Ephesians 1:13

1:13 And when ¹  you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed in Christ ²  – you were marked with the seal ³  of the promised Holy Spirit, ⁴ 

Psalms 2:12

2:12 Give sincere homage! ⁵ 

Otherwise he ⁶  will be angry, ⁷ 

and you will die because of your behavior, ⁸ 

when his anger quickly ignites. ⁹ 

How blessed ¹⁰  are all who take shelter in him! ¹¹ 

Psalms 146:3-5

146:3 Do not trust in princes,

or in human beings, who cannot deliver! ¹² 

146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;

on that day their plans die. ¹³ 

146:5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Isaiah 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ¹⁴  a root from Jesse ¹⁵  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ¹⁶  and his residence will be majestic.

Isaiah 12:2

12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! ¹⁷ 

I will trust in him ¹⁸  and not fear.

For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; ¹⁹ 

he has become my deliverer.” ²⁰ 

Isaiah 32:1-2

Justice and Wisdom Will Prevail

32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; ²¹ 

officials will promote justice. ²² 

32:2 Each of them ²³  will be like a shelter from the wind

and a refuge from a rainstorm;

like streams of water in a dry region

and like the shade of a large cliff in a parched land.

Isaiah 42:1-4

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 ²⁴ “Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees ²⁵  for the nations. ²⁶ 

42:2 He will not cry out or shout;

he will not publicize himself in the streets. ²⁷ 

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish; ²⁸ 

he will faithfully make just decrees. ²⁹ 

42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed ³⁰ 

before establishing justice on the earth;

the coastlands ³¹  will wait in anticipation for his decrees.” ³² 

Isaiah 45:23

45:23 I solemnly make this oath ³³  –

what I say is true and reliable: ³⁴ 

‘Surely every knee will bow to me,

every tongue will solemnly affirm; ³⁵ 

Isaiah 45:25

45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord

and will boast in him. ³⁶ 

Jeremiah 17:5-7

Individuals Are Challenged to Put Their Trust in the Lord ³⁷ 

17:5 The Lord says,

“I will put a curse on people

who trust in mere human beings,

who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, ³⁸ 

and whose hearts ³⁹  have turned away from the Lord.

17:6 They will be like a shrub ⁴⁰  in the desert.

They will not experience good things even when they happen.

It will be as though they were growing in the desert,

in a salt land where no one can live.

17:7 My blessing is on those people who trust in me,

who put their confidence in me. ⁴¹ 

Jeremiah 23:6

23:6 Under his rule ⁴²  Judah will enjoy safety ⁴³ 

and Israel will live in security. ⁴⁴ 

This is the name he will go by:

‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’ ⁴⁵ 

Matthew 12:18-21

12:18 “Here is ⁴⁶  my servant whom I have chosen,

the one I love, in whom I take great delight. ⁴⁷ 

I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

12:19 He will not quarrel or cry out,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,

until he brings justice to victory.

12:21 And in his name the Gentiles ⁴⁸  will hope.” ⁴⁹ 

John 14:1

Jesus’ Parting Words to His Disciples

14:1 “Do not let your hearts be distressed. ⁵⁰  You believe in God; ⁵¹  believe also in me.

Romans 15:12-13

15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.” ⁵²  15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, ⁵³  so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:2

15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up.

Romans 1:12

1:12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, ⁵⁴  both yours and mine.

James 1:18

1:18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth ⁵⁵  through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ⁵⁶  a slave ⁵⁷  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ⁵⁸  Greetings!

James 1:21

1:21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly ⁵⁹  welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.

[1:13]  ¹ tn Grk “in whom you also, when…” (continuing the sentence from v. 12).

[1:13]  ² tn Grk “in whom also having believed.” The relative pronoun “whom” has been replaced in the translation with its antecedent (“Christ”) to improve the clarity.

[1:13]  ³ tn Or “you were sealed.”

[1:13]  ⁴ tn Grk “the Holy Spirit of promise.” Here ἐπαγγελίας (epangelias, “of promise”) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[2:12]  ⁵ tn Traditionally, “kiss the son” (KJV). But בַּר (bar) is the Aramaic word for “son,” not the Hebrew. For this reason many regard the reading as suspect. Some propose emendations of vv. 11b-12a. One of the more popular proposals is to read בִּרְעָדָה נַשְּׁקוּ לְרַגְלָיו (bir’adah nashÿqu lÿraslayv, “in trembling kiss his feet”). It makes better sense to understand בַּר (bar) as an adjective meaning “pure” (see Pss 24:4; 73:1 and BDB 141 s.v. בַּר 3) functioning here in an adverbial sense. If read this way, then the syntactical structure of exhortation (imperative followed by adverbial modifier) corresponds to the two preceding lines (see v. 11). The verb נָשַׁק (nashaq, “kiss”) refers metonymically to showing homage (see 1 Sam 10:1; Hos 13:2). The exhortation in v. 12a advocates a genuine expression of allegiance and warns against insincerity. When swearing allegiance, vassal kings would sometimes do so insincerely, with the intent of rebelling when the time was right. The so-called “Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon” also warn against such an attitude. In this treaty the vassal is told: “If you, as you stand on the soil where this oath [is sworn], swear the oath with your words and lips [only], do not swear with your entire heart, do not transmit it to your sons who will live after this treaty, if you take this curse upon yourselves but do not plan to keep the treaty of Esarhaddon…may your sons and grandsons because of this fear in the future” (see J. B. Pritchard, ed., The Ancient Near East, 2:62).

[2:12]  ⁶ tn Throughout the translation of this verse the third person masculine pronouns refer to the Lord (cf. v. 11).

[2:12]  ⁷ tn The implied subject of the verb is the Lord, mentioned in v. 11. Elsewhere the subject of this verb is consistently the Lord, suggesting it may be a technical term for divine anger. Anger is here used metonymically for judgment, as the following statement makes clear. A Moabite cognate occurs in the Mesha inscription, where it is used of the Moabite god Chemosh’s anger at his people (see J. B. Pritchard, ed., The Ancient Near East, 1:209).

[2:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “and you will perish [in the] way.” The Hebrew word דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to their rebellious behavior (not to a pathway, as often understood). It functions syntactically as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb “perish.”

[2:12]  ⁹ tn Or “burns.” The Lord’s anger is compared here to fire, the most destructive force known in ancient Israel.

[2:12]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[2:12]  ¹¹ sn Who take shelter in him. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[146:3]  ¹² tn Heb “in a son of man, to whom there is no deliverance.”

[146:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.

[11:10]  ¹⁴ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ¹⁵ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[12:2]  ¹⁷ tn Or “salvation” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[12:2]  ¹⁸ tn The words “in him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:2]  ¹⁹ tc The Hebrew text has, “for my strength and protection [is] the Lord, the Lord (Heb “Yah, Yahweh).” The word יְהוָה (yehvah) is probably dittographic or explanatory here (note that the short form of the name [יָהּ, yah] precedes, and that the graphically similar וַיְהִי [vayÿhi] follows). Exod 15:2, the passage from which the words of v. 2b are taken, has only יָהּ. The word זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing); note that in v. 5 the verb זָמַר (zamar, “sing”) appears. Many recent commentators, however, have argued that the noun is here instead a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v. III *זמר.

[12:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “my savior.”

[32:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “will reign according to fairness.”

[32:1]  ²² tn Heb “will rule according to justice.”

[32:2]  ²³ tn Heb “a man,” but אִישׁ (’ish) probably refers here to “each” of the officials mentioned in the previous verse.

[42:1]  ²⁴ sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

[42:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  ²⁶ sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

[42:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”

[42:3]  ²⁸ sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.

[42:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[42:4]  ³⁰ tn For rhetorical effect the terms used to describe the “crushed (רָצַץ, ratsats) reed” and “dim (כָּהָה, kahah) wick” in v. 3 are repeated here.

[42:4]  ³¹ tn Or “islands” (NIV); NLT “distant lands beyond the sea.”

[42:4]  ³² tn Or “his law” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV) or “his instruction” (NLT).

[45:23]  ³³ tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”

[45:23]  ³⁴ tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”

[45:23]  ³⁵ tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”

[45:25]  ³⁶ tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”

[17:5]  ³⁷ sn Verses 5-11 are a collection of wisdom-like sayings (cf. Ps 1) which set forth the theme of the two ways and their consequences. It has as its background the blessings and the curses of Deut 28 and the challenge to faith in Deut 29-30 which climaxes in Deut 30:15-20. The nation is sinful and God is weary of showing them patience. However, there is hope for individuals within the nation if they will trust in him.

[17:5]  ³⁸ tn Heb “who make flesh their arm.” The “arm” is the symbol of strength and the flesh is the symbol of mortal man in relation to the omnipotent God. The translation “mere flesh and blood” reflects this.

[17:5]  ³⁹ sn In the psychology of ancient Hebrew thought the heart was the center not only of the emotions but of the thoughts and motivations. It was also the seat of moral conduct (cf. its placement in the middle of the discussion of moral conduct in Prov 4:20-27, i.e., in v. 23).

[17:6]  ⁴⁰ tn This word occurs only here and in Jer 48:6. It has been identified as a kind of juniper, which is a short shrub with minute leaves that look like scales. For a picture and more discussion see Fauna and Flora of the Bible, 131.

[17:7]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord, and whose confidence is in the Lord.” However, because this is a statement of the Lord and the translation chooses to show that the blessing comes from him, the first person is substituted for the divine name.

[23:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “In his days [= during the time he rules].”

[23:6]  ⁴³ tn Parallelism and context (cf. v. 4) suggest this nuance for the word often translated “be saved.” For this nuance elsewhere see Ps 119:117; Prov 28:18 for the verb (יָשַׁע [yasha’] in the Niphal); and Ps 12:6; Job 5:4, 11 for the related noun (יֶשַׁע, yesha’).

[23:6]  ⁴⁴ sn It should be noted that this brief oracle of deliverance implies the reunification of Israel and Judah under the future Davidic ruler. Jeremiah has already spoken about this reunification earlier in 3:18 and will have more to say about it in 30:3; 31:27, 31. This same ideal was espoused in the prophecies of Hosea (1:10-11 [2:1-2 HT]), Isaiah (11:1-4, 10-12), and Ezekiel (37:15-28) all of which have messianic and eschatological significance.

[23:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “his name will be called ‘The Lord our righteousness’.”

[12:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Behold my servant.”

[12:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “in whom my soul is well pleased.”

[12:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[12:21]  ⁴⁹ sn Verses 18-21 are a quotation from Isa 42:1-4.

[14:1]  ⁵⁰ sn The same verb is used to describe Jesus’ own state in John 11:33, 12:27, and 13:21. Jesus is looking ahead to the events of the evening and the next day, his arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death, which will cause his disciples extreme emotional distress.

[14:1]  ⁵¹ tn Or “Believe in God.” The translation of the two uses of πιστεύετε (pisteuete) is difficult. Both may be either indicative or imperative, and as L. Morris points out (John [NICNT], 637), this results in a bewildering variety of possibilities. To complicate matters further, the first may be understood as a question: “Do you believe in God? Believe also in me.” Morris argues against the KJV translation which renders the first πιστεύετε as indicative and the second as imperative on the grounds that for the writer of the Fourth Gospel, faith in Jesus is inseparable from faith in God. But this is precisely the point that Jesus is addressing in context. He is about to undergo rejection by his own people as their Messiah. The disciples’ faith in him as Messiah and Lord would be cast into extreme doubt by these events, which the author makes clear were not at this time foreseen by the disciples. After the resurrection it is this identification between Jesus and the Father which needs to be reaffirmed (cf. John 20:24-29). Thus it seems best to take the first πιστεύετε as indicative and the second as imperative, producing the translation “You believe in God; believe also in me.”

[15:12]  ⁵² sn A quotation from Isa 11:10.

[15:13]  ⁵³ tn Grk “in the believing” or “as [you] believe,” with the object “him” supplied from the context. The referent could be God (15:13a) or Christ (15:12).

[1:12]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “that is, to be comforted together with you through the faith in one another.”

[1:18]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “Having willed, he gave us birth.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ 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.

[1:21]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “with meekness.”