2 Corinthians 4:15

4:15 For all these things are for your sake, so that the grace that is including ¹  more and more people may cause thanksgiving to increase ²  to the glory of God.

Psalms 84:11

84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. ³ 

The Lord bestows favor ⁴  and honor;

he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. ⁵ 

Proverbs 16:16

16:16 How much better it is to acquire ⁶  wisdom than gold;

to acquire understanding is more desirable ⁷  than silver.

Matthew 6:19-20

Lasting Treasure

6:19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth ⁸  and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 6:20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

Luke 16:11-12

16:11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy ⁹  in handling worldly wealth, ¹⁰  who will entrust you with the true riches? ¹¹  16:12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy ¹²  with someone else’s property, ¹³  who will give you your own ¹⁴ ?

Luke 16:1

The Parable of the Clever Steward

16:1 Jesus ¹⁵  also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations ¹⁶  that his manager ¹⁷  was wasting ¹⁸  his assets.

Colossians 3:21-23

3:21 Fathers, ¹⁹  do not provoke ²⁰  your children, so they will not become disheartened. 3:22 Slaves, ²¹  obey your earthly ²²  masters in every respect, not only when they are watching – like those who are strictly people-pleasers – but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord. 3:23 Whatever you are doing, ²³  work at it with enthusiasm, ²⁴  as to the Lord and not for people, ²⁵ 

Colossians 3:1

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 4:8

4:8 I sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing ²⁶  and that he may encourage your hearts.

Revelation 21:7

21:7 The one who conquers ²⁷  will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

[4:15]  ¹ tn Or “that is abounding to.”

[4:15]  ² tn Or “to abound.”

[84:11]  ³ tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.

[84:11]  ⁴ tn Or “grace.”

[84:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”

[16:16]  ⁵ tn The form קְנֹה (qÿnoh) is an infinitive; the Greek version apparently took it as a participle, and the Latin as an imperative – both working with an unpointed קנה, the letter ה (he) being unexpected in the form if it is an infinitive construct (the parallel clause has קְנוֹת [qÿnot] for the infinitive, but the ancient versions also translate that as either a participle or an imperative).

[16:16]  ⁶ tn The form is a Niphal participle, masculine singular. If it is modifying “understanding” it should be a feminine form. If it is to be translated, it would have to be rendered “and to acquire understanding is to be chosen more than silver” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). Many commentaries consider it superfluous. NIV and NCV simply have “to choose understanding rather than silver!”

[6:19]  ⁷ tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.

[16:11]  ⁹ tn Or “faithful.”

[16:11]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the unrighteous mammon.” See the note on the phrase “worldly wealth” in v. 9.

[16:11]  ¹¹ sn Entrust you with the true riches is a reference to future service for God. The idea is like 1 Cor 9:11, except there the imagery is reversed.

[16:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “faithful.”

[16:12]  ¹² tn Grk “have not been faithful with what is another’s.”

[16:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “what is your own.”

[16:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:1]  ¹⁴ tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”

[16:1]  ¹⁵ sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.

[16:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

[3:21]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps “Parents.” The plural οἱ πατέρες (Joi patere", “fathers”) can be used to refer to both the male and female parent (BDAG 786 s.v. πατήρ 1.a).

[3:21]  ¹⁶ tn Or “do not cause your children to become resentful” (L&N 88.168). BDAG 391 s.v. ἐρεθίζω states, “to cause someone to react in a way that suggests acceptance of a challenge, arouse, provoke mostly in bad sense irritate, embitter.”

[3:22]  ¹⁷ tn On this word here and in 4:1, see the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[3:22]  ¹⁸ tn The prepositional phrase κατὰ σάρκα (kata sarka) does not necessarily qualify the masters as earthly or human (as opposed to the Master in heaven, the Lord), but could also refer to the sphere in which “the service-relation holds true.” See BDAG 577 s.v. κύριος 1.b.

[3:23]  ¹⁹ tn The present progressive “are doing” was used in the translation of ποιῆτε (poihte) to bring out the idea that Paul is probably referring to what they already do for work.

[3:23]  ²⁰ tn Grk “from the soul.”

[3:23]  ²¹ tn Grk “men”; here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") is used in a generic sense and refers to people in general.

[4:8]  ²¹ tn Grk “the things concerning us.”

[21:7]  ²³ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”