Yehezkiel 7:23

7:23 (Make the chain, ¹  because the land is full of murder ²  and the city is full of violence.)

Yehezkiel 22:2-12

22:2 “As for you, son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment, ³  are you willing to pronounce judgment on the bloody city? ⁴  Then confront her with all her abominable deeds! 22:3 Then say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: O city, who spills blood within herself (which brings on her doom), ⁵  and who makes herself idols (which results in impurity), 22:4 you are guilty because of the blood you shed and defiled by the idols you made. You have hastened the day of your doom; ⁶  the end of your years has come. ⁷  Therefore I will make ⁸  you an object of scorn to the nations, an object to be mocked by all lands. 22:5 Those both near and far from you will mock you, you with your bad reputation, ⁹  full of turmoil.

22:6 “‘See how each of the princes of Israel living within you has used his authority to shed blood. ¹⁰  22:7 They have treated father and mother with contempt ¹¹  within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow ¹²  within you. 22:8 You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths! 22:9 Slanderous men shed blood within you. ¹³  Those who live within you eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains; ¹⁴  they commit obscene acts among you. ¹⁵  22:10 They have sex with their father’s wife within you; ¹⁶  they violate women during their menstrual period within you. ¹⁷  22:11 One ¹⁸  commits an abominable act with his neighbor’s wife; another obscenely defiles his daughter-in-law; another violates ¹⁹  his sister – his father’s daughter ²⁰  – within you. 22:12 They take bribes within you to shed blood. You engage in usury and charge interest; ²¹  you extort money from your neighbors. You have forgotten me, ²²  declares the sovereign Lord. ²³ 

Yehezkiel 22:25-31

22:25 Her princes ²⁴  within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they have devoured lives. They take away riches and valuable things; they have made many women widows ²⁵  within it. 22:26 Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, ²⁶  or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. They ignore ²⁷  my Sabbaths and I am profaned in their midst. 22:27 Her officials are like wolves in her midst rending their prey – shedding blood and destroying lives – so they can get dishonest profit. 22:28 Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash. ²⁸  They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 22:29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the foreigner who lives among them and denied them justice. ²⁹ 

22:30 “I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. ³⁰  22:31 So I have poured my anger on them, and destroyed them with the fire of my fury. I hereby repay them for what they have done, ³¹  declares the sovereign Lord.”

Ulangan 31:29

31:29 For I know that after I die you will totally ³²  corrupt yourselves and turn away from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in the days to come because you will act wickedly ³³  before the Lord, inciting him to anger because of your actions.” ³⁴ 

Ulangan 32:5

32:5 His people have been unfaithful ³⁵  to him;

they have not acted like his children ³⁶  – this is their sin. ³⁷ 

They are a perverse ³⁸  and deceitful generation.

Ulangan 32:15-22

Israel’s Rebellion

32:15 But Jeshurun ³⁹  became fat and kicked,

you ⁴⁰  got fat, thick, and stuffed!

Then he deserted the God who made him,

and treated the Rock who saved him with contempt.

32:16 They made him jealous with other gods, ⁴¹ 

they enraged him with abhorrent idols. ⁴² 

32:17 They sacrificed to demons, not God,

to gods they had not known;

to new gods who had recently come along,

gods your ancestors ⁴³  had not known about.

32:18 You have forgotten ⁴⁴  the Rock who fathered you,

and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.

A Word of Judgment

32:19 But the Lord took note and despised them

because his sons and daughters enraged him.

32:20 He said, “I will reject them, ⁴⁵ 

I will see what will happen to them;

for they are a perverse generation,

children ⁴⁶  who show no loyalty.

32:21 They have made me jealous ⁴⁷  with false gods, ⁴⁸ 

enraging me with their worthless gods; ⁴⁹ 

so I will make them jealous with a people they do not recognize, ⁵⁰ 

with a nation slow to learn ⁵¹  I will enrage them.

32:22 For a fire has been kindled by my anger,

and it burns to lowest Sheol; ⁵² 

it consumes the earth and its produce,

and ignites the foundations of the mountains.

Ulangan 32:2

32:2 My teaching will drop like the rain,

my sayings will drip like the dew, ⁵³ 

as rain drops upon the grass,

and showers upon new growth.

Kisah Para Rasul 17:7-23

17:7 and ⁵⁴  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ⁵⁵  are all acting against Caesar’s ⁵⁶  decrees, saying there is another king named ⁵⁷  Jesus!” ⁵⁸  17:8 They caused confusion among ⁵⁹  the crowd and the city officials ⁶⁰  who heard these things. 17:9 After ⁶¹  the city officials ⁶²  had received bail ⁶³  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ⁶⁴  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ⁶⁵  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ⁶⁶  17:11 These Jews ⁶⁷  were more open-minded ⁶⁸  than those in Thessalonica, ⁶⁹  for they eagerly ⁷⁰  received ⁷¹  the message, examining ⁷²  the scriptures carefully every day ⁷³  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ⁷⁴  prominent ⁷⁵  Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ⁷⁶  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ⁷⁷  in Berea, ⁷⁸  they came there too, inciting ⁷⁹  and disturbing ⁸⁰  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ⁸¹  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ⁸²  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ⁸³  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ⁸⁴ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ⁸⁵  his spirit was greatly upset ⁸⁶  because he saw ⁸⁷  the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing ⁸⁸  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ⁸⁹  in the synagogue, ⁹⁰  and in the marketplace every day ⁹¹  those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ⁹²  and Stoic ⁹³  philosophers were conversing ⁹⁴  with him, and some were asking, ⁹⁵  “What does this foolish babbler ⁹⁶  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ⁹⁷  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ⁹⁸  17:19 So they took Paul and ⁹⁹  brought him to the Areopagus, ¹⁰⁰  saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things ¹⁰¹  to our ears, so we want to know what they ¹⁰²  mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time ¹⁰³  in nothing else than telling ¹⁰⁴  or listening to something new.) ¹⁰⁵ 

17:22 So Paul stood ¹⁰⁶  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ¹⁰⁷  in all respects. ¹⁰⁸  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ¹⁰⁹  I even found an altar with this inscription: ¹¹⁰  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ¹¹¹  this I proclaim to you.

Kisah Para Rasul 17:2

17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ¹¹²  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ¹¹³  them from the scriptures,

Kisah Para Rasul 1:14-16

1:14 All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. ¹¹⁴  1:15 In those days ¹¹⁵  Peter stood up among the believers ¹¹⁶  (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty people) and said, 1:16 “Brothers, ¹¹⁷  the scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through ¹¹⁸  David concerning Judas – who became the guide for those who arrested Jesus –

Yesaya 1:4

1:4 ¹¹⁹ The sinful nation is as good as dead, ¹²⁰ 

the people weighed down by evil deeds.

They are offspring who do wrong,

children ¹²¹  who do wicked things.

They have abandoned the Lord,

and rejected the Holy One of Israel. ¹²² 

They are alienated from him. ¹²³ 

Yesaya 59:2-8

59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;

your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. ¹²⁴ 

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ¹²⁵ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ¹²⁶  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ¹²⁷ 

and give birth to sin.

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake

and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

a poisonous snake is hatched. ¹²⁸ 

59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are sinful;

they commit violent crimes. ¹²⁹ 

59:7 They are eager to do evil, ¹³⁰ 

quick to shed innocent blood. ¹³¹ 

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy. ¹³² 

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ¹³³ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ¹³⁴ 

Yesaya 59:12-15

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, ¹³⁵ 

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well. ¹³⁶ 

59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up ¹³⁷  oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds. ¹³⁸ 

59:14 Justice is driven back;

godliness ¹³⁹  stands far off.

Indeed, ¹⁴⁰  honesty stumbles in the city square

and morality is not even able to enter.

59:15 Honesty has disappeared;

the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.

The Lord watches and is displeased, ¹⁴¹ 

for there is no justice.

Yeremia 5:1-9

Judah is Justly Deserving of Coming Judgment

5:1 The Lord said, ¹⁴² 

“Go up and down ¹⁴³  through the streets of Jerusalem. ¹⁴⁴ 

Look around and see for yourselves.

Search through its public squares.

See if any of you can find a single person

who deals honestly and tries to be truthful. ¹⁴⁵ 

If you can, ¹⁴⁶  then I will not punish this city. ¹⁴⁷ 

5:2 These people make promises in the name of the Lord. ¹⁴⁸ 

But the fact is, ¹⁴⁹  what they swear to is really a lie.” ¹⁵⁰ 

5:3 Lord, I know you look for faithfulness. ¹⁵¹ 

But even when you punish these people, they feel no remorse. ¹⁵² 

Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be corrected.

They have become as hardheaded as a rock. ¹⁵³ 

They refuse to change their ways. ¹⁵⁴ 

5:4 I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. ¹⁵⁵ 

They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands. ¹⁵⁶ 

They do not know what their God requires of them. ¹⁵⁷ 

5:5 I will go to the leaders ¹⁵⁸ 

and speak with them.

Surely they know what the Lord demands. ¹⁵⁹ 

Surely they know what their God requires of them.” ¹⁶⁰ 

Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority

and refuse to submit to him. ¹⁶¹ 

5:6 So like a lion from the thicket their enemies will kill them.

Like a wolf from the desert they will destroy them.

Like a leopard they will lie in wait outside their cities

and totally destroy anyone who ventures out. ¹⁶² 

For they have rebelled so much

and done so many unfaithful things. ¹⁶³ 

5:7 The Lord asked, ¹⁶⁴ 

“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem? ¹⁶⁵ 

Your people ¹⁶⁶  have rejected me

and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all. ¹⁶⁷ 

Even though I supplied all their needs, ¹⁶⁸  they were like an unfaithful wife to me. ¹⁶⁹ 

They went flocking ¹⁷⁰  to the houses of prostitutes. ¹⁷¹ 

5:8 They are like lusty, well-fed ¹⁷²  stallions.

Each of them lusts after ¹⁷³  his neighbor’s wife.

5:9 I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.

“I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!” ¹⁷⁴ 

Yeremia 7:8-9

7:8 “‘But just look at you! ¹⁷⁵  You are putting your confidence in a false belief ¹⁷⁶  that will not deliver you. ¹⁷⁷  7:9 You steal. ¹⁷⁸  You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to ¹⁷⁹  other gods whom you have not previously known.

Mikha 3:9-12

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family ¹⁸⁰  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ¹⁸¹  of Israel!

You ¹⁸²  hate justice

and pervert all that is right.

3:10 You ¹⁸³  build Zion through bloody crimes, ¹⁸⁴ 

Jerusalem ¹⁸⁵  through unjust violence.

3:11 Her ¹⁸⁶  leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, ¹⁸⁷ 

her priests proclaim rulings for profit,

and her prophets read omens for pay.

Yet they claim to trust ¹⁸⁸  the Lord and say,

“The Lord is among us. ¹⁸⁹ 

Disaster will not overtake ¹⁹⁰  us!”

3:12 Therefore, because of you, ¹⁹¹  Zion will be plowed up like ¹⁹²  a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,

and the Temple Mount ¹⁹³  will become a hill overgrown with brush! ¹⁹⁴ 

Zefanya 3:1-4

Jerusalem is Corrupt

3:1 The filthy, ¹⁹⁵  stained city is as good as dead;

the city filled with oppressors is finished! ¹⁹⁶ 

3:2 She is disobedient; ¹⁹⁷ 

she refuses correction. ¹⁹⁸ 

She does not trust the Lord;

she does not seek the advice of ¹⁹⁹  her God.

3:3 Her princes ²⁰⁰  are as fierce as roaring lions; ²⁰¹ 

her rulers ²⁰²  are as hungry as wolves in the desert, ²⁰³ 

who completely devour their prey by morning. ²⁰⁴ 

3:4 Her prophets are proud; ²⁰⁵ 

they are deceitful men.

Her priests defile what is holy; ²⁰⁶ 

they break God’s laws. ²⁰⁷ 

[7:23]  ¹ tc The Hebrew word “the chain” occurs only here in the OT. The reading of the LXX (“and they will make carnage”) seems to imply a Hebrew text of ַהבַּתּוֹק (habbattoq, “disorder, slaughter”) instead of הָרַתּוֹק (haratoq, “the chain”). The LXX is also translating the verb as a third person plural future and taking this as the end of the preceding verse. As M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:154) notes, this may refer to a chain for a train of exiles but “the context does not speak of exile but of the city’s fall. The versions guess desperately and we can do little better.”

[7:23]  ² tn Heb “judgment for blood,” i.e., indictment or accountability for bloodshed. The word for “judgment” does not appear in the similar phrase in 9:9.

[22:2]  ³ tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment upon the city. See 20:4.

[22:2]  ⁴ tn The phrase “bloody city” is used of Nineveh in Nah 3:1.

[22:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “her time”; this refers to the time of impending judgment (see the note on “doom” in v. 4).

[22:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “you have brought near your days.” The expression “bring near your days” appears to be an adaptation of the idiom “days draw near,” which is used to indicate that an event, such as death, is imminent (see Gen 27:41; 47:29; Deut 31:14; 1 Kgs 2:1; Ezek 12:23). Here “your days” probably refers to the days of the personified city’s life, which was about to come to an end through God’s judgment.

[22:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and you have come to your years.” This appears to mean that she has arrived at the time when her years (i.e., life) would end, though it may mean that her years of punishment will begin. Because “day” and “time” are so closely associated in the immediate context (see 21:25, 29) some prefer to emend the text and read “you have brought near your time.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:31, as well as the translator’s note on verse 3.

[22:4]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew verb is a prophetic perfect, emphasizing that the action is as good as done from the speaker’s perspective.

[22:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “unclean of name.”

[22:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Look! The princes of Israel, each according to his arm, were in you in order to shed blood.”

[22:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”

[22:7]  ¹² tn Widows and orphans are often coupled together in the OT (Deut 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Jer 7:6; 22:3). They represented all who were poor and vulnerable to economic exploitation.

[22:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “men of slander are in you in order to shed blood.”

[22:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and on the mountains they eat within you.” The mountains mentioned here were the site of pagan sacrifices. See 18:6.

[22:9]  ¹⁵ sn This statement introduces vv. 10-11 and refers in general terms to the sexual sins described there. For the legal background of vv. 10-11, see Lev 18:7-20; 20:10-21; Deut 22:22-23, 30; 27:22.

[22:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the nakedness of a father one uncovers within you.” The ancient versions read the verb as plural (“they uncover”). If the singular is retained, it must be taken as indefinite and representative of the entire group. The idiomatic expression “uncover the nakedness” refers here to sexual intercourse (cf. Lev 18:6). To uncover a father’s nakedness could include sexual relations with one’s own mother (Lev 18:7), but more likely it refers to having intercourse with another wife of one’s father, such as a stepmother (Lev 18:8; cf. Gen 35:22; 49:4).

[22:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “(one who is) unclean due to the impurity they humble within you.” The use of the verb “to humble” suggests that these men forced themselves upon women during menstruation. Having sexual relations with a woman during her period was forbidden by the Law (Lev 18:19; 20:18).

[22:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a man.”

[22:11]  ¹⁹ tn The verb is the same one used in verse 10b and suggests forcible sexual violation of the woman.

[22:11]  ²⁰ sn Sexual relations with one’s half-sister may be primarily in view here. See Lev 18:9; 20:17.

[22:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “usury and interest you take.” See 18:13, 17. This kind of economic exploitation violated the law given in Lev 25:36.

[22:12]  ²² sn Forgetting the Lord is also addressed in Deut 6:12; 8:11, 14; Jer 3:21; 13:25; Ezek 23:35; Hos 2:15; 8:14; 13:6.

[22:12]  ²³ tn The second person verb forms are feminine singular in Hebrew, indicating that the personified city is addressed here as representing its citizens.

[22:25]  ²⁴ tn Heb “a conspiracy of her prophets is in her midst.” The LXX reads “whose princes” rather than “a conspiracy of prophets.” The prophets are mentioned later in the paragraph (v. 28). If one follows the LXX in verse 25, then five distinct groups are mentioned in vv. 25-29: princes, priests, officials, prophets, and the people of the land. For a defense of the Septuagintal reading, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:720, n. 4.

[22:25]  ²⁵ tn Heb “her widows they have multiplied.” The statement alludes to their murderous acts.

[22:26]  ²⁶ tn Or “between the consecrated and the common.”

[22:26]  ²⁷ tn Heb “hide their eyes from.” The idiom means to disregard or ignore something or someone (see Lev 20:4; 1 Sam 12:3; Prov 28:27; Isa 1:15).

[22:28]  ²⁸ tn Heb “her prophets coat for themselves with whitewash.” The expression may be based on Ezek 13:10-15.

[22:29]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and the foreigner they have oppressed without justice.”

[22:30]  ³⁰ tn Heb “I did not find.”

[22:31]  ³¹ tn Heb “their way on their head I have placed.”

[31:29]  ³² tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “totally.”

[31:29]  ³³ tn Heb “do the evil.”

[31:29]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the work of your hands.”

[32:5]  ³⁵ tc The 3rd person masculine singular שָׁחַת (shakhat) is rendered as 3rd person masculine plural by Smr, a reading supported by the plural suffix on מוּם (mum, “defect”) as well as the plural of בֵּן (ben, “sons”).

[32:5]  tn Heb “have acted corruptly” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); NRSV “have dealt falsely.”

[32:5]  ³⁶ tn Heb “(they are) not his sons.”

[32:5]  ³⁷ tn Heb “defect” (so NASB). This highly elliptical line suggests that Israel’s major fault was its failure to act like God’s people; in fact, they acted quite the contrary.

[32:5]  ³⁸ tn Heb “twisted,” “crooked.” See Ps 18:26.

[32:15]  ³⁹ tn To make the continuity of the referent clear, some English versions substitute “Jacob” here (NAB, NRSV) while others replace “Jeshurun” with “Israel” (NCV, CEV, NLT) or “the Lord’s people” (TEV).

[32:15]  sn Jeshurun is a term of affection derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). Here it speaks of Israel “in an ideal situation, with its ‘uprightness’ due more to God’s help than his own efforts” (M. Mulder, TDOT 6:475).

[32:15]  ⁴⁰ tc The LXX reads the third person masculine singular (“he”) for the MT second person masculine singular (“you”), but such alterations are unnecessary in Hebrew poetic texts where subjects fluctuate frequently and without warning.

[32:16]  ⁴¹ tc Heb “with strange (things).” The Vulgate actually supplies diis (“gods”).

[32:16]  ⁴² tn Heb “abhorrent (things)” (cf. NRSV). A number of English versions understand this as referring to “idols” (NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV), while NLT supplies “acts.”

[32:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “your fathers.”

[32:18]  ⁴⁴ tc The Hebrew text is corrupt here; the translation follows the suggestion offered in HALOT 1477 s.v. שׁיה. Cf. NASB, NLT “You neglected”; NIV “You deserted”; NRSV “You were unmindful of.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “I will hide my face from them.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “sons” (so NAB, NASB); TEV “unfaithful people.”

[32:21]  ⁴⁷ sn They have made me jealous. The “jealousy” of God is not a spirit of pettiness prompted by his insecurity, but righteous indignation caused by the disloyalty of his people to his covenant grace (see note on the word “God” in Deut 4:24). The jealousy of Israel, however (see next line), will be envy because of God’s lavish attention to another nation. This is an ironic wordplay. See H. Peels, NIDOTTE 3:938-39.

[32:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “what is not a god,” or a “nondeity.”

[32:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “their empty (things).” The Hebrew term used here to refer pejoratively to the false gods is הֶבֶל (hevel, “futile” or “futility”), used frequently in Ecclesiastes (e.g., Eccl 1:1, “Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher, “Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”).

[32:21]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “what is not a people,” or a “nonpeople.” The “nonpeople” (לֹא־עָם, lo’-’am) referred to here are Gentiles who someday would become God’s people in the fullest sense (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:23).

[32:21]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “a foolish nation” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV); NIV “a nation that has no understanding”; NLT “I will provoke their fury by blessing the foolish Gentiles.”

[32:22]  ⁵² tn Or “to the lowest depths of the earth”; cf. NAB “to the depths of the nether world”; NIV “to the realm of death below”; NLT “to the depths of the grave.”

[32:22]  sn Sheol refers here not to hell and hell-fire – a much later concept – but to the innermost parts of the earth, as low down as one could get. The parallel with “the foundations of the mountains” makes this clear (cf. Pss 9:17; 16:10; 139:8; Isa 14:9, 15; Amos 9:2).

[32:2]  ⁵³ tn Or “mist,” “light drizzle.” In some contexts the term appears to refer to light rain, rather than dew.

[17:7]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.

[17:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[17:7]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ⁵⁷ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ⁵⁸ sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.

[17:8]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.

[17:8]  ⁶⁰ tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official.’”

[17:9]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[17:9]  ⁶² tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:9]  ⁶³ tn That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.

[17:10]  ⁶⁴ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica.

[17:10]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:10]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.

[17:10]  ⁶⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:11]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

[17:11]  ⁶⁹ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:11]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

[17:11]  ⁷² tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ⁷³ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:12]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “respected.”

[17:13]  ⁷⁶ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:13]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “that the word of God had also been proclaimed by Paul.” This passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:13]  ⁷⁸ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.

[17:13]  ⁷⁹ tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.

[17:13]  sn Inciting. Ironically, it was the Jews who were disturbing the peace, not the Christians.

[17:13]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

[17:14]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “to the sea.” Here ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ({ew" epi thn qalassan) must mean “to the edge of the sea,” that is, “to the coast.” Since there is no mention of Paul taking a ship to Athens, he presumably traveled overland. The journey would have been about 340 mi (550 km).

[17:14]  ⁸² tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ⁸³ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:15]  ⁸⁴ sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

[17:16]  ⁸⁵ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:16]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “greatly upset within him,” but the words “within him” were not included in the translation because they are redundant in English. See L&N 88.189. The term could also be rendered “infuriated.”

[17:16]  sn His spirit was greatly upset. See Rom 1:18-32 for Paul’s feelings about idolatry. Yet he addressed both Jews and Gentiles with tact and reserve.

[17:16]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.

[17:17]  ⁸⁸ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:17. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[17:17]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “and the devout,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4.

[17:17]  ⁹⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ⁹¹ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:18]  ⁹² sn An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300 b.c. Although the Epicureans saw the aim of life as pleasure, they were not strictly hedonists, because they defined pleasure as the absence of pain. Along with this, they desired the avoidance of trouble and freedom from annoyances. They saw organized religion as evil, especially the belief that the gods punished evildoers in an afterlife. In keeping with this, they were unable to accept Paul’s teaching about the resurrection.

[17:18]  ⁹³ sn A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270 b.c.), a Phoenician who came to Athens and modified the philosophical system of the Cynics he found there. The Stoics rejected the Epicurean ideal of pleasure, stressing virtue instead. The Stoics emphasized responsibility for voluntary actions and believed risks were worth taking, but thought the actual attainment of virtue was difficult. They also believed in providence.

[17:18]  ⁹⁴ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

[17:18]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “saying.”

[17:18]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος (spermologo") is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος: “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”

[17:18]  ⁹⁷ tn The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων (daimoniwn, “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.

[17:18]  ⁹⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[17:19]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:19]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.

[17:19]  sn The Areopagus has been traditionally understood as reference to a rocky hill near the Acropolis in Athens, although this place may well have been located in the marketplace at the foot of the hill (L&N 93.412; BDAG 129 s.v. ῎Αρειος πάγος). This term does not refer so much to the place, however, as to the advisory council of Athens known as the Areopagus, which dealt with ethical, cultural, and religious matters, including the supervision of education and controlling the many visiting lecturers. Thus it could be translated the council of the Areopagus. See also the term in v. 22.

[17:20]  ¹⁰¹ tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”

[17:20]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “these things”; but since the referent (“surprising things”) is so close, the repetition of “these things” sounds redundant in English, so the pronoun “they” was substituted in the translation.

[17:21]  ¹⁰³ tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

[17:21]  ¹⁰⁴ tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”

[17:21]  ¹⁰⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.

[17:22]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The term δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (deisidaimonesterou") is difficult. On the one hand it can have the positive sense of “devout,” but on the other hand it can have the negative sense of “superstitious” (BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαίμων). As part of a laudatory introduction (the technical rhetorical term for this introduction was capatatio), the term is probably positive here. It may well be a “backhanded” compliment, playing on the ambiguity.

[17:22]  ¹⁰⁸ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[17:23]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).

[17:23]  ¹¹¹ tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.

[17:2]  ¹¹² tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:2]  ¹¹³ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:2. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[1:14]  ¹¹⁴ sn Jesus’ brothers are mentioned in Matt 13:55 and John 7:3.

[1:15]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “And in those days.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:15]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “brethren” (but the term includes both male and female believers present in this gathering, as indicated by those named in vv. 13-14).

[1:16]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “Men brothers.” In light of the compound phrase ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί (andre" adelfoi, “Men brothers”) Peter’s words are best understood as directly addressed to the males present, possibly referring specifically to the twelve (really ten at this point – eleven minus the speaker, Peter) mentioned by name in v. 13.

[1:16]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “foretold by the mouth of.”

[1:4]  ¹¹⁹ sn Having summoned the witnesses and announced the Lord’s accusation against Israel, Isaiah mourns the nation’s impending doom. The third person references to the Lord in the second half of the verse suggest that the quotation from the Lord (cf. vv. 2-3) has concluded.

[1:4]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “Woe [to the] sinful nation.” The Hebrew term הוֹי, (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death. In highly dramatic fashion the prophet acts out Israel’s funeral in advance, emphasizing that their demise is inevitable if they do not repent soon.

[1:4]  ¹²¹ tn Or “sons” (NASB). The prophet contrasts four terms of privilege – nation, people, offspring, children – with four terms that depict Israel’s sinful condition in Isaiah’s day – sinful, evil, wrong, wicked (see J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 43).

[1:4]  ¹²² sn Holy One of Israel is one of Isaiah’s favorite divine titles for God. It pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.

[1:4]  ¹²³ tn Heb “they are estranged backward.” The LXX omits this statement, which presents syntactical problems and seems to be outside the synonymous parallelistic structure of the verse.

[59:2]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”

[59:4]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”

[59:4]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”

[59:4]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”

[59:5]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”

[59:6]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”

[59:7]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”

[59:7]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”

[59:7]  ¹³² tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”

[59:8]  ¹³³ tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”

[59:8]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”

[59:12]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”

[59:12]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”

[59:13]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[59:13]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”

[59:14]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”

[59:14]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).

[59:15]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”

[5:1]  ¹⁴² tn These words are not in the text, but since the words at the end are obviously those of the Lord, they are supplied in the translation here to mark the shift in speaker from 4:29-31 where Jeremiah is the obvious speaker.

[5:1]  ¹⁴³ tn It is not clear who is being addressed here. The verbs are plural so they are not addressed to Jeremiah per se. Since the passage is talking about the people of Jerusalem, it is unlikely they are addressed here except perhaps rhetorically. Some have suggested that the heavenly court is being addressed here as in Job 1:6-8; 2:1-3. It is clear from Jer 23:18, 22; Amos 3:7 that the prophets had access to this heavenly counsel through visions (cf. 1 Kgs 22:19-23), so Jeremiah could have been privy to this speech through that means. Though these are the most likely addressee, it is too presumptuous to supply such an explicit addressee without clearer indication in the text. The translation will just have to run the risk of the probable erroneous assumption by most English readers that the addressee is Jeremiah.

[5:1]  ¹⁴⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:1]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “who does justice and seeks faithfulness.”

[5:1]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “squares. If you can find…if there is one person…then I will…”

[5:1]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “forgive [or pardon] it.”

[5:2]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “Though they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives.” The idea of “swear on oath” comes from the second line.

[5:2]  ¹⁴⁹ tc The translation follows many Hebrew mss and the Syriac version in reading “surely” (אָכֵן, ’akhen) instead of “therefore” (לָכֵן, lakhen) in the MT.

[5:2]  tn Heb “Surely.”

[5:2]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “they swear falsely.”

[5:3]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “O Lord, are your eyes not to faithfulness?” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.

[5:3]  ¹⁵² tn Commentaries and lexicons debate the meaning of the verb here. The MT is pointed as though from a verb meaning “to writhe in anguish or contrition” (חוּל [khul]; see, e.g., BDB 297 s.v. חוּל 2.c), but some commentaries and lexicons repoint the text as though from a verb meaning “to be sick,” thus “to feel pain” (חָלָה [khalah]; see, e.g., HALOT 304 s.v. חָלָה 3). The former appears more appropriate to the context.

[5:3]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “They made their faces as hard as a rock.”

[5:3]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “to repent”; Heb “to turn back.”

[5:4]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “Surely they are poor.” The translation is intended to make clear the explicit contrasts and qualifications drawn in this verse and the next.

[5:4]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

[5:4]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

[5:5]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”

[5:5]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

[5:5]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

[5:5]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Compare Jer 2:20 and the note there.

[5:6]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “So a lion from the thicket will kill them. A wolf from the desert will destroy them. A leopard will watch outside their cities. Anyone who goes out from them will be torn in pieces.” However, it is unlikely that, in the context of judgment that Jeremiah has previously been describing, literal lions are meant. The animals are metaphorical for their enemies. Compare Jer 4:7.

[5:6]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “their rebellions are so many and their unfaithful acts so numerous.”

[5:7]  ¹⁶⁴ tn These words are not in the text, but are supplied in the translation to make clear who is speaking.

[5:7]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “How can I forgive [or pardon] you.” The pronoun “you” is second feminine singular, referring to the city. See v. 1.

[5:7]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “your children.”

[5:7]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “and they have sworn [oaths] by not-gods.”

[5:7]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “I satisfied them to the full.”

[5:7]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “they committed adultery.” It is difficult to decide whether literal adultery with other women or spiritual adultery with other gods is meant. The word for adultery is used for both in the book of Jeremiah. For examples of its use for spiritual adultery see 3:8, 9; 9:2. For examples of its use for literal adultery see 7:9; 23:14. The context here could argue for either. The swearing by other gods and the implicit contradiction in their actions in contrast to the expected gratitude for supplying their needs argues for spiritual adultery. However, the reference to prostitution in the next line and the reference to chasing after their neighbor’s wives argues for literal adultery. The translation opts for spiritual adultery because of the contrast implicit in the concessive clause.

[5:7]  ¹⁷⁰ tn There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of this word. Most of the modern English versions follow the lead of lexicographers who relate this word to a noun meaning “troop” and understand it to mean “they trooped together” (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.2 and compare the usage in Mic 5:1 [4:14 HT]). A few of the modern English versions and commentaries follow the reading of the Greek and read a word meaning “they lodged” (reading ִיתְגּוֹרְרוּ [yitggorÿru] from I גּוּר [gur; cf. HALOT 177 s.v. Hithpo. and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 17:20] instead of יִתְגֹּדָדוּ [yitggodadu]). W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:180) sees a reference here to the cultic practice of cutting oneself in supplication to pagan gods (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.1 and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 18:28). The houses of prostitutes would then be a reference to ritual prostitutes at the pagan shrines. The translation follows BDB and the majority of modern English versions.

[5:7]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “to a house of a prostitute.”

[5:7]  sn This could be a reference to cultic temple prostitution connected with the pagan shrines. For allusion to this in the OT, see, e.g., Deut 23:17 and 2 Kgs 23:7.

[5:8]  ¹⁷² tn The meanings of these two adjectives are uncertain. The translation of the first adjective is based on assuming that the word is a defectively written participle related to the noun “testicle” (a Hiphil participle מַאֲשִׁכִים [ma’ashikhim] from a verb related to אֶשֶׁךְ [’eshekh, “testicle”]; cf. Lev 21:20) and hence “having testicles” (cf. HALOT 1379 s.v. שָׁכָה) instead of the Masoretic form מַשְׁכִּים (mashkim) from a root שָׁכָה (shakhah), which is otherwise unattested in either verbal or nominal forms. The second adjective is best derived from a verb root meaning “to feed” (a Hophal participle מוּזָנִים [muzanim, the Kethib] from a root זוּן [zun; cf. BDB 266 s.v. זוּן] for which there is the cognate noun מָזוֹן [mazon; cf. 2 Chr 11:23]). This is more likely than the derivation from a root יָזַן ([yazan]reading מְיֻזָּנִים [mÿyuzzanim], a Pual participle with the Qere) which is otherwise unattested in verbal or nominal forms and whose meaning is dependent only on a supposed Arabic cognate (cf. HALOT 387 s.v. יָזַן).

[5:8]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “neighs after.”

[5:9]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “Should I not punish them…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions have the force of strong declarations.

[7:8]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “Behold!”

[7:8]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “You are trusting in lying words.” See the similar phrase in v. 4 and the note there.

[7:8]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “not profit [you].”

[7:9]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.

[7:9]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[3:9]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).

[3:10]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “who.”

[3:10]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “bloodshed” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NLT “murder.”

[3:10]  ¹⁸⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:11]  ¹⁸⁶ sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).

[3:11]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”

[3:11]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”

[3:11]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “Is not the Lord in our midst?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he is!”

[3:11]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”

[3:12]  ¹⁹¹ tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.

[3:12]  ¹⁹² tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).

[3:12]  ¹⁹³ tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[3:12]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”

[3:1]  ¹⁹⁵ tn The present translation assumes מֹרְאָה (mor’ah) is derived from רֹאִי (ro’i,“excrement”; see Jastrow 1436 s.v. רֳאִי). The following participle, “stained,” supports this interpretation (cf. NEB “filthy and foul”; NRSV “soiled, defiled”). Another option is to derive the form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”); in this case the term should be translated “rebellious” (cf. NASB, NIV “rebellious and defiled”). This idea is supported by v. 2. For discussion of the two options, see HALOT 630 s.v. I מרא and J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 206.

[3:1]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “Woe, soiled and stained one, oppressive city.” The verb “is finished” is supplied in the second line. On the Hebrew word הוֹי (hoy, “ah, woe”), see the note on the word “dead” in 2:5.

[3:1]  sn The following verses show that Jerusalem, personified as a woman (“she”), is the referent.

[3:2]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “she does not hear a voice” Refusing to listen is equated with disobedience.

[3:2]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “she does not receive correction.” The Hebrew phrase, when negated, refers elsewhere to rejecting verbal advice (Jer 17:23; 32:33; 35:13) and refusing to learn from experience (Jer 2:30; 5:3).

[3:2]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “draw near to.” The present translation assumes that the expression “draw near to” refers to seeking God’s will (see 1 Sam 14:36).

[3:3]  ²⁰⁰ tn Or “officials.”

[3:3]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ²⁰² tn Traditionally “judges.”

[3:3]  ²⁰³ tn Heb “her judges [are] wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 128. The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as hungry as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “they do not gnaw [a bone] at morning.” The precise meaning of the line is unclear. The statement may mean these wolves devour their prey so completely that not even a bone is left to gnaw by the time morning arrives. For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 129.

[3:4]  ²⁰⁵ sn Applied to prophets, the word פֹּחֲזִים (pokhazim, “proud”) probably refers to their audacity in passing off their own words as genuine prophecies from the Lord (see Jer 23:32).

[3:4]  ²⁰⁶ tn Or “defile the temple.”

[3:4]  sn These priests defile what is holy by not observing the proper distinctions between what is ritually clean and unclean (see Ezek 22:26).

[3:4]  ²⁰⁷ tn Heb “they treat violently [the] law.”