Proverbs 28:18

28:18 The one who walks blamelessly will be delivered, ¹ 

but whoever is perverse in his ways will fall ²  at once. ³ 

Hosea 4:14

4:14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution,

nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.

For the men consort with harlots,

they sacrifice with temple prostitutes.

It is true: ⁴  “A people that lacks understanding will come to ruin!”

Matthew 12:43-45

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

12:43 “When ⁵  an unclean spirit ⁶  goes out of a person, ⁷  it passes through waterless places ⁸  looking for rest but ⁹  does not find it. 12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ ¹⁰  When it returns, ¹¹  it finds the house ¹²  empty, swept clean, and put in order. ¹³  12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹⁴  the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”

Mark 4:17

4:17 But ¹⁵  they have no root in themselves and do not endure. ¹⁶  Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.

Mark 4:1

The Parable of the Sower

4:1 Again he began to teach by the lake. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there while ¹⁷  the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake.

Mark 2:19

2:19 Jesus ¹⁸  said to them, “The wedding guests ¹⁹  cannot fast while the bridegroom ²⁰  is with them, can they? ²¹  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast.

[28:18]  ¹ tn The form is the Niphal imperfect of יָשַׁע (yasha’, “will be saved”). In all probability this refers to deliverance from misfortune. Some render it “kept safe” (NIV) or “will be safe” (NRSV, TEV). It must be interpreted in contrast to the corrupt person who will fall.

[28:18]  ² tn The Qal imperfect יִפּוֹל (yipol) is given a future translation in this context, as is the previous verb (“will be delivered”) because the working out of divine retribution appears to be coming suddenly in the future. The idea of “falling” could be a metonymy of adjunct (with the falling accompanying the ruin that comes to the person), or it may simply be a comparison between falling and being destroyed. Cf. NCV “will suddenly be ruined”; NLT “will be destroyed.”

[28:18]  ³ tn The last word in the verse, בְּאֶחָת (bÿ’ekhat), means “in one [= at once (?)].” This may indicate a sudden fall, for falling “in one” (the literal meaning) makes no sense. W. McKane wishes to emend the text to read “into a pit” based on v. 10b (Proverbs [OTL], 622); this emendation is followed by NAB, NRSV.

[4:14]  ⁴ tn The words “it is true” are supplied in the translation to indicate that this is a conclusion drawn on the preceding behavior. Cf. NAB “So must a people”; NRSV “thus a people”; TEV “As the proverb says, ‘A people.’”

[12:43]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:43]  ⁶ sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

[12:43]  ⁷ tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females. This same use occurs in v. 45.

[12:43]  ⁸ sn The background for the reference to waterless places is not entirely clear, though some Jewish texts suggest spirits must have a place to dwell, but not with water (Luke 8:29-31; Tob 8:3). Some suggest that the image of the desert or deserted cities as the places demons dwell is where this idea started (Isa 13:21; 34:14).

[12:43]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[12:44]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

[12:44]  ¹¹ tn Grk “comes.”

[12:44]  ¹² tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.

[12:44]  ¹³ sn The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.

[12:45]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[4:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:17]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “are temporary.”

[4:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “and all the crowd.” The clause in this phrase, although coordinate in terms of grammar, is logically subordinate to the previous clause.

[2:19]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And Jesus.”

[2:19]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).

[2:19]  ²⁰ sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38).

[2:19]  ²¹ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can they?”).