Psalms 37:5-7

37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! ¹ 

Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. ² 

37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,

and publicly defend your just cause. ³ 

37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! ⁴ 

Wait confidently ⁵  for him!

Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, ⁶ 

a man who carries out wicked schemes!

Psalms 37:34

37:34 Rely ⁷  on the Lord! Obey his commands! ⁸ 

Then he will permit you ⁹  to possess the land;

you will see the demise of evil men. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 125:4-5

125:4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,

to the morally upright! ¹¹ 

125:5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, ¹² 

may the Lord remove them, ¹³  along with those who behave wickedly! ¹⁴ 

May Israel experience peace! ¹⁵ 

Job 17:9

17:9 But the righteous man holds to his way,

and the one with clean hands grows stronger. ¹⁶ 

Job 23:11-12

23:11 My feet ¹⁷  have followed ¹⁸  his steps closely;

I have kept to his way and have not turned aside. ¹⁹ 

23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion. ²⁰ 

James 5:7-11

Patience in Suffering

5:7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, ²¹  until the Lord’s return. ²²  Think of how the farmer waits ²³  for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient ²⁴  for it until it receives the early and late rains. 5:8 You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near. 5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, ²⁵  so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates! ²⁶  5:10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, ²⁷  take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name. 5:11 Think of how we regard ²⁸  as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. ²⁹ 

James 5:1

Warning to the Rich

5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud ³⁰  over the miseries that are coming on you.

James 2:19

2:19 You believe that God is one; well and good. ³¹  Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear. ³² 

[37:5]  ¹ tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.

[37:5]  ² tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.

[37:6]  ³ tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”

[37:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “Be quiet before the Lord!”

[37:7]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).

[37:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”

[37:34]  ⁷ tn Or “wait.”

[37:34]  ⁸ tn Heb “keep his way.” The Lord’s “way” 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.

[37:34]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.

[37:34]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”

[125:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

[125:5]  ¹² tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.

[125:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the Lord will remove them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[125:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”

[125:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).

[17:9]  ¹⁶ tn The last two words are the imperfect verb יֹסִיף (yosif) which means “he adds,” and the abstract noun “energy, strength.” This noun is not found elsewhere; its Piel verb occurs in Job 4:4 and 16:5. “he increases strength.”

[23:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “my foot.”

[23:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “held fast.”

[23:11]  ¹⁹ tn The last clause, “and I have not turned aside,” functions adverbially in the sentence. The form אָט (’at) is a pausal form of אַתֶּה (’atteh), the Hiphil of נָטָה (natah, “stretch out”).

[23:12]  ²⁰ tc The form in the MT (מֵחֻקִּי, mekhuqqi) means “more than my portion” or “more than my law.” An expanded meaning results in “more than my necessary food” (see Ps 119:11; cf. KJV, NASB, ESV). HALOT 346 s.v. חֹק 1 indicates that חֹק (khoq) has the meaning of “portion” and is here a reference to “what is appointed for me.” The LXX and the Latin versions, along with many commentators, have בְּחֵקִי (bÿkheqi, “in my bosom”).

[5:7]  ²¹ tn Grk “brothers”; this phrase occurs again three times in the paragraph. See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[5:7]  ²² tn Or “advent”; or “coming” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ²³ tn Grk “Behold! The farmer waits.”

[5:7]  ²⁴ tn Grk “being patient.”

[5:9]  ²⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[5:9]  ²⁶ sn The term gates is used metaphorically here. The physical referent would be the entrances to the city, but the author uses the term to emphasize the imminence of the judge’s approach.

[5:10]  ²⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[5:11]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Behold! We regard…”

[5:11]  ²⁹ sn An allusion to Exod 34:6; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:15; 102:13; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2.

[5:1]  ³⁰ tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”

[2:19]  ³¹ tn Grk “you do well.”

[2:19]  ³² tn Grk “believe and tremble.” The words “with fear” are implied.