10:3 Yes, 3 the wicked man 4 boasts because he gets what he wants; 5
the one who robs others 6 curses 7 and 8 rejects the Lord. 9
66:5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who respect what he has to say! 10
Your countrymen, 11 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.” 12
But they will be put to shame.
3:11 Her 13 leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, 14
her priests proclaim rulings for profit,
and her prophets read omens for pay.
Yet they claim to trust 15 the Lord and say,
“The Lord is among us. 16
Disaster will not overtake 17 us!”
1 tn Heb “uncovers my ear.”
2 tn Grk “may mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”
3 tn The translation assumes כִּי (ki) is asseverative: “indeed, certainly.” Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 3 as giving the reason why the wicked so arrogantly seek to destroy the helpless (so NASB, NRSV).
4 tn The representative or typical evildoer is described in vv. 3-11, 13, 15. Since the singular form predominates in these verses, it has been retained in the translation.
5 tn Heb “the wicked [one] boasts on account of the desire of his appetite.” The translation assumes that the preposition עַל (’al) introduces the reason why the wicked boasts (cf. this use of עַל with הָלַל (halal) in Ps 119:164 and Ezra 3:11). In this case, the “desire of his appetite” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired.
6 tn The translation assumes the active participle is substantival, referring to the wicked man mentioned in the preceding line. The substantival participle is then understood as the subject of the following verbs. For other examples of the participle of בָּצַע (batsar) used of those who desire and/or acquire wealth through dishonest and/or violent means, see Prov 1:19; 15:27; Jer 6:13; 8:10; Hab 2:9.
7 tn The verb בָּרַךְ (barakh) normally means “to bless,” but in a few cases it exhibits the polarized meaning “to curse” (1 Kgs 21:10, 13; Job 1:5-11; 2:5-9). (Some regard this use of בָּרַךְ as a mere euphemism.) The verb refers to the act of pronouncing or calling down a formal curse upon the object of one’s anger.
8 tn The conjunction “and” is supplied in the translation; it does not appear in the Hebrew text.
9 tn Another option is to translate, “he blesses one who robs others, [but] he curses the
10 tn Heb “who tremble at his word.”
11 tn Heb “brothers” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “Your own people”; NLT “Your close relatives.”
12 tn Or “so that we might witness your joy.” The point of this statement is unclear.
13 sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).
14 tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”
15 tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”
16 tn Heb “Is not the
17 tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”