2 Samuel 15:1-37 
Context15:1 Some time later Absalom managed to acquire 1 a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. 2 15:2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant, 3 am from one of the tribes of Israel.” 15:3 Absalom would then say to him, “Look, your claims are legitimate and appropriate. 4 But there is no representative of the king who will listen to you.” 15:4 Absalom would then say, “If only they would make me 5 a judge in the land! Then everyone who had a judicial complaint 6 could come to me and I would make sure he receives a just settlement.”
15:5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom 7 would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him. 15:6 Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty 8 of the citizens 9 of Israel.
15:7 After four 10 years Absalom said to the king, “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron. 15:8 For I made this vow 11 when I was living in Geshur in Aram: ‘If the Lord really does allow me to return to Jerusalem, 12 I will serve the Lord.’” 15:9 The king replied to him, “Go in peace.” So Absalom 13 got up and went to Hebron.
15:10 Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said, “When you hear the sound of the horn, you may assume 14 that Absalom rules in Hebron.” 15:11 Now two hundred men had gone with Absalom from Jerusalem. Since they were invited, they went naively and were unaware of what Absalom was planning. 15 15:12 While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s adviser, 16 to come from his city, Giloh. 17 The conspiracy was gaining momentum, and the people were starting to side with Absalom.
15:13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!” 18 15:14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, 19 “Come on! 20 Let’s escape! 21 Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring 22 disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.” 23 15:15 The king’s servants replied to the king, “We will do whatever our lord the king decides.” 24
15:16 So the king and all the members of his royal court 25 set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines 26 to attend to the palace. 15:17 The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing 27 at a spot 28 some distance away. 15:18 All his servants were leaving with him, 29 along with all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites – some six hundred men who had come on foot from Gath. They were leaving with 30 the king.
15:19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new 31 king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country. 32 15:20 It seems like you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men 33 with you. May genuine loyal love 34 protect 35 you!”
15:21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether dead or alive, 36 there I 37 will be as well!” 15:22 So David said to Ittai, “Come along then.” 38 So Ittai the Gittite went along, 39 accompanied by all his men and all the dependents 40 who were with him.
15:23 All the land was weeping loudly 41 as all these people were leaving. 42 As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving 43 on the road that leads to the desert. 15:24 Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving 44 the city.
15:25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again. 15:26 However, if he should say, ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.” 45
15:27 The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer? 46 Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar. 47 15:28 Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you 48 reaches me.” 15:29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.
15:30 As David was going up the Mount of Olives, he was weeping as he went; his head was covered and his feet were bare. All the people who were with him also had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up. 15:31 Now David 49 had been told, “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom. So David prayed, 50 “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O Lord!”
15:32 When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 15:33 David said to him, “If you leave 51 with me you will be a burden to me. 15:34 But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was your father’s servant, and now I will be your servant.’ 15:35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you. 52 Everything you hear in the king’s palace 53 you must tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 15:36 Furthermore, their two sons are there with them, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You must send them to me with any information you hear.” 54
15:37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 8:1-24
Context8:1 Now we make known to you, brothers and sisters, 55 the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia, 8:2 that during a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth 56 of their generosity. 8:3 For I testify, they gave according to their means and beyond their means. They did so voluntarily, 57 8:4 begging us with great earnestness for the blessing and fellowship of helping 58 the saints. 8:5 And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 8:6 Thus 59 we urged 60 Titus that, just as he had previously begun this work, 61 so also he should complete this act of kindness 62 for you. 8:7 But as you excel 63 in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you 64 – make sure that you excel 65 in this act of kindness 66 too. 8:8 I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others. 67 8:9 For you know the grace 68 of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich. 8:10 So here is my opinion on this matter: It is to your advantage, since you 69 made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give, 8:11 to finish what you started, 70 so that just as you wanted to do it eagerly, 71 you can also complete it 72 according to your means. 73 8:12 For if the eagerness is present, the gift itself 74 is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have. 8:13 For I do not say this so there would be relief for others and suffering for you, but as a matter of equality. 8:14 At the present time, your abundance will meet their need, 75 so that one day their abundance may also meet your need, and thus there may be equality, 8:15 as it is written: “The one who gathered 76 much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” 77
8:16 But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the same devotion 78 I have for you, 8:17 because he not only accepted our request, but since he was very eager, 79 he is coming 80 to you of his own accord. 81 8:18 And we are sending 82 along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in spreading the gospel. 83 8:19 In addition, 84 this brother 85 has also been chosen by the churches as our traveling companion as we administer this generous gift 86 to the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness to help. 87 8:20 We did this 88 as a precaution so that no one should blame us in regard to this generous gift we are administering. 8:21 For we are concerned about what is right not only before the Lord but also before men. 89 8:22 And we are sending 90 with them our brother whom we have tested many times and found eager in many matters, but who now is much more eager than ever because of the great confidence he has in you. 8:23 If there is any question 91 about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; if there is any question about our brothers, they are messengers 92 of the churches, a glory to Christ. 8:24 Therefore show 93 them openly before the churches the proof of your love and of our pride in you. 94
Ezekiel 22:1-31
Context22:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 22:2 “As for you, son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment, 95 are you willing to pronounce judgment on the bloody city? 96 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), 97 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; 98 the end of your years has come. 99 Therefore I will make 100 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, 101 full of turmoil.
22:6 “‘See how each of the princes of Israel living within you has used his authority to shed blood. 102 22:7 They have treated father and mother with contempt 103 within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow 104 within you. 22:8 You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths! 22:9 Slanderous men shed blood within you. 105 Those who live within you eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains; 106 they commit obscene acts among you. 107 22:10 They have sex with their father’s wife within you; 108 they violate women during their menstrual period within you. 109 22:11 One 110 commits an abominable act with his neighbor’s wife; another obscenely defiles his daughter-in-law; another violates 111 his sister – his father’s daughter 112 – within you. 22:12 They take bribes within you to shed blood. You engage in usury and charge interest; 113 you extort money from your neighbors. You have forgotten me, 114 declares the sovereign Lord. 115
22:13 “‘See, I strike my hands together 116 at the dishonest profit you have made, and at the bloodshed 117 they have done among you. 22:14 Can your heart endure, 118 or can your hands be strong when I deal with you? 119 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it! 22:15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you among various countries; I will remove your impurity from you. 120 22:16 You will be profaned within yourself 121 in the sight of the nations; then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
22:17 The word of the Lord came to me: 22:18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become slag to me. All of them are like bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace; 122 they are the worthless slag of silver. 22:19 Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Because all of you 123 have become slag, look out! – I am about to gather you in the middle of Jerusalem. 124 22:20 As silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin are gathered in a furnace so that the fire can melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and in my rage. I will deposit you there 125 and melt you. 22:21 I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be melted in it. 22:22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my anger on you.’”
22:23 The word of the Lord came to me: 22:24 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that receives no rain 126 or showers in the day of my anger.’ 127 22:25 Her princes 128 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 129 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, 130 or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. They ignore 131 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. 132 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. 133
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. 134 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, 135 declares the sovereign Lord.”
Psalms 69:1-36
ContextFor the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” 137 by David.
69:1 Deliver me, O God,
for the water has reached my neck. 138
69:2 I sink into the deep mire
where there is no solid ground; 139
I am in 140 deep water,
and the current overpowers me.
69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help;
my throat is sore; 141
my eyes grow tired of looking for my God. 142
69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.
Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, 143 outnumber me. 144
They make me repay what I did not steal! 145
69:5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins; 146
my guilt is not hidden from you. 147
69:6 Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me,
O sovereign Lord and king! 148
Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me,
O God of Israel!
69:7 For I suffer 149 humiliation for your sake 150
and am thoroughly disgraced. 151
69:8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger;
they act as if I were a foreigner. 152
69:9 Certainly 153 zeal for 154 your house 155 consumes me;
I endure the insults of those who insult you. 156
69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, 157
which causes others to insult me. 158
69:11 I wear sackcloth
and they ridicule me. 159
69:12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me;
drunkards mock me in their songs. 160
69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! 161
O God, because of your great loyal love,
answer me with your faithful deliverance! 162
69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!
Deliver me 163 from those who hate me,
from the deep water!
69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!
Don’t let the deep swallow me up!
Don’t let the pit 164 devour me! 165
69:16 Answer me, O Lord, for your loyal love is good! 166
Because of your great compassion, turn toward me!
69:17 Do not ignore 167 your servant,
for I am in trouble! Answer me right away! 168
69:18 Come near me and redeem me! 169
Because of my enemies, rescue me!
69:19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced;
you can see all my enemies. 170
69:20 Their insults are painful 171 and make me lose heart; 172
I look 173 for sympathy, but receive none, 174
for comforters, but find none.
69:21 They put bitter poison 175 into my food,
and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink. 176
69:22 May their dining table become a trap before them!
May it be a snare for that group of friends! 177
69:23 May their eyes be blinded! 178
Make them shake violently! 179
69:24 Pour out your judgment 180 on them!
May your raging anger 181 overtake them!
69:25 May their camp become desolate,
their tents uninhabited! 182
69:26 For they harass 183 the one whom you discipline; 184
they spread the news about the suffering of those whom you punish. 185
69:27 Hold them accountable for all their sins! 186
Do not vindicate them! 187
69:28 May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living! 188
Do not let their names be listed with the godly! 189
69:29 I am oppressed and suffering!
O God, deliver and protect me! 190
69:30 I will sing praises to God’s name! 191
I will magnify him as I give him thanks! 192
69:31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull
with horns and hooves.
69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice!
You who seek God, 193 may you be encouraged! 194
69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;
he does not despise his captive people. 195
69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
along with the seas and everything that swims in them!
69:35 For God will deliver Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and his people 196 will again live in them and possess Zion. 197
69:36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
1 tn Heb “acquired for himself.”
2 tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”
3 tn Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.
4 tn Heb “good and straight.”
5 tn Heb “Who will make me?”
6 tn Heb “a complaint and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.
7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “stole the heart.”
9 tn Heb “the men.”
10 tc The MT has here “forty,” but this is presumably a scribal error for “four.” The context will not tolerate a period of forty years prior to the rebellion of Absalom. The Lucianic Greek recension (τέσσαρα ἔτη, tessara ete), the Syriac Peshitta (’arba’ sanin), and Vulgate (post quattuor autem annos) in fact have the expected reading “four years.” Most English translations follow the versions in reading “four” here, although some (e.g. KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), following the MT, read “forty.”
11 tn Heb “for your servant vowed a vow.” The formal court style of referring to one’s self in third person (“your servant”) has been translated here as first person for clarity.
12 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “say.”
15 tn Heb “being invited and going naively and they did not know anything.”
16 tn Traditionally, “counselor,” but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so “adviser” was used in the translation instead.
17 tn Heb “Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the adviser of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing.” It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.
18 tn Heb “the heart of the men of Israel is with Absalom.”
19 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
20 tn Heb “Arise!”
21 tn Heb “let’s flee.”
22 tn Heb “thrust.”
23 tn Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
24 tn Heb “according to all that my lord the king will choose, behold your servants!”
25 tn Heb “and all his house.”
26 tn Heb “women, concubines.”
27 tn Heb “and they stood.”
28 tn Heb “house.”
29 tn Heb “crossing over near his hand.”
30 tn Heb “crossing over near the face of.”
31 tn The word “new” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to make it clear that David refers to Absalom, not himself.
32 tn Heb “place.”
33 tn Heb “brothers,” but see v. 22.
34 tn Heb “loyal love and truth.” The expression is a hendiadys.
35 tn Heb “be with.”
36 tn Heb “whether for death or for life.”
37 tn Heb “your servant.”
38 tn Heb “Come and cross over.”
39 tn Heb “crossed over.”
40 tn Heb “all the little ones.”
41 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
42 tn Heb “crossing over.”
43 tn Heb “crossing near the face of.”
44 tn Heb “crossing from.”
45 tn Heb “as [is] good in his eyes.”
46 tn The Greek tradition understands the Hebrew word as an imperative (“see”). Most Greek
47 tn Heb “And Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, two of your sons, with you.” The pronominal suffix on the last word is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
48 tn The pronoun is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
49 tc The translation follows 4QSama, part of the Greek tradition, the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate uldavid in reading “and to David,” rather than MT וְדָוִד (vÿdavid, “and David”). As Driver points out, the Hebrew verb הִגִּיד (higgid, “he related”) never uses the accusative for the person to whom something is told (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 316).
50 tn Heb “said.”
51 tn Heb “cross over.”
52 tn Heb “Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you?” The rhetorical question draws attention to the fact that Hushai will not be alone.
53 tn Heb “from the house of the king.”
54 tn Heb “and you must send by their hand to me every word which you hear.” Both of the second person verb forms are plural with Zadok, Abiathar, and Hushai being the understood subjects.
55 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:8.
56 tn Or “riches.”
57 tn Or “spontaneously.”
58 tn Or “of ministering to.”
59 tn A new sentence was started here in the translation and the word “thus” was supplied to indicate that it expresses the result of the previous clause.
60 tn Or “we exhorted.”
61 tn The words “this work” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted and must be supplied from the context.
62 tn Grk “this grace.”
63 tn Grk “as you abound.”
64 tc The reading “the love from us that is in you” is very difficult in this context, for Paul is here enumerating the Corinthians’ attributes: How is it possible for them to excel “in the love from us that is in you”? Most likely, because of this difficulty, several early scribes, as well as most later ones (א C D F G Ψ [33] Ï lat), altered the text to read “your love for us” (so NIV; Grk ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγάπῃ [ex Jumwn en Jhmin agaph]). The reading ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐν ὑμῖν ἀγάπῃ (ex Jhmwn en Jumin agaph) is found, however, in excellent and early witnesses (Ì46 B 0243 6 104 630 1175 1739 1881 co). As the harder reading it explains the rise of the other reading. What, then, is the force of “in the love from us that is in you”? Most likely, Paul is commending the Corinthians for excelling in deriving some inspiration from the apostles’ love for them.
65 tn Grk “you abound.”
66 tn Grk “this grace.”
67 tn Grk “by means of the eagerness of others.”
68 tn Or “generosity.”
69 tn Grk “who.”
70 tn Grk “and now also complete the doing.”
71 tn Grk “just as the eagerness to want [it].”
72 tn Grk “so also it might be completed.” The passive construction was converted to an active one in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
73 tn Grk “completed from what you have.”
74 tn The words “the gift itself” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Translators often supply an English phrase like “it is” (NASB) but in the context, Paul is clearly referring to the collection Titus was to oversee (2 Cor 8:4-7). Therefore there is no reason not to specify the referent (the gift) more narrowly for clarity.
75 tn Or “their lack.”
76 tn The word “gathered” is not in the Greek text, but is implied (so also for the second occurrence of the word later in the verse).
77 sn A quotation from Exod 16:18.
78 tn Or “eagerness.”
79 tn The comparative form of this adjective is used here with elative meaning.
80 tn This verb has been translated as an epistolary aorist.
81 tn Or “of his own free will.”
82 tn This verb has been translated as an epistolary aorist.
83 tn Grk “the brother of whom the praise in the gospel [is] throughout all the churches.”
84 tn Grk “gospel, and not only this, but.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.
85 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the brother mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
86 tn That is, the offering or collection being taken to assist impoverished Christians.
87 tn The words “to help” are not in the Greek text but are implied (see L&N 25.68).
88 tn “This” refers to sending the brother mentioned in 2 Cor 8:18 to Corinth along with Titus. The words “We did this” have no equivalent in the Greek text, but are necessary to maintain the thought flow in English. The Greek participle that begins v. 20 continues the sentence begun in v. 18 which concerns the sending of the other brother mentioned there.
89 sn An allusion to Prov 3:4.
90 tn This verb has been translated as an epistolary aorist.
91 tn Grk “If concerning Titus” (εἴτε ὑπὲρ Τίτου, eite Juper Titou); the Greek sentence opens with an ellipsis which must be supplied: If [there is any question] about Titus.”
92 tn Grk “apostles.”
93 tc The sense of this translation is attested by the fact that most of the later
tn In the Greek text ἐνδεικνύμενοι (endeiknumenoi) is a present participle which is translated as an imperative verb (see BDF §468; ExSyn 650-52).
94 tn Or “our boasting about you.”
95 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.
96 tn The phrase “bloody city” is used of Nineveh in Nah 3:1.
97 tn Heb “her time”; this refers to the time of impending judgment (see the note on “doom” in v. 4).
98 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.
99 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.
100 tn The Hebrew verb is a prophetic perfect, emphasizing that the action is as good as done from the speaker’s perspective.
101 tn Heb “unclean of name.”
102 tn Heb “Look! The princes of Israel, each according to his arm, were in you in order to shed blood.”
103 tn Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”
104 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.
105 tn Heb “men of slander are in you in order to shed blood.”
106 tn Heb “and on the mountains they eat within you.” The mountains mentioned here were the site of pagan sacrifices. See 18:6.
107 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.
108 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).
109 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).
110 tn Heb “a man.”
111 tn The verb is the same one used in verse 10b and suggests forcible sexual violation of the woman.
112 sn Sexual relations with one’s half-sister may be primarily in view here. See Lev 18:9; 20:17.
113 tn Heb “usury and interest you take.” See 18:13, 17. This kind of economic exploitation violated the law given in Lev 25:36.
114 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.
115 tn The second person verb forms are feminine singular in Hebrew, indicating that the personified city is addressed here as representing its citizens.
116 sn This gesture apparently expresses mourning and/or anger (see 6:11; 21:14, 17).
117 tn Heb “the blood which was in you.”
118 tn Heb “stand.” The heart here stands for the emotions; Jerusalem would panic in the face of God’s judgment.
119 tn Heb “in the days when I act against you.”
120 sn The ultimate purpose of divine judgment is to purify the covenant community of its sins.
121 tc Several ancient versions read the verb as first person, in which case the Lord refers to how his people’s sin brings disgrace upon him. For a defense of the Hebrew text, see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:712, n. 68, and M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:457-58.
tn The phrase “within yourself” is the same as the several previous occurrences of “within you” but adjusted to fit this clause which is the culmination of the series of indictments.
122 tn For similar imagery, see Isa 1:21-26; Jer 6:27-30.
123 tn The Hebrew second person pronoun is masculine plural here and in vv. 19b-21, indicating that the people are being addressed.
124 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
125 tn Heb “I will put.” No object is supplied in the Hebrew, prompting many to emend the text to “I will blow.” See BHS and verse 21.
126 tc The MT reads “that is not cleansed”; the LXX reads “that is not drenched,” which assumes a different vowel pointing as well as the loss of a מ (mem) due to haplography. In light of the following reference to showers, the reading of the LXX certainly fits the context well. For a defense of the emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32. Yet the MT is not an unreasonable reading since uncleanness in the land also fits the context, and a poetic connection between rain and the land being uncleansed may be feasible since washing with water is elsewhere associated with cleansing (Num 8:7; 31:23; Ps 51:7).
127 tn Heb “in a day of anger.”
128 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.
129 tn Heb “her widows they have multiplied.” The statement alludes to their murderous acts.
130 tn Or “between the consecrated and the common.”
131 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).
132 tn Heb “her prophets coat for themselves with whitewash.” The expression may be based on Ezek 13:10-15.
133 tn Heb “and the foreigner they have oppressed without justice.”
134 tn Heb “I did not find.”
135 tn Heb “their way on their head I have placed.”
136 sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.
137 tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.
138 tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.
139 tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”
140 tn Heb “have entered.”
141 tn Or perhaps “raw”; Heb “burned; enflamed.”
142 tn Heb “my eyes fail from waiting for my God.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision.
143 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Pss 35:19; 38:19).
144 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority; note the parallel verb רָבַב (ravav, “be many”).
145 tn Heb “that which I did not steal, then I restore.” Apparently אָז (’az, “then”) is used here to emphasize the verb that follows.
sn They make me repay what I did not steal. The psalmist’s enemies falsely accuse him and hold him accountable for alleged crimes he did not even commit.
146 tn Heb “you know my foolishness.”
147 sn The psalmist is the first to admit that he is not perfect. But even so, he is innocent of the allegations which his enemies bring against him (v. 5b). God, who is aware of his foolish sins and guilt, can testify to the truth of his claim.
148 tn Heb “O Master,
149 tn Heb “carry, bear.”
150 tn Heb “on account of you.”
151 tn Heb “and shame covers my face.”
152 tn Heb “and I am estranged to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother.”
153 tn Or “for.” This verse explains that the psalmist’s suffering is due to his allegiance to God.
154 tn Or “devotion to.”
155 sn God’s house, the temple, here represents by metonymy God himself.
156 tn Heb “the insults of those who insult you fall upon me.”
sn Jn 2:17 applies the first half of this verse to Jesus’ ministry in the context of John’s account of Jesus cleansing the temple.
157 sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
158 tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”
159 tn Heb “and I am an object of ridicule to them.”
160 tn Heb “the mocking songs of the drinkers of beer.”
161 tn Heb “as for me, [may] my prayer be to you, O
162 tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”
163 tn Heb “let me be delivered.”
164 tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (cf. Ps 55:23).
165 tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”
166 tn Or “pleasant”; or “desirable.”
167 tn Heb “do not hide your face from.” The Hebrew idiom “hide the face” can (1) mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
168 tn Or “quickly.”
169 tn Heb “come near my life and redeem it.” The verb “redeem” casts the
170 tn Heb “before you [are] all my enemies.”
171 tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.
172 tn The verb form appears to be a Qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root נוּשׁ (nush), which some consider an alternate form of אָנַשׁ (’anash, “be weak; be sick”; see BDB 60 s.v. I אָנַשׁ). Perhaps the form should be emended to a Niphal, וָאֵאָנְשָׁה (va’e’onshah, “and I am sick”). The Niphal of אָנַשׁ occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.
173 tn Heb “wait.”
174 tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form נוּד (nud) is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun:, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle נָד (nad, “one who shows sympathy”). The verb נוּד (nud) also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.
175 tn According to BDB 912 s.v. II רֹאשׁ the term can mean “a bitter and poisonous plant.”
176 sn John 19:28-30 appears to understand Jesus’ experience on the cross as a fulfillment of this passage (or Ps 22:15). See the study note on the word “thirsty” in John 19:28.
177 tc Heb “and to the friends for a snare.” The plural of שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is used in Ps 55:20 of one’s “friends.” If the reading of the MT is retained here, the term depicts the psalmist’s enemies as a close-knit group of friends who are bound together by their hatred for the psalmist. Some prefer to revocalize the text as וּלְשִׁלּוּמִים (ulÿshillumim, “and for retribution”). In this case the noun stands parallel to פַּח (pakh, “trap”) and מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), and one might translate, “may their dining table become a trap before them, [a means of] retribution and a snare” (cf. NIV).
178 tn Heb “may their eyes be darkened from seeing.”
179 tn Heb “make their hips shake continually.”
180 tn Heb “anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger.
181 tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
182 tn Heb “in their tents may there not be one who dwells.”
sn In Acts 1:20 Peter applies the language of this verse to Judas’ experience. By changing the pronouns from plural to singular, he is able to apply the ancient curse, pronounced against the psalmist’s enemies, to Judas in particular.
183 tn Or “persecute”; Heb “chase.”
184 tn Heb “for you, the one whom you strike, they chase.”
185 tn Heb “they announce the pain of your wounded ones” (i.e., “the ones whom you wounded,” as the parallel line makes clear).
sn The psalmist is innocent of the false charges made by his enemies (v. 4), but he is also aware of his sinfulness (v. 5) and admits that he experiences divine discipline (v. 26) despite his devotion to God (v. 9). Here he laments that his enemies take advantage of such divine discipline by harassing and slandering him. They “kick him while he’s down,” as the expression goes.
186 tn Heb “place sin upon their sin.”
187 tn Heb “let them not come into your vindication.”
188 tn Heb “let them be wiped out of the scroll of the living.”
sn The phrase the scroll of the living occurs only here in the OT. It pictures a scroll or census list containing the names of the citizens of a community. When an individual died, that person’s name was removed from the list. So this curse is a very vivid way of asking that the enemies die.
189 tn Heb “and with the godly let them not be written.”
sn Do not let their names be listed with the godly. This curse pictures a scroll in which God records the names of his loyal followers. The psalmist makes the point that his enemies have no right to be included in this list of the godly.
190 tn Heb “your deliverance, O God, may it protect me.”
191 tn Heb “I will praise the name of God with a song.”
192 tn Heb “I will magnify him with thanks.”
193 sn You who seek God refers to those who seek to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him (see Ps 53:2).
194 tn Heb “may your heart[s] live.” See Ps 22:26.
195 tn Heb “his prisoners he does not despise.”
196 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
197 tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
198 tn Heb “the lovers of his name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to God (cf. v. 35). See Pss 5:11; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
199 sn Verses 35-36 appear to be an addition to the psalm from the time of the exile. The earlier lament reflects an individual’s situation, while these verses seem to reflect a communal application of it.
