Genesis 14:23

14:23 that I will take nothing ¹  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I ²  who made Abram rich.’

Jude 1:2

1:2 May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you! ³ 

Isaiah 48:5

48:5 I announced them to you beforehand;

before they happened, I predicted them for you,

so you could never say,

‘My image did these things,

my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’

Isaiah 48:7

48:7 Now they come into being, ⁴  not in the past;

before today you did not hear about them,

so you could not say,

‘Yes, ⁵  I know about them.’

Zechariah 12:7

12:7 The Lord also will deliver the homes ⁶  of Judah first, so that the splendor of the kingship ⁷  of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not exceed that of Judah.

¹ tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the Lord deal with me] if I take,” meaning, “I will surely not take.” The positive oath would add the negative adverb and be the reverse: “[God will deal with me] if I do not take,” meaning, “I certainly will.”

² tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.

³ tn Grk “may mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”

⁴ tn Heb “are created” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “They are brand new.”

⁵ tn Heb “look”; KJV, NASB “Behold.”

⁶ tn Heb “the tents” (so NAB, NRSV); NIV “the dwellings.”

⁷ tn Heb “house,” referring here to the dynastic line. Cf. NLT “the royal line”; CEV “the kingdom.” The same expression is translated “dynasty” in the following verse.