Psalms 18:21-24

18:21 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; ¹ 

I have not rebelled against my God. ² 

18:22 For I am aware of all his regulations, ³ 

and I do not reject his rules. ⁴ 

18:23 I was innocent before him,

and kept myself from sinning. ⁵ 

18:24 The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds; ⁶ 

he took notice of my blameless behavior. ⁷ 

Psalms 26:1-3

Psalm 26 ⁸ 

By David.

26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have integrity, ⁹ 

and I trust in the Lord without wavering.

26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me!

Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives! ¹⁰ 

26:3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, ¹¹ 

and your loyalty continually motivates me. ¹² 

Psalms 26:6

26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, ¹³ 

so I can appear before your altar, ¹⁴  O Lord,

Acts 24:16

24:16 This is the reason ¹⁵  I do my best to always ¹⁶  have a clear ¹⁷  conscience toward God and toward people. ¹⁸ 

Acts 24:2

24:2 When Paul ¹⁹  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ²⁰  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ²¹  of peace through your rule, ²²  and reforms ²³  are being made in this nation ²⁴  through your foresight. ²⁵ 

Colossians 1:12

1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ²⁶  in the saints’ ²⁷  inheritance in the light.

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ²⁸  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ²⁹  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 2:10

2:10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ³⁰  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ³¹ 

Colossians 3:17-22

3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Exhortation to Households

3:18 Wives, submit to your ³²  husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. 3:21 Fathers, ³³  do not provoke ³⁴  your children, so they will not become disheartened. 3:22 Slaves, ³⁵  obey your earthly ³⁶  masters in every respect, not only when they are watching – like those who are strictly people-pleasers – but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord.

[18:21]  ¹ tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the Lord.” The phrase “ways of the Lord” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord. In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.

[18:21]  ² tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical; the idea is, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”

[18:22]  ³ tn Heb “for all his regulations [are] before me.” The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf. Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf. vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf. v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.

[18:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” 2 Sam 22:23 reads, “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; the psalmist here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf. v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).

[18:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way.

[18:24]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to my righteousness.”

[18:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.” 2 Sam 22:25 reads “according to my purity before his eyes.” The verbal repetition (compare vv. 20 and 24) sets off vv. 20-24 as a distinct sub-unit within the psalm.

[26:1]  ⁸ sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.

[26:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”

[26:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “evaluate my kidneys and my heart.” The kidneys and heart were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.

[26:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for your faithfulness [is] before my eyes.”

[26:3]  ¹² tn Heb “and I walk about in your loyalty.”

[26:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.

[26:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “so I can go around your altar” (probably in ritual procession). Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.

[24:16]  ¹⁵ tn BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 9.a, “ἐν τούτῳ πιστεύομεν this is the reason why we believe Jn 16:30; cp. Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 224 s.v. διά 2.a, “διὰ παντός…always, continually, constantly…Ac 2:25 (Ps 15:8); 10:2; 24:16.” However, the positioning of the adverb “always” in the English translation is difficult; the position used is one of the least awkward.

[24:16]  ¹⁷ tn BDAG 125 s.v. ἀπρόσκοπος 1 has “ἀ. συνείδησις a clear conscience Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use (Paul does not have only males in view).

[24:2]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ²² tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ²³ tn This term is used only once in the NT (a hapax legomenon). It refers to improvements in internal administration (BDAG 251 s.v. διόρθωμα).

[24:2]  ²⁴ tn Or “being made for this people.”

[24:2]  ²⁵ sn References to peaceful rule, reforms, and the governor’s foresight in the opening address by Tertullus represent an attempt to praise the governor and thus make him favorable to the case. Actual descriptions of his rule portray him as inept (Tacitus, Annals 12.54; Josephus, J. W. 2.13.2-7 [2.253-270]).

[1:12]  ²⁶ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ²⁷ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[1:1]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[2:1]  ³⁰ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ³¹ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[3:18]  ³² tn The article τοῖς (tois) with ἀνδράσιν (andrasin, “husbands”) has been translated as a possessive pronoun (“your”); see ExSyn 215.

[3:21]  ³³ tn Or perhaps “Parents.” The plural οἱ πατέρες (Joi patere", “fathers”) can be used to refer to both the male and female parent (BDAG 786 s.v. πατήρ 1.a).

[3:21]  ³⁴ tn Or “do not cause your children to become resentful” (L&N 88.168). BDAG 391 s.v. ἐρεθίζω states, “to cause someone to react in a way that suggests acceptance of a challenge, arouse, provoke mostly in bad sense irritate, embitter.”

[3:22]  ³⁵ tn On this word here and in 4:1, see the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[3:22]  ³⁶ tn The prepositional phrase κατὰ σάρκα (kata sarka) does not necessarily qualify the masters as earthly or human (as opposed to the Master in heaven, the Lord), but could also refer to the sphere in which “the service-relation holds true.” See BDAG 577 s.v. κύριος 1.b.