Psalms 105:3-4

105:3 Boast about his holy name!

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

105:4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!

Seek his presence continually!

Isaiah 45:19

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place. ¹ 

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’ ² 

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements. ³ 

Isaiah 46:3-4

46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, ⁴ 

all you who are left from the family of Israel, ⁵ 

you who have been carried from birth, ⁶ 

you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. ⁷ 

46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, ⁸ 

even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.

I made you and I will support you;

I will carry you and rescue you. ⁹ 

Isaiah 55:6-7

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ¹⁰ 

call to him while he is nearby!

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ¹¹ 

and sinful people their plans. ¹² 

They should return ¹³  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ¹⁴ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ¹⁵ 

Jeremiah 29:13

29:13 When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, ¹⁶ 

Jeremiah 29:2

29:2 He sent it after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, ¹⁷  the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had been exiled from Jerusalem. ¹⁸ 

Colossians 1:9-10

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ¹⁹  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ²⁰  to fill ²¹  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ²²  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ²³  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

[45:19]  ¹ tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”

[45:19]  ² tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”

[45:19]  ³ tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”

[46:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”

[46:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”

[46:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”

[46:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”

[46:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”

[46:4]  ⁹ sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.

[55:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[55:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹² tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ¹⁴ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ¹⁵ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[29:13]  ¹⁶ tn Or “If you wholeheartedly seek me”; Heb “You will seek me and find [me] because you will seek me with all your heart.” The translation attempts to reflect the theological nuances of “seeking” and “finding” and the psychological significance of “heart” which refers more to intellectual and volitional concerns in the OT than to emotional ones.

[29:2]  ¹⁷ tn This term is often mistakenly understood to refer to a “eunuch.” It is clear, however, in Gen 39:1 that “eunuchs” could be married. On the other hand it is clear from Isa 59:3-5 that some who bore this title could not have children. In this period, it is possible that the persons who bore this title were high officials like the rab saris who was a high official in the Babylonian court (cf. Jer 39:3, 13; 52:25). For further references see HALOT 727 s.v. סָרִיס 1.c.

[29:2]  ¹⁸ sn See 2 Kgs 24:14-16 and compare the study note on Jer 24:1.

[1:9]  ¹⁹ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ²⁰ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ²¹ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ²² tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ²³ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”