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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday April 13, 2023 (NIV)

Joshua 7:16-9:2

16 Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal order,[a] and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17 He then made the clans of Judah approach, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He made the clan of the Zerahites approach, and Zabdi[b] was selected.[c] 18 He then made Zabdi’s[d] family approach man by man[e] and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. 19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor[f] the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me.” 20 Achan told Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel in this way:[g] 21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon,[h] 200 silver pieces,[i] and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent. The things were hidden right in his tent, with the silver underneath.[j] 23 They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all the Israelites, and placed[k] it before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, oxen, donkeys, sheep, tent, and all that belonged to him and brought them up to the Valley of Disaster.[l] 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster on[m] us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death. (They also stoned and burned the others.)[n] 26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day[o]) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.

Israel Conquers Ai

8 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic![p] Take the whole army with you and march against Ai![q] See, I am handing over to you[r] the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land. 2 Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king, except you may plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city.”

3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai.[s] Joshua selected 30,000 brave warriors and sent them out at night. 4 He ordered them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready! 5 I and all the troops[t] who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them. 6 They will attack[u] us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them. 7 Then you rise up from your hiding place[v] and seize[w] the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8 When you capture the city, set it[x] on fire in keeping with the Lord’s message. See, I have given you orders.”[y] 9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place[z] west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai.[aa] Joshua spent that night with the army.[ab]

10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered[ac] the army,[ad] and he and the leaders[ae] of Israel marched[af] at the head of it[ag] to Ai. 11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city.[ah] They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley.[ai] 12 He took 5,000 men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel and Ai. 13 The army was in position—the main army north of the city and the rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into[aj] the middle of the valley.

14 When the king of Ai and all his people saw Israel, they rushed to get up early. Then the king and the men of the city went out to meet Israel in battle, at the meeting place near the rift valley.[ak] But he did not realize an ambush was waiting for him behind the city.[al] 15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them, and they retreated along the way to the wilderness. 16 All the reinforcements[am] in Ai[an] were ordered[ao] to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city. 17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel;[ap] they all went out after Israel.[aq] They left the city wide open and chased Israel.

18 The Lord told Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the curved sword[ar] in your hand, for I am handing the city[as] over to you.” So Joshua held out toward Ai the curved sword in his hand. 19 When he held out his hand, the men waiting in ambush rose up quickly from their place and attacked.[at] They entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire. 20 When the men of Ai turned around, they saw[au] the smoke from the city ascending into the sky and were so shocked they were unable to flee in any direction.[av] In the meantime the men who were retreating to the wilderness turned against their pursuers. 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that the city was going up in smoke,[aw] they turned around and struck down the men of Ai. 22 At the same time the men who had taken the city came out to fight, and the men of Ai were trapped in the middle.[ax] The Israelites struck them down, leaving no survivors or refugees. 23 But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

24 When Israel had finished killing all the men[ay] of Ai who had chased them toward the wilderness[az] (they all fell by the sword),[ba] all Israel returned to Ai and put the sword to it. 25 So 12,000 men and women died[bb] that day, including all the men of Ai. 26 Joshua kept holding out his curved sword until Israel had annihilated all who lived in Ai.[bc] 27 But Israel did plunder the cattle and the goods of the city, in keeping with the Lord’s orders[bd] to Joshua. 28 Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound (it remains that way to this very day).[be] 29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening.[bf] At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree.[bg] They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day).[bh]

Covenant Renewal

30 Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron tool.[bi] On it they offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord and sacrificed tokens of peace.[bj] 32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a duplicate of the law written by Moses.[bk] 33 All the people,[bl] rulers,[bm] leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there.[bn] Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed them to do for the formal blessing ceremony.[bo] 34 Then[bp] Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll. 35 Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given[bq] before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them.[br]

The Gibeonites Deceive Israel

9 When the news reached all the kings on the west side of the Jordan[bs]—in the hill country, the foothills,[bt] and all along the Mediterranean coast[bu] as far as[bv] Lebanon (including the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)— 2 they formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel.[bw]

Footnotes:

  1. Joshua 7:16 tn Heb “by tribes.”
  2. Joshua 7:17 tn See the note on “Zabdi” in Jos 7:1.
  3. Joshua 7:17 tn Heb “and he selected Zabdi.” The Lord is the apparent subject. The LXX supports reading a passive (Niphal) form here, as does the immediate context.
  4. Joshua 7:18 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Zabdi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. Joshua 7:18 tn Heb “by men.”
  6. Joshua 7:19 tn Heb “give glory to.”
  7. Joshua 7:20 tn Heb “like this and like this I did.”
  8. Joshua 7:21 tn Heb “Shinar,” a reference to Babylon (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1). Many modern translations retain the Hebrew name “Shinar” (cf. NEB, NRSV) but some use the more familiar “Babylon” (cf. NIV, NLT).
  9. Joshua 7:21 tn Heb “shekels.”
  10. Joshua 7:22 tn Heb “Look, [it was] hidden in his tent, and the silver was beneath it.”
  11. Joshua 7:23 tn Heb “poured out,” probably referring to the way the silver pieces poured out of their container.
  12. Joshua 7:24 tn Or “Trouble” The name is “Achor” in Hebrew, which means “disaster” or “trouble” (also in v. 26).
  13. Joshua 7:25 tn Or “trouble on.” The word is “achor” in Hebrew (also in the following clause).
  14. Joshua 7:25 tc Heb “and they burned them with fire and they stoned them with stones.” These words are somewhat parenthetical in nature and are omitted in the LXX; they may represent a later scribal addition.
  15. Joshua 7:26 tc Heb “to this day.” The phrase “to this day” is omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition.
  16. Joshua 8:1 tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”
  17. Joshua 8:1 tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”
  18. Joshua 8:1 tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.
  19. Joshua 8:3 tn “And Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up [against] Ai.”
  20. Joshua 8:5 tn Heb “the people.”
  21. Joshua 8:6 tn Heb “come out after.”
  22. Joshua 8:7 tn Heb “from the ambush.”
  23. Joshua 8:7 tn Heb “take possession of.”
  24. Joshua 8:8 tn Heb “the city.”
  25. Joshua 8:8 tn Heb “I have commanded you.”
  26. Joshua 8:9 tn Or “the place of ambush.”
  27. Joshua 8:9 tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”
  28. Joshua 8:9 tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”
  29. Joshua 8:10 tn Or “summoned, mustered.”
  30. Joshua 8:10 tn Heb “the people.”
  31. Joshua 8:10 tn Or “elders.”
  32. Joshua 8:10 tn Heb “went up.”
  33. Joshua 8:10 tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.
  34. Joshua 8:11 tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”
  35. Joshua 8:11 tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”
  36. Joshua 8:13 tn Some Hebrew mss read, “spent the night in.”
  37. Joshua 8:14 sn This probably refers to the hill country at the edge of the rift valley between Ai and Jericho. This part of the battle was probably engaged where Israel would have come up to the hill country out of the rift valley from Jericho, an ascent of about 4000 feet (with ups and downs) over ten miles.
  38. Joshua 8:14 tn Heb “did not know that an ambush for him was behind the city.”
  39. Joshua 8:16 tn Heb “All the people.”
  40. Joshua 8:16 tc Some textual witnesses read “the city.”
  41. Joshua 8:16 tn Or “were summoned”; or “were mustered.”
  42. Joshua 8:17 tc The LXX omits the words “or Bethel.”
  43. Joshua 8:17 tn Heb “who did not go out after Israel.”
  44. Joshua 8:18 tn Traditionally “spear,” but see HALOT 472 s.v. כִּידוֹן, which argues based upon evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls that this term refers to a curved sword of some type; note the definition “scimitar” given there.
  45. Joshua 8:18 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Ai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  46. Joshua 8:19 tn Heb “and ran.”
  47. Joshua 8:20 tn Heb “and they saw, and look.” The Hebrew term הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to the scene and invites the audience to view the events from the perspective of the men of Ai.
  48. Joshua 8:20 tn Heb “and there was not in them hands to flee here or there.” The Hebrew term יָדַיִם (yadayim, “hands”) is idiomatic for “strength.”
  49. Joshua 8:21 tn Heb “and that the smoke of the city ascended.”
  50. Joshua 8:22 tn Heb “and these went out from the city to meet them and they were for Israel in the middle, some on this side, and others on the other side.”
  51. Joshua 8:24 tn Heb “residents.”
  52. Joshua 8:24 tn Heb “in the field, in the wilderness in which they chased them.”
  53. Joshua 8:24 tc Heb “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword until they were destroyed.” The LXX omits the words, “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword.” They may represent a later scribal addition.
  54. Joshua 8:25 tn Heb “fell.”
  55. Joshua 8:26 tn Heb “Joshua did not draw back his hand which held out the curved sword until he had annihilated all the residents of Ai.”
  56. Joshua 8:27 tn Heb “message, word.”
  57. Joshua 8:28 tn Heb “and made it a permanent mound, a desolation, to this day.”
  58. Joshua 8:29 tn Heb “on a tree until evening.” The words “leaving him exposed” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  59. Joshua 8:29 sn For the legal background of this action, see Deut 21:22-23.
  60. Joshua 8:29 tn Heb “to this day.”
  61. Joshua 8:31 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones on which no one had wielded iron.” The expression “whole stones” refers to stones in their natural condition, i.e., not carved or shaped artificially with tools (“wielded iron”).
  62. Joshua 8:31 tn Or “peace offerings.”
  63. Joshua 8:32 tn Heb “and he wrote there on the stones a duplicate of the law of Moses which he wrote before the sons of Israel.”
  64. Joshua 8:33 tn Heb “All Israel.”
  65. Joshua 8:33 tn Or “elders.”
  66. Joshua 8:33 tn Heb “like the resident foreigner, like the citizen.” The language is idiomatic, meaning that both groups were treated the same, at least in this instance.
  67. Joshua 8:33 tn Heb “as Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded to bless the people, Israel, formerly.”sn Moses’ earlier instructions are found in Deut 11:29.
  68. Joshua 8:34 tn Or “afterward.”
  69. Joshua 8:35 tn Heb “There was not a word from all which Moses commanded that Joshua did not read aloud.”
  70. Joshua 8:35 tn Heb “walked in their midst.”
  71. Joshua 9:1 tn Heb “When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan heard.”
  72. Joshua 9:1 tn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the transition region between the hill country and the coastal plains.
  73. Joshua 9:1 tn Heb “all the coast of the Great Sea.” The “Great Sea” was the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
  74. Joshua 9:1 tn Heb “in front of.”
  75. Joshua 9:2 tn Heb “they gathered together to fight against Joshua and Israel [with] one mouth.”
New English Translation (NET)

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Luke 16:1-18

The Parable of the Clever Steward

16 Jesus[a] also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations[b] that his manager[c] was wasting[d] his assets. 2 So[e] he called the manager[f] in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you?[g] Turn in the account of your administration,[h] because you can no longer be my manager.’ 3 Then[i] the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position[j] away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig,[k] and I’m too ashamed[l] to beg. 4 I know[m] what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’[n] 5 So[o] he contacted[p] his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 The man[q] replied, ‘100 measures[r] of olive oil.’ The manager[s] said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’[t] 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man[u] replied, ‘100 measures[v] of wheat.’ The manager[w] said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write 80.’[x] 8 The[y] master commended the dishonest[z] manager because he acted shrewdly.[aa] For the people[ab] of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries[ac] than the people[ad] of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth,[ae] so that when it runs out you will be welcomed[af] into the eternal homes.[ag]

10 “The one who is faithful in a very little[ah] is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy[ai] in handling worldly wealth,[aj] who will entrust you with the true riches?[ak] 12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy[al] with someone else’s property,[am] who will give you your own[an] ? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate[ao] the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise[ap] the other. You cannot serve God and money.”[aq]

More Warnings about the Pharisees

14 The Pharisees[ar] (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed[as] him. 15 But[at] Jesus[au] said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes,[av] but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized[aw] among men is utterly detestable[ax] in God’s sight.

16 “The law and the prophets were in force[ay] until John;[az] since then,[ba] the good news of the kingdom of God[bb] has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it.[bc] 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a letter[bd] in the law to become void.[be]

18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries[bf] someone else commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Footnotes:

  1. Luke 16:1 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  2. Luke 16:1 tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”
  3. Luke 16:1 sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.
  4. Luke 16:1 tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).
  5. Luke 16:2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the reports the man received about his manager.
  6. Luke 16:2 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  7. Luke 16:2 sn Although phrased as a question, the charges were believed by the owner, as his dismissal of the manager implies.
  8. Luke 16:2 tn Or “stewardship”; the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) is cognate with the noun for the manager (οἰκονόμος, oikonomos).
  9. Luke 16:3 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the parable.
  10. Luke 16:3 tn Grk “the stewardship,” “the management.”
  11. Luke 16:3 tn Here “dig” could refer (1) to excavation (“dig ditches,” L&N 19.55) or (2) to agricultural labor (“work the soil,” L&N 43.3). In either case this was labor performed by the uneducated, so it would be an insult as a job for a manager.
  12. Luke 16:3 tn Grk “I do not have strength to dig; I am ashamed to beg.”sn To beg would represent a real lowering of status for the manager, because many of those whom he had formerly collected debts from, he would now be forced to beg from.
  13. Luke 16:4 tn This is a dramatic use of the aorist and the verse is left unconnected to the previous verse by asyndeton, giving the impression of a sudden realization.
  14. Luke 16:4 sn Thinking ahead, the manager develops a plan to make people think kindly of him (welcome me into their homes).
  15. Luke 16:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the manager’s decision.
  16. Luke 16:5 tn Grk “summoning.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  17. Luke 16:6 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the first debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  18. Luke 16:6 sn A measure (sometimes translated “bath”) was just over 8 gallons (about 30 liters). This is a large debt—about 875 gallons (3000 liters) of olive oil, worth 1000 denarii, over three year’s pay for a daily worker.
  19. Luke 16:6 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
  20. Luke 16:6 sn The bill was halved (sit down quickly, and write fifty). What was the steward doing? This is debated. 1) Did he simply lower the price? 2) Did he remove interest from the debt? 3) Did he remove his own commission? It is hard to be sure. Either of the latter two options is more likely. The goal was clear: The manager would be seen in a favorable light for bringing a deflationary trend to prices.
  21. Luke 16:7 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the second debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
  22. Luke 16:7 sn The 100 measures here was 100 cors. A cor was a Hebrew dry measure for grain, flour, etc., of between 10-12 bushels (about 390 liters). This was a huge amount of wheat, representing the yield of about 100 acres, a debt of between 2500-3000 denarii.
  23. Luke 16:7 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  24. Luke 16:7 sn The percentage of reduction may not be as great because of the change in material.
  25. Luke 16:8 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  26. Luke 16:8 sn Is the manager dishonest because of what he just did? Or is it a reference to what he had done earlier, described in v. 1? This is a difficult question, but it seems unlikely that the master, having fired the man for prior dishonesty, would now commend those same actions. It would also be unusual for Jesus to make that point of the story the example. Thus it is more likely the reference to dishonesty goes back to the earliest events, while the commendation is for the cleverness of the former manager reflected in vv. 5-7.
  27. Luke 16:8 sn Where this parable ends is debated: Does it conclude with v. 7, after v. 8a, after v. 8b, or after v. 9? Verse 8a looks as if it is still part of the story, with its clear reference to the manager, while 8b looks like Jesus’ application, since its remarks are more general. So it is most likely the parable stops after v. 8a.
  28. Luke 16:8 tn Grk “sons” (an idiom).
  29. Luke 16:8 tn Grk “with their own generation.”
  30. Luke 16:8 tn Grk “sons.” Here the phrase “sons of light” is a reference to the righteous. The point is that those of the world often think ahead about consequences better than the righteous do.
  31. Luke 16:9 tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).
  32. Luke 16:9 tn Grk “they may welcome you.”
  33. Luke 16:9 tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).
  34. Luke 16:10 sn The point of the statement faithful in a very little is that character is shown in how little things are treated.
  35. Luke 16:11 tn Or “faithful.”
  36. Luke 16:11 tn Grk “the unrighteous mammon.” See the note on the phrase “worldly wealth” in v. 9.
  37. Luke 16:11 sn Entrust you with the true riches is a reference to future service for God. The idea is like 1 Cor 9:11, except there the imagery is reversed.
  38. Luke 16:12 tn Or “faithful.”
  39. Luke 16:12 tn Grk “have not been faithful with what is another’s.”
  40. Luke 16:12 tn Grk “what is your own.”
  41. Luke 16:13 sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.
  42. Luke 16:13 tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”
  43. Luke 16:13 tn Grk “God and mammon.” This is the same word (μαμωνᾶς, mamōnas; often merely transliterated as “mammon”) translated “worldly wealth” in vv. 9, 11.sn The term money is used to translate mammon, the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. Here “money” is personified as a potential master and thus competes with God for the loyalty of the disciple. The passage is ultimately not a condemnation of wealth (there is no call here for absolute poverty) but a call for unqualified discipleship. God must be first, not money or possessions.
  44. Luke 16:14 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
  45. Luke 16:14 tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).
  46. Luke 16:15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
  47. Luke 16:15 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  48. Luke 16:15 tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.
  49. Luke 16:15 tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.
  50. Luke 16:15 tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).
  51. Luke 16:16 tn There is no verb in the Greek text; one must be supplied. Some translations (NASB, NIV) supply “proclaimed” based on the parallelism with the proclamation of the kingdom. The transitional nature of this verse, however, seems to call for something more like “in effect” (NRSV) or, as used here, “in force.” Further, Greek generally can omit one of two kinds of verbs—either the equative verb or one that is already mentioned in the preceding context (ExSyn 39).
  52. Luke 16:16 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
  53. Luke 16:16 sn Until John; since then. This verse indicates a shift in era, from law to kingdom.
  54. Luke 16:16 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
  55. Luke 16:16 tn Many translations have “entereth violently into it” (ASV) or “is forcing his way into it” (NASB, NIV). This is not true of everyone. It is better to read the verb βιάζεται here as passive rather than middle, and in a softened sense of “be urged.” See Gen 33:11; Judg 13:15-16; 19:7; 2 Sam 3:25, 27 in the LXX. This fits the context well because it agrees with Jesus’ attempt to persuade his opponents to respond morally. For further discussion and details, see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1352-53. For a summary of the lexical options see BDAG 175 s.v. βιάζω. Differences in the context suggest a different meaning for the same term in Matt 11:12.
  56. Luke 16:17 tn Or “one small part of a letter” (L&N 33.37).
  57. Luke 16:17 tn Grk “to fall”; that is, “to drop out of the text.” Jesus’ point may be that the law is going to reach its goal without fail, in that the era of the promised kingdom comes.
  58. Luke 16:18 sn The examples of marriage and divorce show that the ethical standards of the new era are still faithful to promises made in the presence of God. To contribute to the breakup of a marriage, which involved a vow before God, is to commit adultery. This works whether one gets a divorce or marries a person who is divorced, thus finalizing the breakup of the marriage. Jesus’ point concerns the need for fidelity and ethical integrity in the new era.
New English Translation (NET)

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Psalm 82

Psalm 82[a]

A psalm of Asaph.

82 God stands in[b] the assembly of El;[c]
in the midst of the gods[d] he renders judgment.[e]
2 He says,[f] “How long will you make unjust legal decisions
and show favoritism to the wicked?[g] (Selah)
3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless.[h]
Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.
4 Rescue the poor and needy.
Deliver them from the power[i] of the wicked.
5 They[j] neither know nor understand.
They stumble around[k] in the dark,
while all the foundations of the earth crumble.[l]
6 I thought,[m] ‘You are gods;
all of you are sons of the Most High.’[n]
7 Yet you will die like mortals;[o]
you will fall like all the other rulers.”[p]
8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!
For you own[q] all the nations.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 82:1 sn Psalm 82. The psalmist pictures God standing in the “assembly of El” where he accuses the “gods” of failing to promote justice on earth. God pronounces sentence upon them, announcing that they will die like men. Having witnessed the scene, the psalmist then asks God to establish his just rule over the earth.
  2. Psalm 82:1 tn Or “presides over.”
  3. Psalm 82:1 tn The phrase עֲדַת אֵל (ʿadat ʾel, “assembly of El”) appears only here in the OT. (1) Some understand “El” to refer to God himself. In this case he is pictured presiding over his own heavenly assembly. (2) Others take אֵל as a superlative here (“God stands in the great assembly”), as in Pss 36:6 and 80:10. (3) The present translation assumes this is a reference to the Canaanite high god El, who presided over the Canaanite divine assembly. (See Isa 14:13, where El’s assembly is called “the stars of El.”) In the Ugaritic myths the phrase ʿdt ʾilm refers to the “assembly of the gods,” who congregate in King Kirtu’s house, where Baal asks El to bless Kirtu’s house (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). If the Canaanite divine assembly is referred to here in Ps 82:1, then the psalm must be understood as a bold polemic against Canaanite religion. Israel’s God invades El’s assembly, denounces its gods as failing to uphold justice, and announces their coming demise. For an interpretation of the psalm along these lines, see W. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” EBC 5:533-36.
  4. Psalm 82:1 sn The present translation assumes that the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim, “gods”) here refers to the pagan gods who supposedly comprise El’s assembly according to Canaanite religion. Those who reject the polemical view of the psalm prefer to see the referent as human judges or rulers (אֱלֹהִים sometimes refers to officials appointed by God, see Exod 21:6; 22:8-9; Ps 45:6) or as angelic beings (אֱלֹהִים sometimes refers to angelic beings, see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5).
  5. Psalm 82:1 sn The picture of God rendering judgment among the gods clearly depicts his sovereign authority as universal king (see v. 8, where the psalmist boldly affirms this truth).
  6. Psalm 82:2 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to indicate that the following speech is God’s judicial decision (see v. 1).
  7. Psalm 82:2 tn Heb “and the face of the wicked lift up.”
  8. Psalm 82:3 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
  9. Psalm 82:4 tn Heb “hand.”
  10. Psalm 82:5 sn Having addressed the defendants, God now speaks to those who are observing the trial, referring to the gods in the third person.
  11. Psalm 82:5 tn Heb “walk.” The Hitpael stem indicates iterative action, picturing these ignorant “judges” as stumbling around in the darkness.
  12. Psalm 82:5 sn These gods, though responsible for justice, neglect their duty. Their self-imposed ignorance (which the psalmist compares to stumbling around in the dark) results in widespread injustice, which threatens the social order of the world (the meaning of the phrase all the foundations of the earth crumble).
  13. Psalm 82:6 tn Heb “said.”
  14. Psalm 82:6 sn Normally in the OT the title Most High belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El (see v. 1, as well as Isa 14:13).
  15. Psalm 82:7 tn Heb “men.” The point in the context is mortality, however, not maleness.sn You will die like mortals. For the concept of a god losing immortality and dying, see Isa 14:12-15, which alludes to a pagan myth in which the petty god “Shining One, son of the Dawn,” is hurled into Sheol for his hubris.
  16. Psalm 82:7 tn Heb “like one of the rulers.” The comparison does not necessarily imply that they are not rulers. The expression “like one of” can sometimes mean “as one of” (Gen 49:16; Obad 11) or “as any other of” (Judg 16:7, 11).
  17. Psalm 82:8 tn The translation assumes that the Qal of נָחַל (nakhal) here means “to own; to possess,” and that the imperfect emphasizes a general truth. Another option is to translate the verb as future, “for you will take possession of all the nations” (cf. NIV “all the nations are your inheritance”).
New English Translation (NET)

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Proverbs 13:2-3

2 From the fruit of his speech[a] a person eats good things,[b]
but the treacherous[c] desire[d] the fruit of violence.[e]
3 The one who guards his words[f] guards his life;
whoever is talkative[g] will come to ruin.[h]

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 13:2 tn Heb “lips” (so NIV); KJV “mouth.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause for what the lips produce: speech.
  2. Proverbs 13:2 tn Heb “he eats [what is] good.”
  3. Proverbs 13:2 tn Heb “the desire of the treacherous.” The verb בָּגַד (bagad), here a participle, means “to act treacherously, with duplicity, or to betray.”
  4. Proverbs 13:2 tn The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally “soul”) has a broad range of meanings, and here denotes “appetite” (e.g., Ps 17:9; Prov 23:3; Eccl 2:24; Isa 5:14; Hab 2:5; BDB 660 s.v. 5.c) or (2) “desire” (e.g., Deut 12:20; Prov 13:4; 19:8; 21:10; BDB 660 s.v. 6.a).
  5. Proverbs 13:2 tn Heb “violence.” The phrase “the fruit of” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the parallelism. The term “violence” is probably a metonymy of cause: “violence” represents what violence gains—ill-gotten gains resulting from violent crime. The wicked desire what does not belong to them.tc The LXX reads “the souls of the wicked perish untimely.” The MT makes sense as it stands.
  6. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “mouth” (so KJV, NAB). The term פֶּה (peh, “mouth”) functions as a metonymy of cause for speech.
  7. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “opens wide his lips.” This is an idiom meaning “to be talkative” (BDB 832 s.v. פָּשַׂק Qal). Cf. NIV “speaks rashly”; TEV “a careless talker”; CEV “talk too much.”
  8. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “ruin belongs to him.”sn Tight control over what one says prevents trouble (e.g., Prov 10:10; 17:28; Jas 3:1-12; Sir 28:25). Amenemope advises to “sleep a night before speaking” (5:15; ANET 422, n. 10). The old Arab proverb is appropriate: “Take heed that your tongue does not cut your throat” (O. Zockler, Proverbs, 134).
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