29:1 (28:69) 7 These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb. 8
25:1 If controversy arises between people, 9 they should go to court for judgment. When the judges 10 hear the case, they shall exonerate 11 the innocent but condemn 12 the guilty.
28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, 13
the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, 14
situated 15 at the head of a rich valley,
the crown of those overcome with wine. 16
28:2 Look, the sovereign master 17 sends a strong, powerful one. 18
With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, 19
with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, 20
he will knock that crown 21 to the ground with his hand. 22
28:3 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards
will be trampled underfoot.
28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, 23
the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, 24
situated 25 at the head of a rich valley,
the crown of those overcome with wine. 26
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “in his heart.”
3 tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.
4 tn Heb “heart.”
5 tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.
6 tn Heb “the watered with the parched.” The word “ground” is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches – “the watered and the parched.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.”
7 sn Beginning with 29:1, the verse numbers through 29:29 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 29:1 ET = 28:69 HT, 29:2 ET = 29:1 HT, 29:3 ET = 29:2 HT, etc., through 29:29 ET = 29:28 HT. With 30:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
8 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (which some English versions substitute here for clarity, cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
9 tn Heb “men.”
10 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the judges) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Heb “declare to be just”; KJV, NASB “justify the righteous”; NAB, NIV “acquitting the innocent.”
12 tn Heb “declare to be evil”; NIV “condemning the guilty (+ party NAB).”
13 tn Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.
14 tn Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.
15 tn Heb “which [is].”
16 tn Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.
17 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
18 tn Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”
19 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”
20 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”
21 tn The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text.
22 tn Or “by [his] power.”
23 tn Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.
24 tn Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.
25 tn Heb “which [is].”
26 tn Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.
27 tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.
28 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.”
29 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.”
30 tn Or “witchcraft.”
31 tn Or “enmities,” “[acts of] hatred.”
32 tn Or “discord” (L&N 39.22).
33 tn Or “discord(s)” (L&N 39.13).