1 Samuel 15:1-35 
Context15:1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “I was the one the Lord sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord says. 1 15:2 Here is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed 2 Israel along the way when Israel 3 came up from Egypt. 15:3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don’t spare 4 them. Put them to death – man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.’”
15:4 So Saul assembled 5 the army 6 and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 15:5 Saul proceeded to the city 7 of Amalek, where he set an ambush 8 in the wadi. 9 15:6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites! Otherwise I will sweep you away 10 with them! After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.
15:7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to 11 Shur, which is next to Egypt. 15:8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people 12 with the sword. 15:9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings, 13 and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value. 14 They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised 15 and worthless.
15:10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 15:11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
15:12 Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning. But Samuel was informed, “Saul has gone to Carmel where 16 he is setting up a monument for himself. Then Samuel left 17 and went down to Gilgal.” 18 15:13 When Samuel came to him, 19 Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you! I have done what the Lord said.”
15:14 Samuel replied, “If that is the case, 20 then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?” 15:15 Saul said, “They were brought 21 from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord our God. But everything else we slaughtered.”
15:16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait a minute! 22 Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul 23 said to him, “Tell me.” 15:17 Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose 24 you as king over Israel. 15:18 The Lord sent you on a campaign 25 saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you 26 have destroyed them.’ 15:19 Why haven’t you obeyed 27 the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.” 28
15:20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed 29 the Lord! I went on the campaign 30 the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. 15:21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle – the best of what was to be slaughtered – to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
15:22 Then Samuel said,
“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as he does in obedience? 31
Certainly, 32 obedience 33 is better than sacrifice;
paying attention is better than 34 the fat of rams.
15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and presumption is like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as 35 king.”
15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded 36 and what you said as well. 37 For I was afraid of the army, and I followed their wishes. 38 15:25 Now please forgive my sin! Go back with me so I can worship 39 the Lord.”
15:26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!”
15:27 When Samuel turned to leave, Saul 40 grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore. 15:28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you! 15:29 The Preeminent One 41 of Israel does not go back on his word 42 or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.” 43 15:30 Saul 44 again replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Go back with me so I may worship the Lord your God.” 15:31 So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
15:32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.” So Agag came to him trembling, 45 thinking to himself, 46 “Surely death is bitter!” 47 15:33 Samuel said, “Just as your sword left women childless, so your mother will be the most bereaved among women!” Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces there in Gilgal before the Lord.
15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, while Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 15:35 Until the day he 48 died Samuel did not see Saul again. Samuel did, however, mourn for Saul, but the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Romans 13:1-14
Context13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, 49 and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 13:2 So the person who resists such authority 50 resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment 13:3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation, 13:4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer. 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities 51 but also because of your conscience. 52 13:6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities 53 are God’s servants devoted to governing. 54 13:7 Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 13:9 For the commandments, 55 “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” 56 (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 57 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
13:11 And do this 58 because we know 59 the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers. 13:12 The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. 13:13 Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. 13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires. 60
Jeremiah 52:1-34
Context52:1 61 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem 62 for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal 63 daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 52:2 He did what displeased the Lord 64 just as Jehoiakim had done.
52:3 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger when he drove them out of his sight. 65 Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 52:4 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it. 66 They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah. 67 52:5 The city remained under siege until Zedekiah’s eleventh year. 52:6 By the ninth day of the fourth month 68 the famine in the city was so severe the residents 69 had no food. 52:7 They broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king’s garden. 70 (The Babylonians had the city surrounded.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley. 71 52:8 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, 72 and his entire army deserted him. 52:9 They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah 73 in the territory of Hamath and he passed sentence on him there. 52:10 The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah. 52:11 He had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains. 74 Then the king of Babylon had him led off to Babylon and he was imprisoned there until the day he died.
52:12 On the tenth 75 day of the fifth month, 76 in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard 77 who served 78 the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. 52:13 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. 52:14 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 52:15 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor, 79 the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the craftsmen. 52:16 But he 80 left behind some of the poor 81 and gave them fields and vineyards.
52:17 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the Lord, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called the “The Sea.” 82 They took all the bronze to Babylon. 52:18 They also took the pots, shovels, 83 trimming shears, 84 basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. 85 52:19 The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, 86 basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels. 87 52:20 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” and the movable stands 88 ) was too heavy to be weighed. 52:21 Each of the pillars was about 27 feet 89 high, about 18 feet 90 in circumference, three inches 91 thick, and hollow. 52:22 The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet 92 high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it. 52:23 There were ninety-six pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it.
52:24 The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers. 93 52:25 From the city he took an official who was in charge of the soldiers, seven of the king’s advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens 94 for military service, and sixty citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city. 52:26 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 52:27 The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed 95 at Riblah in the territory of Hamath.
So Judah was taken into exile away from its land. 52:28 Here is the official record of the number of people 96 Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year, 97 3,023 Jews; 52:29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 98 832 people from Jerusalem; 52:30 in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, 99 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all 4,600 people went into exile.
52:31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth 100 day of the twelfth month, 101 Evil-Merodach, in the first year of his reign, pardoned 102 King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. 52:32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than 103 the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 52:33 Jehoiachin 104 took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. 52:34 He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life until the day he died.
Psalms 31:1-24
ContextFor the music director; a psalm of David.
31:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!
Never let me be humiliated!
Vindicate me by rescuing me! 106
Quickly deliver me!
Be my protector and refuge, 108
a stronghold where I can be safe! 109
31:3 For you are my high ridge 110 and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation 111 you lead me and guide me. 112
31:4 You will free me 113 from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I entrust my life; 114
you will rescue 115 me, O Lord, the faithful God.
31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, 116
but I trust in the Lord.
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 117
31:8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand 118 in a wide open place.
31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!
My eyes grow dim 119 from suffering. 120
I have lost my strength. 121
31:10 For my life nears its end in pain;
my years draw to a close as I groan. 122
My strength fails me because of 123 my sin,
and my bones become brittle. 124
31:11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; 125
my neighbors are appalled by my suffering 126 –
those who know me are horrified by my condition; 127
those who see me in the street run away from me.
31:12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about; 128
I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar. 129
31:13 For I hear what so many are saying, 130
the terrifying news that comes from every direction. 131
When they plot together against me,
they figure out how they can take my life.
31:14 But I trust in you, O Lord!
I declare, “You are my God!”
31:15 You determine my destiny! 132
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
31:16 Smile 133 on your servant!
Deliver me because of your faithfulness!
31:17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you!
May evil men be humiliated!
May they go wailing to the grave! 134
31:18 May lying lips be silenced –
lips 135 that speak defiantly against the innocent 136
with arrogance and contempt!
31:19 How great is your favor, 137
which you store up for your loyal followers! 138
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter 139 in you. 140
31:20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks 141 of men; 142
you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks. 143
31:21 The Lord deserves praise 144
for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies. 145
31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, 146
“I am cut off from your presence!” 147
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers 148 of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. 149
31:24 Be strong and confident, 150
all you who wait on the Lord!
1 tn Heb “to the voice of the words of the
2 tn Heb “what Amalek did to Israel, how he placed against him.”
3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Or perhaps “don’t take pity on” (cf. CEV).
5 tn Heb “caused the people to hear.”
6 tn Heb “people.”
7 tc The LXX has the plural here, “cities.”
8 tc The translation follows the LXX and Vulgate which assume a reading וַיָּאָרֶב (vayya’arev, “and he set an ambush,” from the root ארב [’rv] with quiescence of alef) rather than the MT, which has וַיָּרֶב (vayyareb, “and he contended,” from the root ריב [ryv]).
9 tn That is, “the dry stream bed.”
10 tc The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate which assume a reading אֶסִפְךָ (’esfÿka, “I sweep you away,” from the root ספה [sfh]) rather than the MT אֹסִפְךָ (’osifÿka, “I am gathering you,” from the root אסף[’sf]).
11 tn Heb “[as] you enter.”
12 tn Heb “all the people.” For clarity “Agag’s” has been supplied in the translation.
13 tn The Hebrew text is difficult here. We should probably read וְהַמַּשְׂמַנִּים (vÿhammasmannim, “the fat ones”) rather than the MT וְהַמִּשְׂנִים (vÿhammisnim, “the second ones”). However, if the MT is retained, the sense may be as the Jewish commentator Kimchi supposed: the second-born young, thought to be better than the firstlings. (For discussion see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 123-24.)
14 tn Heb “good.”
15 tc The MT has here the very odd form נְמִבְזָה (nÿmivzah), but this is apparently due to a scribal error. The translation follows instead the Niphal participle נִבְזָה (nivzah).
16 tn Heb “and look.”
17 tn Heb “and he turned and crossed over.”
18 tc At the end of v. 12 the LXX and one Old Latin
19 tn Heb “to Saul.”
20 tn The words “if that is the case” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 tn Heb “they brought them.”
22 tn Or perhaps “be quiet.”
23 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Heb “anointed.”
25 tn Heb “journey.”
26 tc The translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum in reading the second person singular suffix (“you”) rather than the third person plural suffix of the MT (“they”).
27 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the
28 tn Heb “you have done what is evil in the eyes of the
29 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the
30 tn Heb “journey.”
31 tn Heb “as [in] listening to the voice of the
32 tn Heb “look.”
33 tn Heb “listening.”
34 tn The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).
35 tn Or “from [being].”
36 tn Heb “the mouth of the
37 tn Heb “and your words.”
38 tn Heb “and I listened to their voice.”
39 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.
40 tn Heb “he,” but Saul is clearly the referent. A Qumran
41 tn Heb “splendor,” used here by metonymy as a title for the
42 tn Or perhaps “does not lie.”
43 sn This observation marks the preceding statement (v. 28) as an unconditional, unalterable decree. When God makes such a decree he will not alter it or change his mind. This does not mean that God never deviates from his stated intentions or changes his mind. On the contrary, several passages describe him as changing his mind. In fact, his willingness to do so is one of his fundamental divine attributes (see Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). For a fuller discussion see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Change His Mind?” BSac 152 (1995): 387-99.
44 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45 tn The MT reading מַעֲדַנֹּת (ma’adannot, literally, “bonds,” used here adverbially, “in bonds”) is difficult. The word is found only here and in Job 38:31. Part of the problem lies in determining the root of the word. Some scholars have taken it to be from the root ענד (’nd, “to bind around”), but this assumes a metathesis of two of the letters of the root. Others take it from the root עדן (’dn) with the meaning “voluptuously,” but this does not seem to fit the context. It seems better to understand the word to be from the root מעד (m’d, “to totter” or “shake”). In that case it describes the fear that Agag experienced in realizing the mortal danger that he faced as he approached Samuel. This is the way that the LXX translators understood the word, rendering it by the Greek participle τρέμον (tremon, “trembling”).
46 tn Heb “and Agag said.”
47 tc The text is difficult here. With the LXX, two Old Latin
48 tn That is, Samuel.
49 tn Grk “by God.”
50 tn Grk “the authority,” referring to the authority just described.
51 tn Grk “its wrath”; the referent (the governing authorities) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
52 tn Grk “because of (the) conscience,” but the English possessive “your” helps to show whose conscience the context implies.
53 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the governing authorities) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54 tn Grk “devoted to this very thing.”
55 tn Grk “For the…” (with the word “commandments” supplied for clarity). The Greek article (“the”) is used here as a substantiver to introduce the commands that are quoted from the second half of the Decalogue (ExSyn 238).
56 sn A quotation from Exod 20:13-15, 17; Deut 5:17-19, 21.
57 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
58 tn Grk “and this,” probably referring to the command to love (13:8-10); hence, “do” is implied from the previous verses.
59 tn The participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
60 tn Grk “make no provision for the flesh unto desires.”
61 sn This final chapter does not mention Jeremiah, but its description of the downfall of Jerusalem and exile of the people validates the prophet’s ministry.
62 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
63 tn Some textual witnesses support the Kethib (consonantal text) in reading “Hamital.”
64 tn Heb “what was evil in the eyes of the
65 tn Heb “Surely (or “for”) because of the anger of the
66 tn Or “against.”
67 sn This would have been January 15, 588
68 sn According to modern reckoning that would have been July 18, 586
69 tn Heb “the people of the land.”
70 sn The king’s garden is mentioned again in Neh 3:15 in conjunction with the pool of Siloam and the stairs that go down from the city of David. This would have been in the southern part of the city near the Tyropean Valley which agrees with the reference to the “two walls” which were probably the walls on the eastern and western hills.
71 sn Heb “toward the Arabah.” The Arabah was the rift valley north and south of the Dead Sea. Here the intention was undoubtedly to escape across the Jordan to Moab or Ammon. It appears from 40:14; 41:15 that the Ammonites were known to harbor fugitives from the Babylonians.
72 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
73 sn Riblah was a strategic town on the Orontes River in Syria. It was at a crossing of the major roads between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Pharaoh Necho had earlier received Jehoahaz there and put him in chains (2 Kgs 23:33) prior to taking him captive to Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar had set up his base camp for conducting his campaigns against the Palestinian states there and was now sitting in judgment on prisoners brought to him.
74 tn Heb “fetters of bronze.” The more generic “chains” is used in the translation because “fetters” is a word unfamiliar to most modern readers.
75 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 25:8 has “seventh.”
76 sn The tenth day of the month would have been August 17, 586
77 tn For the meaning of this phrase see BDB 371 s.v. טַבָּח 2 and compare the usage in Gen 39:1.
78 tn Heb “stood before.”
79 tn Heb “poor of the people.”
80 tn Heb “Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding and modern English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.
81 tn Heb “poor of the land.”
82 sn For discussion of the items listed here, see the study notes at Jer 27:19.
83 sn These shovels were used to clean the altar.
84 sn These trimming shears were used to trim the wicks of the lamps.
85 tn Heb “with which they served (or “fulfilled their duty”).”
86 sn The censers held the embers used for the incense offerings.
87 sn These vessels were used for drink offerings.
88 tc The translation follows the LXX (Greek version), which reflects the description in 1 Kgs 7:25-26. The Hebrew text reads, “the twelve bronze bulls under the movable stands.” הַיָּם (hayyam, “The Sea”) has been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton; note that the following form, הַמְּכֹנוֹת (hammÿkhonot, “the movable stands”), also begins with the article.
89 tn Heb “eighteen cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
90 tn Heb “twelve cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
91 tn Heb “four fingers.”
92 tn Heb “five cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
93 sn See the note at Jer 35:4.
94 tn Heb “men, from the people of the land” (also later in this verse).
95 tn Heb “struck them down and killed them.”
96 tn Heb “these are the people.”
97 sn This would be 597
98 sn This would be 586
99 sn This would be 581
100 sn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 25:28 has “twenty-seventh.”
101 sn The twenty-fifth day would be March 20, 561
102 tn Heb “lifted up the head of.”
103 tn Heb “made his throne above the throne of
104 tn The subject is unstated in the Hebrew text, but Jehoiachin is clearly the subject of the following verb.
105 sn Psalm 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, the psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him.
106 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
107 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
108 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
109 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
110 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
111 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the
112 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
113 tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
114 tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
115 tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
116 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
117 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
118 tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”
119 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
120 tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.
121 tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.
122 tn Heb “and my years in groaning.”
123 tn Heb “stumbles in.”
124 tn Heb “grow weak.”
125 tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”
126 tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the MT is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests it is textually corrupt. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 258) suggests that the initial mem (מ) on מְאֹד (me’od, “exceedingly”) be understood as an enclitic mem (ם) which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. The resulting form אֵד (’ed) can then be taken as a defectively written form of אֵיד (’ed, “calamity”). If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors [I am one who experiences] calamity.” The noun פַחַד (fakhad, “[object of] horror”) occurs in the next line; אֵיד and פַחַד appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).
127 tn Heb “and [an object of ] horror to those known by me.”
128 tn Heb “I am forgotten, like a dead man, from [the] heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the center of one’s thoughts.
129 tn Heb “I am like a broken jar.” One throws away a broken jar without a second thought because it is considered worthless and useless.
130 tn Heb “the report of many.”
131 tn Heb “the terror from all around.”
132 tn Heb “in your hand [are] my times.”
133 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
134 tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddÿmu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
135 tn Heb “the [ones which].”
136 tn Or “godly.”
137 tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
138 tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
139 tn “Taking shelter” in the
140 tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
141 tn The noun רֹכֶס (rokhes) occurs only here. Its meaning is debated; some suggest “snare,” while others propose “slander” or “conspiracy.”
142 tn Heb “you hide them in the hiding place of your face from the attacks of man.” The imperfect verbal forms in this verse draw attention to God’s typical treatment of the faithful.
143 tn Heb “you conceal them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”
144 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
145 tn Heb “for he caused his faithfulness to be amazing to me in a besieged city.” The psalmist probably speaks figuratively here. He compares his crisis to being trapped in a besieged city, but the
146 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
147 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
148 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
149 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
150 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart[s] be confident.”
