Deuteronomy 10:12-13

An Exhortation to Love Both God and People

10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, ¹  to obey all his commandments, ²  to love him, to serve him ³  with all your mind and being, ⁴  10:13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving ⁵  you today for your own good?

Deuteronomy 10:1

The Opportunity to Begin Again

10:1 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. ⁶ 

Deuteronomy 15:22

15:22 You may eat it in your villages, ⁷  whether you are ritually impure or clean, ⁸  just as you would eat a gazelle or an ibex.

Proverbs 21:3

21:3 To do righteousness and justice

is more acceptable ⁹  to the Lord than sacrifice. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 1:10-17

1:10 Listen to the Lord’s word,

you leaders of Sodom! ¹¹ 

Pay attention to our God’s rebuke, ¹² 

people of Gomorrah!

1:11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” ¹³ 

says the Lord.

“I am stuffed with ¹⁴  burnt sacrifices

of rams and the fat from steers.

The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats

I do not want. ¹⁵ 

1:12 When you enter my presence,

do you actually think I want this –

animals trampling on my courtyards? ¹⁶ 

1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless ¹⁷  offerings;

I consider your incense detestable! ¹⁸ 

You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,

but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! ¹⁹ 

1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;

they are a burden

that I am tired of carrying.

1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,

I look the other way; ²⁰ 

when you offer your many prayers,

I do not listen,

because your hands are covered with blood. ²¹ 

1:16 ²² Wash! Cleanse yourselves!

Remove your sinful deeds ²³ 

from my sight.

Stop sinning!

1:17 Learn to do what is right!

Promote justice!

Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! ²⁴ 

Take up the cause of the orphan!

Defend the rights of the widow! ²⁵ 

Isaiah 58:2-6

58:2 They seek me day after day;

they want to know my requirements, ²⁶ 

like a nation that does what is right

and does not reject the law of their God.

They ask me for just decrees;

they want to be near God.

58:3 They lament, ²⁷  ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?

Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, ²⁸ 

you oppress your workers. ²⁹ 

58:4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by ³⁰  arguments, brawls,

and fistfights. ³¹ 

Do not fast as you do today,

trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? ³² 

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, ³³ 

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out ³⁴  on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. ³⁵ 

I want you ³⁶  to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed, ³⁷ 

and to break every burdensome yoke.

Jeremiah 7:2-10

7:2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim ³⁸  this message: ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord. ³⁹  Hear what the Lord has to say. 7:3 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ⁴⁰  says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. ⁴¹  If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. ⁴²  7:4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, ⁴³  “We are safe! ⁴⁴  The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” ⁴⁵  7:5 You must change ⁴⁶  the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. ⁴⁷  7:6 Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. ⁴⁸  Stop killing innocent people ⁴⁹  in this land. Stop paying allegiance to ⁵⁰  other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. ⁵¹  7:7 If you stop doing these things, ⁵²  I will allow you to continue to live in this land ⁵³  which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession. ⁵⁴ 

7:8 “‘But just look at you! ⁵⁵  You are putting your confidence in a false belief ⁵⁶  that will not deliver you. ⁵⁷  7:9 You steal. ⁵⁸  You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to ⁵⁹  other gods whom you have not previously known. 7:10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own ⁶⁰  and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! ⁶¹ 

Jeremiah 7:21-22

7:21 The Lord said to the people of Judah, ⁶²  “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ⁶³  says: ‘You might as well go ahead and add the meat of your burnt offerings to that of the other sacrifices and eat it, too! ⁶⁴  7:22 Consider this: ⁶⁵  When I spoke to your ancestors after I brought them out of Egypt, I did not merely give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Micah 6:8

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: ⁶⁶ 

He wants you to ⁶⁷  promote ⁶⁸  justice, to be faithful, ⁶⁹ 

and to live obediently before ⁷⁰  your God.

Malachi 1:6

The Sacrilege of Priestly Service

1:6 “A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects ⁷¹  his master. If I am your ⁷²  father, where is my honor? If I am your master, where is my respect? The Lord who rules over all asks you this, you priests who make light of my name! But you reply, ‘How have we made light of your name?’

Malachi 2:17

Resistance to the Lord through Self-deceit

2:17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” Because you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord’s opinion, ⁷³  and he delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”

John 5:42

5:42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God ⁷⁴  within you.

Titus 2:11-12

2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. ⁷⁵  2:12 It trains us ⁷⁶  to reject godless ways ⁷⁷  and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

Titus 2:1

Conduct Consistent with Sound Teaching

2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with ⁷⁸  sound teaching.

Titus 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁷⁹  a slave ⁸⁰  of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith ⁸¹  of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,

[10:12]  ¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:12]  ² tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”

[10:12]  ³ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[10:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.

[10:1]  ⁶ tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.

[15:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “in your gates.”

[15:22]  ⁸ tc The LXX adds ἐν σοί (en soi, “among you”) to make clear that the antecedent is the people and not the animals. That is, the people, whether ritually purified or not, may eat such defective animals.

[21:3]  ⁹ tn The Niphal participle בָּחַר (bakhar, “to choose”) means “choice to the Lord” or “chosen of the Lord,” meaning “acceptable to the Lord”; cf. TEV “pleases the Lord more.”

[21:3]  ¹⁰ sn The Lord prefers righteousness above religious service (e.g., Prov 15:8; 21:29; 1 Sam 15:22; Ps 40:6-8; Isa 1:11-17). This is not a rejection of ritual worship; rather, religious acts are without value apart from righteous living.

[1:10]  ¹¹ sn Building on the simile of v. 9, the prophet sarcastically addresses the leaders and people of Jerusalem as if they were leaders and residents of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. The sarcasm is appropriate, for if the judgment is comparable to Sodom’s, that must mean that the sin which prompted the judgment is comparable as well.

[1:10]  ¹² tn Heb “to the instruction of our God.” In this context, which is highly accusatory and threatening, תּוֹרָה (torah, “law, instruction”) does not refer to mere teaching, but to corrective teaching and rebuke.

[1:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “Why to me the multitude of your sacrifices?” The sarcastic rhetorical question suggests that their many sacrifices are of no importance to the Lord. This phrase answers the possible objection that an Israelite could raise in response to God’s indictment: “But we are offering the sacrifices you commanded!”

[1:11]  ¹⁴ tn The verb שָׂבַע (sava’, “be satisfied, full”) is often used of eating and/or drinking one’s fill. See BDB 959 s.v. שָׂבַע. Here sacrifices are viewed, in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion, as food for the deity. God here declares that he has eaten and drunk, as it were, his fill.

[1:11]  ¹⁵ sn In the chiastic structure of the verse, the verbs at the beginning and end highlight God’s displeasure, while the heaping up of references to animals, fat, and blood in the middle lines hints at why God wants no more of their sacrifices. They have, as it were, piled the food on his table and he needs no more.

[1:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “When you come to appear before me, who requires this from your hand, trampling of my courtyards?” The rhetorical question sarcastically makes the point that God does not require this parade of livestock. The verb “trample” probably refers to the eager worshipers and their sacrificial animals walking around in the temple area.

[1:13]  ¹⁷ tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”

[1:13]  ¹⁸ sn Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22-30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3-8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9-14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).

[1:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16-17).

[1:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “I close my eyes from you.”

[1:15]  ²¹ sn This does not just refer to the blood of sacrificial animals, but also the blood, as it were, of their innocent victims. By depriving the poor and destitute of proper legal recourse and adequate access to the economic system, the oppressors have, for all intents and purposes, “killed” their victims.

[1:16]  ²² sn Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.

[1:16]  ²³ sn This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun ַמעַלְלֵיכֶם (ma’alleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).

[1:17]  ²⁴ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; HALOT 329 s.v. II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (’ashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the MT pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a-b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a-c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”

[1:17]  ²⁵ tn This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.

[58:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”

[58:3]  ²⁷ tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “you find pleasure”; NASB “you find your desire.”

[58:3]  ²⁹ tn Or perhaps, “debtors.” See HALOT 865 s.v. * עָצֵב.

[58:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “you fast for” (so NASB); NRSV “you fast only to quarrel.”

[58:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “and for striking with a sinful fist.”

[58:5]  ³² tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”

[58:5]  ³³ tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:5]  ³⁴ tn Or “making [their] bed.”

[58:6]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:6]  ³⁶ tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “crushed.”

[7:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Proclaim there…” The adverb is unnecessary in English style.

[7:2]  ³⁹ sn That is, all those who have passed through the gates of the outer court and are standing in the courtyard of the temple.

[7:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God Israel.”

[7:3]  ⁴¹ tn Or “Make good your ways and your actions.” J. Bright’s translation (“Reform the whole pattern of your conduct”; Jeremiah [AB], 52) is excellent.

[7:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “place” but this might be misunderstood to refer to the temple.

[7:4]  ⁴³ tn Heb “Stop trusting in lying words which say.”

[7:4]  ⁴⁴ tn The words “We are safe!” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[7:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these (i.e., these buildings).” Elsewhere triple repetition seems to mark a kind of emphasis (cf. Isa 6:3; Jer 22:29; Ezek 21:27 [32 HT]). The triple repetition that follows seems to be Jeremiah’s way of mocking the (false) sense of security that people had in the invincibility of Jerusalem because God dwelt in the temple. They appeared to be treating the temple as some kind of magical charm. A similar feeling had grown up around the ark in the time of the judges (cf. 1 Sam 3:3) and the temple and city of Jerusalem in Micah’s day (cf. Mic 3:11). It is reflected also in some of the Psalms (cf., e.g., Ps 46, especially v. 5).

[7:5]  ⁴⁶ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[7:5]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “you must do justice between a person and his fellow/neighbor.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[7:6]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Stop oppressing foreigner, orphan, and widow.”

[7:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Stop shedding innocent blood.”

[7:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “going/following after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[7:6]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “going after other gods to your ruin.”

[7:7]  ⁵² tn The translation uses imperatives in vv. 5-6 followed by the phrase, “If you do all this,” to avoid the long and complex sentence structure of the Hebrew sentence which has a series of conditional clauses in vv. 5-6 followed by a main clause in v. 7.

[7:7]  ⁵³ tn Heb “live in this place, in this land.”

[7:7]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “gave to your fathers [with reference to] from ancient times even unto forever.”

[7:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “Behold!”

[7:8]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “You are trusting in lying words.” See the similar phrase in v. 4 and the note there.

[7:8]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “not profit [you].”

[7:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.

[7:9]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[7:10]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.

[7:10]  ⁶¹ tn Or “‘We are safe!’ – safe, you think, to go on doing all those hateful things.” Verses 9-10 are all one long sentence in the Hebrew text. It has been broken up for English stylistic reasons. Somewhat literally it reads “Will you steal…then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe’ so as to/in order to do…” The Hebrew of v. 9 has a series of infinitives which emphasize the bare action of the verb without the idea of time or agent. The effect is to place a kind of staccato like emphasis on the multitude of their sins all of which are violations of one of the Ten Commandments. The final clause in v. 8 expresses purpose or result (probably result) through another infinitive. This long sentence is introduced by a marker (ה interrogative in Hebrew) introducing a rhetorical question in which God expresses his incredulity that they could do these sins, come into the temple and claim the safety of his protection, and then go right back out and commit the same sins. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 52) catches the force nicely: “What? You think you can steal, murder…and then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe…’ just so that you can go right on…”

[7:21]  ⁶² tn The words “The Lord said to the people of Judah” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift in addressee between vv. 16-20 and vv. 21-26.

[7:21]  ⁶³ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”

[7:21]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “Add your burnt offerings to your [other] sacrifices and eat the meat!” See the following sn for explanation. This is an example of the rhetorical use of the imperative for a sarcastic challenge. Cf. GKC 324 §110.a; cf. Amos 4:4, “Go to Bethel and sin!”

[7:22]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “For” but this introduces a long explanation about the relative importance of sacrifice and obedience.

[6:8]  ⁶⁶ sn What the Lord really wants from you. Now the prophet switches roles and answers the hypothetical worshiper’s question. He makes it clear that the Lord desires proper attitudes more than ritual and sacrifice.

[6:8]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

[6:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

[6:8]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

[6:8]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”

[1:6]  ⁷¹ tn The verb “respects” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. It is understood by ellipsis (see “honors” in the preceding line).

[1:6]  ⁷² tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification (also a second time before “master” later in this verse).

[2:17]  ⁷³ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”

[5:42]  ⁷⁴ tn The genitive in the phrase τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ (thn agaphn tou qeou, “the love of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“God’s love”) or an objective genitive (“love for God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, the emphasis would be on the love God gives which in turn produces love for him, but Jesus’ opponents are lacking any such love inside them.

[2:11]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “all men”; but ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpois) is generic here, referring to both men and women.

[2:12]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “training us” (as a continuation of the previous clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 by translating the participle παιδεύουσα (paideuousa) as a finite verb and supplying the pronoun “it” as subject.

[2:12]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “ungodliness.”

[2:1]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “say what is fitting for sound teaching” (introducing the behavior called for in this chapter.).

[1:1]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “for the faith,” possibly, “in accordance with the faith.”