Psalms 18:21

18:21 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; ¹ 

I have not rebelled against my God. ² 

Proverbs 5:7

5:7 So now, children, ³  listen to me;

do not turn aside from the words I speak. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 32:40

32:40 I will make a lasting covenant ⁵  with them that I will never stop doing good to them. ⁶  I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that ⁷  they will never again turn ⁸  away from me.

¹ tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the Lord.” The phrase “ways of the Lord” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord. In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.

² tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical; the idea is, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”

³ tn Heb “sons.”

⁴ tn Heb “the words of my mouth” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

⁵ tn Heb “an everlasting covenant.” For the rationale for the rendering “agreement” and the nature of the biblical covenants see the study note on 11:2.

⁶ tn Or “stop being gracious to them” or “stop blessing them with good”; Heb “turn back from them to do good to them.”

⁷ tn Or “I will make them want to fear and respect me so much that”; Heb “I will put the fear of me in their hearts.” However, as has been noted several times, “heart” in Hebrew is more the center of the volition (and intellect) than the center of emotions as it is in English. Both translations are intended to reflect the difference in psychology.

⁸ tn The words “never again” are not in the text but are implicit from the context and are supplied not only by this translation but by a number of others.