2 Chronicles 33:12-13

33:12 In his pain ¹  Manasseh ²  asked the Lord his God for mercy ³  and truly ⁴  humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. ⁵  33:13 When he prayed to the Lord, ⁶  the Lord ⁷  responded to him ⁸  and answered favorably ⁹  his cry for mercy. The Lord ¹⁰  brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the Lord is the true God.

2 Chronicles 33:18-19

33:18 The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the prophets ¹¹  spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, are recorded ¹²  in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 33:19 The Annals of the Prophets include his prayer, give an account of how the Lord responded to it, record all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identify the sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself. ¹³ 

Psalms 10:17

10:17 Lord, you have heard ¹⁴  the request ¹⁵  of the oppressed;

you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 55:6-9

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ¹⁷ 

call to him while he is nearby!

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ¹⁸ 

and sinful people their plans. ¹⁹ 

They should return ²⁰  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ²¹ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ²² 

55:8 “Indeed, ²³  my plans ²⁴  are not like ²⁵  your plans,

and my deeds ²⁶  are not like ²⁷  your deeds,

55:9 for just as the sky ²⁸  is higher than the earth,

so my deeds ²⁹  are superior to ³⁰  your deeds

and my plans ³¹  superior to your plans.

Luke 11:8-10

11:8 I tell you, even though the man inside ³²  will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s ³³  sheer persistence ³⁴  he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

11:9 “So ³⁵  I tell you: Ask, ³⁶  and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door ³⁷  will be opened for you. 11:10 For everyone who asks ³⁸  receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door ³⁹  will be opened.

Luke 18:13-14

18:13 The tax collector, however, stood ⁴⁰  far off and would not even look up ⁴¹  to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful ⁴²  to me, sinner that I am!’ ⁴³  18:14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified ⁴⁴  rather than the Pharisee. ⁴⁵  For everyone who exalts ⁴⁶  himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 23:42-43

23:42 Then ⁴⁷  he said, “Jesus, remember me ⁴⁸  when you come in ⁴⁹  your kingdom.” 23:43 And Jesus ⁵⁰  said to him, “I tell you the truth, ⁵¹  today ⁵²  you will be with me in paradise.” ⁵³ 

Acts 9:11

9:11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ ⁵⁴  and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying,

Revelation 3:17-18

3:17 Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, ⁵⁵  and need nothing,” but ⁵⁶  do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, ⁵⁷  poor, blind, and naked, 3:18 take my advice ⁵⁸  and buy gold from me refined by fire so you can become rich! Buy from me ⁵⁹  white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness ⁶⁰  will not be exposed, and buy eye salve ⁶¹  to put on your eyes so you can see!

[33:12]  ¹ tn Or “distress.”

[33:12]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ³ tn Heb “appeased the face of the Lord his God.”

[33:12]  ⁴ tn Or “greatly.”

[33:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “fathers.”

[33:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “was entreated by him,” or “allowed himself to be entreated by him.”

[33:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “heard.”

[33:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:18]  ¹¹ tn Or “seers.”

[33:18]  ¹² tn Heb “look, they are.”

[33:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “and his prayer and being entreated by him, and all his sin and his unfaithfulness and the places where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself – behold, they are written on the words of his seers.”

[10:17]  ¹⁴ sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.

[10:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “desire.”

[10:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”

[55:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[55:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ²¹ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ²² sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[55:8]  ²³ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).

[55:8]  ²⁴ tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).

[55:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.

[55:8]  ²⁶ tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).

[55:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.

[55:9]  ²⁸ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[55:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).

[55:9]  ³⁰ tn Heb “are higher than.”

[55:9]  ³¹ tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).

[11:8]  ³² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man in bed in the house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:8]  ³³ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:8]  ³⁴ tn The term ἀναίδεια (anaideia) is hard to translate. It refers to a combination of ideas, a boldness that persists over time, or “audacity,” which comes close. It most likely describes the one making the request, since the unit’s teaching is an exhortation about persistence in prayer. Some translate the term “shamelessness” which is the term’s normal meaning, and apply it to the neighbor as an illustration of God responding for the sake of his honor. But the original question was posed in terms of the first man who makes the request, not of the neighbor, so the teaching underscores the action of the one making the request.

[11:9]  ³⁵ tn Here καί (kai, from καγώ [kagw]) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion drawn from the preceding parable.

[11:9]  ³⁶ sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.

[11:9]  ³⁷ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:10]  ³⁸ sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 9 with the encouragement that God does respond.

[11:10]  ³⁹ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.

[18:13]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).

[18:13]  ⁴² tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).

[18:13]  ⁴³ tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.

[18:14]  ⁴⁴ sn The prayer that was heard and honored was the one given with humility; in a surprising reversal it was the tax collector who went down to his home justified.

[18:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “the other”; the referent (the Pharisee, v. 10) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:14]  ⁴⁶ sn Everyone who exalts himself. See Luke 14:11. Jesus often called for humility and condemned those who sought honor.

[23:42]  ⁴⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:42]  ⁴⁸ sn Jesus, remember me is a statement of faith from the cross, as Jesus saves another even while he himself is dying. This man’s faith had shown itself when he rebuked the other thief. He hoped to be with Jesus sometime in the future in the kingdom.

[23:42]  ⁴⁹ tc ‡ The alternate readings of some mss make the reference to Jesus’ coming clearer. “Into your kingdom” – with εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν (ei" thn basileian), read by Ì⁷⁵ B L – is a reference to his entering into God’s presence at the right hand. “In your kingdom” – with ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ (en th basileia), read by א A C*^,2 W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy – looks at his return. It could be argued that the reading with εἰς is more in keeping with Luke’s theology elsewhere, but the contrast with Jesus’ reply, “Today,” slightly favors the reading “in your kingdom.” Codex Bezae (D), in place of this short interchange between the criminal and Jesus, reads “Then he turned to the Lord and said to him, ‘Remember me in the day of your coming.’ Then the Lord said in reply to [him], ‘Take courage; today you will be with me in paradise.’” This reading emphasizes the future aspect of the coming of Christ; it has virtually no support in any other mss.

[23:43]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “he.”

[23:43]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[23:43]  ⁵² sn Jesus gives more than the criminal asked for, because the blessing will come today, not in the future. He will be among the righteous. See the note on today in 2:11.

[23:43]  ⁵³ sn In the NT, paradise is mentioned three times. Here it refers to the abode of the righteous dead. In Rev 2:7 it refers to the restoration of Edenic paradise predicted in Isa 51:3 and Ezek 36:35. In 2 Cor 12:4 it probably refers to the “third heaven” (2 Cor 12:2) as the place where God dwells.

[9:11]  ⁵⁴ sn The noting of the detail of the locale, ironically called ‘Straight’ Street, shows how directive and specific the Lord was.

[3:17]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and have become rich.” The semantic domains of the two terms for wealth here, πλούσιος (plousios, adjective) and πλουτέω (ploutew, verb) overlap considerably, but are given slightly different English translations for stylistic reasons.

[3:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:17]  ⁵⁷ tn All the terms in this series are preceded by καί (kai) in the Greek text, but contemporary English generally uses connectives only between the last two items in such a series.

[3:18]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “I counsel you to buy.”

[3:18]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “rich, and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation, repeating the words “Buy from me” to make the connection clear for the English reader.

[3:18]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “the shame of the nakedness of you,” which has been translated as an attributed genitive like καινότητι ζωῆς (kainothti zwh") in Rom 6:4 (ExSyn 89-90).

[3:18]  ⁶¹ sn The city of Laodicea had a famous medical school and exported a powder (called a “Phrygian powder”) that was widely used as an eye salve. It was applied to the eyes in the form of a paste the consistency of dough (the Greek term for the salve here, κολλούριον, kollourion [Latin collyrium], is a diminutive form of the word for a long roll of bread).