Genesis 18:23-25

18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare ¹  the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ²  of the whole earth do what is right?” ³ 

Joshua 7:8-9

7:8 If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated ⁴  before its enemies? 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us ⁵  from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” ⁶ 

Psalms 73:13-14

73:13 I concluded, ⁷  “Surely in vain I have kept my motives ⁸  pure

and maintained a pure lifestyle. ⁹ 

73:14 I suffer all day long,

and am punished every morning.”

Jeremiah 12:1

12:1 Lord, you have always been fair

whenever I have complained to you. ¹⁰ 

However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice. ¹¹ 

Why are wicked people successful? ¹² 

Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?

[18:24]  ¹ tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).

[18:25]  ² tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ³ sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[7:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “turned [the] back.”

[7:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “and cut off our name.”

[7:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”

[73:13]  ⁷ tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.

[73:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[73:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.

[12:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Lord, you are fair when I present my case before you.”

[12:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “judgments” or “matters of justice.” For the nuance of “complain to,” “fair,” “disposition of justice” assumed here, see BDB 936 s.v. רִיב Qal.4 (cf. Judg 21:22); BDB 843 s.v. צַדִּיק 1.d (cf. Ps 7:12; 11:7); BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 1.f (cf. Isa 26:8; Ps 10:5; Ezek 7:27).

[12:1]  ¹² tn Heb “Why does the way [= course of life] of the wicked prosper?”