Imamat 14:34-45

14:34 “When you enter the land of Canaan which I am about to give ¹  to you for a possession, and I put ²  a diseased infection in a house in the land you are to possess, ³  14:35 then whoever owns the house ⁴  must come and declare to the priest, ‘Something like an infection is visible to me in the house.’ 14:36 Then the priest will command that the house be cleared ⁵  before the priest enters to examine the infection ⁶  so that everything in the house ⁷  does not become unclean, ⁸  and afterward ⁹  the priest will enter to examine the house. 14:37 He is to examine the infection, and if ¹⁰  the infection in the walls of the house consists of yellowish green or reddish eruptions, ¹¹  and it appears to be deeper than the surface of the wall, ¹²  14:38 then the priest is to go out of the house to the doorway of the house and quarantine the house for seven days. ¹³  14:39 The priest must return on the seventh day and examine it, and if ¹⁴  the infection has spread in the walls of the house, 14:40 then the priest is to command that the stones that had the infection in them be pulled and thrown ¹⁵  outside the city ¹⁶  into an unclean place. 14:41 Then he is to have the house scraped ¹⁷  all around on the inside, ¹⁸  and the plaster ¹⁹  which is scraped off ²⁰  must be dumped outside the city ²¹  into an unclean place. 14:42 They are then to take other stones and replace those stones, ²²  and he is to take other plaster and replaster the house.

14:43 “If the infection returns and breaks out in the house after he has pulled out the stones, scraped the house, and it is replastered, ²³  14:44 the priest is to come and examine it, and if ²⁴  the infection has spread in the house, it is a malignant disease in the house. It is unclean. 14:45 He must tear down the house, ²⁵  its stones, its wood, and all the plaster of the house, and bring all of it ²⁶  outside the city to an unclean place.

Amsal 3:33

3:33 The Lord’s curse ²⁷  is on the household ²⁸  of the wicked, ²⁹ 

but he blesses ³⁰  the home ³¹  of the righteous. ³² 

Habakuk 2:9-11

2:9 The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. ³³ 

He does this so he can build his nest way up high

and escape the clutches of disaster. ³⁴ 

2:10 Your schemes will bring shame to your house.

Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct. ³⁵ 

2:11 For the stones in the walls will cry out,

and the wooden rafters will answer back. ³⁶ 

Maleakhi 3:5

3:5 “I ³⁷  will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, ³⁸  and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, ³⁹  who refuse to help ⁴⁰  the immigrant ⁴¹  and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.

[14:34]  ¹ tn Heb “which I am giving” (so NAB, NIV).

[14:34]  ² tn Heb “give.”

[14:34]  ³ tn Heb “in the house of the land of your possession” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[14:35]  ⁴ tn Heb “who to him the house.”

[14:36]  ⁵ tn Heb “And the priest shall command and they shall clear the house.” The second verb (“and they shall clear”) states the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that they clear” (cf. also vv. 4a and 5a above), and for the impersonal passive rendering of the active verb (“that the house be cleared”) see the note on v. 4 above.

[14:36]  ⁶ tn Heb “to see the infection”; KJV “to see the plague”; NASB “to look at the mark (mildew NCV).”

[14:36]  ⁷ tn Heb “all which [is] in the house.”

[14:36]  ⁸ sn Once the priest pronounced the house “unclean” everything in it was also officially unclean. Therefore, if they emptied the house of its furniture, etc. before the official pronouncement by the priest those possessions would thereby remain officially “clean” and avoid destruction or purification procedures.

[14:36]  ⁹ tn Heb “and after thus.”

[14:37]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[14:37]  ¹¹ tn For “yellowish green and reddish” see Lev 13:49. The Hebrew term translated “eruptions” occurs only here and its meaning is uncertain. For a detailed summary of the issues and views see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:870. The suggestions include, among others: (1) “depressions” from Hebrew שׁקע (“sink”) or קער as the root of the Hebrew term for “bowl” (LXX, Targums, NAB, NASB, NIV; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 90), (2) “streaks” (ASV, NJPS), (3) and “eruptions” as a loan-word from Egyptian sqr r rwtj (“eruption; rash”); cf. Milgrom, 870; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 198-99. The latter view is taken here.

[14:37]  ¹² tn The Hebrew term קִיר (qir,“wall”) refers to the surface of the wall in this case, which normally consisted of a coating of plaster made of limestone and sand (see HALOT 1099 s.v. קִיר 1.a; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:871; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 199).

[14:38]  ¹³ tn Heb “and he shall shut up the house seven days.”

[14:39]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “If the mark has indeed spread.”

[14:40]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and the priest shall command and they shall pull out the stones which in them is the infection, and they shall cast them.” The second and third verbs (“they shall pull out” and “they shall throw”) state the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that they pull out…and throw” (cf. also vv. 4a, 5a, and 36a above), and for the impersonal passive rendering of the active verb (“be pulled and thrown”) see the note on v. 4 above.

[14:40]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “into from outside to the city.”

[14:41]  ¹⁷ tn Or, according to the plurality of the verb in Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Targums, “Then the house shall be scraped” (cf. NAB, NLT, and the note on v. 40).

[14:41]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “from house all around.”

[14:41]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “dust” (so KJV) or “rubble”; NIV “the material”; NLT “the scrapings.”

[14:41]  ²⁰ tn Heb “which they have scraped off.” The MT term קִיר (qir, “wall” from קָצָה, qatsah, “to cut off”; BDB 892), the original Greek does not have this clause, Smr has הקיצו (with uncertain meaning), and the BHS editors and HALOT 1123-24 s.v. I קצע hif.a suggest emending the verb to הִקְצִעוּ (hiqtsi’u, see the same verb at the beginning of this verse; cf. some Greek mss, Syriac, and the Targums). The emendation seems reasonable and is accepted by many commentators, but the root קָצָה (qatsah, “to cut off”) does occur in the Bible (2 Kgs 10:32; Hab 2:10) and in postbiblical Hebrew (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 179, notes 41c and 43d; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:873; cf. also קָצַץ, qatsats, “to cut off”).

[14:41]  ²¹ tn Heb “into from outside to the city.”

[14:42]  ²² tn Heb “and bring into under the stones.”

[14:43]  ²³ tn Heb “after he has pulled out the stones, and after scraping (variant form of the Hiphil infinitive construct, GKC 531) the house, and after being replastered (Niphal infinitive construct).”

[14:44]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “If he sees that the mark has indeed spread.”

[14:45]  ²⁵ tn Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the plural verb, perhaps suggesting a passive translation, “The house…shall be torn down” (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT, and see the note on v. 4b above).

[14:45]  ²⁶ tn Once again, Smr, LXX, and Syriac have the plural verb, perhaps to be rendered passive, “shall be brought.”

[3:33]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the curse of the Lord.” This expression features a genitive of possession or source: “the Lord’s curse” or “a curse from the Lord.” The noun מְאֵרַה (mÿ’erah, “curse”) connotes banishment or separation from the place of blessing. It is the antonym of בְּרָכָה (bÿrakhah, “blessing”). The curse of God brings ruin and failure to crops, land in general, an individual, or the nation (Deut 28:20; Mal 2:2; 3:9; see BDB 76 s.v. מְאֵרַה; HALOT 541 s.v.).

[3:33]  ²⁸ tn Heb “house.” The term בֵּית (bet, “house”) functions as a synecdoche of container (= house) for the persons contained (= household). See, e.g., Exod 1:21; Deut 6:22; Josh 22:15 (BDB 109 s.v. 5.a).

[3:33]  ²⁹ sn The term “wicked” is singular; the term “righteous” in the second half of the verse is plural. In scripture such changes often hint at God’s reluctance to curse, but eagerness to bless (e.g., Gen 12:3).

[3:33]  ³⁰ sn The term “bless” (בָּרַךְ, barakh) is the antithesis of “curse.” A blessing is a gift, enrichment, or endowment. The blessing of God empowers one with the ability to succeed, and brings vitality and prosperity in the material realm, but especially in one’s spiritual relationship with God.

[3:33]  ³¹ tn Heb “habitation.” The noun נָוֶה (naveh, “habitation; abode”), which is the poetic parallel to בֵּית (bet, “house”), usually refers to the abode of a shepherd in the country: “habitation” in the country (BDB 627 s.v. נָוֶה). It functions as a synecdoche of container (= habitation) for the contents (= people in the habitation and all they possess).

[3:33]  ³² tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically (AB:BA): “The curse of the Lord / is on the house of the wicked // but the home of the righteous / he blesses.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.

[2:9]  ³³ tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who profits unjustly by evil unjust gain for his house.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.

[2:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “to place his nest in the heights in order to escape from the hand of disaster.”

[2:9]  sn Here the Babylonians are compared to a bird, perhaps an eagle, that builds its nest in an inaccessible high place where predators cannot reach it.

[2:10]  ³⁵ tn Heb “you planned shame for your house, cutting off many nations, and sinning [against] your life.”

[2:11]  ³⁶ sn The house mentioned in vv. 9-10 represents the Babylonian empire, which became great through imperialism. Here the materials of this “house” (the stones in the walls, the wooden rafters) are personified as witnesses who testify that the occupants have built the house through wealth stolen from others.

[3:5]  ³⁷ tn The first person pronoun (a reference to the Lord) indicates that the Lord himself now speaks (see also v. 1). The prophet speaks in vv. 2-4 (see also 2:17).

[3:5]  ³⁸ tn Heb “those who swear [oaths] falsely.” Cf. NIV “perjurers”; TEV “those who give false testimony”; NLT “liars.”

[3:5]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and against the oppressors of the worker for a wage, [the] widow and orphan.”

[3:5]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “those who turn aside.”

[3:5]  ⁴¹ tn Or “resident foreigner”; NIV “aliens”; NRSV “the alien.”