Genesis 24:12

24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. ¹  Be faithful ²  to my master Abraham.

Genesis 24:31

24:31 Laban said to him, ³  “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! ⁴  Why are you standing out here when I have prepared ⁵  the house and a place for the camels?”

Genesis 39:3

39:3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful. ⁶ 

Ezra 8:21

8:21 I called for a fast there by the Ahava Canal, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from him a safe journey ⁷  for us, our children, and all our property.

Nehemiah 1:11

1:11 Please, ⁸  O Lord, listen attentively ⁹  to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect ¹⁰  to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me ¹¹  in the presence of this man.”

Now ¹²  I was cupbearer for the king.

Psalms 37:5

37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! ¹³ 

Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 90:17

90:17 May our sovereign God extend his favor to us! ¹⁵ 

Make our endeavors successful!

Yes, make them successful! ¹⁶ 

Romans 1:10

1:10 and I always ask ¹⁷  in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God. ¹⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).

² tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”

³ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁴ sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the Lord. Already the author is laying the foundation for subsequent events in the narrative, where Laban’s greed becomes his dominant characteristic.

⁵ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.

⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷ tn Heb “a straight way.”

⁸ tn The interjection אָנָּא (’anna’) is an emphatic term of entreaty: “please!” (BDB 58 s.v.; HALOT 69-70 s.v.). This term is normally reserved for pleas for mercy from God in life-and-death situations (2 Kgs 20:3 = Isa 38:3; Pss 116:4; 118:25; Jonah 1:14; 4:2) and for forgiveness of heinous sins that would result or have resulted in severe judgment from God (Exod 32:31; Dan 9:4; Neh 1:5, 11).

⁹ tn Heb “let your ear be attentive.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “fear.”

¹¹ tn Heb “grant compassion.” The words “to me” are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style in English.

¹² tn The vav (ו) on וַאֲנִי (va’ani, “Now, I”) introduces a disjunctive parenthetical clause that provides background information to the reader.

¹³ tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.

¹⁴ tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.

¹⁵ tn Heb “and may the delight of the Master, our God, be on us.” The Hebrew term נֹעַם (no’am, “delight”) is used in Ps 27:4 of the Lord’s “beauty,” but here it seems to refer to his favor (see BDB 653 s.v.) or kindness (HALOT 706 s.v.).

¹⁶ tn Heb “and the work of our hands establish over us, and the work of our hands, establish it.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “remember you, always asking.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “succeed in coming to you in the will of God.”