2 Chronicles 24:17-22

24:17 After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared their loyalty to him. ¹  The king listened to their advice. ²  24:18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors, ³  and worshiped ⁴  the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. 24:19 The Lord sent prophets among them to lead them back to him. ⁵  They warned ⁶  the people, but they would not pay attention. 24:20 God’s Spirit energized ⁷  Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you violating the commands of the Lord? You will not be prosperous! Because you have rejected the Lord, he has rejected you!’” 24:21 They plotted against him and by royal decree stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 24:22 King Joash disregarded ⁸  the loyalty his father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada’s ⁹  son. As Zechariah ¹⁰  was dying, he said, “May the Lord take notice and seek vengeance!” ¹¹ 

Psalms 36:3

36:3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;

he does not care about doing what is wise and right. ¹² 

Psalms 81:11-12

81:11 But my people did not obey me; ¹³ 

Israel did not submit to me. ¹⁴ 

81:12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; ¹⁵ 

they did what seemed right to them. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 125:5

125:5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, ¹⁷ 

may the Lord remove them, ¹⁸  along with those who behave wickedly! ¹⁹ 

May Israel experience peace! ²⁰ 

Matthew 12:44-45

12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ ²¹  When it returns, ²²  it finds the house ²³  empty, swept clean, and put in order. ²⁴  12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ²⁵  the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”

Matthew 12:2

12:2 But when the Pharisees ²⁶  saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.”

Matthew 2:9-12

2:9 After listening to the king they left, and once again ²⁷  the star they saw when it rose ²⁸  led them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 2:10 When they saw the star they shouted joyfully. ²⁹  2:11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down ³⁰  and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, ³¹  and myrrh. ³²  2:12 After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, ³³  they went back by another route to their own country.

Matthew 2:2

2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose ³⁴  and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:10-19

2:10 When they saw the star they shouted joyfully. ³⁵  2:11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down ³⁶  and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, ³⁷  and myrrh. ³⁸  2:12 After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, ³⁹  they went back by another route to their own country.

The Escape to Egypt

2:13 After they had gone, an ⁴⁰  angel of the Lord ⁴¹  appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod ⁴²  is going to look for the child to kill him.” 2:14 Then he got up, took the child and his mother during ⁴³  the night, and went to Egypt. 2:15 He stayed there until Herod ⁴⁴  died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” ⁴⁵ 

2:16 When Herod ⁴⁶  saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men ⁴⁷  to kill all the children in Bethlehem ⁴⁸  and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men. 2:17 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud wailing, ⁴⁹ 

Rachel weeping for her children,

and she did not want to be comforted, because they were ⁵⁰  gone.” ⁵¹ 

The Return to Nazareth

2:19 After Herod ⁵²  had died, an ⁵³  angel of the Lord ⁵⁴  appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt

Jude 1:8-13

1:8 Yet these men, ⁵⁵  as a result of their dreams, ⁵⁶  defile the flesh, reject authority, ⁵⁷  and insult ⁵⁸  the glorious ones. ⁵⁹  1:9 But even ⁶⁰  when Michael the archangel ⁶¹  was arguing with the devil and debating with him ⁶²  concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 1:10 But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively comprehend. ⁶³  1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, ⁶⁴  and because of greed ⁶⁵  have abandoned themselves ⁶⁶  to ⁶⁷  Balaam’s error; hence, ⁶⁸  they will certainly perish ⁶⁹  in Korah’s rebellion. 1:12 These men are ⁷⁰  dangerous reefs ⁷¹  at your love feasts, ⁷²  feasting without reverence, ⁷³  feeding only themselves. ⁷⁴  They are ⁷⁵  waterless ⁷⁶  clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit ⁷⁷  – twice dead, ⁷⁸  uprooted; 1:13 wild sea waves, ⁷⁹  spewing out the foam of ⁸⁰  their shame; ⁸¹  wayward stars ⁸²  for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness ⁸³  have been reserved.

[24:17]  ¹ tn Heb “came and bowed down to the king.”

[24:17]  ² tn Heb “to them.”

[24:18]  ³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).

[24:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “served.”

[24:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he sent among them prophets to bring them back to the Lord.”

[24:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “testified among.”

[24:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “clothed.”

[24:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “did not remember.”

[24:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:22]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:22]  ¹² tn Heb “and seek [ – ].” The direct object of “seek” is omitted in the Hebrew text but implied; “vengeance” is supplied for clarification.

[36:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.

[81:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “did not listen to my voice.”

[81:11]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew expression אָבָה לִי (’avah liy) means “submit to me” (see Deut 13:8).

[81:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and I sent him away in the stubbornness of their heart.”

[81:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they walked in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite (“walked”) or a customary imperfect (“were walking”).

[125:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.

[125:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the Lord will remove them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[125:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”

[125:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).

[12:44]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

[12:44]  ²⁰ tn Grk “comes.”

[12:44]  ²¹ tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.

[12:44]  ²² sn The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.

[12:45]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[12:2]  ²³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[2:9]  ²⁵ tn Grk “and behold the star.”

[2:9]  ²⁶ tn See the note on the word “rose” in 2:2.

[2:10]  ²⁷ tn Grk “they rejoiced with very great joy.”

[2:11]  ²⁹ tn Grk “they fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[2:11]  ³⁰ sn Frankincense refers to the aromatic resin of certain trees, used as a sweet-smelling incense (L&N 6.212).

[2:11]  ³¹ sn Myrrh consisted of the aromatic resin of certain shrubs (L&N 6.208). It was used in preparing a corpse for burial.

[2:12]  ³¹ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:2]  ³³ tn Or “in its rising,” referring to the astrological significance of a star in a particular portion of the sky. The term used for the “East” in v. 1 is ἀνατολαί (anatolai, a plural form that is used typically of the rising of the sun), while in vv. 2 and 9 the singular ἀνατολή (anatolh) is used. The singular is typically used of the rising of a star and as such should not normally be translated “in the east” (cf. BDAG 74 s.v. 1: “because of the sg. and the article in contrast to ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, vs. 1, [it is] prob. not a geograph. expr. like the latter, but rather astronomical…likew. vs. 9”).

[2:10]  ³⁵ tn Grk “they rejoiced with very great joy.”

[2:11]  ³⁷ tn Grk “they fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[2:11]  ³⁸ sn Frankincense refers to the aromatic resin of certain trees, used as a sweet-smelling incense (L&N 6.212).

[2:11]  ³⁹ sn Myrrh consisted of the aromatic resin of certain shrubs (L&N 6.208). It was used in preparing a corpse for burial.

[2:12]  ³⁹ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:13]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “behold, an angel.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:13]  ⁴² tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.

[2:13]  ⁴³ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Herod the Great was particularly ruthless regarding the succession to his throne.

[2:14]  ⁴³ tn The feminine singular genitive noun νυκτός (nuktos, “night”) indicates the time during which the action of the main verb takes place (ExSyn 124).

[2:15]  ⁴⁵ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:15]  ⁴⁶ sn A quotation from Hos 11:1.

[2:16]  ⁴⁷ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Note the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the angel in 2:13.

[2:16]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “soldiers.”

[2:16]  ⁴⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[2:18]  ⁴⁹ tc The LXX of Jer 38:15 (31:15 ET) has “lamentation, weeping, and loud wailing”; most later mss (C D L W 0233 ˹³ 33 Ï) have a quotation in Matthew which conforms to that of the LXX (θρῆνος καὶ κλαυθμός καὶ ὀδυρμός; qrhno" kai klauqmo" kai odurmo"). But such assimilations were routine among the scribes; as such, they typically should be discounted because they are both predictable and motivated. The shorter reading, without “lamentation and,” is thus to be preferred, especially since it cannot easily be accounted for unless it is the original wording here. Further, it is found in the better mss along with a good cross-section of other witnesses (א B Z 0250 ˹ pc lat co).

[2:18]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “are”; the Greek text uses a present tense verb.

[2:18]  ⁵¹ sn A quotation from Jer 31:15.

[2:19]  ⁵¹ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. When Herod the Great died in 4 b.c., his kingdom was divided up among his three sons: Archelaus, who ruled over Judea (where Bethlehem was located, v. 22); Philip, who became tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis (cf. Luke 3:1); and Antipas, who became tetrarch of Galilee.

[2:19]  ⁵² tn Grk “behold, an angel.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:19]  ⁵³ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.

[1:8]  ⁵³ tn The reference is now to the false teachers.

[1:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “dreaming.” The participle ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι (enupniazomenoi, “dreaming”) is adverbial to the pronoun οὗτοι (|outoi, “these”), though the particular relationship is not clear. It could mean, “while dreaming,” “by dreaming,” or “because of dreaming.” This translation has adopted the last option as Jude’s meaning, partially for syntactical reasons (the causal participle usually precedes the main verb) and partially for contextual reasons (these false teachers must derive their authority from some source, and the dreams provide the most obvious base). The participle ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι was sometimes used of apocalyptic visions, both of true and false prophets. This seems to be the meaning here.

[1:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Most likely, the authority of the Lord is in view. This verse, then, echoes the indictment of v. 4: “they deny our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

[1:8]  ⁵⁶ tn The construction with the three verbs (“defile, “reject,” and “insult”) involves the particles μέν, δέ, δέ (men, de, de). A more literal (and pedantic) translation would be: “on the one hand, they defile the flesh, on the other hand, they reject authority, and on another hand, they insult the glorious ones.”

[1:8]  ⁵⁷ sn The glorious ones refers to angelic beings rather than mere human beings, just as in 2 Pet 2:10 (on which this passage apparently depends). Whether the angelic beings are good or evil, however, is difficult to tell (hence, the translation is left ambiguous). However, both in 2 Pet 2:11 and here, in Jude 9, the wicked angels seem to be in view (for not even Michael insults them).

[1:9]  ⁵⁵ tn The word “even” is not in Greek; it is implied by the height of the contrast.

[1:9]  ⁵⁶ sn According to Jewish intertestamental literature (such as 1 En. 20), Michael was one of seven archangels.

[1:9]  ⁵⁷ tn The sentence structure is a bit different in Greek. Literally it reads: “But Michael the archangel, when arguing with the devil and disputing.”

[1:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “they should naturally comprehend.” The present tense in this context may have a conative force.

[1:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”

[1:11]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “for wages.”

[1:11]  ⁶¹ tn The verb ἐκχέω (ekcew) normally means “pour out.” Here, in the passive, it occasionally has a reflexive idea, as BDAG 312 s.v. 3. suggests (with extra-biblical examples).

[1:11]  ⁶² tn Or “in.”

[1:11]  ⁶³ tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.

[1:11]  ⁶⁴ tn The three verbs in this verse are all aorist indicative (“have gone down,” “have abandoned,” “have perished”). Although the first and second could be considered constative or ingressive, the last is almost surely proleptic (referring to the certainty of their future judgment). Although it may seem odd that a proleptic aorist is so casually connected to other aorists with a different syntactical force, it is not unparalleled (cf. Rom 8:30).

[1:12]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “these are the men who are.”

[1:12]  ⁶² tn Though σπιλάδες (spilades) is frequently translated “blemishes” or “stains,” such is actually a translation of the Greek word σπίλοι (spiloi). The two words are quite similar, especially in their root or lexical forms (σπιλάς [spila"] and σπίλος [spilos] respectively). Some scholars have suggested that σπιλάδες in this context means the same thing as σπίλοι. But such could be the case only by a stretch of the imagination (see BDAG 938 s.v. σπιλάς for discussion). Others suggest that Jude’s spelling was in error (which also is doubtful). One reason for the tension is that in the parallel passage, 2 Pet 2:13, the term used is indeed σπίλος. And if either Jude used 2 Peter or 2 Peter used Jude, one would expect to see the same word. Jude, however, may have changed the wording for the sake of a subtle wordplay. The word σπιλάς was often used of a mere rock, though it normally was associated with a rock along the shore or one jutting out in the water. Thus, the false teachers would appear as “rocks” – as pillars in the community (cf. Matt 16:18; Gal 2:9), when in reality if a believer got too close to them his faith would get shipwrecked. Some suggest that σπιλάδες here means “hidden rocks.” Though this meaning is attested for the word, it is inappropriate in this context, since these false teachers are anything but hidden. They are dangerous because undiscerning folks get close to them, thinking they are rocks and pillars, when they are really dangerous reefs.

[1:12]  ⁶³ tc Several witnesses (A C^vid 1243 1846 al), influenced by the parallel in 2 Pet 2:13, read ἀπάταις (apatai", “deceptions”) for ἀγάπαις (agapai", “love-feasts”) in v. 12. However, ἀγάπαις has much stronger and earlier support and should therefore be considered original.

[1:12]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “fearlessly.” The term in this context, however, is decidedly negative. The implication is that these false teachers ate the Lord’s Supper without regarding the sanctity of the meal. Cf. 1 Cor 11:17-22.

[1:12]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “shepherding themselves.” The verb ποιμαίνω (poimainw) means “shepherd, nurture [the flock].” But these men, rather than tending to the flock of God, nurture only themselves. They thus fall under the condemnation Paul uttered when writing to the Corinthians: “For when it comes time to eat [the Lord’s Supper,] each one goes ahead with his own meal” (1 Cor 11:21). Above all, the love-feast was intended to be a shared meal in which all ate and all felt welcome.

[1:12]  ⁶⁶ tn “They are” is not in Greek, but resumes the thought begun at the front of v. 12. There is no period before “They are.” English usage requires breaking this into more than one sentence.

[1:12]  ⁶⁷ tn Cf. 2 Pet 2:17. Jude’s emphasis is slightly different (instead of waterless springs, they are waterless clouds).

[1:12]  ⁶⁸ sn The imagery portraying the false teachers as autumn trees without fruit has to do with their lack of productivity. Recall the statement to the same effect by Jesus in Matt 7:16-20, in which false prophets will be known by their fruits. Like waterless clouds full of false hope, these trees do not yield any harvest even though it is expected.

[1:12]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “having died twice.”

[1:13]  ⁶³ tn Grk “wild waves of the sea.”

[1:13]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “foaming, causing to foam.” The verb form is intensive and causative. BDAG 360 s.v. ἐπαφρίζω suggests the meaning “to cause to splash up like froth, cause to foam,” or, in this context, “waves casting up their own shameless deeds like (dirty) foam.”

[1:13]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “shames, shameful things.” It is uncertain whether shameful deeds or shameful words are in view. Either way, the picture has taken a decided turn: Though waterless clouds and fruitless trees may promise good things, but deliver nothing, wild sea-waves are portents of filth spewed forth from the belly of the sea.

[1:13]  ⁶⁶ sn The imagery of a star seems to fit the nautical theme that Jude is developing. Stars were of course the guides to sailors at night, just as teachers are responsible to lead the flock through a benighted world. But false teachers, as wayward stars, are not fixed and hence offer unreliable, even disastrous guidance. They are thus both the dangerous reefs on which the ships could be destroyed and the false guides, leading them into these rocks. There is a special irony that these lights will be snuffed out, reserved for the darkest depths of eternal darkness.

[1:13]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “utter darkness of darkness for eternity.” See note on the word “utter” in v. 6.