1 Samuel 24:13

24:13 It’s like the old proverb says: ‘From evil people evil proceeds.’ But my hand will not be against you.

Mazmur 10:6-7

10:6 He says to himself, ¹ 

“I will never ²  be upended,

because I experience no calamity.” ³ 

10:7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; ⁴ 

his tongue injures and destroys. ⁵ 

Mazmur 52:2-5

52:2 Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; ⁶ 

it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver. ⁷ 

52:3 You love evil more than good,

lies more than speaking the truth. ⁸  (Selah)

52:4 You love to use all the words that destroy, ⁹ 

and the tongue that deceives.

52:5 Yet ¹⁰  God will make you a permanent heap of ruins. ¹¹ 

He will scoop you up ¹²  and remove you from your home; ¹³ 

he will uproot you from the land of the living. (Selah)

Mazmur 53:1

Psalm 53 ¹⁴ 

For the music director; according to the machalath style; ¹⁵  a well-written song ¹⁶  by David.

53:1 Fools say to themselves, ¹⁷  “There is no God.” ¹⁸ 

They sin and commit evil deeds; ¹⁹ 

none of them does what is right. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 64:3

64:3 They ²¹  sharpen their tongues like a sword;

they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, ²² 

Mazmur 64:5

64:5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. ²³ 

They plan how to hide ²⁴  snares,

and boast, ²⁵  “Who will see them?” ²⁶ 

Mazmur 120:2-4

120:2 I said, ²⁷  “O Lord, rescue me ²⁸ 

from those who lie with their lips ²⁹ 

and those who deceive with their tongue. ³⁰ 

120:3 How will he severely punish you,

you deceptive talker? ³¹ 

120:4 Here’s how! ³²  With the sharp arrows of warriors,

with arrowheads forged over the hot coals. ³³ 

Mazmur 140:2-3

140:2 who plan ways to harm me. ³⁴ 

All day long they stir up conflict. ³⁵ 

140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; ³⁶ 

a viper’s ³⁷  venom is behind ³⁸  their lips. (Selah)

Yesaya 32:6

32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; ³⁹ 

his mind plans out sinful deeds. ⁴⁰ 

He commits godless deeds ⁴¹ 

and says misleading things about the Lord;

he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite ⁴² 

and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. ⁴³ 

Yesaya 59:4

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ⁴⁴ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ⁴⁵  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ⁴⁶ 

and give birth to sin.

Yesaya 59:14

59:14 Justice is driven back;

godliness ⁴⁷  stands far off.

Indeed, ⁴⁸  honesty stumbles in the city square

and morality is not even able to enter.

Yeremia 7:2-5

7:2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim ⁴⁹  this message: ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord. ⁵⁰  Hear what the Lord has to say. 7:3 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ⁵¹  says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. ⁵²  If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. ⁵³  7:4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, ⁵⁴  “We are safe! ⁵⁵  The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” ⁵⁶  7:5 You must change ⁵⁷  the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. ⁵⁸ 

Roma 3:10-14

3:10 just as it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one,

3:11 there is no one who understands,

there is no one who seeks God.

3:12 All have turned away,

together they have become worthless;

there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.” ⁵⁹ 

3:13 “Their throats are open graves, ⁶⁰ 

they deceive with their tongues,

the poison of asps is under their lips.” ⁶¹ 

3:14 “Their mouths are ⁶²  full of cursing and bitterness.” ⁶³ 

Yakobus 3:5-8

3:5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body, ⁶⁴  yet it has great pretensions. ⁶⁵  Think ⁶⁶  how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. 3:6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents ⁶⁷  the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It ⁶⁸  pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. ⁶⁹ 

3:7 For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature ⁷⁰  is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. ⁷¹  3:8 But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless ⁷²  evil, full of deadly poison.

[10:6]  ¹ tn Heb “he says in his heart/mind.”

[10:6]  ² tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.” The traditional accentuation of the MT understands these words with the following line.

[10:6]  ³ tn Heb “who, not in calamity.” If אֲשֶׁר (’asher) is taken as a relative pronoun here, then one could translate, “[I] who [am] not in calamity.” Some emend אֲשֶׁר to אֹשֶׁר (’osher, “happiness”; see HALOT 99 s.v. אֹשֶׁר); one might then translate, “[I live in] happiness, not in calamity.” The present translation assumes that אֲשֶׁר functions here as a causal conjunction, “because, for.” For this use of אֲשֶׁר, see BDB 83 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 8.c (where the present text is not cited).

[10:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “[with] a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”

[10:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.

[52:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”

[52:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “like a sharpened razor, doer of deceit.” The masculine participle עָשָׂה (’asah) is understood as a substantival vocative, addressed to the powerful man.

[52:3]  ⁸ tn Or “deceit more than speaking what is right.”

[52:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “you love all the words of swallowing.” Traditionally בַּלַּע (bala’) has been taken to mean “swallowing” in the sense of “devouring” or “destructive” (see BDB 118 s.v. בָּלַע). HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע proposes a homonym here, meaning “confusion.” This would fit the immediate context nicely and provide a close parallel to the following line, which refers to deceptive words.

[52:5]  ¹⁰ tn The adverb גַּם (gam, “also; even”) is translated here in an adversative sense (“yet”). It highlights the contrastive correspondence between the evildoer’s behavior and God’s response.

[52:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “will tear you down forever.”

[52:5]  ¹² tn This rare verb (חָתָה, khatah) occurs only here and in Prov 6:27; 25:22; Isa 30:14.

[52:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “from [your] tent.”

[53:1]  ¹⁴ sn Psalm 53. This psalm is very similar to Ps 14. The major difference comes in v. 5, which corresponds to, but differs quite a bit from, Ps 14:5-6, and in the use of the divine name. Ps 14 uses “the Lord” (יְהוָה, yÿhvah, “Yahweh”) in vv. 2a, 4, 6, and 7, while Ps 53 employs “God” (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) throughout, as one might expect in Pss 42-83, where the name “Yahweh” is relatively infrequent. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.

[53:1]  ¹⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מָחֲלַת (makhalat, “machalath”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term also appears in the heading of Ps 88.

[53:1]  ¹⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[53:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.

[53:1]  ¹⁸ sn There is no God. This statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).

[53:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they act corruptly, they do evil [with] injustice.” Ps 14:1 has עֲלִילָה (’alilah, “a deed”) instead of עָוֶל (’aval, “injustice”). The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.

[53:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[64:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[64:3]  ²² tn Heb “a bitter word.”

[64:5]  ²³ tn Heb “they give strength to themselves, an evil matter [or “word”].”

[64:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “they report about hiding.”

[64:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they say.”

[64:5]  ²⁶ tn If this is a direct quotation (cf. NASB, NIV), the pronoun “them” refers to the snares mentioned in the previous line. If it is an indirect quotation, then the pronoun may refer to the enemies themselves (cf. NEB, which is ambiguous). Some translations retain the direct quotation but alter the pronoun to “us,” referring clearly to the enemies (cf. NRSV).

[120:2]  ²⁷ tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the introductory note for this psalm.

[120:2]  ²⁸ tn Or “my life.”

[120:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “from a lip of falsehood.”

[120:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “from a tongue of deception.”

[120:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “What will he give to you, and what will he add to you, O tongue of deception?” The psalmist addresses his deceptive enemies. The Lord is the understood subject of the verbs “give” and “add.” The second part of the question echoes a standard curse formula, “thus the Lord/God will do … and thus he will add” (see Ruth 1:17; 1 Sam 3:17; 14:44; 20:13; 25:22; 2 Sam 3:9, 35; 19:13; 1 Kgs 2:23; 2 Kgs 6:31).

[120:4]  ³² tn The words “here’s how” are supplied in the translation as a clarification. In v. 4 the psalmist answers the question he raises in v. 3.

[120:4]  ³³ tn Heb “with coals of the wood of the broom plant.” The wood of the broom plant was used to make charcoal, which in turn was used to fuel the fire used to forge the arrowheads.

[140:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “they devise wicked [plans] in [their] mind.”

[140:2]  ³⁵ tc Heb “they attack [for] war.” Some revocalize the verb (which is a Qal imperfect from גּוּר, gur, “to attack”) as יְגָרוּ (yÿgaru), a Piel imperfect from גָרָה (garah, “stir up strife”). This is followed in the present translation.

[140:3]  ³⁶ tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”

[140:3]  ³⁷ tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.

[140:3]  ³⁸ tn Heb “under.”

[32:6]  ³⁹ tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.

[32:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”

[32:6]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”

[32:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”

[32:6]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”

[59:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”

[59:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”

[59:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”

[59:14]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”

[59:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).

[7:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Proclaim there…” The adverb is unnecessary in English style.

[7:2]  ⁵⁰ sn That is, all those who have passed through the gates of the outer court and are standing in the courtyard of the temple.

[7:3]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God Israel.”

[7:3]  sn Compare the use of similar titles in 2:19; 5:14; 6:6 and see the explanation in the study note at 2:19. In this instance the title appears to emphasize the Lord as the heavenly King who drags his disobedient vassals into court (and threatens them with judgment).

[7:3]  ⁵² tn Or “Make good your ways and your actions.” J. Bright’s translation (“Reform the whole pattern of your conduct”; Jeremiah [AB], 52) is excellent.

[7:3]  ⁵³ tn Heb “place” but this might be misunderstood to refer to the temple.

[7:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “Stop trusting in lying words which say.”

[7:4]  ⁵⁵ tn The words “We are safe!” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[7:4]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these (i.e., these buildings).” Elsewhere triple repetition seems to mark a kind of emphasis (cf. Isa 6:3; Jer 22:29; Ezek 21:27 [32 HT]). The triple repetition that follows seems to be Jeremiah’s way of mocking the (false) sense of security that people had in the invincibility of Jerusalem because God dwelt in the temple. They appeared to be treating the temple as some kind of magical charm. A similar feeling had grown up around the ark in the time of the judges (cf. 1 Sam 3:3) and the temple and city of Jerusalem in Micah’s day (cf. Mic 3:11). It is reflected also in some of the Psalms (cf., e.g., Ps 46, especially v. 5).

[7:5]  ⁵⁷ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[7:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “you must do justice between a person and his fellow/neighbor.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[3:12]  ⁵⁹ sn Verses 10-12 are a quotation from Ps 14:1-3.

[3:13]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “their throat is an opened grave.”

[3:13]  ⁶¹ sn A quotation from Pss 5:9; 140:3.

[3:14]  ⁶² tn Grk “whose mouth is.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:14]  ⁶³ sn A quotation from Ps 10:7.

[3:5]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “a small member.”

[3:5]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “boasts of great things.”

[3:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “Behold.”

[3:6]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “makes itself,” “is made.”

[3:6]  ⁶⁸ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:6]  ⁶⁹ sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).

[3:7]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk (plurals), “every kind of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures.”

[3:7]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “the human species.”

[3:8]  ⁷² tc Most mss (C Ψ 1739^c Ï as well as a few versions and fathers) read “uncontrollable” (ἀκατασχετόν, akatasceton), while the most important witnesses (א A B K P 1739* latt) have “restless” (ἀκατάστατον, akatastaton). Externally, the latter reading should be preferred. Internally, however, things get a bit more complex. The notion of being uncontrollable is well suited to the context, especially as a counterbalance to v. 8a, though for this very reason scribes may have been tempted to replace ἀκατάστατον with ἀκατασχετόν. However, in a semantically parallel early Christian text, ἀκατάστατος (akatastato") was considered strong enough of a term to denounce slander as “a restless demon” (Herm. 27:3). On the other hand, ἀκατάστατον may have been substituted for ἀκατασχετόν by way of assimilation to 1:8 (especially since both words were relatively rare, scribes may have replaced the less familiar with one that was already used in this letter). On internal evidence, it is difficult to decide, though ἀκατασχετόν is slightly preferred. However, in light of the strong support for ἀκατάστατον, and the less-than-decisive internal evidence, ἀκατάστατον is preferred instead.