Psalms 71:7

71:7 Many are appalled when they see me, ¹ 

but you are my secure shelter.

Ezekiel 14:8

14:8 I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and a byword ²  and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Zechariah 3:8

3:8 Listen now, Joshua the high priest, both you and your colleagues who are sitting before you, all of you ³  are a symbol that I am about to introduce my servant, the Branch. ⁴ 

Luke 2:34

2:34 Then ⁵  Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully: ⁶  This child ⁷  is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising ⁸  of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. ⁹ 

Luke 2:1

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now ¹⁰  in those days a decree ¹¹  went out from Caesar ¹²  Augustus ¹³  to register ¹⁴  all the empire ¹⁵  for taxes.

Colossians 4:9-13

4:9 I sent him ¹⁶  with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. ¹⁷  They will tell ¹⁸  you about everything here.

4:10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him). 4:11 And Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. In terms of Jewish converts, ¹⁹  these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave ²⁰  of Christ, ²¹  greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured ²²  in all the will of God. 4:13 For I can testify that he has worked hard ²³  for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Hebrews 10:33

10:33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other times you came to share with others who were treated in that way.

[71:7]  ¹ tn Heb “like a sign [i.e., portent or bad omen] I am to many.”

[14:8]  ² tn Heb “proverbs.”

[3:8]  ³ tn Heb “these men.” The cleansing of Joshua and his elevation to enhanced leadership as a priest signify the coming of the messianic age.

[3:8]  ⁴ sn The collocation of servant and branch gives double significance to the messianic meaning of the passage (cf. Isa 41:8, 9; 42:1, 19; 43:10; 44:1, 2, 21; Ps 132:17; Jer 23:5; 33:15).

[2:34]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:34]  ⁶ tn Grk “behold.”

[2:34]  ⁷ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (the child) is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:34]  ⁸ sn The phrase the falling and rising of many emphasizes that Jesus will bring division in the nation, as some will be judged (falling) and others blessed (rising) because of how they respond to him. The language is like Isa 8:14-15 and conceptually like Isa 28:13-16. Here is the first hint that Jesus’ coming will be accompanied with some difficulties.

[2:34]  ⁹ tn Grk “and for a sign of contradiction.”

[2:1]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

[2:1]  ¹² tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[2:1]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

[4:9]  ¹⁶ tn The Greek sentence continues v. 9 with the phrase “with Onesimus,” but this is awkward in English, so the verb “I sent” was inserted and a new sentence started at the beginning of v. 9 in the translation.

[4:9]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “is of you.”

[4:9]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “will make known to you.” This has been simplified in the translation to “will tell.”

[4:11]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “those of the circumcision.” The verse as a whole is difficult to translate because it is unclear whether Paul is saying (1) that the only people working with him are Jewish converts at the time the letter is being written or previously, or (2) that Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus Justus were the only Jewish Christians who ever worked with him. Verses 12-14 appear to indicate that Luke and Demas, who were Gentiles, were also working currently with Paul. This is the view adopted in the translation. See M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 207-8.

[4:12]  ²⁰ tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[4:12]  ²¹ tc ‡ Strong Alexandrian testimony, along with some other witnesses, suggests that ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) follows Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “Christ”; so א A B C I L 0278 33 81 365 629 1175 2464 al lat), but the evidence for the shorter reading is diverse (Ì⁴⁶ D F G Ψ 075 1739 1881 Ï it sy Hier), cutting across all major texttypes. There can be little motivation for omitting the name of Jesus; hence, the shorter reading is judged to be original. NA²⁷ has ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[4:12]  ²² tn Or “filled.”

[4:13]  ²³ tn Grk “pain.” This word appears only three times in the NT outside of this verse (Rev 16:10, 11; 21:4) where the translation “pain” makes sense. For the present verse it has been translated “worked hard.” See BDAG 852 s.v. πόνος 1.