Yeremia 5:7-8

5:7 The Lord asked, ¹ 

“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem? ² 

Your people ³  have rejected me

and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all. ⁴ 

Even though I supplied all their needs, ⁵  they were like an unfaithful wife to me. ⁶ 

They went flocking ⁷  to the houses of prostitutes. ⁸ 

5:8 They are like lusty, well-fed ⁹  stallions.

Each of them lusts after ¹⁰  his neighbor’s wife.

Yeremia 7:9

7:9 You steal. ¹¹  You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to ¹²  other gods whom you have not previously known.

Yeremia 9:2

9:2 (9:1) I wish I had a lodging place in the desert

where I could spend some time like a weary traveler. ¹³ 

Then I would desert my people

and walk away from them

because they are all unfaithful to God,

a congregation ¹⁴  of people that has been disloyal to him. ¹⁵ 

Yehezkiel 22:9-11

22:9 Slanderous men shed blood within you. ¹⁶  Those who live within you eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains; ¹⁷  they commit obscene acts among you. ¹⁸  22:10 They have sex with their father’s wife within you; ¹⁹  they violate women during their menstrual period within you. ²⁰  22:11 One ²¹  commits an abominable act with his neighbor’s wife; another obscenely defiles his daughter-in-law; another violates ²²  his sister – his father’s daughter ²³  – within you.

Hosea 4:2-3

4:2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.

They resort to violence and bloodshed. ²⁴ 

4:3 Therefore the land will mourn,

and all its inhabitants will perish. ²⁵ 

The wild animals, ²⁶  the birds of the sky,

and even the fish in the sea will perish.

Maleakhi 3:5

3:5 “I ²⁷  will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, ²⁸  and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, ²⁹  who refuse to help ³⁰  the immigrant ³¹  and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Maleakhi 3:1

3:1 “I am about to send my messenger, ³²  who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord ³³  you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger ³⁴  of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Kolose 1:9-10

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ³⁵  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ³⁶  to fill ³⁷  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ³⁸  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ³⁹  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Galatia 5:19-21

5:19 Now the works of the flesh ⁴⁰  are obvious: ⁴¹  sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, ⁴²  hostilities, ⁴³  strife, ⁴⁴  jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, ⁴⁵  factions, 5:21 envying, ⁴⁶  murder, ⁴⁷  drunkenness, carousing, ⁴⁸  and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Ibrani 13:4

13:4 Marriage must be honored among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.

Yakobus 4:4

4:4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? ⁴⁹  So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy.

[5:7]  ¹ tn These words are not in the text, but are supplied in the translation to make clear who is speaking.

[5:7]  ² tn Heb “How can I forgive [or pardon] you.” The pronoun “you” is second feminine singular, referring to the city. See v. 1.

[5:7]  ³ tn Heb “your children.”

[5:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they have sworn [oaths] by not-gods.”

[5:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “I satisfied them to the full.”

[5:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “they committed adultery.” It is difficult to decide whether literal adultery with other women or spiritual adultery with other gods is meant. The word for adultery is used for both in the book of Jeremiah. For examples of its use for spiritual adultery see 3:8, 9; 9:2. For examples of its use for literal adultery see 7:9; 23:14. The context here could argue for either. The swearing by other gods and the implicit contradiction in their actions in contrast to the expected gratitude for supplying their needs argues for spiritual adultery. However, the reference to prostitution in the next line and the reference to chasing after their neighbor’s wives argues for literal adultery. The translation opts for spiritual adultery because of the contrast implicit in the concessive clause.

[5:7]  ⁷ tn There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of this word. Most of the modern English versions follow the lead of lexicographers who relate this word to a noun meaning “troop” and understand it to mean “they trooped together” (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.2 and compare the usage in Mic 5:1 [4:14 HT]). A few of the modern English versions and commentaries follow the reading of the Greek and read a word meaning “they lodged” (reading ִיתְגּוֹרְרוּ [yitggorÿru] from I גּוּר [gur; cf. HALOT 177 s.v. Hithpo. and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 17:20] instead of יִתְגֹּדָדוּ [yitggodadu]). W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:180) sees a reference here to the cultic practice of cutting oneself in supplication to pagan gods (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.1 and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 18:28). The houses of prostitutes would then be a reference to ritual prostitutes at the pagan shrines. The translation follows BDB and the majority of modern English versions.

[5:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “to a house of a prostitute.”

[5:7]  sn This could be a reference to cultic temple prostitution connected with the pagan shrines. For allusion to this in the OT, see, e.g., Deut 23:17 and 2 Kgs 23:7.

[5:8]  ⁹ tn The meanings of these two adjectives are uncertain. The translation of the first adjective is based on assuming that the word is a defectively written participle related to the noun “testicle” (a Hiphil participle מַאֲשִׁכִים [ma’ashikhim] from a verb related to אֶשֶׁךְ [’eshekh, “testicle”]; cf. Lev 21:20) and hence “having testicles” (cf. HALOT 1379 s.v. שָׁכָה) instead of the Masoretic form מַשְׁכִּים (mashkim) from a root שָׁכָה (shakhah), which is otherwise unattested in either verbal or nominal forms. The second adjective is best derived from a verb root meaning “to feed” (a Hophal participle מוּזָנִים [muzanim, the Kethib] from a root זוּן [zun; cf. BDB 266 s.v. זוּן] for which there is the cognate noun מָזוֹן [mazon; cf. 2 Chr 11:23]). This is more likely than the derivation from a root יָזַן ([yazan]reading מְיֻזָּנִים [mÿyuzzanim], a Pual participle with the Qere) which is otherwise unattested in verbal or nominal forms and whose meaning is dependent only on a supposed Arabic cognate (cf. HALOT 387 s.v. יָזַן).

[5:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “neighs after.”

[7:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.

[7:9]  ¹² tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[9:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “I wish I had in the desert a lodging place [inn, or place to spend the night] for travelers.”

[9:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or “bunch,” but this loses the irony; the word is used for the solemn assemblies at the religious feasts.

[9:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they are all adulterers, a congregation of unfaithful people.” However, spiritual adultery is, of course, meant, not literal adultery. So the literal translation would be misleading.

[22:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “men of slander are in you in order to shed blood.”

[22:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and on the mountains they eat within you.” The mountains mentioned here were the site of pagan sacrifices. See 18:6.

[22:9]  ¹⁸ 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.

[22:10]  ¹⁹ 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).

[22:10]  ²⁰ 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).

[22:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “a man.”

[22:11]  ²² tn The verb is the same one used in verse 10b and suggests forcible sexual violation of the woman.

[22:11]  ²³ sn Sexual relations with one’s half-sister may be primarily in view here. See Lev 18:9; 20:17.

[4:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “they break out and bloodshed touches bloodshed.” The Hebrew term פָּרַץ (parats, “to break out”) refers to violent and wicked actions (BDB 829 s.v. פָּרַץ 7; HALOT 972 s.v. פרץ 6.c). It is used elsewhere in a concrete sense to describe breaking through physical barriers. Here it is used figuratively to describe breaking moral barriers and restraints (cf. TEV “Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another”).

[4:3]  ²⁵ tn Or “languish” (so KJV, NRSV); NIV “waste away.”

[4:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the beasts of the field” (so NAB, NIV).

[3:5]  ²⁷ tn The first person pronoun (a reference to the Lord) indicates that the Lord himself now speaks (see also v. 1). The prophet speaks in vv. 2-4 (see also 2:17).

[3:5]  ²⁸ tn Heb “those who swear [oaths] falsely.” Cf. NIV “perjurers”; TEV “those who give false testimony”; NLT “liars.”

[3:5]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and against the oppressors of the worker for a wage, [the] widow and orphan.”

[3:5]  ³⁰ tn Heb “those who turn aside.”

[3:5]  ³¹ tn Or “resident foreigner”; NIV “aliens”; NRSV “the alien.”

[3:1]  ³² tn In Hebrew the phrase “my messenger” is מַלְאָכִי (mal’akhi), the same form as the prophet’s name (see note on the name “Malachi” in 1:1). However, here the messenger appears to be an eschatological figure who is about to appear, as the following context suggests. According to 4:5, this messenger is “Elijah the prophet,” whom the NT identifies as John the Baptist (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2) because he came in the “spirit and power” of Elijah (Matt 11:14; 17:11-12; Lk 1:17).

[3:1]  ³³ tn Here the Hebrew term הָאָדוֹן (ha’adon) is used, not יְהוָה (yÿhvah, typically rendered Lord). Thus the focus is not on the Lord as the covenant God, but on his role as master.

[3:1]  ³⁴ sn This messenger of the covenant may be equated with my messenger (that is, Elijah) mentioned earlier in the verse, or with the Lord himself. In either case the messenger functions as an enforcer of the covenant. Note the following verses, which depict purifying judgment on a people that has violated the Lord’s covenant.

[1:9]  ³⁵ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ³⁶ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ³⁷ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ³⁸ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ³⁹ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[5:19]  ⁴⁰ tn See the note on the word “flesh” in Gal 5:13.

[5:19]  ⁴¹ tn Or “clear,” “evident.”

[5:20]  ⁴² tn Or “witchcraft.”

[5:20]  ⁴³ tn Or “enmities,” “[acts of] hatred.”

[5:20]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “discord” (L&N 39.22).

[5:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “discord(s)” (L&N 39.13).

[5:21]  ⁴⁶ tn This term is plural in Greek (as is “murder” and “carousing”), but for clarity these abstract nouns have been translated as singular.

[5:21]  ⁴⁷ tc ‡ φόνοι (fonoi, “murders”) is absent in such important mss as Ì⁴⁶ א B 33 81 323 945 pc sa, while the majority of mss (A C D F G Ψ 0122 0278 1739 1881 Ï lat) have the word. Although the pedigree of the mss which lack the term is of the highest degree, homoioteleuton may well explain the shorter reading. The preceding word has merely one letter difference, making it quite possible to overlook this term (φθόνοι φόνοι, fqonoi fonoi).

[5:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “revelings,” “orgies” (L&N 88.287).

[4:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “is hostility toward God.”