 tn Grk “have no confidence in the flesh.”

New English Translation (NET)

Psalm 73

Book 3 (Psalms 73-89)

Psalm 73^[a]

A psalm by Asaph.

73 Certainly God is good to Israel,^[b]
and to those whose motives are pure.^[c]
²But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my feet almost slid out from under me.^[d]
³For I envied those who are proud,
as I observed^[e] the prosperity^[f] of the wicked.
⁴For they suffer no pain;^[g]
their bodies^[h] are strong and well fed.^[i]
⁵They are immune to the trouble common to men;
they do not suffer as other men do.^[j]
⁶Arrogance is their necklace,^[k]
and violence covers them like clothing.^[l]
⁷Their prosperity causes them to do wrong;^[m]
their thoughts are sinful.^[n]
⁸They mock^[o] and say evil things;^[p]
they proudly threaten violence.^[q]
⁹They speak as if they rule in heaven,
and lay claim to the earth.^[r]
¹⁰Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,
and even suck up the water of the sea.^[s]
¹¹They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the Most High aware of what goes on?”^[t]
¹²Take a good look. This is what the wicked are like,^[u]
those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer.^[v]
¹³I concluded,^[w] “Surely in vain I have kept my motives^[x] pure
and maintained a pure lifestyle.^[y]
¹⁴I suffer all day long,
and am punished every morning.”
¹⁵If I had publicized these thoughts,^[z]
I would have betrayed your people.^[aa]
¹⁶When I tried to make sense of this,
it was troubling to me.^[ab]
¹⁷Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple,^[ac]
and understood the destiny of the wicked.^[ad]
¹⁸Surely^[ae] you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down^[af] to ruin.
¹⁹How desolate they become in a mere moment.
Terrifying judgments make their demise complete.^[ag]
²⁰They are like a dream after one wakes up.^[ah]
O Lord, when you awake^[ai] you will despise them.^[aj]
²¹Yes,^[ak] my spirit was bitter,^[al]
and my insides felt sharp pain.^[am]
²²I was ignorant^[an] and lacked insight;^[ao]
I was as senseless as an animal before you.^[ap]
²³But I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
²⁴You guide^[aq] me by your wise advice,
and then you will lead me to a position of honor.^[ar]
²⁵Whom do I have in heaven but you?
On earth there is no one I desire but you.^[as]
²⁶My flesh and my heart may grow weak,^[at]
but God always^[au] protects my heart and gives me stability.^[av]
²⁷Yes,^[aw] look! Those far from you^[ax] die;
you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you.^[ay]
²⁸But as for me, God’s presence is all I need.^[az]
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
as^[ba] I declare all the things you have done.

Footnotes:

Psalm 73:1 sn Psalm 73. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist offers a personal testimony of his struggle with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. As he observed evil men prosper, he wondered if a godly lifestyle really pays off. In the midst of his discouragement, he reflected upon spiritual truths and realities. He was reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. God will eventually vindicate his people.
Psalm 73:1 tn Since the psalm appears to focus on an individual’s concerns, not the situation of Israel, this introduction may be a later addition designed to apply the psalm’s message to the entire community. To provide a better parallel with the next line, some emend the Hebrew phrase לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים (l^eyisra’el ʾelohim, “to Israel, God”) to אֱלֹהִים [or אֵל] לָיָּשָׁר (layyashar ʾelohim [or ʾel], “God [is good] to the upright one”).
Psalm 73:1 tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”
Psalm 73:2 tn The Hebrew verb normally means “to pour out,” but here it must have the nuance “to slide.”sn My feet almost slid out from under me. The language is metaphorical. As the following context makes clear, the psalmist almost “slipped” in a spiritual sense. As he began to question God’s justice, the psalmist came close to abandoning his faith.
Psalm 73:3 tn The imperfect verbal form here depicts the action as continuing in a past time frame.
Psalm 73:3 tn Heb “peace” (שָׁלוֹם, shalom).
Psalm 73:4 tn In Isa 58:6, the only other occurrence of this word in the OT, the term refers to “bonds” or “ropes.” In Ps 73:4 it is used metaphorically of pain and suffering that restricts one’s enjoyment of life.
Psalm 73:4 tn Or “bellies.”
Psalm 73:4 tc Or “fat.” The MT of v. 4 reads as follows: “for there are no pains at their death, and fat [is] their body.” Since a reference to the death of the wicked seems incongruous in the immediate context (note v. 5) and premature in the argument of the psalm (see vv. 18-20, 27), some prefer to emend the text by redividing it. The term לְמוֹתָם (l^emotam, “at their death”) is changed to לָמוֹ תָּם (lamo tam, “[there are no pains] to them, strong [and fat are their bodies]”). The term תָּם (tam, “complete; sound”) is used of physical beauty in Song 5:2; 6:9. This emendation is the basis for the present translation. However, in defense of the MT (the traditional Hebrew text), one may point to an Aramaic inscription from Nerab which views a painful death as a curse and a nonpainful death in one’s old age as a sign of divine favor. See ANET 661.
Psalm 73:5 tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”
Psalm 73:6 sn Arrogance is their necklace. The metaphor suggests that their arrogance is something the wicked “wear” proudly. It draws attention to them, just as a beautiful necklace does to its owner.
Psalm 73:6 tn Heb “a garment of violence covers them.” The metaphor suggests that violence is habitual for the wicked. They “wear” it like clothing; when one looks at them, violence is what one sees.
Psalm 73:7 tc The MT reads “it goes out from fatness their eye,” which might be paraphrased, “their eye protrudes [or “bulges”] because of fatness.” This in turn might refer to their greed; their eyes “bug out” when they see rich food or produce (the noun חֵלֶב [khelev, “fatness”] sometimes refers to such food or produce). However, when used with the verb יָצָא (yatsaʾ, “go out”) the preposition מִן (“from”) more naturally indicates source. For this reason it is preferable to emend עֵינֵמוֹ (ʿenemo, “their eye”) to עֲוֹנָמוֹ, (ʿavonamo, “their sin”) and read, “and their sin proceeds forth from fatness,” that is, their prosperity gives rise to their sinful attitudes. If one follows this textual reading, another interpretive option is to take חֵלֶב (“fatness”) in the sense of “unreceptive, insensitive” (see its use in Ps 17:10). In this case, the sin of the wicked proceeds forth from their spiritual insensitivity.
Psalm 73:7 tn Heb “the thoughts of [their] heart [i.e., mind] cross over” (i.e., violate God’s moral boundary, see Ps 17:3).
Psalm 73:8 tn The verb מוּק (muq, “mock”) occurs only here in the OT.
Psalm 73:8 tn Heb “and speak with evil.”
Psalm 73:8 tn Heb “oppression from an elevated place they speak.” The traditional accentuation of the MT places “oppression” with the preceding line. In this case, one might translate, “they mock and speak with evil [of] oppression, from an elevated place [i.e., “proudly”] they speak.” By placing “oppression” with what follows, one achieves better poetic balance in the parallelism.
Psalm 73:9 tn Heb “they set in heaven their mouth, and their tongue walks through the earth.” The meaning of the text is uncertain. Perhaps the idea is that they lay claim to heaven (i.e., speak as if they were ruling in heaven) and move through the earth declaring their superiority and exerting their influence. Some take the preposition ב (bet) the first line as adversative and translate, “they set their mouth against heaven,” that is, they defy God.
Psalm 73:10 tc Heb “therefore his people return [so Qere (marginal reading); Kethib (consonantal text) has “he brings back”] to here, and waters of abundance are sucked up by them.” The traditional Hebrew text (MT) defies explanation. The present translation reflects M. Dahood’s proposed emendations (Psalms [AB], 2:190) and reads the Hebrew text as follows: לָכֵן יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם וּמֵי מָלֵא יָמֹצּוּ לָמוֹ (“therefore they are filled with food, and waters of abundance they suck up for themselves”). The reading יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם (yisv^eʿum lekhem, “they are filled with food”) assumes (1) an emendation of יָשִׁיב עַמּוֹ (yashiv ʿammo, “he will bring back his people”) to יִשְׂבְעוּם (yisv^eʿum, “they will be filled”; a Qal imperfect third masculine plural form from שָׂבַע [savaʿ] with enclitic mem [ם]), and (2) an emendation of הֲלֹם (halom, “to here”) to לֶחֶם (“food”). The expression “be filled/fill with food” appears elsewhere at least ten times (see Ps 132:15, for example). In the second line the Niphal form יִמָּצוּ (yimmatsu, derived from מָצָה, matsah, “drain”) is emended to a Qal form יָמֹצּוּ (yamotsu), derived from מָצַץ (matsats, “to suck”). In Isa 66:11 the verbs שָׂבַע (savaʿ; proposed in Ps 73:10a) and מָצַץ (proposed in Ps 73:10b) are parallel. The point of the emended text is this: Because they are seemingly sovereign (v. 9), they become greedy and grab up everything they need and more.
Psalm 73:11 tn Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existence and sovereignty in theory, but deny his involvement in the world (see Pss 10:4, 11; 14:1).
Psalm 73:12 tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”
Psalm 73:12 tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”
Psalm 73:13 tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.
Psalm 73:13 tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
Psalm 73:13 tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.
Psalm 73:15 tn Heb “If I had said, ‘I will speak out like this.’”
Psalm 73:15 tn Heb “look, the generation of your sons I would have betrayed.” The phrase “generation of your [i.e., God’s] sons” occurs only here in the OT. Some equate the phrase with “generation of the godly” (Ps 14:5), “generation of the ones seeking him” (Ps 24:6), and “generation of the upright” (Ps 112:2). In Deut 14:1 the Israelites are referred to as God’s “sons.” Perhaps the psalmist refers here to those who are “Israelites” in the true sense because of their loyalty to God (note the juxtaposition of “Israel” with “the pure in heart” in v. 1).
Psalm 73:16 tn Heb “and [when] I pondered to understand this, troubling it [was] in my eyes.”
Psalm 73:17 tn The plural of the term מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash) probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).
Psalm 73:17 tn Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demise of the wicked (see Ps 12) or heard songs of confidence (for example, Ps 11), wisdom psalms (for example, Pss 1, 37), and hymns (for example, Ps 112) that describe the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.
Psalm 73:18 tn The use of the Hebrew term אַךְ (ʾakh, “surely”) here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements, the first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair and the second his newly discovered confidence.
Psalm 73:18 tn Heb “cause them to fall.”
Psalm 73:19 tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”
Psalm 73:20 tn Heb “like a dream from awakening.” They lack any real substance; their prosperity will last for only a brief time.
Psalm 73:20 sn When you awake. The psalmist compares God’s inactivity to sleep and the time of God’s judgment to his awakening from sleep.
Psalm 73:20 tn Heb “you will despise their form.” The Hebrew term צֶלֶם (tselem, “form; image”) also suggests their short-lived nature. Rather than having real substance, they are like the mere images that populate one’s dreams. Note the similar use of the term in Ps 39:6.
Psalm 73:21 tn Or perhaps “when.”
Psalm 73:21 tn The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing attitude in a past time frame.
Psalm 73:21 tn Heb “and [in] my kidneys I was pierced.” The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing condition in a past time frame.
Psalm 73:22 tn Or “brutish, stupid.”
Psalm 73:22 tn Heb “and I was not knowing.”
Psalm 73:22 tn Heb “an animal I was with you.”
Psalm 73:24 tn The imperfect verbal form here suggests this is the psalmist’s ongoing experience.
Psalm 73:24 tn Heb “and afterward [to] glory you will take me.” Some interpreters view this as the psalmist’s confidence in an afterlife in God’s presence and understand כָּבוֹד (kavod) as a metonymic reference to God’s presence in heaven. But this seems unlikely in the present context. The psalmist anticipates a time of vindication, when the wicked are destroyed and he is honored by God for his godly life style. The verb לָקַח (laqakh, “take”) here carries the nuance “lead, guide, conduct,” as in Num 23:14, 27-28; Josh 24:3 and Prov 24:11.
Psalm 73:25 tn Heb “Who [is there] for me in heaven? And besides you I do not desire [anyone] in the earth.” The psalmist uses a merism (heaven/earth) to emphasize that God is the sole object of his desire and worship in the entire universe.
Psalm 73:26 tn The Hebrew verb כָלָה (khalah, “to fail; to grow weak”) does not refer here to physical death per se, but to the physical weakness that sometimes precedes death (see Job 33:21; Pss 71:9; 143:7; Prov 5:11).
Psalm 73:26 tn Or “forever.”
Psalm 73:26 tn Heb “is the rocky summit of my heart and my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to a rocky summit where one could go for protection and to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.
Psalm 73:27 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 73:27 sn The following line defines the phrase far from you in a spiritual sense. Those “far” from God are those who are unfaithful and disloyal to him.
Psalm 73:27 tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”
Psalm 73:28 tn Heb “but as for me, the nearness of God for me [is] good.”
Psalm 73:28 tn The infinitive construct with ל (lamed) is understood here as indicating an attendant circumstance. Another option is to take it as indicating purpose (“so that I might declare”) or result (“with the result that I declare”).

New English Translation (NET)

Proverbs 24:13-14

¹³Eat honey,^[a] my child, for it is good,
and honey from the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
¹⁴Likewise, know^[b] that wisdom is sweet^[c] to your soul;
if you have found it,^[d] you have a future,^[e]
and your hope will not be cut off.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:13 sn The twenty-sixth saying teaches that one should develop wisdom because it has a profitable future. The saying draws on the image of honey; its health-giving properties make a good analogy to wisdom.
Proverbs 24:14 tn D. W. Thomas argues for a meaning of “seek” in place of “know” (“Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” JTS 38 [1937]: 400-403).
Proverbs 24:14 tn The phrase “is sweet” is supplied in the translation as a clarification.
Proverbs 24:14 tn The term “it” is supplied in the translation.
Proverbs 24:14 tn Heb “there will be an אַחֲרִית (ʾakharit), which means “end, result, following period.” It suggests a future, which may imply posterity. It is sometimes connected with hope (Jer 29:11: 31:17; Prov 23:18).

New English Translation (NET)

Jeremiah 6:16-8:7

False Religion Worthless

The Valley of Slaughter

Sin and Punishment

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Colossians 2:8-23

Freedom From Human Rules

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 78:1-31

Psalm 78

A maskil[a] of Asaph.

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 24:26

Jeremiah 4:19-6:15

Judah is Justly Deserving of Coming Judgment

The Destruction of Jerusalem Depicted

Footnotes:

Colossians 1:18-2:7

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

Warnings Against the Adoption of False Philosophies

Footnotes:

Psalm 77

Psalm 77[a]

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:23-25

Further Sayings of the Wise

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 2:31-4:18

Unfaithful Israel

Disaster From the North

Cross references:

Colossians 1:1-17

Thanksgiving and Prayer

The Supremacy of the Son of God

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 76

Psalm 76[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 24:21-22

Saying 30

Cross references:

Jeremiah 1:1-2:30

The Superscription

Jeremiah’s Call and Commission

Visions Confirming Jeremiah’s Call and Commission

The Lord Recalls Israel’s Earlier Faithfulness

The Lord Reminds Them of the Unfaithfulness of Their Ancestors

The Lord Charges Contemporary Israel with Spiritual Adultery

Israel’s Reliance on Foreign Alliances (not on God)

The Lord Expresses His Exasperation at Judah’s Persistent Idolatry

Footnotes:

Philippians 4

Christian Practices

Appreciation for Support

Final Greetings

Footnotes:

Psalm 75

Psalm 75[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;[b] a psalm of Asaph, a song.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:17-20

Footnotes:

Isaiah 66

Footnotes:

Philippians 3:4-21

Keep Going Forward

Footnotes:

Psalm 74

Psalm 74[a]

A well-written song[b] by Asaph.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:15-16

Footnotes:

A maskil^[a] of Asaph.

Psalm 77^[a]

Psalm 76^[a]

Psalm 75^[a]

For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;^[b] a psalm of Asaph, a song.

Psalm 74^[a]

A well-written song^[b] by Asaph.

Psalm 73^[a]