21:13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? 4 declares the sovereign Lord.’
1 tn Heb “into the midst of” (so KJV, ASV). This phrase has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
2 tn Heb “walked in their ways.”
3 tn The Hebrew expression has a temporal meaning as illustrated by the use of the phrase in 2 Chr 12:7.
4 tn Heb “For testing (will come) and what if also a scepter, it despises, will not be?” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned in the previous verses. The text is very difficult and any rendering is uncertain.