9:17 “So now, our God, accept 2 the prayer and requests of your servant, and show favor to 3 your devastated sanctuary for your own sake. 4 9:18 Listen attentively, 5 my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruins 6 and the city called by your name. 7 For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you, 8 but because your compassion is abundant. 9:19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention, and act! Don’t delay, for your own sake, O my God! For your city and your people are called by your name.” 9
18:1 Then 10 Jesus 11 told them a parable to show them they should always 12 pray and not lose heart. 13 18:2 He said, 14 “In a certain city 15 there was a judge 16 who neither feared God nor respected people. 17
1 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
2 tn Heb “hear.” Here the verb refers to hearing favorably, accepting the prayer and responding positively.
3 tn Heb “let your face shine.” This idiom pictures God smiling in favor. See Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19.
4 tn Heb “for the sake of my Lord.” Theodotion has “for your sake.” Cf. v. 19.
5 tn Heb “turn your ear.”
6 tn Heb “desolations.” The term refers here to the ruined condition of Judah’s towns.
7 tn Heb “over which your name is called.” Cf. v. 19. This expression implies that God is the owner of his city, Jerusalem. Note the use of the idiom in 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1; Amos 9:12.
8 tn Heb “praying our supplications before you.”
9 tn Heb “for your name is called over your city and your people.” See the note on this expression in v 18.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
11 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).
13 sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start: …they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).
14 tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”
15 tn Or “town.”
16 sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.
17 tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.