Psalms 38:20

38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;

though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me. ¹ 

Proverbs 15:9

15:9 The Lord abhors ²  the way of the wicked,

but he loves those ³  who pursue ⁴  righteousness.

Proverbs 15:1

15:1 A gentle response ⁵  turns away anger,

but a harsh word ⁶  stirs up wrath. ⁷ 

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁸  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ⁹  imitators of God as dearly loved children

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ¹⁰  imitators of God as dearly loved children

Ephesians 5:15

Live Wisely

5:15 Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise,

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ¹¹  imitators of God as dearly loved children

Ephesians 5:10

5:10 trying to learn ¹²  what is pleasing to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:3

5:3 But ¹³  among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, ¹⁴  or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. ¹⁵ 

Ephesians 1:11

1:11 In Christ ¹⁶  we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, ¹⁷  since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will

[38:20]  ¹ tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”

[15:9]  ² tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.”

[15:9]  ³ tn Heb “the one who” (so NRSV).

[15:9]  ⁴ sn God hates the way of the wicked, that is, their lifestyle and things they do. God loves those who pursue righteousness, the Piel verb signifying a persistent pursuit. W. G. Plaut says, “He who loves God will be moved to an active, persistent, and even dangerous search for justice” (Proverbs, 170).

[15:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “soft answer.” The adjective רַּךְ (rakh, “soft; tender; gentle”; BDB 940 s.v.) is more than a mild response; it is conciliatory, an answer that restores good temper and reasonableness (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 477). Gideon illustrates this kind of answer (Judg 8:1-3) that brings peace.

[15:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “word of harshness”; KJV “grievous words.” The noun עֶצֶב (’etsev, “pain, hurt”) functions as an attributive genitive. The term עֶצֶב refers to something that causes pain (BDB 780 s.v. I עֶצֶב). For example, Jephthah’s harsh answer led to war (Judg 12:1-6).

[15:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “raises anger.” A common response to painful words is to let one’s temper flare up.

[1:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[5:1]  ⁹ tn Or “become.”

[5:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “become.”

[5:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “become.”

[5:10]  ¹² tn BDAG 255 s.v. δοκιμάζω 1 translates δοκιμάζοντες (dokimazonte") in Eph 5:10 as “try to learn.”

[5:3]  ¹³ tn The term “But” translates the δέ (de) in a contrastive way in light of the perfect obedience of Jesus in vv. 1-2 and the vices mentioned in v. 3.

[5:3]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “all impurity.”

[5:3]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “just as is fitting for saints.” The καθώς (kaqws) was rendered with “as” and the sense is causal, i.e., “for” or “because.” The negative particle “not” (“for these are not proper for the saints”) in this clause was supplied in English so as to make the sense very clear, i.e., that these vices are not befitting of those who name the name of Christ.

[1:11]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “in whom,” as a continuation of the previous verse.

[1:11]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “we were appointed by lot.” The notion of the verb κληρόω (klhrow) in the OT was to “appoint a portion by lot” (the more frequent cognate verb κληρονομέω [klhronomew] meant “obtain a portion by lot”). In the passive, as here, the idea is that “we were appointed [as a portion] by lot” (BDAG 548 s.v. κληρόω 1). The words “God’s own” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this sense of the verb. An alternative interpretation is that believers receive a portion as an inheritance: “In Christ we too have been appointed a portion of the inheritance.” See H. W. Hoehner, Ephesians, 226-27, for discussion on this interpretive issue.