Psalms 37:37

37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! ¹ 

For the one who promotes peace has a future. ² 

Psalms 116:15

116:15 The Lord values

the lives of his faithful followers. ³ 

Proverbs 14:32

14:32 The wicked will be thrown down in his trouble, ⁴ 

but the righteous have refuge ⁵  even in the threat of death. ⁶ 

Isaiah 57:1-2

57:1 The godly ⁷  perish,

but no one cares. ⁸ 

Honest people disappear, ⁹ 

when no one ¹⁰  minds ¹¹ 

that the godly ¹²  disappear ¹³  because of ¹⁴  evil. ¹⁵ 

57:2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace;

they rest on their beds. ¹⁶ 

Luke 2:29-30

2:29 “Now, according to your word, ¹⁷  Sovereign Lord, ¹⁸  permit ¹⁹  your servant ²⁰  to depart ²¹  in peace.

2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation ²² 

Luke 2:1

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now ²³  in those days a decree ²⁴  went out from Caesar ²⁵  Augustus ²⁶  to register ²⁷  all the empire ²⁸  for taxes.

Colossians 3:21-22

3:21 Fathers, ²⁹  do not provoke ³⁰  your children, so they will not become disheartened. 3:22 Slaves, ³¹  obey your earthly ³²  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.

Colossians 3:1

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 1:1-2

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ³³  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 1:2 to the saints, the faithful ³⁴  brothers and sisters ³⁵  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ³⁶  from God our Father! ³⁷ 

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ³⁸  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Philippians 1:21-23

1:21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 1:22 Now if I am to go on living in the body, ³⁹  this will mean productive work ⁴⁰  for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer: ⁴¹  1:23 I feel torn between the two, ⁴²  because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,

Philippians 1:2

1:2 Grace and peace to you ⁴³  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Philippians 4:6-8

4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 4:7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds ⁴⁴  in Christ Jesus.

4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, ⁴⁵  whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.

Philippians 4:2

4:2 I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

Philippians 1:13-15

1:13 The ⁴⁶  whole imperial guard ⁴⁷  and everyone else knows ⁴⁸  that I am in prison ⁴⁹  for the sake of Christ, 1:14 and most of the brothers and sisters, ⁵⁰  having confidence in the Lord ⁵¹  because of my imprisonment, now more than ever ⁵²  dare to speak the word ⁵³  fearlessly.

1:15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.

Revelation 14:13

14:13 Then ⁵⁴  I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:

‘Blessed are the dead,

those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, ⁵⁵  because their deeds will follow them.” ⁵⁶ 

[37:37]  ¹ tn Or “upright.”

[37:37]  ² tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).

[116:15]  ³ tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the Lord [is] the death of his godly ones.” The point is not that God delights in or finds satisfaction in the death of his followers! The psalmist, who has been delivered from death, affirms that the life-threatening experiences of God’s followers get God’s attention, just as a precious or rare object would attract someone’s eye. See Ps 72:14 for a similar expression of this belief.

[14:32]  ⁴ tn The prepositional phrase must be “in his time of trouble” (i.e., when catastrophe comes). Cf. CEV “In times of trouble the wicked are destroyed.” A wicked person has nothing to fall back on in such times.

[14:32]  ⁵ sn The righteous have hope in a just retribution – they have a place of safety even in death.

[14:32]  ⁶ tc The LXX reads this as “in his integrity,” as if it were בְּתוּמּוֹ (bÿtumo) instead of “in his death” (בְּמוֹתוֹ, bÿmoto). The LXX is followed by some English versions (e.g., NAB “in his honesty,” NRSV “in their integrity,” and TEV “by their integrity”).

[57:1]  ⁷ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”

[57:1]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”

[57:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (bÿ’en) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11;14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.

[57:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[57:1]  ¹² tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”

[57:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ¹⁴ tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (’asaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (’asher-ne’esphu ’el-yÿrushalam mippÿney shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).

[57:1]  ¹⁵ tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.

[57:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he enters peace, they rest on their beds, the one who walks straight ahead of himself.” The tomb is here viewed in a fairly positive way as a place where the dead are at peace and sleep undisturbed.

[2:29]  ¹⁷ sn The phrase according to your word again emphasizes that God will perform his promise.

[2:29]  ¹⁸ tn The Greek word translated here by “Sovereign Lord” is δεσπότης (despoth").

[2:29]  ¹⁹ sn This short prophetic declaration is sometimes called the Nunc dimittis, which comes from the opening phrase of the saying in Latin, “now dismiss,” a fairly literal translation of the Greek verb ἀπολύεις (apolueis, “now release”) in this verse.

[2:29]  ²⁰ tn Here the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos, “slave”) has been translated “servant” since it acts almost as an honorific term for one specially chosen and appointed to carry out the Lord’s tasks.

[2:29]  ²¹ tn Grk “now release your servant.”

[2:30]  ²² sn To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.

[2:1]  ²³ tn Grk “Now it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[2:1]  ²⁴ sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

[2:1]  ²⁵ tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[2:1]  ²⁶ sn Caesar Augustus refers to Octavian, who was Caesar from 27 b.c. to a.d. 14. He was known for his administrative prowess.

[2:1]  ²⁷ tn Grk “that all the empire should be registered for taxes.” The passive infinitive ἀπογράφεσθαι (apografesqai) has been rendered as an active in the translation to improve the English style. The verb is regarded as a technical term for official registration in tax lists (BDAG 108 s.v. ἀπογράφω a).

[2:1]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

[3:21]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ tn On this word here and in 4:1, see the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[3:22]  ³² 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.

[1:1]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ³⁷ 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.

[1:1]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:22]  ³⁹ tn Grk “flesh.”

[1:22]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “fruit of work”; the genitive ἔργου (ergou) is taken as an attributed genitive in which the head noun, καρπός (karpos), functions attributively (cf. ExSyn 89-91).

[1:22]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “what I shall prefer.” The Greek verb αἱρέω (Jairew) could also mean “choose,” but in this context such a translation is problematic for it suggests that Paul could perhaps choose suicide (cf. L&N 30.86).

[1:23]  ⁴² tn Grk “I am hard-pressed between the two.” Cf. L&N 30.18.

[1:2]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[4:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “will guard the hearts of you and the minds of you.” To improve the English style, the second occurrence of ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “of you”) has not been translated, since it is somewhat redundant in English.

[4:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[1:13]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “so that the whole imperial guard.” The ὥστε (Jwste) clause that begins v. 13 indicates two results of the spread of the gospel: Outsiders know why Paul is imprisoned (v. 13) and believers are emboldened by his imprisonment (v. 14).

[1:13]  ⁴⁷ sn The whole imperial guard (Grk “praetorium”) can refer to the elite troops stationed in Rome or the headquarters of administrators in the provinces (cf. Matt 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:28, 33; 19:9; Acts 23:35). In either case a metonymy is involved, with the place (the praetorium) put for those (soldiers or government officials) who were connected with it or stationed in it.

[1:13]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “it has become known by the whole imperial guard and all the rest.”

[1:13]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “my bonds [are].”

[1:14]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[1:14]  ⁵¹ tn Or “most of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, having confidence.”

[1:14]  ⁵² tn Grk “even more so.”

[1:14]  ⁵³ tc A number of significant mss have “of God” after “word.” Although τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) is amply supported in the Alexandrian and Western texts (א A B [D*] P Ψ 048^vid 075 0278 33 81 1175 al lat co), the omission is difficult to explain as either an intentional deletion or unintentional oversight. To be sure, the pedigree of the witnesses is not nearly as great for the shorter reading (Ì⁴⁶ D² 1739 1881 Ï), but it explains well the rise of the other reading. Further, it explains the rise of κυρίου (kuriou, “of the Lord”), the reading of F and G (for if these mss had followed a Vorlage with τοῦ θεοῦ, κυρίου would not have been expected). Further, τοῦ θεοῦ is in different locations among the mss; such dislocations are usually signs of scribal additions to the text. Thus, the Byzantine text and a few other witnesses here have the superior reading, and it should be accepted as the original.

[14:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[14:13]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “from their trouble” (L&N 22.7).

[14:13]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “their deeds will follow with them.”