32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; 1
his mind plans out sinful deeds. 2
He commits godless deeds 3
and says misleading things about the Lord;
he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite 4
and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. 5
33:18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, 6
and you will ask yourselves, 7 “Where is the scribe?
Where is the one who weighs the money?
Where is the one who counts the towers?” 8
44:20 He feeds on ashes; 11
his deceived mind misleads him.
He cannot rescue himself,
nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ 12
1 tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.
2 tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”
3 tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”
4 tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”
5 tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”
6 tn Heb “your heart will meditate on terror.”
7 tn The words “and you will ask yourselves” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
8 sn The people refer to various Assyrian officials who were responsible for determining the amount of taxation or tribute Judah must pay to the Assyrian king.
9 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
10 tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”
11 tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”
12 tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”