1 Samuel 24:10-15

24:10 Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you – this very day – into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity ¹  on you and said, ‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s chosen one.’ ²  24:11 Look, my father, and see the edge of your robe in my hand! When I cut off the edge of your robe, I didn’t kill you. So realize and understand that I am not planning ³  evil or rebellion. Even though I have not sinned against you, you are waiting in ambush to take my life. 24:12 May the Lord judge between the two of us, and may the Lord vindicate me over you, but my hand will not be against you. 24:13 It’s like the old proverb says: ‘From evil people evil proceeds.’ But my hand will not be against you. 24:14 Who has the king of Israel come out after? Who is it that you are pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea? 24:15 May the Lord be our judge and arbiter. May he see and arbitrate my case and deliver me from your hands!”

1 Samuel 25:28-29

25:28 Please forgive the sin of your servant, for the Lord will certainly establish the house of my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord. May no evil be found in you all your days! 25:29 When someone sets out to chase you and to take your life, the life of my lord will be wrapped securely in the bag ⁴  of the living by the Lord your God. But he will sling away the lives of your enemies from the sling’s pocket!

1 Samuel 26:18-20

26:18 He went on to say, “Why is my lord chasing his servant? What have I done? What wrong have I done? ⁵  26:19 So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he take delight in ⁶  an offering. But if men have instigated this, ⁷  may they be cursed before the Lord! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the Lord’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go on, serve other gods!’ 26:20 Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge ⁸  in the hill country.”

Psalms 35:7

35:7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me

and dug a pit to trap me. ⁹ 

Psalms 35:19

35:19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason ¹⁰  gloat ¹¹  over me!

Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! ¹² 

Psalms 69:4

69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.

Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, ¹³  outnumber me. ¹⁴ 

They make me repay what I did not steal! ¹⁵ 

Psalms 109:3

109:3 They surround me and say hateful things; ¹⁶ 

they attack me for no reason.

Psalms 119:161

שׂ/שׁ (Sin/Shin)

119:161 Rulers pursue me for no reason,

yet I am more afraid of disobeying your instructions. ¹⁷ 

Jeremiah 37:18

37:18 Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What crime have I committed against you, or the officials who serve you, or the people of Judah? What have I done to make you people throw me into prison? ¹⁸ 

John 15:25

15:25 Now this happened ¹⁹  to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’ ²⁰ 

[24:10]  ¹ tn Heb “it had pity,” apparently with the understood subject being “my eye,” in accordance with a common expression.

[24:10]  ² tn Heb “anointed.”

[24:11]  ³ tn Heb “there is not in my hand.”

[25:29]  ⁴ tn Cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “bundle”; NLT “treasure pouch.”

[26:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “What in my hand [is] evil?”

[26:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “may he smell.” The implication is that Saul should seek to appease God, for such divine instigation to evil would a sign of God’s disfavor. For a fuller discussion of this passage see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 19-21.

[26:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “but if the sons of men.”

[26:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “the calling [one],” which apparently refers to a partridge.

[35:7]  ⁹ tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).

[35:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).

[35:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “rejoice.”

[35:19]  ¹² tn Heb “[do not let] those who hate me without cause pinch [i.e., wink] an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In the Book of Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).

[69:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Pss 35:19; 38:19).

[69:4]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority; note the parallel verb רָבַב (ravav, “be many”).

[69:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “that which I did not steal, then I restore.” Apparently אָז (’az, “then”) is used here to emphasize the verb that follows.

[109:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”

[119:161]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and because of your instructions my heart trembles.” The psalmist’s healthy “fear” of the consequences of violating God’s instructions motivates him to obey them. See v. 120.

[37:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “What crime have I committed against you, or your servants, or this people that you [masc. pl.] have put me in prison?” Some of the terms have been expanded for clarification and the sentence has been broken in two to better conform with contemporary English style.
The masculine plural is used here because Zedekiah is being addressed as representative of the whole group previously named.

[15:25]  ¹⁹ tn The words “this happened” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to complete an ellipsis.

[15:25]  ²⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 35:19 and Ps 69:4. As a technical term law (νόμος, nomos) is usually restricted to the Pentateuch (the first five books of the OT), but here it must have a broader reference, since the quotation is from Ps 35:19 or Ps 69:4. The latter is the more likely source for the quoted words, since it is cited elsewhere in John’s Gospel (2:17 and 19:29, in both instances in contexts associated with Jesus’ suffering and death).