2 Chronicles 34:27-28

34:27 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit ¹  and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words concerning this place and its residents. You humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord. 34:28 ‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace. ²  You will not have to witness all the disaster I will bring on this place and its residents.’”’” Then they reported back to the king.

Psalms 22:26

22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! ³ 

Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!

May you ⁴  live forever!

Psalms 25:8-9

25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; ⁵ 

that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. ⁶ 

25:9 May he show ⁷  the humble what is right! ⁸ 

May he teach ⁹  the humble his way!

Psalms 76:9

76:9 when God arose to execute judgment,

and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)

Psalms 149:4

149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;

he exalts the oppressed by delivering them. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 61:1

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ¹¹  me. ¹² 

He has commissioned ¹³  me to encourage ¹⁴  the poor,

to help ¹⁵  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

Jeremiah 22:15-16

22:15 Does it make you any more of a king

that you outstrip everyone else in ¹⁶  building with cedar?

Just think about your father.

He was content that he had food and drink. ¹⁷ 

He did what was just and right. ¹⁸ 

So things went well with him.

22:16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.

So things went well for Judah.’ ¹⁹ 

The Lord says,

‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’ ²⁰ 

Zechariah 8:19

8:19 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘The fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth ²¹  months will become joyful and happy, pleasant feasts for the house of Judah, so love truth and peace.’

Matthew 5:5

5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

James 1:21-22

1:21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly ²²  welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. 1:22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ²³  a slave ²⁴  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ²⁵  Greetings!

James 3:4

3:4 Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs.

[34:27]  ¹ tn Heb “Because your heart was tender.”

[34:28]  ² tn Heb “Therefore, behold, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your tomb in peace.”

[22:26]  ³ sn Eat and be filled. In addition to praising the Lord, the psalmist also offers a thank offering to the Lord and invites others to share in a communal meal.

[22:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “may your heart[s].”

[25:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “good and just.”

[25:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”

[25:9]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.

[25:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.

[25:9]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).

[149:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.”

[61:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ¹² sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ¹³ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”

[22:15]  ¹⁶ tn For the use of this verb see Jer 12:5 where it is used of Jeremiah “competing” with horses. The form is a rare Tiphel (see GKC 153 §55.h).

[22:15]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Your father, did he not eat and drink and do justice and right.” The copulative vav in front of the verbs here (all Hebrew perfects) shows that these actions are all coordinate not sequential. The contrast drawn here between the actions of Jehoiakim and Josiah show that the phrase eating and drinking should be read in the light of the same contrasts in Eccl 2 which ends with the note of contentment in Eccl 2:24 (see also Eccl 3:13; 5:18 [5:17 HT]; 8:15). The question is, of course, rhetorical setting forth the positive role model against which Jehoiakim’s actions are to be condemned. The key terms here are “then things went well with him” which is repeated in the next verse after the reiteration of Josiah’s practice of justice.

[22:15]  ¹⁸ sn The father referred to here is the godly king Josiah. He followed the requirements for kings set forth in 22:3 in contrast to his son who did not (22:13).

[22:16]  ¹⁹ tn The words “for Judah” are not in the text, but the absence of the preposition plus object as in the preceding verse suggests that this is a more general statement, i.e., “things went well for everyone.”

[22:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Is that not what it means to know me.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. It is translated in the light of the context.

[8:19]  ²¹ sn The fasts of the fifth and seventh months, mentioned previously (7:5), are listed here along with the observances of the fourth and tenth months. The latter commemorated the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians on January 15, 588 b.c. (2 Kgs 25:1), and the former the breach of the city walls on or about July 18, 586 b.c. (Jer 39:2-5).

[1:21]  ²² tn Or “with meekness.”

[1:1]  ²³ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ²⁴ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ²⁵ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.