1 Chronicles 28:7

28:7 I will establish his kingdom permanently, if he remains committed to obeying my commands and regulations, as you are doing this day.’¹

Joshua 1:7-8

1:7 Make sure you are² very strong and brave! Carefully obey³ all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep!⁴ Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful⁵ in all you do.⁶ 1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips!⁷ You must memorize it⁸ day and night so you can carefully obey⁹ all that is written in it. Then you will prosper¹⁰ and be successful.¹¹

Joshua 1:1

The Lord Commissions Joshua

1:1 After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant:

Joshua 2:3

2:3 So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab:¹² “Turn over¹³ the men who came to you¹⁴ – the ones who came to your house¹⁵ – for they have come to spy on the whole land!”

Joshua 2:2

2:2 The king of Jericho received this report: “Note well!¹⁶ Israelite men have come here tonight¹⁷ to spy on the land.”

Joshua 20:1

Israel Designates Cities of Refuge

20:1 The Lord instructed Joshua:

Psalms 119:6

119:6 Then I would not be ashamed,

if¹⁸ I were focused on¹⁹ all your commands.

Jeremiah 22:3-4

22:3 The Lord says, “Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from those²⁰ who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows.²¹ Do not kill innocent people²² in this land. 22:4 If you are careful to²³ obey these commands, then the kings who follow in David’s succession and ride in chariots or on horses will continue to come through the gates of this palace, as will their officials and their subjects.²⁴

¹tn Heb “if he is strong to do my commands and my regulations like this day.”

²tn Or “Only be.”

³tn Heb “so you can be careful to do.” The use of the infinitive לִשְׁמֹר (lishmor, “to keep”) after the imperatives suggests that strength and bravery will be necessary for obedience. Another option is to take the form לִשְׁמֹר as a vocative lamed (ל) with imperative (see Isa 38:20 for an example of this construction), which could be translated, “Indeed, be careful!”

⁴tn Heb “commanded you.”

⁵tn Heb “be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

⁶tn Heb “in all which you go.”

⁷tn Heb “mouth.”

⁸tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 1:237).

⁹tn Heb “be careful to do.”

¹⁰tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”

¹¹tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

¹²tn Heb “and the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying.”

¹³tn Heb “bring out.”

¹⁴tn The idiom “come to” (בוֹא אֶל, bo’ ’el) probably has sexual connotations here, as it often does elsewhere when a man “comes to” a woman. If so, the phrase could be translated “your clients.” The instructions reflect Rahab’s perspective as to the identity of the men.

¹⁵tn The words “the ones who came to your house” (Heb “who came to your house”) may be a euphemistic scribal addition designed to blur the sexual connotation of the preceding words.

¹⁶tn Or “look.”

¹⁷tn Heb “men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel.”

¹⁸tn Or “when.”

¹⁹tn Heb “I gaze at.”

²⁰tn Heb “from the hand [or power] of.”

²¹tn Heb “aliens, orphans, or widows” treating the terms as generic or collective. However, the term “alien” carries faulty connotations and the term “orphan” is not totally appropriate because the Hebrew term does not necessarily mean that both parents have died.

²²tn Heb “Do not shed innocent blood.”

²³tn The translation here reflects the emphasizing infinitive absolute before the verb.

²⁴tn Heb “There will come through the gates of this city the kings…riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials…” The structure of the original text is broken up here because of the long compound subject which would make the English sentence too long. Compare 17:25 for the structure and wording of this sentence.