9:18 For 1 evil burned like a fire, 2
it consumed thorns and briers;
it burned up the thickets of the forest,
and they went up in smoke. 3
1 tn Or “Indeed” (cf. NIV “Surely”). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
2 sn Evil was uncontrollable and destructive, and so can be compared to a forest fire.
3 tn Heb “and they swirled [with] the rising of the smoke” (cf. NRSV).