Isaiah 55:10-11

55:10 ¹ The rain and snow fall from the sky

and do not return,

but instead water the earth

and make it produce and yield crops,

and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.

55:11 In the same way, the promise that I make

does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. ² 

No, it is realized as I desire

and is fulfilled as I intend.” ³ 

Matthew 13:24-26

The Parable of the Weeds

13:24 He presented them with another parable: ⁴  “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds ⁵  among the wheat and went away. 13:26 When ⁶  the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

Luke 6:44

6:44 for each tree is known ⁷  by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered ⁸  from thorns, nor are grapes picked ⁹  from brambles. ¹⁰ 

Luke 6:2

6:2 But some of the Pharisees ¹¹  said, “Why are you ¹²  doing what is against the law ¹³  on the Sabbath?”

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ¹⁴  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ¹⁵  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Galatians 6:7

6:7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. ¹⁶  For a person ¹⁷  will reap what he sows,

[55:10]  ¹ tn This verse begins in the Hebrew text with כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר (ki ka’asher, “for, just as”), which is completed by כֵּן (ken, “so, in the same way”) at the beginning of v. 11. For stylistic reasons, this lengthy sentence is divided up into separate sentences in the translation.

[55:11]  ² tn Heb “so is the word which goes out from my mouth, it does not return to empty.” “Word” refers here to divine promises, like the ones made just prior to and after this (see vv. 7b, 12-13).

[55:11]  ³ tn Heb “but it accomplishes what I desire, and succeeds [on the mission] which I send it.”

[13:24]  ⁴ tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[13:25]  ⁵ tn Grk “sowed darnel.” The Greek term ζιζάνιον (zizanion) refers to an especially undesirable weed that looks like wheat but has poisonous seeds (L&N 3.30).

[13:26]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[6:44]  ⁷ sn The principle of the passage is that one produces what one is.

[6:44]  ⁸ tn Grk “they do not gather”; this has been simplified to the passive voice in the translation since the subject “they” is not specified further in the context.

[6:44]  ⁹ tn This is a different verb (τρυγῶσιν, trugwsin) for gathering from the previous one (συλλέγουσιν, sullegousin).

[6:44]  ¹⁰ tn This is a different term (βάτος, batos) for a thorn or bramble bush than the previous one (ἄκανθα, akanqa).

[6:2]  ¹¹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[6:2]  ¹² tn Note that the verb is second person plural (with an understood plural pronominal subject in Greek). The charge is again indirectly made against Jesus by charging the disciples.

[6:2]  ¹³ sn The alleged violation expressed by the phrase what is against the law is performing work on the Sabbath. That the disciples ate from such a field is no problem given Deut 23:25, but Sabbath activity is another matter in the leaders’ view (Exod 20:8-11 and Mishnah, m. Shabbat 7.2). The supposed violation involved reaping, threshing, winnowing, and preparing food. This probably explains why the clause describing the disciples “rubbing” the heads of grain in their hands is mentioned last, in emphatic position. This was preparation of food.

[1:10]  ¹⁴ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ¹⁵ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[6:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or “is not mocked,” “will not be ridiculed” (L&N 33.409). BDAG 660 s.v. μυκτηρίζω has “of God οὐ μ. he is not to be mocked, treated w. contempt, perh. outwitted Gal 6:7.”

[6:7]  ¹⁷ tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.