21:13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? 4 declares the sovereign Lord.’
1 tc The MT reads לַעֲשׂוֹת אֱמֶת (la’asot ’emet, “to do with integrity”), while the LXX reads “to do them,” presupposing לַעֲשׂוֹת אֹתָם (la’asot ’otam). The ם (mem) and ת (tav) have been reversed in the MT. The LXX refelcts the original, supported by similar phrasing in Ezekiel 11:20; 20:19.
2 tn Heb “he.”
3 tn Heb “living, he will live.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
4 tn Heb “For testing (will come) and what if also a scepter, it despises, will not be?” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned in the previous verses. The text is very difficult and any rendering is uncertain.
7 tn Heb “and they came to her.”