Psalms 1:6

1:6 Certainly ¹  the Lord guards the way of the godly, ² 

but the way of the wicked ends in destruction. ³ 

Ecclesiastes 12:14

12:14 For God will evaluate every deed, ⁴ 

including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Ezekiel 18:30

18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, ⁵  O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent ⁶  and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. ⁷ 

Matthew 25:31-46

The Judgment

25:31 “When ⁸  the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 25:32 All ⁹  the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 25:33 He ¹⁰  will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 25:34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, ¹¹  ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 25:38 When ¹²  did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 25:39 When ¹³  did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 25:40 And the king will answer them, ¹⁴  ‘I tell you the truth, ¹⁵  just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters ¹⁶  of mine, you did it for me.’

25:41 “Then he will say ¹⁷  to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! 25:42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 25:44 Then they too will answer, ¹⁸  ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ 25:45 Then he will answer them, ¹⁹  ‘I tell you the truth, ²⁰  just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ 25:46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

John 5:22-23

5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge ²¹  anyone, but has assigned ²²  all judgment to the Son, 5:23 so that all people ²³  will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

John 5:28-29

5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time ²⁴  is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 5:29 and will come out – the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. ²⁵ 

Acts 10:42

10:42 He ²⁶  commanded us to preach to the people and to warn ²⁷  them ²⁸  that he is the one ²⁹  appointed ³⁰  by God as judge ³¹  of the living and the dead.

Acts 17:31

17:31 because he has set ³²  a day on which he is going to judge the world ³³  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ³⁴  having provided proof to everyone by raising ³⁵  him from the dead.”

Romans 14:10-12

14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? ³⁶  And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? ³⁷  For we will all stand before the judgment seat ³⁸  of God. 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” ³⁹  14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God. ⁴⁰ 

Romans 14:1

Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. ⁴¹ 

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴²  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 1:1-2

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴³  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁴⁴  brothers and sisters ⁴⁵  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁴⁶  from God our Father! ⁴⁷ 

Colossians 4:1

4:1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.

James 5:9

5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, ⁴⁸  so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates! ⁴⁹ 

[1:6]  ¹ tn The translation understands כי as asseverative. Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theological explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrasts the respective destinies of the godly and the wicked.

[1:6]  ² tn Heb “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” To “know a way” means, in its most basic sense, “to recognize/acknowledge a pathway, route, or prescribed way of life” (see Josh 3:4; Job 21:14; Ps 67:2; Isa 42:16; Jer 5:4-5). Here it could refer to the Lord recognizing the behavior of the godly and, by metonymy, rewarding their godliness with security and prosperity (resulting in the translation, “the Lord rewards the behavior of the godly”). The present translation takes the verb in the sense of “mark out” (cf. Job 23:10), which metonymically could mean “watch over, protect, guard.” In this case the “way of the godly” is not their behavior, but their course of life or destiny; a translation reflecting this would be “the Lord protects the lives of the godly” or “the Lord watches over the destiny of the godly” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The Hebrew active participle יוֹדֵעַ (yodea’, “knows”) has here a characteristic durative force.

[1:6]  ³ tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what typically happens, though one could take the form as indicating what will happen (“will perish”).

[12:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “will bring every deed into judgment.”

[18:30]  ⁵ tn Heb “ways.”

[18:30]  ⁶ tn The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.

[18:30]  ⁷ tn Or “leading to punishment.”

[25:31]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:32]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[25:33]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[25:37]  ¹¹ tn Grk “answer him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[25:38]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:39]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:40]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:40]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[25:40]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.

[25:41]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[25:44]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Then they will answer, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[25:45]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “answer them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[25:45]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[5:22]  ²¹ tn Or “condemn.”

[5:22]  ²² tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”

[5:23]  ²³ tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).

[5:28]  ²⁴ tn Grk “an hour.”

[5:29]  ²⁵ tn Or “a resurrection resulting in judgment.”

[10:42]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:42]  ²⁷ tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and such a meaning is highly probable in this context where a reference to the judgment of both the living and the dead is present. The more general meaning “to testify solemnly” does not capture this nuance.

[10:42]  ²⁸ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[10:42]  ²⁹ tn Grk “that this one is the one,” but this is awkward in English and has been simplified to “that he is the one.”

[10:42]  ³⁰ tn Or “designated.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “the one appointed by God as judge” for this phrase.

[10:42]  ³¹ sn Jesus has divine authority as judge over the living and the dead: Acts 17:26-31; Rom 14:9; 1 Thess 5:9-10; 1 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5.

[17:31]  ³² tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ³³ sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ³⁴ tn Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare: God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31.”

[17:31]  ³⁵ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[14:10]  ³⁶ tn Grk “But why do you judge your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “weak” Christian who eats only vegetables (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Or again, why do you despise your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “strong” Christian who eats everything (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ³⁸ sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[14:11]  ³⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 45:23.

[14:12]  ⁴⁰ tc ‡ The words “to God” are absent from some mss (B F G 6 630 1739 1881 pc) but are found in א A C D Ψ 0209 33 Ï lat sy co. External evidence somewhat favors their inclusion since Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine mss are well represented. From an internal standpoint, however, it is easy to see the words as a scribal gloss intended to clarify the referent, especially as a reinforcement to the quotation of Isa 45:23 in v. 11. Not only that, but the abrupt ending of the verse without “to God” is harsh, both in Greek and in English. In this instance, the internal considerations seem overwhelming on the side of the omission. At the same time, English stylistic needs require the words and they have been put into the translation, even though they are most likely not original. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[14:1]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[1:1]  ⁴² tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁴⁷ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[5:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[5:9]  ⁴⁹ sn The term gates is used metaphorically here. The physical referent would be the entrances to the city, but the author uses the term to emphasize the imminence of the judge’s approach.