Proverbs 8:34

8:34 Blessed is the one ¹  who listens to me,

watching ²  at my doors day by day,

waiting ³  beside my doorway. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 6:16

6:16 The Lord said to his people: ⁵ 

“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. ⁶ 

Ask where the old, reliable paths ⁷  are.

Ask where the path is that leads to blessing ⁸  and follow it.

If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”

But they said, “We will not follow it!”

Jeremiah 6:1

The Destruction of Jerusalem Depicted

6:1 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin!

Get out of Jerusalem! ⁹ 

Sound the trumpet ¹⁰  in Tekoa!

Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem!

For disaster lurks ¹¹  out of the north;

it will bring great destruction. ¹² 

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹³  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Hebrews 6:12

6:12 so that you may not be sluggish, ¹⁴  but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

Hebrews 11:4-40

11:4 By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through his faith ¹⁵  he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith ¹⁶  he still speaks, though he is dead. 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death, and he was not to be found because God took him up. For before his removal he had been commended as having pleased God. 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 11:7 By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard ¹⁷  constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going. 11:9 By faith he lived as a foreigner ¹⁸  in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs ¹⁹  of the same promise. 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, ²⁰  whose architect and builder is God. 11:11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, ²¹  he received the ability to procreate, ²²  because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy. 11:12 So in fact children ²³  were fathered by one man – and this one as good as dead – like the number of stars in the sky and like the innumerable grains of sand ²⁴  on the seashore. ²⁵  11:13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, ²⁶  but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners ²⁷  on the earth. 11:14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 11:15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 11:16 But as it is, ²⁸  they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, ²⁹  yet he was ready to offer up ³⁰  his only son. 11:18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,” ³¹  11:19 and he reasoned ³²  that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense ³³  he received him back from there. 11:20 By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 11:21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff. ³⁴  11:22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, ³⁵  mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel ³⁶  and gave instructions about his burial. ³⁷ 

11:23 By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him ³⁸  for three months, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 11:24 By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 11:25 choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin’s fleeting pleasure. 11:26 He regarded abuse suffered for Christ ³⁹  to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on ⁴⁰  the reward. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king’s anger, for he persevered as though he could see the one who is invisible. 11:28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, ⁴¹  so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 11:29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho ⁴²  fell after the people marched around them ⁴³  for seven days. 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of ⁴⁴  the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.

11:32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets. 11:33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, ⁴⁵  gained what was promised, ⁴⁶  shut the mouths of lions, 11:34 quenched raging fire, ⁴⁷  escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, ⁴⁸  became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, 11:35 and women received back their dead raised to life. ⁴⁹  But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life. ⁵⁰  11:36 And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 11:37 They were stoned, sawed apart, ⁵¹  murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 11:38 (the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth. 11:39 And these all were commended ⁵²  for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. ⁵³  11:40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us. ⁵⁴ 

Hebrews 13:7

13:7 Remember your leaders, who spoke God’s message to you; reflect on the outcome of their lives and imitate their faith.

James 2:21

2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

James 2:25

2:25 And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way?

James 5:10

5:10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, ⁵⁵  take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name.

James 5:1

Warning to the Rich

5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud ⁵⁶  over the miseries that are coming on you.

James 3:6

3:6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents ⁵⁷  the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It ⁵⁸  pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. ⁵⁹ 

[8:34]  ¹ tn Heb “the man.”

[8:34]  ² tn The form לִשְׁקֹד (lishqod) is the infinitive construct serving epexegetically in the sentence. It explains how the person will listen to wisdom.

[8:34]  ³ tn Heb “keeping” or “guarding.”

[8:34]  ⁴ tn Heb “at the posts of my doors” (so KJV, ASV).

[6:16]  ⁵ tn The words, “to his people” are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.

[6:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”

[6:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the Lord set out in ancient times (cf. Deut 32:7).

[6:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”

[6:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”

[6:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.

[6:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “leans down” or “looks down.” This verb personifies destruction leaning/looking down from its window in the sky, ready to attack.

[6:1]  ¹² tn Heb “[It will be] a severe fracture.” The nation is pictured as a limb being fractured.

[1:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[6:12]  ¹⁴ tn Or “dull.”

[11:4]  ¹⁵ tn Or “through his sacrifice”; Grk “through which.”

[11:4]  ¹⁶ tn Or “through his sacrifice”; Grk “through it.”

[11:7]  ¹⁷ tn Cf. BDAG 407 s.v. εὐλαβέομαι 2, “out of reverent regard (for God’s command).”

[11:9]  ¹⁸ tn Or “settled as a resident alien.”

[11:9]  ¹⁹ tn Or “heirs with him.”

[11:10]  ²⁰ tn Grk “that has foundations.”

[11:11]  ²¹ tn Grk “past the time of maturity.”

[11:11]  ²² tn Grk “power to deposit seed.” Though it is not as likely, some construe this phrase to mean “power to conceive seed,” making the whole verse about Sarah: “by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and too old, she received ability to conceive, because she regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.”

[11:12]  ²³ tn Grk “these”; in the translation the referent (children) has been specified for clarity.

[11:12]  ²⁴ tn Grk a collective “the sand.”

[11:12]  ²⁵ sn An allusion to Gen 22:17 (which itself goes back to Gen 15:5).

[11:13]  ²⁶ tn Grk “the promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.

[11:13]  ²⁷ tn Or “sojourners.”

[11:16]  ²⁸ tn Grk “now.”

[11:17]  ²⁹ tn Here “received the promises” refers to the pledges themselves, not to the things God promised.

[11:17]  ³⁰ tn Grk “he was offering up.” The tense of this verb indicates the attempt or readiness to sacrifice Isaac without the actual completion of the deed.

[11:18]  ³¹ tn Grk “in Isaac seed will be named for you.”

[11:19]  ³² tn Grk “having reasoned,” continuing the ideas of v. 17.

[11:19]  ³³ tn Grk “in/by a symbol.”

[11:21]  ³⁴ tn Grk “worshiped on the top of his staff,” a quotation from Gen 47:31 (LXX).

[11:22]  ³⁵ tn Grk “coming to an end,” “dying.”

[11:22]  ³⁶ sn Joseph’s prophecy about the exodus of the sons of Israel is found in Gen 50:24.

[11:22]  ³⁷ tn Grk “about his bones,” which refers by metonymy to the disposition of his bones, i.e., his burial.

[11:23]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Moses, when he was born, was hidden by his parents.”

[11:26]  ³⁹ tn Grk “the abuse [or ‘reproach’] of Christ.”

[11:26]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “he was looking away to.”

[11:28]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “the pouring out of the blood.”

[11:30]  ⁴² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[11:30]  ⁴³ tn Grk “after they had been encircled.”

[11:31]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “did not perish together with.”

[11:33]  ⁴⁵ tn This probably refers to the righteous rule of David and others. But it could be more general and mean “did what was righteous.”

[11:33]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “obtained promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.

[11:34]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “quenched the power of fire.”

[11:34]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “recovered from sickness.”

[11:35]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “received back their dead from resurrection.”

[11:35]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “to obtain a better resurrection.”

[11:37]  ⁵¹ tc The reading ἐπρίσθησαν (ejprisqhsan, “they were sawed apart”) is found in some important witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ [D* twice reads ἐπίρσθησαν, “they were burned”?] pc sy^p sa Or^pt Eus). Other mss have ἐπειράσθησαν (ejpeirasqhsan, “they were tempted”), either before “sawed apart” ([א] L P [048] 33 81 326 1505 pc sy^h), after “sawed apart” (Ì^13vid A D¹ Ψ 1739 1881 Ï lat bo Or^pt), or altogether in place of “sawed apart” (0150 vg^mss Cl). Since the two words ἐπρίσθησαν and ἐπειράσθησαν are so much alike in sight and sound, and since the position of “they were tempted” varies in the mss, it seems best to say that ἐπειράσθησαν is an accidental corruption of ἐπρίσθησαν or an intentional change to a more common word (the root of ἐπρίσθησαν [πρίζω, prizw] occurs only here in the NT, while the root of ἐπειράσθησαν [πειράζω, peirazw] occurs 38 times). The best reading here seems to be “sawed apart” without any addition before or after. (See TCGNT 603-4, for a discussion of emendations that scholars have proposed for this difficult problem.)

[11:39]  ⁵² sn The expression these all were commended forms an inclusio with Heb 11:2: The chapter begins and ends with references to commendation for faith.

[11:39]  ⁵³ tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.

[11:40]  ⁵⁴ tn The Greek phrasing emphasizes this point by negating the opposite: “so that they would not be made perfect without us.”

[5:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[5:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”

[3:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “makes itself,” “is made.”

[3:6]  ⁵⁸ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:6]  ⁵⁹ sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).