2 Samuel 13:1-39 
Context13:1 Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. In the course of time David’s son Amnon fell madly in love with her. 1 13:2 But Amnon became frustrated because he was so lovesick 2 over his sister Tamar. For she was a virgin, and to Amnon it seemed out of the question to do anything to her.
13:3 Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty man. 13:4 He asked Amnon, 3 “Why are you, the king’s son, 4 so depressed every morning? Can’t you tell me?” So Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom.” 13:5 Jonadab replied to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. 5 When your father comes in to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.’”
13:6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came in to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can make a couple of cakes in my sight. Then I will eat from her hand.”
13:7 So David sent Tamar to the house saying, “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare some food for him.” 13:8 So Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother, who was lying down. She took the dough, kneaded it, made some cakes while he watched, 6 and baked them. 7 13:9 But when she took the pan and set it before him, he refused to eat. Instead Amnon said, “Get everyone out of here!” 8 So everyone left. 9
13:10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the cakes into the bedroom; then I will eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes that she had prepared and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom. 13:11 As she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come on! Get in bed with me, 10 my sister!”
13:12 But she said to him, “No, my brother! Don’t humiliate me! This just isn’t done in Israel! Don’t do this foolish thing! 13:13 How could I ever be rid of my humiliation? And you would be considered one of the fools 11 in Israel! Just 12 speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 13:14 But he refused to listen to her. 13 He overpowered her and humiliated her by raping her. 14 13:15 Then Amnon greatly despised her. 15 His disdain toward her surpassed the love he had previously felt toward her. 16 Amnon said to her, “Get up and leave!”
13:16 But she said to him, “No I won’t, for sending me away now would be worse than what you did to me earlier!” 17 But he refused to listen to her. 13:17 He called his personal attendant and said to him, “Take this woman out of my sight 18 and lock the door behind her!” 13:18 (Now she was wearing a long robe, 19 for this is what the king’s virgin daughters used to wear.) So Amnon’s 20 attendant removed her and bolted the door 21 behind her. 13:19 Then Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went on her way, wailing as she went.
13:20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don’t take it so seriously!” 22 Tamar, devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.
13:21 Now King David heard about all these things and was very angry. 23 13:22 But Absalom said nothing to Amnon, either bad or good, yet Absalom hated Amnon because he had humiliated his sister Tamar.
13:23 Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were in Baal Hazor, 24 near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 13:24 Then Absalom went to the king and said, “My shearers have begun their work. 25 Let the king and his servants go with me.”
13:25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom 26 pressed 27 him, the king 28 was not willing to go. Instead, David 29 blessed him.
13:26 Then Absalom said, “If you will not go, 30 then let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king replied to him, “Why should he go with you?” 13:27 But when Absalom pressed him, he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons along with him.
13:28 Absalom instructed his servants, “Look! When Amnon is drunk 31 and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ kill him then and there. Don’t fear! Is it not I who have given you these instructions? Be strong and courageous!” 32 13:29 So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had instructed. Then all the king’s sons got up; each one rode away on his mule and fled.
13:30 While they were still on their way, the following report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one of them is left!” 13:31 Then the king stood up and tore his garments and lay down on the ground. All his servants were standing there with torn garments as well.
13:32 Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “My lord should not say, ‘They have killed all the young men who are the king’s sons.’ For only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has talked about 33 from the day that Amnon 34 humiliated his sister Tamar. 13:33 Now don’t let my lord the king be concerned about the report that has come saying, ‘All the king’s sons are dead.’ It is only Amnon who is dead.”
13:34 In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west 35 on a road beside the hill. 13:35 Jonadab said to the king, “Look! The king’s sons have come! It’s just as I said!”
13:36 Just as he finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived, wailing and weeping. 36 The king and all his servants wept loudly 37 as well. 13:37 But Absalom fled and went to King Talmai son of Ammihud of Geshur. And David 38 grieved over his son every day.
13:38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he remained there for three years. 13:39 The king longed 39 to go to Absalom, for he had since been consoled over the death of Amnon. 40
2 Corinthians 6:1-18
Context6:1 Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 41 6:2 For he says, “I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” 42 Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! 6:3 We do not give anyone 43 an occasion for taking an offense in anything, 44 so that no fault may be found with our ministry. 6:4 But as God’s servants, 45 we have commended ourselves in every way, 46 with great endurance, in persecutions, 47 in difficulties, in distresses, 6:5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, 48 in troubles, 49 in sleepless nights, in hunger, 6:6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, 50 by genuine 51 love, 6:7 by truthful 52 teaching, 53 by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left, 54 6:8 through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, 55 and yet true; 6:9 as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet – see! – we continue to live; as those who are scourged 56 and yet not executed; 6:10 as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
6:11 We have spoken freely to you, 57 Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide to you. 6:12 Our affection for you is not restricted, 58 but you are restricted in your affections for us. 6:13 Now as a fair exchange – I speak as to my 59 children – open wide your hearts to us 60 also.
6:14 Do not become partners 61 with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 6:15 And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? 62 Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? 6:16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are 63 the temple of the living God, just as God said, “I will live in them 64 and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 65 6:17 Therefore “come out from their midst, and be separate,” says the Lord, “and touch no unclean thing, 66 and I will welcome 67 you, 68 6:18 and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” 69 says the All-Powerful Lord. 70
Ezekiel 20:1-49
Context20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, 71 some of the elders 72 of Israel came to seek 73 the Lord, and they sat down in front of me. 20:2 The word of the Lord came to me: 20:3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live, I will not allow you to seek me, 74 declares the sovereign Lord.’ 20:4 “Are you willing to pronounce judgment? 75 Are you willing to pronounce judgment, son of man? Then confront them with the abominable practices of their fathers, 20:5 and say to them:
“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore 76 to the descendants 77 of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore 78 to them, “I am the Lord your God.” 20:6 On that day I swore 79 to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out 80 for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, 81 the most beautiful of all lands. 20:7 I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you, 82 and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” 20:8 But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols, 83 nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out 84 my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 20:9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, 85 so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, 86 before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 87
20:10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. 20:11 I gave them my statutes 88 and revealed my regulations to them. The one 89 who carries 90 them out will live by them! 91 20:12 I also gave them my Sabbaths 92 as a reminder of our relationship, 93 so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them. 94 20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out 95 my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them. 96 20:14 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:15 I also swore 97 to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them – a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 20:16 I did this 98 because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols. 99 20:17 Yet I had pity on 100 them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
20:18 “‘But I said to their children 101 in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, 102 nor defile yourselves with their idols. 20:19 I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. 20:20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy 103 and they will be a reminder of our relationship, 104 and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” 20:21 “‘But the children 105 rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys 106 them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out 107 my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. 20:22 But I refrained from doing so, 108 and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:23 I also swore 109 to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. 110 20:24 I did this 111 because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on 112 their fathers’ idols. 20:25 I also gave 113 them decrees 114 which were not good and regulations by which they could not live. 20:26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices 115 – they caused all their first born to pass through the fire 116 – so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the Lord.’ 117
20:27 “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. 20:28 I brought them to the land which I swore 118 to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings. 20:29 So I said to them, What is this high place you go to?’” (So it is called “High Place” 119 to this day.)
20:30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers 120 and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? 20:31 When you present your sacrifices 121 – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, 122 O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me! 123
20:32 “‘What you plan 124 will never happen. You say, “We will be 125 like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.” 126 20:33 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm, 127 and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you. 20:34 I will bring you out from the nations, and will gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with an outpouring of rage! 20:35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 20:36 Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the sovereign Lord. 20:37 I will make you pass under 128 the shepherd’s staff, 129 and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 20:38 I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt 130 against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
20:39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols, 131 if you will not listen to me. 132 But my holy name will not be profaned 133 again by your sacrifices 134 and your idols. 20:40 For there on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord, all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them 135 in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will seek your contributions and your choice gifts, with all your holy things. 20:41 When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, I will accept you along with your soothing aroma. I will display my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 20:42 Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore 136 to give to your fathers. 20:43 And there you will remember your conduct 137 and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves 138 because of all the evil deeds you have done. 20:44 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
20:45 (21:1) 139 The word of the Lord came to me: 20:46 “Son of man, turn toward 140 the south, 141 and speak out against the south. 142 Prophesy against the open scrub 143 land of the Negev, 20:47 and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 144 I am about to start a fire in you, 145 and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it. 20:48 And everyone 146 will see that I, the Lord, have burned it; it will not be extinguished.’”
20:49 Then I said, “O sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”
Psalms 66:1--67:7
ContextFor the music director; a song, a psalm.
66:1 Shout out praise to God, all the earth!
66:2 Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation! 148
Give him the honor he deserves! 149
66:3 Say to God:
“How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power your enemies cower in fear 150 before you.
66:4 All the earth worships 151 you
and sings praises to you!
They sing praises to your name!” (Selah)
66:5 Come and witness 152 God’s exploits! 153
His acts on behalf of people are awesome! 154
66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; 155
they passed through the river on foot. 156
Let us rejoice in him there! 157
66:7 He rules 158 by his power forever;
he watches 159 the nations.
Stubborn rebels should not exalt 160 themselves. (Selah)
66:8 Praise 161 our God, you nations!
Loudly proclaim his praise! 162
66:9 He preserves our lives 163
and does not allow our feet to slip.
66:10 For 164 you, O God, tested us;
you purified us like refined silver.
66:11 You led us into a trap; 165
you caused us to suffer. 166
66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;
we passed through fire and water,
but you brought us out into a wide open place. 167
66:13 I will enter 168 your temple with burnt sacrifices;
I will fulfill the vows I made to you,
66:14 which my lips uttered
and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
66:15 I will offer up to you fattened animals as burnt sacrifices,
along with the smell of sacrificial rams.
I will offer cattle and goats. (Selah)
66:16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! 169
I will declare what he has done for me.
66:17 I cried out to him for help 170
and praised him with my tongue. 171
66:18 If I had harbored sin in my heart, 172
the Lord would not have listened.
66:19 However, God heard;
he listened to my prayer.
66:20 God deserves praise, 173
for 174 he did not reject my prayer
or abandon his love for me! 175
For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.
67:1 May God show us his favor 177 and bless us! 178
May he smile on us! 179 (Selah)
67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;
all nations will know how you deliver your people. 180
67:3 Let the nations thank you, O God!
Let all the nations thank you! 181
67:4 Let foreigners 182 rejoice and celebrate!
For you execute justice among the nations,
and govern the people living on earth. 183 (Selah)
67:5 Let the nations thank you, O God!
Let all the nations thank you! 184
67:6 The earth yields its crops.
May God, our God, bless us!
Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves. 186
1 tn Heb “Amnon the son of David loved her.” The following verse indicates the extreme nature of his infatuation, so the translation uses “madly in love” here.
sn Amnon was the half-brother of Tamar; Absalom was her full blood-brother.
2 tn Heb “and there was distress to Amnon so that he made himself sick.”
3 tn Heb “and he said to him.”
4 tn An more idiomatic translation might be “Why are you of all people…?”
5 tn This verb is used in the Hitpael stem only in this chapter of the Hebrew Bible. With the exception of v. 2 it describes not a real sickness but one pretended in order to entrap Tamar. The Hitpael sometimes, as here, describes the subject making oneself appear to be of a certain character. On this use of the stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.
6 tn Heb “in his sight.”
7 tn Heb “the cakes.”
8 tn Heb “from upon me.”
9 tc A few medieval Hebrew
10 tn Heb “lie with me” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “come and have sexual relations with me.”
11 tn Heb “and you will be like one of the fools.”
12 tn Heb “Now.”
13 tn Heb “to her voice.”
14 tn Heb “and he humiliated her and lay with her.”
15 tn Heb “and Amnon hated her with very great hatred.”
16 tn Heb “for greater was the hatred with which he hated her than the love with which he loved her.”
17 tn Heb “No, because this great evil is [worse] than the other which you did with me, by sending me away.” Perhaps the broken syntax reflects her hysteria and outrage.
18 tn Heb “send this [one] from upon me to the outside.”
19 tn The Hebrew expression used here (כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים, kÿtonet passim) is found only here and in Gen 37:3, 23, 32. Hebrew פַּס (pas) can refer to the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot; here the idea is probably that of a long robe reaching to the feet and having sleeves reaching to the wrists. The notion of a “coat of many colors” (KJV, ASV “garment of divers colors”), a familiar translation for the phrase in Genesis, is based primarily on the translation adopted in the LXX χιτῶνα ποικίλον (citona poikilion) and does not have a great deal of support.
20 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 tn The Hebrew verb is a perfect with nonconsecutive vav, probably indicating an action (locking the door) that complements the preceding one (pushing her out the door).
22 tn Heb “Don’t set your heart to this thing!”
23 tc The LXX and part of the Old Latin tradition include the following addition to v. 21, also included in some English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, CEV): “But he did not grieve the spirit of Amnon his son, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn.” Note David’s attitude toward his son Adonijah in 1 Kgs 1:6.
24 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.
25 tn Heb “your servant has sheepshearers.” The phrase “your servant” also occurs at the end of the verse.
26 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 tc Here and in v. 27 the translation follows 4QSama ויצפר (vayyitspar, “and he pressed”) rather than the MT וַיִּפְרָץ (vayyiprats, “and he broke through”). This emended reading seems also to underlie the translations of the LXX (καὶ ἐβιάσατο, kai ebiasato), the Syriac Peshitta (we’alseh), and Vulgate (cogeret eum).
28 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
30 tn Heb “and not.”
31 tn Heb “when good is the heart of Amnon with wine.”
32 tn Heb “and become sons of valor.”
33 tn Heb “it was placed on the mouth of Absalom.”
34 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
35 tn Heb “behind him.”
36 tn Heb “and they lifted their voice and wept.”
37 tn Heb “with a great weeping.”
38 tc The Hebrew text leaves the word “David” to be inferred. The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate add the word “David.” Most of the Greek tradition includes the words “King David” here.
39 tc The translation follows 4QSama in reading רוּחַ הַמֶּלֶךְ (ruakh hammelekh, “the spirit of the king”) rather than the MT דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ (david hammelekh, “David the king”). The understanding reflected in the translation above is that David, though alienated during this time from his son Absalom, still had an abiding love and concern for him. He longed for reconciliation with him. A rather different interpretation of the verse supposes that David’s interest in taking military action against Absalom grew slack with the passing of time, and this in turn enabled David’s advisers to encourage him toward reconciliation with Absalom. For the latter view, see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 344, and cf. CEV.
40 tn Heb “was consoled over Amnon, because he was dead.”
41 tn Or “receive the grace of God uselessly.”
42 sn A quotation from Isa 49:8.
43 tn The word “anyone” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
44 tn Other interpretations of the first part of 2 Cor 6:3 are possible. The phrase could also mean, “not putting an obstacle in the way of anyone” (L&N 22.14), or “giving no one in anything a cause to sin” (L&N 88.307).
45 tn Or “ministers.”
46 tn Or “we have commended ourselves by all things.”
47 tn Or “in trouble and suffering.”
48 tn Or “rebellions” (uprisings in open defiance of civil authority).
49 tn Usually κόποις (kopois) has been translated as “labors” or “hard work,” but see Matt 26:10 where it means “trouble”; “distress” (L&N 22.7). In this context with so many other terms denoting suffering and difficulty, such a meaning is preferable.
50 tn Or “by holiness of spirit.”
51 tn Or “sincere.”
52 tn Grk “by the word of truth”; understanding ἀληθείας (alhqeias) as an attributive genitive (“truthful word”).
53 tn Or “speech.” In this context it is more likely that λόγος (logos) refers to Paul’s message (thus “teaching”) than to his speech in general.
54 tn The phrase “for the right hand and for the left” possibly refers to a combination of an offensive weapon (a sword for the right hand) and a defensive weapon (a shield for the left).
55 tn Or “regarded as deceivers.”
56 tn Grk “disciplined,” but in this context probably a reference to scourging prior to execution (yet the execution is not carried out).
57 tn Grk “our mouth has been open to you,” an idiom for openness in communication.
58 tn Grk “You are not restricted by us.”
59 tn The word “my” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
60 tn The words “to us” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
61 tn Or “Do not be mismatched.”
62 sn The Greek term Βελιάρ (Beliar) is a spelling variant for Βελιάλ (Belial, see Judg 20:13 LXX). It occurs only here in the NT. Beliar is a reference to Satan.
63 tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (Ì46 א2 C D2 F G Ψ 0209 Ï lat sy Tert), read ὑμεῖς…ἐστε (Jumei"…este, “you are”) instead of ἡμεῖς…ἐσμεν (Jhmei"…esmen, “we are”) here, but several other early and important
64 tn Or “live among them,” “live with them.”
sn I will live in them. The OT text that lies behind this passage (Lev 26:11-12) speaks of God dwelling in the midst of his people. The Greek preposition en in the phrase en autoi" (“in them”) can also have that meaning (“among” or “with”). However, Paul appears to be extending the imagery here to involve God (as the Spirit) dwelling in his people, since he calls believers “the temple of the living God” in the previous clause, imagery he uses elsewhere in his writings (1 Cor 3:16; Eph 2:21-22).
65 sn A quotation from Lev 26:12; also similar to Jer 32:38; Ezek 37:27.
66 sn A quotation from Isa 52:11.
67 tn Or “will receive.”
68 sn A paraphrased quotation from Ezek 20:41.
69 sn A paraphrased quotation from 2 Sam 7:14 and Isa 43:6.
70 tn Traditionally, “the Lord Almighty.” BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…κύριος π. (oft. LXX) 2 Cor 6:18.”
71 sn The date would be August 14th, 591
72 tn Heb “men from the elders.”
74 tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”
75 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.
76 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
77 tn Heb “seed.”
78 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
79 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand to them.”
80 tn Or “searched out.” The Hebrew word is used to describe the activity of the spies in “spying out” the land of Canaan (Num 13-14); cf. KJV “I had espied for them.”
81 sn The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey,” a figure of speech describing the land’s abundant fertility, occurs in v. 15 as well as Exod 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev 20:24; Num 13:27; Deut 6:3; 11:9; 26:9; 27:3; Josh 5:6; Jer 11:5; 32:23 (see also Deut 1:25; 8:7-9).
82 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, but Josh 24:14 appears to suggest that they did so.
83 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of their eyes did not throw away.”
84 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
85 tn Heb “for the sake of my name.”
86 tn Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”
87 tn Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive construct (“to bring them out”) as indicating manner. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was an act of self-revelation in that it displayed his power and his commitment to his promises.
88 sn The laws were given at Mount Sinai.
89 tn Heb “the man.”
90 tn Heb “does.”
91 tn The wording and the concept is contained in Lev 18:5 and Deut 30:15-19.
92 sn Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also stressed the importance of obedience to the Sabbath law (Jer 17).
93 tn Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”
94 tn Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.
95 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
96 tn Heb “to bring them to an end.”
97 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
98 tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
99 tn Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.
100 tn Heb “my eye pitied.”
101 tn Heb “sons,” reflecting the patriarchal idiom of the culture.
102 tn Or “standard of justice.” See Ezek 7:27.
103 tn Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”
104 tn Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”
105 tn Heb “sons.”
106 tn Or “carries them out.”
107 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
108 tn Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11.
109 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
110 sn Though the Pentateuch does not seem to know of this episode, Ps 106:26-27 may speak of God’s oath to exile the people before they had entered Canaan.
111 tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 23-24 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
112 tn Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).
113 tn Or “permitted.”
sn The content of the verse is shocking: that God would “give” bad decrees. This probably does not refer to the Mosaic law but to the practices of the Canaanites who were left in the land in order to test Israel. See Judg 2:20-23, the note on “decrees” in v. 25, and the note on “pass through the fire” in v. 26.
114 tn The Hebrew term חֻקּוֹת (khuqot; translated “statutes” elsewhere in this chapter) is normally feminine. Here Ezekiel changes the form to masculine: חֻקִּים (khuqim). Further, they are not called “my decrees” as vv. 11 and 13 refer to “my statutes.” The change is a signal that Ezekiel is not talking about the same statutes in vv. 11 and 13, which lead to life.
115 tn Or “gifts.”
116 sn This act is prohibited in Deut 12:29-31 and Jer 7:31; 19:5; 32:35. See also 2 Kgs 21:6; 23:10. This custom indicates that the laws the Israelites were following were the disastrous laws of pagan nations (see Ezek 16:20-21).
117 sn God sometimes punishes sin by inciting the sinner to sin even more, as the biblical examples of divine hardening and deceit make clear. See Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “Divine Hardening in the Old Testament,” BSac 153 (1996): 410-34; idem, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28. For other instances where the Lord causes individuals to act unwisely or even sinfully as punishment for sin, see 1 Sam 2:25; 2 Sam 17:14; 1 Kgs 12:15; 2 Chr 25:20.
118 tn Heb “which I lifted up my hand.”
119 tn The Hebrew word (“Bamah”) means “high place.”
120 tn Heb “in the way of your fathers.”
121 tn Or “gifts.”
122 tn Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”
123 tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”
124 tn Heb “what comes upon your mind.”
125 tn The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”
126 tn Heb “serving wood and stone.”
sn This verse echoes the content of 1 Sam 8:20.
127 sn This phrase occurs frequently in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8).
128 tn This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.
129 sn The metaphor may be based in Lev 27:32 (see also Jer 33:13; Matt 25:32-33). A shepherd would count his sheep as they passed beneath his staff.
131 sn Compare the irony here to Amos 4:4 and Jer 44:25.
132 tn Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.
133 sn A similar concept may be found in Lev 18:21; 20:3.
134 tn Or “gifts.”
135 tn Heb “all of it.”
136 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
137 tn Heb “ways.”
138 tn Heb “loathe yourselves in your faces.”
139 sn Beginning with 20:45, the verse numbers through 21:32 in the English Bible differ by five from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 20:45 ET = 21:1 HT, 20:46 ET = 21:2 HT, 21:1 ET = 21:6 HT etc., through 21:32 ET = 21:37 HT. Beginning with 22:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
140 tn Heb “set your face toward.” This expression occurs as well in Ezek 6:2; 13:17.
141 tn Or “the way toward the south,” or “the way toward Teman.” Teman is in the south and may be a location or the direction.
142 tn Or “toward Darom.” Darom may mean the south or a region just north of southern city of Beer Sheba. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:417-18.
143 tn The Hebrew term can also mean “forest,” but a meaning of uncultivated wasteland fits the Negev region far better. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:418.
144 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
145 tn Fire also appears as a form of judgment in Ezek 15:4-7; 19:12, 14.
146 tn Heb “all flesh.”
147 sn Psalm 66. The psalmist praises God because he has delivered his people from a crisis.
148 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
149 tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”
150 tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 81:15 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24).
151 tn Or “bows down to.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are taken (1) as imperfects expressing what is typical. Another option (2) is to interpret them as anticipatory (“all the earth will worship you”) or (3) take them as jussives, expressing a prayer or wish (“may all the earth worship you”).
152 tn Or “see.”
153 tn Or “acts” (see Ps 46:8).
154 tn Heb “awesome [is] an act toward the sons of man.” It is unclear how the prepositional phrase relates to what precedes. If collocated with “act,” it may mean “on behalf of” or “toward.” If taken with “awesome” (see 1 Chr 16:25; Pss 89:7; 96:4; Zeph 2:11), one might translate “his awesome acts are beyond human comprehension” or “his awesome acts are superior to anything men can do.”
155 sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).
156 tn Because of the reference to “the river,” some understand this as an allusion to Israel’s crossing the Jordan River. However, the Hebrew term נָהָר (nahad) does not always refer to a “river” in the technical sense; it can be used of sea currents (see Jonah 2:4). So this line may also refer to the Red Sea crossing (cf. NEB).
157 tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).
158 tn Heb “[the] one who rules.”
159 tn Heb “his eyes watch.” “Eyes” are an anthropomorphism, attributed to God here to emphasize his awareness of all that happens on earth.
160 tn The verb form is jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al). The Kethib (consonantal text) has a Hiphil form of the verb, apparently to be understood in an exhibitive sense (“demonstrate stubborn rebellion”; see BDB 927 s.v. רוּם Hiph), while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Qal form, to be understood in an intransitive sense. The preposition -לְ (lamed) with pronominal suffix should be understood in a reflexive sense (“for themselves”) and indicates that the action is performed with the interest of the subject in mind.
161 tn Heb “bless,” in the sense of declaring “God to be the source of…special power” (see HALOT 160 s.v. II ברך pi).
162 tn Heb “cause the voice of his praise to be heard.”
163 tn Heb “the one who places our soul in life.”
164 tn Or “indeed.”
165 tn Heb “you brought us into a net.” This rare word for “net” also occurs in Ezek 12:13; 13:21; 17:20.
166 tn Heb “you placed suffering on our hips.” The noun מוּעָקָה (mu’aqah, “suffering”) occurs only here in the OT.
167 tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (“saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).
168 sn Here the psalmist switches to the singular; he speaks as the representative of the nation.
169 tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”
170 tn Heb “to him [with] my mouth I called.”
171 tn Heb “and he was extolled under my tongue.” The form רוֹמַם (romam) appears to be a polal (passive) participle from רוּם (rum, “be exalted”), but many prefer to read רוֹמָם, “high praise [was under my tongue]” (cf. NEB). See BDB 928 s.v. רוֹמָם.
172 tn Heb “sin if I had seen in my heart.”
173 tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”
174 tn Or “who.” In a blessing formula after בָּרוּךְ (barukh, “blessed be”) the form אֲשֶׁר (’asher), whether taken as a relative pronoun or causal particle, introduces the basis for the blessing/praise.
175 tn Heb “did not turn aside my prayer and his loyal love with me.”
176 sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.
177 tn Or “have mercy on us.”
178 tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (ya’er) in the next line.
179 tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”
180 tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.
181 tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in vv. 3-4a are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
182 tn Or “peoples.”
183 tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).
184 tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 5 are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
185 tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.
186 tn Heb “will fear him.” After the jussive of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive is understood as indicating purpose/result. (Note how v. 3 anticipates the universal impact of God showing his people blessing.) Another option is to take the verb as a jussive and translate, “Let all the ends of the earth fear him.”
