Amsal 1:22-23

1:22 “How long will you simpletons ¹  love naiveté? ² 

How long ³  will mockers ⁴  delight ⁵  in mockery ⁶ 

and fools ⁷  hate knowledge?

1:23 If only ⁸  you will respond ⁹  to my rebuke, ¹⁰ 

then ¹¹  I will pour ¹²  out my thoughts ¹³  to you

and ¹⁴  I will make ¹⁵  my words known to you.

Amsal 8:4-5

8:4 “To you, O people, ¹⁶  I call out,

and my voice calls ¹⁷  to all mankind. ¹⁸ 

8:5 You who are naive, discern ¹⁹  wisdom!

And you fools, understand discernment! ²⁰ 

Amsal 9:4-6

9:4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”

she says ²¹  to those ²²  who lack understanding. ²³ 

9:5 “Come, eat ²⁴  some of my food,

and drink some of the wine I have mixed. ²⁵ 

9:6 Abandon your foolish ways ²⁶  so that you may live, ²⁷ 

and proceed ²⁸  in the way of understanding.”

Yesaya 1:16-20

1:16 ²⁹ Wash! Cleanse yourselves!

Remove your sinful deeds ³⁰ 

from my sight.

Stop sinning!

1:17 Learn to do what is right!

Promote justice!

Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! ³¹ 

Take up the cause of the orphan!

Defend the rights of the widow! ³² 

1:18 ³³ Come, let’s consider your options,” ³⁴  says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,

you can become ³⁵  white like snow;

though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,

you can become ³⁶  white like wool. ³⁷ 

1:19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, ³⁸ 

then you will again eat the good crops of the land.

1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,

you will be devoured ³⁹  by the sword.”

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. ⁴⁰ 

Yesaya 55:6-7

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ⁴¹ 

call to him while he is nearby!

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ⁴² 

and sinful people their plans. ⁴³ 

They should return ⁴⁴  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ⁴⁵ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ⁴⁶ 

Yeremia 4:3-4

4:3 Yes, ⁴⁷  the Lord has this to say

to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:

“Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground,

you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning;

just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted,

you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. ⁴⁸ 

4:4 Just as ritual circumcision cuts away the foreskin

as an external symbol of dedicated covenant commitment,

you must genuinely dedicate yourselves to the Lord

and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to me, ⁴⁹ 

people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.

If you do not, ⁵⁰  my anger will blaze up like a flaming fire against you

that no one will be able to extinguish.

That will happen because of the evil you have done.”

Yeremia 7:3-7

7:3 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ⁵¹  says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. ⁵²  If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. ⁵³  7:4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, ⁵⁴  “We are safe! ⁵⁵  The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” ⁵⁶  7:5 You must change ⁵⁷  the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. ⁵⁸  7:6 Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. ⁵⁹  Stop killing innocent people ⁶⁰  in this land. Stop paying allegiance to ⁶¹  other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. ⁶²  7:7 If you stop doing these things, ⁶³  I will allow you to continue to live in this land ⁶⁴  which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession. ⁶⁵ 

Yehezkiel 18:30-31

18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, ⁶⁶  O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent ⁶⁷  and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. ⁶⁸  18:31 Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! ⁶⁹  Why should you die, O house of Israel?

Hosea 14:1

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,

for your sin has been your downfall! ⁷⁰ 

Matius 3:8

3:8 Therefore produce fruit ⁷¹  that proves your ⁷²  repentance,

Kisah Para Rasul 3:19

3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

Kisah Para Rasul 17:30

17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ⁷³  such times of ignorance, ⁷⁴  he now commands all people ⁷⁵  everywhere to repent, ⁷⁶ 

Yakobus 4:8

4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. ⁷⁷ 

[1:22]  ¹ tn Wisdom addresses three types of people: simpletons (פְּתָיִם, pÿtayim), scoffers (לֵצִים, letsim) and fools (כְּסִילִים, kÿsilim). For the term “simpleton” see note on 1:4. Each of these three types of people is satisfied with the life being led and will not listen to reason. See J. A. Emerton, “A Note on the Hebrew Text of Proverbs 1:22-23,” JTS 19 (1968): 609-14.

[1:22]  ² tn Heb “simplicity” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “inanity.” The noun פֶּתִי (peti) means “simplicity; lack of wisdom” (BDB 834 s.v.; HALOT 989 s.v. II פֶּתִי). It is related to the term פְּתָיִם (pÿtayim) “simpletons” and so forms a striking wordplay. This lack of wisdom and moral simplicity is inherent in the character of the naive person.

[1:22]  ³ tn The second instance of “How long?” does not appear in the Hebrew text; it is supplied in the translation for smoothness and style.

[1:22]  ⁴ sn The term לֵצִים (leysim, “scoffers; mockers”) comes from the root לִיץ (lits, “to scorn; to mock; to speak indirectly” (BDB 539 s.v. לִיץ). They are cynical and defiant freethinkers who ridicule the righteous and all for which they stand (e.g., Ps 1:1).

[1:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “delight.” The verb (חָמַד, khamad) is often translated “to take pleasure; to delight” but frequently has the meaning of a selfish desire, a coveting of something. It is the term, for example, used for coveting in the Decalogue (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21) and for the covetous desire of Eve (Gen 3:6) and Achan (Josh 7:21). It is tempting to nuance it here as “illicit desire” for mockery.

[1:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “for themselves.” The ethical dative לָהֶם (lahem, “for themselves”) is normally untranslated. It is a rhetorical device emphasizing that they take delight in mockery for their own self-interests.

[1:22]  ⁷ sn The term “fool” (כְּסִיל, kÿsil) refers to the morally insensitive dullard (BDB 493 s.v.).

[1:23]  ⁸ tn The imperfect tense is in the conditional protasis without the conditional particle, followed by the clause beginning with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “then”). The phrase “If only…” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the syntax; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “turn.” The verb is from שׁוּב (shuv, “to return; to respond; to repent”).

[1:23]  ¹⁰ sn The noun תּוֹכַחַת (tokhakhat, “rebuke”) is used in all kinds of disputes including rebuking, arguing, reasoning, admonishing, and chiding. The term is broad enough to include here warning and rebuke. Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “reproof”; TEV “when I reprimand you”; CEV “correct you.”

[1:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Behold!”

[1:23]  ¹² tn The Hiphil cohortative of נָבַע (nava’, “to pour out”) describes the speaker’s resolution to pour out wisdom on those who respond.

[1:23]  ¹³ tn Heb “my spirit.” The term “spirit” (רוּחַ, ruakh) functions as a metonymy (= spirit) of association (= thoughts), as indicated by the parallelism with “my words” (דְּבָרַי, dÿbaray). The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) can have a cognitive nuance, e.g., “spirit of wisdom” (Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9). It is used metonymically for “words” (Job 20:3) and “mind” (Isa 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; see BDB 925 s.v. רוּחַ 6). The “spirit of wisdom” produces skill and capacity necessary for success (Isa 11:2; John 7:37-39).

[1:23]  ¹⁴ tn The conjunction “and” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[1:23]  ¹⁵ tn Here too the form is the cohortative, stressing the resolution of wisdom to reveal herself to the one who responds.

[8:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “men.” Although it might be argued in light of the preceding material that males would be particularly addressed by wisdom here, the following material indicates a more universal appeal. Cf. TEV, NLT “to all of you.”

[8:4]  ¹⁷ tn The verb “calls” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of style.

[8:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “sons of man.” Cf. NAB “the children of men”; NCV, NLT “all people”; NRSV “all that live.”

[8:5]  ¹⁹ tn The imperative of בִּין (bin) means “to understand; to discern.” The call is for the simple to understand what wisdom is, not just to gain it.

[8:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “heart.” The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) often functions metonymically for wisdom, understanding, discernment.

[9:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “lacking of heart she says to him.” The pronominal suffix is a resumptive pronoun, meaning, “she says to the lacking of heart.”

[9:4]  ²² tn Heb “him.”

[9:4]  ²³ tn Heb “heart”; cf. NIV “to those who lack judgment.”

[9:5]  ²⁴ tn The construction features a cognate accusative (verb and noun from same root). The preposition בּ (bet) has the partitive use “some” (GKC 380 §119.m).

[9:5]  ²⁵ tn The final verb actually stands in a relative clause although the relative pronoun is not present; it modifies “wine.”

[9:5]  sn The expressions “eat” and “drink” carry the implied comparison forward; they mean that the simple are to appropriate the teachings of wisdom.

[9:6]  ²⁶ tn There are two ways to take this word: either as “fools” or as “foolish ways.” The spelling for “foolishness” in v. 13 differs from this spelling, and so some have taken that as an indicator that this should be “fools.” But this could still be an abstract plural here as in 1:22. Either the message is to forsake fools (i.e., bad company; cf. KJV, TEV) or forsake foolishness (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).

[9:6]  ²⁷ tn The two imperatives are joined with vav; this is a volitive sequence in which result or consequence is expressed.

[9:6]  ²⁸ tn The verb means “go straight, go on, advance” or “go straight on in the way of understanding” (BDB 80 s.v. אָשַׁר).

[1:16]  ²⁹ sn Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.

[1:16]  ³⁰ sn This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun ַמעַלְלֵיכֶם (ma’alleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).

[1:17]  ³¹ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; HALOT 329 s.v. II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (’ashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the MT pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a-b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a-c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”

[1:17]  ³² tn This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.

[1:18]  ³³ sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).

[1:18]  ³⁴ tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.

[1:18]  ³⁵ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ³⁶ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ³⁷ tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.

[1:19]  ³⁸ tn Heb “listen”; KJV “obedient”; NASB “If you consent and obey.”

[1:20]  ³⁹ sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [to’khelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [tÿ’ukkÿlu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.

[1:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).

[55:6]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[55:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ⁴⁵ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ⁴⁶ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[4:3]  ⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew particle is obviously asseverative here since a causal connection appears to make little sense.

[4:3]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Plow up your unplowed ground and do not sow among the thorns.” The translation is an attempt to bring out the force of a metaphor. The idea seems to be that they are to plow over the thorns and make the ground ready for the seeds which will produce a new crop where none had been produced before.

[4:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskin of your heart.” The translation is again an attempt to bring out the meaning of a metaphor. The mention of the “foreskin of the heart” shows that the passage is obviously metaphorical and involves heart attitude, not an external rite.

[4:4]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “lest.”

[7:3]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God Israel.”

[7:3]  sn Compare the use of similar titles in 2:19; 5:14; 6:6 and see the explanation in the study note at 2:19. In this instance the title appears to emphasize the Lord as the heavenly King who drags his disobedient vassals into court (and threatens them with judgment).

[7:3]  ⁵² tn Or “Make good your ways and your actions.” J. Bright’s translation (“Reform the whole pattern of your conduct”; Jeremiah [AB], 52) is excellent.

[7:3]  ⁵³ tn Heb “place” but this might be misunderstood to refer to the temple.

[7:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “Stop trusting in lying words which say.”

[7:4]  ⁵⁵ tn The words “We are safe!” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[7:4]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these (i.e., these buildings).” Elsewhere triple repetition seems to mark a kind of emphasis (cf. Isa 6:3; Jer 22:29; Ezek 21:27 [32 HT]). The triple repetition that follows seems to be Jeremiah’s way of mocking the (false) sense of security that people had in the invincibility of Jerusalem because God dwelt in the temple. They appeared to be treating the temple as some kind of magical charm. A similar feeling had grown up around the ark in the time of the judges (cf. 1 Sam 3:3) and the temple and city of Jerusalem in Micah’s day (cf. Mic 3:11). It is reflected also in some of the Psalms (cf., e.g., Ps 46, especially v. 5).

[7:5]  ⁵⁷ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[7:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “you must do justice between a person and his fellow/neighbor.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[7:6]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “Stop oppressing foreigner, orphan, and widow.”

[7:6]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “Stop shedding innocent blood.”

[7:6]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “going/following after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[7:6]  ⁶² tn Heb “going after other gods to your ruin.”

[7:7]  ⁶³ tn The translation uses imperatives in vv. 5-6 followed by the phrase, “If you do all this,” to avoid the long and complex sentence structure of the Hebrew sentence which has a series of conditional clauses in vv. 5-6 followed by a main clause in v. 7.

[7:7]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “live in this place, in this land.”

[7:7]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “gave to your fathers [with reference to] from ancient times even unto forever.”

[18:30]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “ways.”

[18:30]  ⁶⁷ tn The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.

[18:30]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “leading to punishment.”

[18:31]  ⁶⁹ sn In Ezek 11:19, 36:26 the new heart and new spirit are promised as future blessings.

[14:1]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “For you have stumbled in your iniquity”; NASB, NRSV “because of your iniquity.”

[3:8]  ⁷¹ sn Fruit worthy of repentance refers to the deeds that indicate a change of attitude (heart) on the part of John’s hearers.

[3:8]  ⁷² tn Grk “fruit worthy of.”

[17:30]  ⁷³ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ⁷⁵ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ⁷⁶ sn He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.

[4:8]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “two-minded” (the same description used in 1:8).