Joshua 14:12

14:12 Now, assign me this hill country which the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. ¹  But, assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer ²  them, as the Lord promised.”

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events

9:11 Again, ³  I observed this on the earth: ⁴ 

the race is not always ⁵  won by the swiftest,

the battle is not always won by the strongest;

prosperity ⁶  does not always belong to those who are the wisest,

wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,

nor does success ⁷  always come to those with the most knowledge –

for time and chance may overcome ⁸  them all.

Jeremiah 9:23

9:23 ⁹ The Lord says,

“Wise people should not boast that they are wise.

Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. ¹⁰ 

Rich people should not boast that they are rich. ¹¹ 

Romans 8:31

8:31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

[14:12]  ¹ tn Heb “are there and large, fortified cities.”

[14:12]  ² tn Or “will dispossess.”

[9:11]  ³ tn Heb “I returned and.” In the Hebrew idiom, “to return and do” means “to do again.”

[9:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[9:11]  ⁵ tn The term “always” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation (five times in this verse) for clarity.

[9:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “bread.”

[9:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “favor.”

[9:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “happen to.”

[9:23]  ⁹ sn It is not always clear why verses were placed in their present position in the editorial process of collecting Jeremiah’s sermons and the words the Lord spoke to him (see Jer 36:4, 32 for reference to two of these collections). Here it is probable that vv. 23-26 were added as a further answer to the question raised in v. 12.

[9:23]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Strong people should not brag that they are strong.”

[9:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “…in their wisdom…in their power…in their riches.”