Job 35:6-8

35:6 If you sin, how does it affect God? ¹ 

If your transgressions are many,

what does it do to him? ² 

35:7 If you are righteous, what do you give to God,

or what does he receive from your hand?

35:8 Your wickedness affects only ³  a person like yourself,

and your righteousness only other people. ⁴ 

Psalms 16:2

16:2 I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord,

my only source of well-being.” ⁵ 

Luke 17:10

17:10 So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; ⁶  we have only done what was our duty.’” ⁷ 

¹ tn Heb “him” (also in v. 7); the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn See Job 7:20.

³ tn The phrase “affects only” is supplied in the translation of this nominal sentence.

⁴ tn Heb “and to [or for] a son of man, your righteousness.”

⁵ tn Heb “my good [is] not beyond you.” For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) in the sense of “beyond,” see BDB 755 s.v. 2.

⁶ tn Some translations describe the slaves as “worthless” (NRSV) or “unworthy” (NASB, NIV) but that is not Jesus’ point. These disciples have not done anything deserving special commendation or praise (L&N 33.361), but only what would normally be expected of a slave in such a situation (thus the translation “we have only done what was our duty”).

⁷ tn Or “we have only done what we were supposed to do.”