Jeremiah 9:2-9

9:2 (9:1) I wish I had a lodging place in the desert

where I could spend some time like a weary traveler. ¹ 

Then I would desert my people

and walk away from them

because they are all unfaithful to God,

a congregation ²  of people that has been disloyal to him. ³ 

The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them

9:3 The Lord says, ⁴ 

“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows.

Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. ⁵ 

They have become powerful in the land,

but they have not done so by honest means. ⁶ 

Indeed, they do one evil thing after another ⁷ 

and do not pay attention to me. ⁸ 

9:4 Everyone must be on his guard around his friends.

He must not even trust any of his relatives. ⁹ 

For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. ¹⁰ 

And all of his friends will tell lies about him.

9:5 One friend deceives another

and no one tells the truth.

These people have trained themselves ¹¹  to tell lies.

They do wrong and are unable to repent.

9:6 They do one act of violence after another,

and one deceitful thing after another. ¹² 

They refuse to pay attention to me,” ¹³ 

says the Lord.

9:7 Therefore the Lord who rules over all says, ¹⁴ 

“I will now purify them in the fires of affliction ¹⁵  and test them.

The wickedness of my dear people ¹⁶  has left me no choice.

What else can I do? ¹⁷ 

9:8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows. ¹⁸ 

They are always telling lies. ¹⁹ 

Friendly words for their neighbors come from their mouths.

But their minds are thinking up ways to trap them. ²⁰ 

9:9 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.

“I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!” ²¹ 

Psalms 50:16-21

50:16 God says this to the evildoer: ²² 

“How can you declare my commands,

and talk about my covenant? ²³ 

50:17 For you hate instruction

and reject my words. ²⁴ 

50:18 When you see a thief, you join him; ²⁵ 

you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives. ²⁶ 

50:19 You do damage with words, ²⁷ 

and use your tongue to deceive. ²⁸ 

50:20 You plot against your brother; ²⁹ 

you slander your own brother. ³⁰ 

50:21 When you did these things, I was silent, ³¹ 

so you thought I was exactly like you. ³² 

But now I will condemn ³³  you

and state my case against you! ³⁴ 

Isaiah 59:1-8

Injustice Brings Alienation from God

59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak ³⁵  to deliver you;

his ear is not too deaf to hear you. ³⁶ 

59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;

your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. ³⁷ 

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ³⁸ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ³⁹  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ⁴⁰ 

and give birth to sin.

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake

and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

a poisonous snake is hatched. ⁴¹ 

59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are sinful;

they commit violent crimes. ⁴² 

59:7 They are eager to do evil, ⁴³ 

quick to shed innocent blood. ⁴⁴ 

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy. ⁴⁵ 

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ⁴⁶ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ⁴⁷ 

Ezekiel 18:10-13

18:10 “Suppose such a man has ⁴⁸  a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things ⁴⁹  mentioned previously 18:11 (though the father did not do any of them). ⁵⁰  He eats pagan sacrifices on the mountains, ⁵¹  defiles his neighbor’s wife, 18:12 oppresses the poor and the needy, ⁵²  commits robbery, does not give back what was given in pledge, prays to ⁵³  idols, performs abominable acts, 18:13 engages in usury and charges interest. Will he live? He will not! Because he has done all these abominable deeds he will certainly die. ⁵⁴  He will bear the responsibility for his own death. ⁵⁵ 

Ezekiel 18:18

18:18 As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity.

Ezekiel 33:25-26

33:25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: You eat the meat with the blood still in it, ⁵⁶  pray to ⁵⁷  your idols, and shed blood. Do you really think you will possess ⁵⁸  the land? 33:26 You rely ⁵⁹  on your swords and commit abominable deeds; each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Will you possess the land?’

Hosea 4:1-3

The Lord’s Covenant Lawsuit against the Nation Israel

4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites! ⁶⁰ 

For the Lord has a covenant lawsuit ⁶¹  against the people of Israel. ⁶² 

For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land,

nor do they acknowledge God. ⁶³ 

4:2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.

They resort to violence and bloodshed. ⁶⁴ 

4:3 Therefore the land will mourn,

and all its inhabitants will perish. ⁶⁵ 

The wild animals, ⁶⁶  the birds of the sky,

and even the fish in the sea will perish.

Micah 3:8-12

3:8 But I ⁶⁷  am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,

and have a strong commitment to justice. ⁶⁸ 

This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,

and Israel with its sin. ⁶⁹ 

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family ⁷⁰  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁷¹  of Israel!

You ⁷²  hate justice

and pervert all that is right.

3:10 You ⁷³  build Zion through bloody crimes, ⁷⁴ 

Jerusalem ⁷⁵  through unjust violence.

3:11 Her ⁷⁶  leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, ⁷⁷ 

her priests proclaim rulings for profit,

and her prophets read omens for pay.

Yet they claim to trust ⁷⁸  the Lord and say,

“The Lord is among us. ⁷⁹ 

Disaster will not overtake ⁸⁰  us!”

3:12 Therefore, because of you, ⁸¹  Zion will be plowed up like ⁸²  a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,

and the Temple Mount ⁸³  will become a hill overgrown with brush! ⁸⁴ 

Zephaniah 1:5

1:5 I will remove ⁸⁵  those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, ⁸⁶ 

those who swear allegiance to the Lord ⁸⁷  while taking oaths in the name of ⁸⁸  their ‘king,’ ⁸⁹ 

Zechariah 5:3-4

5:3 The speaker went on to say, “This is a curse ⁹⁰  traveling across the whole earth. For example, according to the curse whoever steals ⁹¹  will be removed from the community; or on the other hand (according to the curse) whoever swears falsely will suffer the same fate.” 5:4 “I will send it out,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and it will enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones.”

Malachi 3:5

3:5 “I ⁹²  will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, ⁹³  and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, ⁹⁴  who refuse to help ⁹⁵  the immigrant ⁹⁶  and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Romans 2:2

2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth ⁹⁷  against those who practice such things.

Romans 2:17-29

The Condemnation of the Jew

2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law ⁹⁸  and boast of your relationship to God ⁹⁹  2:18 and know his will ¹⁰⁰  and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, ¹⁰¹  2:19 and if you are convinced ¹⁰²  that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 2:20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth – 2:21 therefore ¹⁰³  you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 2:22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor ¹⁰⁴  idols, do you rob temples? 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law! 2:24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” ¹⁰⁵ 

2:25 For circumcision ¹⁰⁶  has its value if you practice the law, but ¹⁰⁷  if you break the law, ¹⁰⁸  your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys ¹⁰⁹  the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 2:27 And will not the physically uncircumcised man ¹¹⁰  who keeps the law judge you who, despite ¹¹¹  the written code ¹¹²  and circumcision, transgress the law? 2:28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 2:29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart ¹¹³  by the Spirit ¹¹⁴  and not by the written code. ¹¹⁵  This person’s ¹¹⁶  praise is not from people but from God.

Romans 2:1

The Condemnation of the Moralist

2:1 ¹¹⁷ Therefore ¹¹⁸  you are without excuse, ¹¹⁹  whoever you are, ¹²⁰  when you judge someone else. ¹²¹  For on whatever grounds ¹²²  you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.

Colossians 1:9-10

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ¹²³  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ¹²⁴  to fill ¹²⁵  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ¹²⁶  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ¹²⁷  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Galatians 5:19-21

5:19 Now the works of the flesh ¹²⁸  are obvious: ¹²⁹  sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, ¹³⁰  hostilities, ¹³¹  strife, ¹³²  jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, ¹³³  factions, 5:21 envying, ¹³⁴  murder, ¹³⁵  drunkenness, carousing, ¹³⁶  and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Ephesians 5:5-7

5:5 For you can be confident of this one thing: ¹³⁷  that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Live in the Light

5:6 Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. ¹³⁸  5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them, ¹³⁹ 

Ephesians 5:2

5:2 and live ¹⁴⁰  in love, just as Christ also loved us ¹⁴¹  and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering ¹⁴²  to God.

Ephesians 3:2-5

3:2 if indeed ¹⁴³  you have heard of the stewardship ¹⁴⁴  of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3:3 that ¹⁴⁵  by revelation the divine secret ¹⁴⁶  was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. ¹⁴⁷  3:4 When reading this, ¹⁴⁸  you will be able to ¹⁴⁹  understand my insight into this secret ¹⁵⁰  of Christ. 3:5 Now this secret ¹⁵¹  was not disclosed to people ¹⁵²  in former ¹⁵³  generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by ¹⁵⁴  the Spirit,

James 4:1-4

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ¹⁵⁵  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ¹⁵⁶  from your passions that battle inside you? ¹⁵⁷  4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

4:4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? ¹⁵⁸  So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy.

Revelation 21:8

21:8 But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, ¹⁵⁹  idol worshipers, ¹⁶⁰  and all those who lie, their place ¹⁶¹  will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. ¹⁶²  That ¹⁶³  is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15

22:15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers ¹⁶⁴  and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! ¹⁶⁵ 

[9:2]  ¹ tn Heb “I wish I had in the desert a lodging place [inn, or place to spend the night] for travelers.”

[9:2]  ² tn Or “bunch,” but this loses the irony; the word is used for the solemn assemblies at the religious feasts.

[9:2]  ³ tn Heb “they are all adulterers, a congregation of unfaithful people.” However, spiritual adultery is, of course, meant, not literal adultery. So the literal translation would be misleading.

[9:3]  ⁴ tn The words “The Lord says” have been moved up from the end of the verse to make clear that a change in speaker has occurred.

[9:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “They have readied [or strung] their tongue as their bow for lies.”

[9:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “but not through honesty.”

[9:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “they go from evil to evil.”

[9:3]  ⁸ tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” But “knowing” in Hebrew thought often involves more than intellectual knowledge; it involves emotional and volitional commitment as well. For יָדַע meaning “acknowledge” see 1 Chr 28:9; Isa 29:21; Hos 2:20; Prov 3:6. This word is also found in ancient Near Eastern treaty contexts where it has the idea of a vassal king acknowledging the sovereignty of a greater king (cf. H. Huffmon, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew yada,” BASOR 181 [1966]: 31-37).

[9:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “Be on your guard…Do not trust.” The verbs are second masculine plural of direct address and there seems no way to translate literally and not give the mistaken impression that Jeremiah is being addressed. This is another example of the tendency in Hebrew style to turn from description to direct address (a figure of speech called apostrophe).

[9:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “cheating, each of them will cheat.”

[9:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their tongues.” However, this is probably not a natural idiom in contemporary English and the tongue may stand as a part for the whole anyway.

[9:6]  ¹² tc An alternate reading for vv. 5d-6b is: “They wear themselves out doing wrong. Jeremiah, you live in the midst of deceitful people. They deceitfully refuse to take any thought of/acknowledge me.” The translation which has been adopted is based on a redivision of the lines, a redivision of some of the words, and a revocalization of some of the consonants. The MT reads literally “doing wrong they weary themselves. Your sitting in the midst of deceit; in deceit they refuse to know me” (הַעֲוֵה נִלְאוּ׃ שִׁבְתְּךָ בְּתוֹךְ מִרְמָה בְּמִרְמָה מֵאֲנוּ דַעַת־אוֹתִי). The Greek version reads literally “they do wrong and they do not cease to turn themselves around. Usury upon usury and deceit upon deceit. They do not want to know me.” This suggests that one should read the Hebrew text as שֻׁב׃ תֹּךְ בְּתוֹךְ מִרְ־מָה בְּמִרְ־מָה מֵאֲנוּ דַעַת אוֹתִי הַעֲוֵה נִלְאוּ, which translated literally yields “doing evil [= “they do evil” using the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a finite verb (cf. GKC 346 §113.ff)] they are not able [cf. KBL 468 s.v. לָאָה Niph.3 and see Exod 7:18 for parallel use] to repent. Oppression on oppression [cf. BDB 1067 s.v. תֹּךְ, II תּוֹךְ]; deceit on deceit. They refuse to know me.” This reading has ancient support and avoids the introduction of an unexpected second masculine suffix into the context. It has been adopted here along with a number of modern commentaries (cf., e.g., W. McKane, Jeremiah [ICC], 1:201) and English versions as the more likely reading.

[9:6]  ¹³ tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” See the note on the phrase “do not take any thought of me” in 9:3.

[9:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[9:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I will refine/purify them.” The words “in the fires of affliction” are supplied in the translation to give clarity to the metaphor.

[9:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.

[9:7]  ¹⁷ tc Heb “For how else shall I deal because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people.” The MT does not have the word “wickedness.” The word, however, is read in the Greek version. This is probably a case of a word dropping out because of its similarities to the consonants preceding or following it (i.e., haplography). The word “wickedness” (רַעַת, ra’at) has dropped out before the words “my dear people” (בַּת־עַמִּי, bat-’ammi). The causal nuance which is normal for מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne) does not make sense without some word like this, and the combination of רַעַת מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne ra’at) does occur in Jer 7:12 and one very like it occurs in Jer 26:3.

[9:8]  ¹⁸ tc This reading follows the Masoretic consonants (the Kethib, a Qal active participle from שָׁחַט, shakhat). The Masoretes preferred to read “a sharpened arrow” (the Qere, a Qal passive participle from the same root or a homonym, meaning “hammered, beaten”). See HALOT 1354 s.v. II שָׁחַט for discussion. The exact meaning of the word makes little difference to the meaning of the metaphor itself.

[9:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “They speak deceit.”

[9:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “With his mouth a person speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets an ambush for him.”

[9:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “Should I not punish them…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions function as emphatic declarations.

[50:16]  ²² tn Heb “evil [one].” The singular adjective is used here in a representative sense; it refers to those within the larger covenant community who have blatantly violated the Lord’s commandments. In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander, and cheat others (Ps 37:21).

[50:16]  ²³ tn Heb “What to you to declare my commands and lift up my covenant upon your mouth?” The rhetorical question expresses sarcastic amazement. The Lord is shocked that such evildoers would give lip-service to his covenantal demands, for their lifestyle is completely opposed to his standards (see vv. 18-20).

[50:17]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and throw my words behind you.”

[50:18]  ²⁵ tn Heb “you run with him.”

[50:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and with adulterers [is] your portion.”

[50:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “your mouth you send with evil.”

[50:19]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and your tongue binds together [i.e., “frames”] deceit.”

[50:20]  ²⁹ tn Heb “you sit, against your brother you speak.” To “sit” and “speak” against someone implies plotting against that person (see Ps 119:23).

[50:20]  ³⁰ tn Heb “against the son of your mother you give a fault.”

[50:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “[When you do these things], should I keep silent?” (cf. NEB). See GKC 335 §112.cc.

[50:21]  ³² tn The Hebrew infinitive construct (הֱיוֹת, heyot) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh). See GKC 339-40 §113.a. Some prefer to emend הֱיוֹת (heyot) to the infinitive absolute form הָיוֹ (hayo).

[50:21]  ³³ tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).

[50:21]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and I will set in order [my case against you] to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the Lord’s resolve to accuse and judge the wicked.

[59:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[59:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”

[59:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”

[59:4]  ³⁸ tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”

[59:4]  ³⁹ tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”

[59:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”

[59:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”

[59:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”

[59:7]  ⁴³ tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”

[59:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”

[59:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”

[59:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”

[59:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”

[18:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “begets.”

[18:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and he does, a brother, from one of these.” If “brother” is retained, it may be an adverbial accusative, “against a brother” (i.e., fellow Israelite). But the form is likely dittographic (note the אח [aleph-heth] combination in the following form).

[18:11]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and he all of these did not do.” The parenthetical note refers back to the father described in the preceding verses.

[18:11]  ⁵¹ sn See note on “mountains” in v. 6.

[18:12]  ⁵² sn The poor and needy are often mentioned together in the OT (Deut 24:14; Jer 22:16; Ezek 14:69; Ps 12:6; 35:10; 37:14).

[18:12]  ⁵³ tn Heb “lifts up his eyes.”

[18:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “be put to death.” The translation follows an alternative reading that appears in several ancient textual witnesses.

[18:13]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “his blood will be upon him.”

[33:25]  ⁵⁶ sn This practice was a violation of Levitical law (see Lev 19:26).

[33:25]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “lift up your eyes.”

[33:25]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “Will you possess?”

[33:26]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “stand.”

[4:1]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “sons of Israel” (so NASB); KJV “children of Israel”; NAB, NRSV “people of Israel.”

[4:1]  ⁶¹ tn The noun רִיב (riv, “dispute, lawsuit”) is used in two contexts: (1) nonlegal contexts: (a) “dispute” between individuals (e.g., Gen 13:7; Isa 58:1; Jer 15:10) or (b) “brawl; quarrel” between people (e.g., Exod 17:7; Deut 25:1); and (2) legal contexts: (a) “lawsuit; legal process” (e.g., Exod 23:3-6; Deut 19:17; 21:5; Ezek 44:24; Ps 35:23), (b) “lawsuit; legal case” (e.g., Deut 1:12; 17:8; Prov 18:17; 25:9), and (c) God’s “lawsuit” on behalf of a person or against his own people (Hos 4:1; 12:3; Mic 6:2; HALOT 1225-26 s.v. רִיב). The term in Hosea refers to a covenant lawsuit in which Yahweh the suzerain lodges a legal case against his disobedient vassal, accusing Israel and Judah of breach of covenant which will elicit the covenant curses.

[4:1]  ⁶² tn Heb “with the inhabitants of the land” (so KJV); NAB, NASB, NRSV “against the inhabitants of the land.”

[4:1]  ⁶³ tn Heb “there is no truthfulness nor loyalty nor knowledge of God in the land.” Here “knowledge of God” refers to recognition of his authority and obedience to his will.

[4:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “they break out and bloodshed touches bloodshed.” The Hebrew term פָּרַץ (parats, “to break out”) refers to violent and wicked actions (BDB 829 s.v. פָּרַץ 7; HALOT 972 s.v. פרץ 6.c). It is used elsewhere in a concrete sense to describe breaking through physical barriers. Here it is used figuratively to describe breaking moral barriers and restraints (cf. TEV “Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another”).

[4:3]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “languish” (so KJV, NRSV); NIV “waste away.”

[4:3]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “the beasts of the field” (so NAB, NIV).

[3:8]  ⁶⁷ sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the Lord in the preceding verses.

[3:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the Lord, and justice and strength.” The appositional phrase “the Spirit of the Lord” explains the source of the prophet’s power. The phrase “justice and strength” is understood here as a hendiadys, referring to the prophet’s strong sense of justice.

[3:8]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “to declare to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.” The words “this enables me” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[3:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁷² tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).

[3:10]  ⁷³ tn Heb “who.”

[3:10]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “bloodshed” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NLT “murder.”

[3:10]  ⁷⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:11]  ⁷⁶ sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).

[3:11]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”

[3:11]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”

[3:11]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “Is not the Lord in our midst?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he is!”

[3:11]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”

[3:12]  ⁸¹ tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.

[3:12]  ⁸² tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).

[3:12]  ⁸³ tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[3:12]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”

[1:5]  ⁸⁵ tn The words “I will remove” are repeated from v. 4b for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 4b-6 contain a long list of objects for the verb “I will remove” in v. 4b. In the present translation a new sentence was begun at the beginning of v. 5 in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.

[1:5]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “those who worship on their roofs the host of heaven.” The “host of heaven” included the sun, moon, planets, and stars, all of which were deified in the ancient Near East.

[1:5]  ⁸⁷ tc The MT reads, “those who worship, those who swear allegiance to the Lord.” The original form of the LXX omits the phrase “those who worship”; it may have been accidentally repeated from the preceding line. J. J. M. Roberts prefers to delete as secondary the phrase “those who swear allegiance” (J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah [OTL], 168).

[1:5]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “those who swear by.”

[1:5]  ⁸⁹ tn The referent of “their king” is unclear. It may refer sarcastically to a pagan god (perhaps Baal) worshiped by the people. Some English versions (cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) prefer to emend the text to “Milcom,” the name of an Ammonite god (following some LXX mss, Syriac, and Vulgate) or “Molech,” a god to whom the Israelites offered their children (cf. NIV, NLT). For a discussion of the options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 75-77.

[5:3]  ⁹⁰ tn The Hebrew word translated “curse” (אָלָה, ’alah) alludes to the covenant sanctions that attend the violation of God’s covenant with Israel (cf. Deut 29:12, 14, 20-21).

[5:3]  ⁹¹ sn Stealing and swearing falsely (mentioned later in this verse) are sins against mankind and God respectively and are thus violations of the two major parts of the Ten Commandments. These two stipulations (commandments 8 and 3) represent the whole law.

[3:5]  ⁹² tn The first person pronoun (a reference to the Lord) indicates that the Lord himself now speaks (see also v. 1). The prophet speaks in vv. 2-4 (see also 2:17).

[3:5]  ⁹³ tn Heb “those who swear [oaths] falsely.” Cf. NIV “perjurers”; TEV “those who give false testimony”; NLT “liars.”

[3:5]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “and against the oppressors of the worker for a wage, [the] widow and orphan.”

[3:5]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “those who turn aside.”

[3:5]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “resident foreigner”; NIV “aliens”; NRSV “the alien.”

[2:2]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “based on truth.”

[2:17]  ⁹⁸ sn The law refers to the Mosaic law, described mainly in the OT books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

[2:17]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “boast in God.” This may be an allusion to Jer 9:24.

[2:18]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “the will.”

[2:18]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “because of being instructed out of the law.”

[2:19]  ¹⁰² tn This verb is parallel to the verbs in vv. 17-18a, so it shares the conditional meaning even though the word “if” is not repeated.

[2:21]  ¹⁰³ tn The structure of vv. 21-24 is difficult. Some take these verses as the apodosis of the conditional clauses (protases) in vv. 17-20; others see vv. 17-20 as an instance of anacoluthon (a broken off or incomplete construction).

[2:22]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “detest.”

[2:24]  ¹⁰⁵ sn A quotation from Isa 52:5.

[2:25]  ¹⁰⁶ sn Circumcision refers to male circumcision as prescribed in the OT, which was given as a covenant to Abraham in Gen 17:10-14. Its importance for Judaism can hardly be overstated: According to J. D. G. Dunn (Romans [WBC], 1:120) it was the “single clearest distinguishing feature of the covenant people.” J. Marcus has suggested that the terms used for circumcision (περιτομή, peritomh) and uncircumcision (ἀκροβυστία, akrobustia) were probably derogatory slogans used by Jews and Gentiles to describe their opponents (“The Circumcision and the Uncircumcision in Rome,” NTS 35 [1989]: 77-80).

[2:25]  ¹⁰⁷ tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.

[2:25]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “if you should be a transgressor of the law.”

[2:26]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[2:27]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “the uncircumcision by nature.” The word “man” is supplied here to make clear that male circumcision (or uncircumcision) is in view.

[2:27]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “through,” but here the preposition seems to mean “(along) with,” “though provided with,” as BDAG 224 s.v. διά A.3.c indicates.

[2:27]  ¹¹² tn Grk “letter.”

[2:29]  ¹¹³ sn On circumcision is of the heart see Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:9.

[2:29]  ¹¹⁴ tn Some have taken the phrase ἐν πνεύματι (en pneumati, “by/in [the] S/spirit”) not as a reference to the Holy Spirit, but referring to circumcision as “spiritual and not literal” (RSV).

[2:29]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “letter.”

[2:29]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “whose.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the phrase “this person’s” and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation.

[2:1]  ¹¹⁷ sn Rom 2:1-29 presents unusual difficulties for the interpreter. There have been several major approaches to the chapter and the group(s) it refers to: (1) Rom 2:14 refers to Gentile Christians, not Gentiles who obey the Jewish law. (2) Paul in Rom 2 is presenting a hypothetical viewpoint: If anyone could obey the law, that person would be justified, but no one can. (3) The reference to “the ones who do the law” in 2:13 are those who “do” the law in the right way, on the basis of faith, not according to Jewish legalism. (4) Rom 2:13 only speaks about Christians being judged in the future, along with such texts as Rom 14:10 and 2 Cor 5:10. (5) Paul’s material in Rom 2 is drawn heavily from Diaspora Judaism, so that the treatment of the law presented here cannot be harmonized with other things Paul says about the law elsewhere (E. P. Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 123); another who sees Rom 2 as an example of Paul’s inconsistency in his treatment of the law is H. Räisänen, Paul and the Law [WUNT], 101-9. (6) The list of blessings and curses in Deut 27–30 provide the background for Rom 2; the Gentiles of 2:14 are Gentile Christians, but the condemnation of Jews in 2:17-24 addresses the failure of Jews as a nation to keep the law as a whole (A. Ito, “Romans 2: A Deuteronomistic Reading,” JSNT 59 [1995]: 21-37).

[2:1]  ¹¹⁸ tn Some interpreters (e.g., C. K. Barrett, Romans [HNTC], 43) connect the inferential Διό (dio, “therefore”) with 1:32a, treating 1:32b as a parenthetical comment by Paul.

[2:1]  ¹¹⁹ tn That is, “you have nothing to say in your own defense” (so translated by TCNT).

[2:1]  ¹²⁰ tn Grk “O man.”

[2:1]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone [of you] who judges.”

[2:1]  ¹²² tn Grk “in/by (that) which.”

[1:9]  ¹²³ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ¹²⁴ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ¹²⁵ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ¹²⁶ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ¹²⁷ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[5:19]  ¹²⁸ tn See the note on the word “flesh” in Gal 5:13.

[5:19]  ¹²⁹ tn Or “clear,” “evident.”

[5:20]  ¹³⁰ tn Or “witchcraft.”

[5:20]  ¹³¹ tn Or “enmities,” “[acts of] hatred.”

[5:20]  ¹³² tn Or “discord” (L&N 39.22).

[5:20]  ¹³³ tn Or “discord(s)” (L&N 39.13).

[5:21]  ¹³⁴ tn This term is plural in Greek (as is “murder” and “carousing”), but for clarity these abstract nouns have been translated as singular.

[5:21]  ¹³⁵ tc ‡ φόνοι (fonoi, “murders”) is absent in such important mss as Ì⁴⁶ א B 33 81 323 945 pc sa, while the majority of mss (A C D F G Ψ 0122 0278 1739 1881 Ï lat) have the word. Although the pedigree of the mss which lack the term is of the highest degree, homoioteleuton may well explain the shorter reading. The preceding word has merely one letter difference, making it quite possible to overlook this term (φθόνοι φόνοι, fqonoi fonoi).

[5:21]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “revelings,” “orgies” (L&N 88.287).

[5:5]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “be knowing this.” See also 2 Pet 1:20 for a similar phrase: τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες (touto prwton ginwskonte").

[5:6]  ¹³⁸ sn The expression sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” In this context it refers to “all those who are disobedient.” Cf. Eph 2:2-3.

[5:7]  ¹³⁹ tn The genitive αὐτῶν (autwn) has been translated as a genitive of association because of its use with συμμέτοχοι (summetocoi) – a verb which implies association in the σύν- (sun-) prefix.

[5:2]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “walk.” The NT writers often used the verb “walk” (περιπατέω, peripatew) to refer to ethical conduct (cf. Rom 8:4; Gal 5:16; Col 4:5).

[5:2]  ¹⁴¹ tc A number of important witnesses have ὑμᾶς (Jumas, “you”; e.g., א* A B P 0159 81 1175 al it co as well as several fathers). Other, equally important witnesses read ἡμᾶς (Jhmas, “us”; Ì⁴⁶ א² D F G Ψ 0278 33 1739 1881 al lat sy). It is possible that ἡμᾶς was accidentally introduced via homoioarcton with the previous word (ἠγάπησεν, hgaphsen). On the other hand, ὑμᾶς may have been motivated by the preceding ὑμῖν (Jumin) in 4:32 and second person verbs in 5:1, 2. Further, the flow of argument seems to require the first person pronoun. A decision is difficult to make, but the first person pronoun has a slightly greater probability of being original.

[5:2]  ¹⁴² tn Grk “an offering and sacrifice to God as a smell of fragrance.” The first expression, προσφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν (prosforan kai qusian), is probably a hendiadys and has been translated such that “sacrificial” modifies “offering.” The second expression, εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας (ei" osmhn euwdia", “as a smell of fragrance”) has been translated as “a fragrant offering”; see BDAG 728-29 s.v. ὀσμή 2. Putting these two together in a clear fashion in English yields the translation: “a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.”

[3:2]  ¹⁴³ sn If indeed. The author is not doubting whether his audience has heard, but is rather using provocative language (if indeed) to engage his audience in thinking about the magnificence of God’s grace. However, in English translation, the apodosis (“then”-clause) does not come until v. 13, leaving the protasis (“if”-clause) dangling. Eph 3:2-7 constitute one sentence in Greek.

[3:2]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or “administration,” “dispensation,” “commission.”

[3:3]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or “namely, that is.”

[3:3]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “mystery.”

[3:3]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “as I wrote above briefly.”

[3:4]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Grk “which, when reading.”

[3:4]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Grk “you are able to.”

[3:4]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Or “mystery.”

[3:5]  ¹⁵¹ tn Grk “which.” Verse 5 is technically a relative clause, subordinate to the thought of v. 4.

[3:5]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “the sons of men” (a Semitic idiom referring to human beings, hence, “people”).

[3:5]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “other.”

[3:5]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “in.”

[4:1]  ¹⁵⁵ tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”

[4:4]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Grk “is hostility toward God.”

[21:8]  ¹⁵⁹ tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”

[21:8]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Grk “idolaters.”

[21:8]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “their share.”

[21:8]  ¹⁶² tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

[21:8]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “sulfur, which is.” The relative pronoun has been translated as “that” to indicate its connection to the previous clause. The nearest logical antecedent is “the lake [that burns with fire and sulfur],” although “lake” (λίμνη, limnh) is feminine gender, while the pronoun “which” (ὅ, Jo) is neuter gender. This means that (1) the proper antecedent could be “their place” (Grk “their share,”) agreeing with the relative pronoun in number and gender, or (2) the neuter pronoun still has as its antecedent the feminine noun “lake,” since agreement in gender between pronoun and antecedent was not always maintained, with an explanatory phrase occurring with a neuter pronoun regardless of the case of the antecedent. In favor of the latter explanation is Rev 20:14, where the phrase “the lake of fire” is in apposition to the phrase “the second death.”

[22:15]  ¹⁶⁴ tn On the term φάρμακοι (farmakoi) see L&N 53.101.

[22:15]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Or “lying,” “deceit.”