Difficult parts of Hebrew and Greek Scriptures

OBJECTIONABLE, QUESTIONABLE, TEXTS IN THE BIBLE’S OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
Old Testament

• Genesis 19:30-38  [Two daughters deliberately become pregnant to their father, Lot.]


   19:30  Now Lot went up out of Zoar, and … dwelt in a cave with his two daughters. … 33 So they made their father drink wine that night; and the first-born went in, and lay with her father; … 35 … and the younger arose, and lay with him; …  37 The first-born bore a son … Moab …  38 The younger also bore a son … Ben-ammi …  – (Revised Standard Version (RSV), Reformers' translation, O.T. © 1952).

• Genesis 22:1-2, 10-11  [God tells Abraham to kill, but the Lord's angel forbids.]

    1 
   22:1. After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!"  And he said, "Here am I."   2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."  […]   10 Then Abraham … took the knife to slay his son.  11 But the angel of the LORD called to him. – (RSV) 1
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• Exodus 15:3  [The Lord is a man of war.]


   15:3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name. – (RSV). [[Also see Psalm 24:8 & 10]]

• Exodus 20:17  [10th Commandment protects neighbour's slaves.]


   20:17  Never desire to take your neighbour's house, nor his wife, his male slave or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.  (Also see Deuteronomy 5:21.) – Adapted from God's Word ® translation, (mission group's translation) GWT, © Copyright 1995 by God's Word to the Nations, Orange Park, Florida, USA.

• Exodus 20:26  [Modesty prevents going up steps to the altar.]


   20:26  And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it. – (RSV).

• Exodus 21:2-6  [A Hebrew buying a Hebrew slave, and the seven-year rules.]


   21:2  When you buy a Hebrew slave, his service will last for six years.  In the seventh year he will leave a free man without paying compensation.  3 If he came in single, he will depart single; if he came married, his wife will depart with him.  4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master and he will depart alone. 5 But if the slave says, 'I love my master and my wife and children; I do not wish to be freed,'  6 then his master will bring him before God and then, leading him to the door or the doorpost, his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and the slave will be permanently his. – (New Jerusalem Bible, Roman Catholic translation, 1990).

• Exodus 21:7-11  [Rules about selling daughter into slavery.]


   21:7  When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.  8 If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt faithlessly with her.  9 If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.  10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.  11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money. – (RSV).

• Exodus 21:15 and 17  [Execute anyone who hits or curses his father or mother.]


   21:15  He that striketh his father or his mother shall be put to death.
   21:17  He that curseth his father, or mother, shall die the death. – (Douay, R.C., 1609).

• Exodus 21:20-21  [Slave-killing rules; slave is his money.]


   21:20  When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished.  21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be punished for the slave is his money. – (RSV).

• Exodus 22:18, and Deuteronomy 18:10-11  [Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.]


   Exodus 22: 18   Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. – (Authorised Version, i.e., King James Bible, Reformers' translation, AD 1611).
   Deuteronomy 18: 10  There shall not be found among you … any one who practises divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, 11  or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. – (RSV).

• Leviticus 15:19-20   [Woman with an issue and all she touches are unclean.]

 
   15:19  And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days : and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until evening. 
   20  And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean : every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. – (AV)

• Leviticus 25:44 and 46   [Buy slaves from non-Israelites, and bequeath them.]

  2 
   25: 44  … you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are round about you. … 46  You may bequeath them to your sons after you, to inherit as a possession for ever; you may make slaves of them, but over your brethren the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness. – (RSV).  2

• Leviticus 27:28-29 and 34   [Human being, etc., devoted to the Lord to be killed.]


   27:28.  "But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of everything that he has, whether of man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD. 29 No one devoted, who is to be utterly destroyed from among men, shall be ransomed; he shall be put to death. …" 34. These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. -(RSV).  [[Notice the third phrase shows that man (which means humans) are among what the man (the well-off man) OWNS.  And also see how in Judges 11:30-31, 34, 39 below, a daughter (notice, not named) was treated as being something OWNED by her father Jephthah, and was killed.]]

• Numbers 31:17-18   [Kill the Midianite boys, but save the virgin girls for yourselves.]


   31: 17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18 But all the young girls that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. - (RSV).

• Deuteronomy 25:11-12  [Cut off woman's hand if she seizes man's private parts.]


   If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand.  Show her no pity. - (New International Version, © 1983.)  [[Found by KJJM Feb 23, 2006, inserted May 25, 2010.  Cf Judges 1:6 and 2 Samuel 4:12.]]

• Joshua chapters 6 to 8  [Spoils forbidden, Achan burned; later booty approved.]
   6:17  And the city [Jericho] shall be accursed … and all that are therein … only Rahab … shall live … and all that are with her …
   6:19  But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron … shall come into the treasury of Yehovah.
   7:20-21  And Achan answered … I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment … silver … gold … I coveted them and took them … hid.
   7:24-26  And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan … the silver … the garment … gold, and his sons, and his daughters , and his oxen … asses … sheep … all that he had … And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire … raised over him a great heap of stones … called The valley of Achor, unto this day.
–  (King James version (AV), 1611).   [[Read at Joshua 8:27 after the conquest of the city of Ai, the cattle and the spoils were taken as prey, according to the word of Yehovah to Joshua.  In other words, what had been forbidden was later approved.]]
   [[Did the sons and daughters of Achan deserve a horrible fate ?  And even the dumb animals he owned ?]]
   [[Read the somewhat similar story in Muslim tradition Bukhari's Hadith Volume 4, Book 53, Number 353, of other booty being ordered to be destroyed (by heavenly fire, the text says), and later on booty-taking and keeping was approved by Allah.  (Ponder if such teachings are being followed in 2010-11 by pirates from Somalia, etc.)]]  [[Inserted June 16, 2011.]]

• Judges 1:6   [Prisoner of war Adoni-Bezek has thumbs and big toes cut off.]


   1: 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. – (NIV, © 1983.)  [[Found by KJJM in NJB pocket edition, May 25, 2006.  Compare with Deut 25:11-12 above, and with 2 Sam 4:12, below.]]

• Judges 11:30-31, 34, 39   [Daughter is burnt for vow to the Lord.]


   11:30  And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the LORD's, and I will offer him up for a burnt offering." […] 34 Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; she was his only child; […] 39  And at the end of two months, … her father … did with her according to his vow which he had made. – Judges 11:30-31, 34, 39 (RSV).  [[The rule about such a vow is at Leviticus 27:28, 29, 34; see above.  Scholars are asked to study how "I will offer HIM up" can be reconciled with the offering up of a SHE, the daughter.]]

• Judges 19:22-28   [Women are offered to spare a Levite man.]


   19:22  … Send out the man … we should like to have intercourse with him! … 24 Here is my daughter, she is a virgin … but do not commit such an infamy against this man.  25 … the Levite took hold of his concubine and brought her out to them.  They had intercourse with her and ill-treated her all night … 28 … There was no answer. … – Judges 19:22-28 (NJB)

• Judges 19:29   [The dead concubine's body cut into 12 pieces.]


   19:29  And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and laying hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. – Judges 19:29 (RSV).

• Judges 20:48   [Israel ruins Benjamin, their ‘brothers and sisters’.]


   19:48  And the men of Israel turned back against the Benjaminites, and smote them with the edge of the sword, men and beasts and all that they found.  And all the towns which they found they set on fire. – (RSV)

• 1st Book of Samuel 15:3   [Slay man, woman, infant, and suckling – animals too.]


   15:3   Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. – 1 Samuel 15:3 (RSV) / RC versions, 1 Kings 15:3.

• 2nd Book of Samuel 4:12   [Prisoners of war killed, hands and feet cut off]


   4: 12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them.  They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. … – 2 Samuel 4:12. (NIV) / 2 Kings 4:12 in RC Douay Bible.  [[Compare with Deuteronomy 25:11-12 above.  See variant in Muslim scripture, Koran 5:33 (or 5:37)]]

• 2nd Book of Samuel 6:6-7   [Uzzah steadied it, angered the Lord, so God struck]

  3 
   When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.  The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. – 2 Samuel 6:6-7 (NIV) / 2 Kings 6:6-7.  3

• 1st Book of Kings 2:6, 9   [King David tells heir Solomon to murder on his behalf.]


   2:6 … do not let his [Joab's] grey head go down to Sheol in peace. – 1 Kings 2:6 (RSV) / In old RC versions, 3 Kings 2:6.  [[Assassination carried out: 1 Kings 2:34 / 3 Kings 2:34.]]
   2:9 … you shall bring his [Shimei's] grey head down with blood to Sheol. – 1 Kings 2:9 (RSV) / 3 Kings 2:9 [[Assassination carried out: 1 Kings 2:46 / 3 Kings 2:46.]]

• 1st Book of Kings 2:39-40   [Runaway slaves are brought back.]


   2:39 … two of Shimei's slaves ran away to … Gath   40 … Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. – 1 Kings 2:39-40 (RSV) / 3 Kings 2:39-40

• 1st Book of Kings 11:3   [King Solomon has 700 wives and 300 concubines.]


   11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines … – 1 Kings 11:3 / 3 Kings 11:3.

• 2nd Book of Kings 2:23-24   [Prophet Elisha curses, then she-bears tear, 42 boys.]


   2:23  He [Elisha] went up from there [Jericho] to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead!  Go up, you baldhead!"   24 And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD.  And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. – 2 Kings 2:23-24 (RSV) / 4 Kings 2:23-24.

• Psalm 24:8 & 10   [The Lord, mighty in battle!   The Lord of hosts! ]


   24:   8  Who, then, is this glorious King?  Jehovah, strong and mighty, Jehovah, mighty in battle. … 10  … Jehovah of armies – he is the glorious King. – Psalm 24:8 & 10 (NWT) / Ps 23:8 &10. [[Also see Exodus 15:3]]

• Psalm 137:8-9   [Dash Babylon’s little ones against the rock! ]


   137:   8  O daughter of Babylon, you devastator … 9  Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock! – Psalm 137:8-9 (RSV) ; In old RC versions, Psalm 136:8-9
New Testament

• Matthew's Gospel, 10:24   [A slave is not above his master.]


   10:24  [Jesus said] A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his lord. – Matthew 10:24 (Kingdom Interlinear Translation, KIT).  ("Slave" in koine Greek: δουλος = "doulos")  [[Found by KJJM February 13, 2004.]]

• Mark's Gospel, 11:12-14 and 20   [A fig-tree, out of season, is cursed to wither.]

  4 
   11:12  On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he [Jesus] was hungry.  13And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it.  When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  14And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." … 20. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. - Mark 11:12-14 & 20. (Revised Standard Version, RSV).   [[Contrast with Matthew 21:18-20, in which the fig tree withered at once.]]   4

• Ephesians 5:22-23   [Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord.]

  5 
   Wives should be subject to your husbands as to the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife … – New Jerusalem Bible, NJB   5

• Ephesians 6:5-7 (and 3 other epistles):  [Slaves, obey your masters, as the Lord.]


   Ephesians 6:5-7:  Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ, … as to the Lord - (RSV).  (In koine Greek: δουλοι = "douloi" = "slaves.")
   Colossians 3:22-23:  Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord.  Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord, and not men. - (RSV).  (Greek: δουλοι = "douloi")
   Colossians 4:1:  Masters, be just and fair to your slaves, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.  (The New English Bible (NEB), revised, © 1961, 1970.)
   Titus 2:9-10:  Bid slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect;  they are not to be refractory, nor to pilfer, but to show entire and true fidelity, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. - (Revised Standard Version (RSV), N.T. © 1971). (δουλους = "doulous" = "slaves")
   1st Peter 2:18:  Let house servants be in subjection to owners with all fear, not only to the good and reasonable, but also to those hard to please. - (adapted from KIT)  ("House servants" in Greek οικεται; = "oiketai" ;  "owners" δεσποταις = "despotais")
   [[The Roman Catholic scholarly New Jerusalem Bible © 1985, 1990 edition, for 1 Peter 2:18 translates "house servants" as "slaves," and "owners" as "masters."  The choice of the word "slaves" in NJB is a welcome reversal of the usual translators' methods - most Western sects soften the meaning "slave" to "servant" (the main searchable word in both Strong's and Cruden's concordances) etc., or a euphemistic variant.]]

• 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15   [Jews’ conduct makes them enemies of all humanity.]


   … the Jews … their conduct … makes them the enemies of the whole human race. – (NJB).  [[Contrast the above with Jesus quoted in John 4:22 "... for salvation is from the Jews."  Also read Galatians 3:28 regarding the CONVERTED Jews: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." – (NIV).  In that regard, also read Ephesians 2:11-20.]]

• Hebrews 9:22   [Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.]


   … without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. – (NIV)
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness   6 
– Bible: 2 Timothy 3:16  6
________________________________________
 ENDNOTES 
 1   Genesis 22:1-2, 10, 12: The words "your ONLY SON Isaac," used three times in this chapter, are inconsistent with the rest of the Abraham stories.  Evidence:- Abram (later called Abraham) had his first son Ishmael / Ismael, son of Abraham and the slave-girl Hagar / Agar, according to Genesis 15:15.  Ishmael was born, according to Genesis 16:15, when Abraham was 86 years old, so he was his "only son" for 13 to 14 years.  Isaac was born to Sarah / Sarai / Sara when Abraham was 100 years old (Genesis 21:5).
   But Sarah and Abraham cast Hagar and Ishmael out, according to Genesis 21:10, which is difficult to accept as the action of "moral" people, to be honoured for generations.  In fact, the inconsistency of "Isaac, your only son, whom you love," might be evidence of the insertion of the name Isaac (ancestor of the Israelites) instead of Ishmael, by the Israelite copyists, according to a footnote to a Koran translation, which at 37:102 does not give a name to the near-victim son.  The Koran seems to show Ishmael / Ismā‘īl as being the first son of a wife of Abraham / Ibrāhim, not of a slave-girl.  Both Ishmael and Isaac outlived Abraham, and buried him in the cave of Machpelah, according to Genesis 25:9.  So, although Ishmael was an only son into his teens, Isaac never was an ONLY son.
   Horror: But, although this inconsistency suggests that these Hebrew texts were not written under the inspiration of the God of Truth, "your only son" are only words.  The very idea of a man intending to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:2), or to sell a daughter into slavery (Exodus 21:7-11), or to actually kill his daughter as a sacrifice (Judges 11:30-31, 34, 39), or killing the children and livestock of indigenous people (1 Samuel 15:3), or that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22), fills civilised peoples with horror.  Yet three global monotheistic religions' scriptures seem to include the Abraham and near-victim story.  Judaism and Christianity treat Abraham as a kind of keystone of their obedience theories.
 2   Leviticus 25:44, 46 and Matthew 10:24:  Do you doubt that SLAVERY was practised by the prosperous classes in ancient Israel and Judah in Old Testament times?  And was accepted as normal by the Christians, according to the New Testament in Matthew 10:24 and elsewhere? Remember, many traditional Bible translations used euphemisms (or "weasel words") such as "servant" instead of "slave" (Hebrew ‘ebed and ’amah, Greek doulos, doule) in many places.  To get a feeling for this, read Ephesians 6: 5-8 in the Douay or King James versions, where the chapter's advice to "servants" gives the game away at the end, by the phrase "bond or free."  The Webmaster recommends reading a newer translation, but even some of these use "handmaid" and "maid" in the Genesis story about Jacob having sons by the slave-girls.  In the 10th Commandment "manservant" and "maidservant" are in the translations in Church usage instead of man slave and slave-girl.  In other places words to disguise the meaning in the translations include bondsman and bondmaid.  In a few places there is "young man," possibly like "boy" is/was used by some people of the southern states of the USA when speaking to or about African-Americans, whose ancestors were enslaved in former times by so-called Christians, with others co-operating.
   Old Testament check-up (Alternative book names are given after a stroke, i.e. "/"): Genesis 15:3, 16:1ff, 17:12-13, 23, 27;  24:2, 30:3, 9; Exodus 12:44, 20:10, 20:17 (10th Commandment includes: don't covet neighbour's man-servant nor his maid-servant, that is, slaves), 21:1-11, 21:20, 21:26, 21:32, 22:3, 23:12; Leviticus 25:39, 25:47; Deuteronomy 5:21 (10th Commandment includes: don't covet neighbour's man-servant nor his maid-servant, that is, slaves), 12:12-18, 15:12-18, 16:11-14, 21:10-14 (women war captives), 23:15-16 (don't return a slave); 2 Samuel / 2 Kings 9:2, 1 Kings / 3 Kings 2:39, 5:2-3 9:21; 1 Chronicles / 1 Paralipomenon 2:34-35; Nehemiah / 2 Esdras 7:67; Job 31:13-15; Proverbs 17:2, 19:10.
   Apocrypha: Ben Sira / Ecclesiasticus / Sirach 33:25-31.
   New Testament:  Read the verses quoted in the main article, and also read Philemon (all of it).  Paul did not ORDER the owner to free Philemon the slave.
   Islam, too, has scripture and tradition condoning slavery.  An example in The Koran 24:58 (or 24:57) scripture is: "Believers, let your slaves and those who are under age ask your leave on three occasions when they come in to see you … ."  The Islamic traditions in the Hadith include: Bukhari's, 8, 82:815:- […] The Prophet said, "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, I will judge you according to the Laws of Allah.… Your one-hundred sheep and the slave are to be returned to you, … ."
   Three religions: So, this means that Judaism, Christianity, and the later starter, Islam (Muslims), all have pro-slavery scripture and other traditional texts.
 3   2 Samuel 6:6-7 and look back to Genesis 22:1-2, 10-12:  TWO NAMES for the Divine Being in the Uzzah killing, and in the near-killing of Isaac:  For serious students of these Hebrew writings, please ponder why there seem to be VARIOUS NAMES, such as:
  • God (Elohiym, pronounced "el-o-heem"; Strong's Hebrew 430), first seen in the very first verse of the Hebrew Scriptures.
  • the Lord (Yehovah, or "I am who exists"; Strong's Hebrew 3068).
  • El Shaddai (often approximated in translations as "Almighty God"; Strong's Hebrew 7706).  (El Shaddai is seen at Genesis 17:1, 28:3, 35:11, 43:14, 48:3, 49:25; Exodus 6:3, Numbers 24:4, 24:16; Ruth 1:20-21; Job 5:17 and 30 times more to Job 40:2; twice in the Psalms, once in Isaiah, twice in Ezekiel, and once at Joel 1:15.  See Strong's list "Almighty" at page 28.)
  • El (Strong's, Hebrew number 410) translated as God, makes its first appearance at Genesis 14:18.
  • Adonai (Strong's 136), is translated as "the Lord." See it at Genesis 15:2.
  • Adown or Adon (Strong's 113) appears at Deuteronomy 10.17.
       To read more about various names for God in the Hebrew scriptures, please visit: "Religion / Names of the O.T. God" on this website.
       The various names have presumably been puzzling people for centuries.  Some bold thinkers state that Elohiym (which is a plural form meaning "gods") was invoked early on, but when the Yehovah worshippers came into the same orbit, the word Yehovah was inserted into books that supposedly came from an earlier time.
       Take note that the second book of the Hebrew scripture states that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had not known Him by the name Yehovah (Exodus 6:3).  That seems a bit at odds with the claim in the Bible's first book that in the time of Enos or Enosh, a grandson of Adam, people first began calling on the name of the LORD – which is some translators' code for Yehovah. (Genesis 4:26).  (Some modern bibles use the word Yahweh, but the Hebrew is yod, he, vav, he, or Hebrew, reading right to left, י ה ו ה ‎ = Yehôvâh.)
       Sadly, a whole religion, that of Jehovah's Witnesses, is devoted to reverencing mainly one of these various Hebrew names for the Heavenly Being, and insisting that one, the Tetragrammaton, YHVH, is the right one, pronounced with a J for Jehovah.
     4   Mark 11:12-14 and 20:  FIG TREE CURSED, WITHERED: Why would Jesus seek to "find anything on it" if "it was not the season for figs."?  If He was Almighty God, wouldn't He know that it was not the fig-fruiting season, AND that there were no figs on it?  Doesn't His curse, then, look like a petty tantrum, not befitting a philosopher, let alone the Lord of Creation?  And remember, the OWNER/S of the fig tree are not consulted or even mentioned in either gospel.  Also, ask yourself, if Jesus was God, why didn't He CREATE ripe figs on the spot?  He could have shared them with His followers.  Or was this tale written before the Jesus-is-God dogma was invented?
     5   Ephesians 5:22-23: WOMEN to be SUBJECT to their men, as to the Lord !  Sensible men who know their own weaknesses don't believe such Bible texts, knowing that their wives have helped lead them away from silly or immoral inclinations many a time.  This N.T. text is just one of a few pushing women down.  But to look back further, get a real feel for the Old Testament's idea of women lacking human rights, by reading Exodus 21:7-11 and 22:18, Leviticus 15:19-20, Deuteronomy 25:11-12, Judges 19:22-28, and some other texts given above.
     6   2 Timothy 3:16:  INSPIRED ? RIGHTEOUSNESS ?  Readers, do you believe, as this disputed book claims, that all Old Testament SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED by God and is profitable for training in righteousness?  (The "scriptures" which "St Paul" meant, presumably, were the ones that existed then, that is, the Hebrew-Aramaic scripture, and/or a widely-used Greek translation which differed and had variations plus more books and writings, the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Scriptures.)

    SLAVERY IS SUPPORTED in the 10TH COMMANDMENT
       It was a great surprise to me when glancing at a bible translation to see that the 10th Commandment had confirmed slavery.  It was in a little-known version, the God's Word Bible translation, 1995, by God's Word to the Nations, U.S.A.
       Yes, at Exodus 20:17, in the Decalogue's 10th Commandment against coveting, we are forbiddent to desire to take our neighbour's household, his wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.  Yes, and it's similar at Deuteronomy 5:21.
       I discovered this by chance in the God's Word Bible on August 19, 2011.  I was flummoxed to find that Christianity, supposedly freeing humanity, was copying Judaism's protection of slavery, and cheating on the translations.
       Generations of Anglican and other Reformed Church children and adults have recited these words of the 10th Commandment based on the 1611 Authorised Version of the Bible, not to covet "his manservant, nor his maidservant."  So, was this 1995 translation more correct than the 1611 translation, for which 400-year celebrations are being held in the second half of 2011 ?
       A bit of research showed that years ago in 1927 the inventor of the Esperanto language, Dr L.L. Zamenhof, had published the truth.  His translation into Esperanto from the original language, Hebrew, of the 10th Commandment, included the words sklavo and sklavino, that is, "slave" and "female slave."
       And some English-language translators had used "slave" instead of "servant" or similar euphemisms in publications of 1966, 1968, 1971, 1984, 1991, 1995 and 1996.  The fact that I and many others had not realised the shameful truth is, perhaps, another example of how the most popular bible translations plus propaganda close the eyes and ears and minds of the people.
       The words have been checked to the Hebrew words and translations in The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1996.  They are ‘ebed = male slave (Strong's Hebrew 5650), and ’âmâh = female slave (Strong's Hebrew 519).
       Teachers of Roman Catholic children, of course, seemed to avoid the issue by using a catechism that showed their divided commandment as "9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.  10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods."  The R.C. Douay Bible of 1609 had the "servant" mistranslations before the publication of the Church of England's 1611 Bible.  But, how could "servants" be classified as part of the neighbour's "goods", unless it was thought they were possessions?  And, are "slaves" "goods"?  The fraud is obvious.
       Some elements of the R.C.C. published the truth years ago.  The Jesuit John L. McKenzie's Dictionary of the Bible, 1968, honestly gave the meaning as male and female slave in his "Decalogue" article when quoting the Bible's two lists (p 186).  Although he seems to have made no adverse comment on this "divine commandment" to condone slavery, his article "Slave, Slavery" (pp 823-5) is honest in exposing the fact that both the Judaic and the Christian scriptures seem to treat slavery as a fact of life, rather than a scourge on humanity.  The R.C. imprimatur (permission to print) was dated 1965. 
       But the mainstream Roman Catholic Church before and after McKenzie was still obscuring the truth, as it had been doing at least since the Douay Bible publication of its Old Testament translation in 1609, and by permitting the Knox Bible's mistranslations issued in 1949, 1955, and 1957, and The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), 1985 and 1990, which is widely used in its divine worship, which shows "servant, man or woman." 
       The Revised Standard Version (RSV) of 1952 is a revision of a revision of the Church of England's Authorised Version (King James).  The (RSV) also adheres to the "cover-up," using the euphemisms "manservant" and "maidservant" in their O.T. translation, reprinted and reprinted.
       And the reformed and evangelical scholars who worked on the New International Version (NIV)  1973, 1978 and 1984, and on its revision, Today's New International Version (TNIV), copyrighted 2001 and 2005, are also deceiving the people by printing "male or female servant."  (By the way, the Hebrew word for a servant who gets WAGES is sâkîyr, pronounced "saw-keer", Strong's Hebrew 7916.)
       How could generations of Anglican, Roman Catholic, and many other clergy and teachers face themselves while deceiving the public for so long?  Is there any excuse for this?
       LIST OF TRUTHFUL PUBLICATIONS (date order): Here is a list of publications known to the author, showing the truth, that slaves were referred to, not servants:
    • 1927, Dr Lazaro L. Zamenhof, Esperanto Old Testament, and (for other texts) other translators, Esperanto New Testament;
    • 1966 and 1971, the Good News Bible (GNB), also known as The Bible in Today's English Version (TEV);
    • 1968, the Dictionary of the Bible, by John L. McKenzie, U.S.A.;
    • 1984 revision, the New World Translation (NWT) (literalist translation), New World Bible Translation Committee, International Bible Students Association, Brooklyn (New York), U.S.A.;
    • 1991 and 1995, the Contemporary English Version (CEV), also known as The Bible for Today;
    • 1995, the God's Word ® Bible (GWT) from God's Word to the Nations, PO Box 400, Orange Park, Florida, 32067-0400, U.S.A.;
    • 1996, The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.  - John C. Massam, August 19-28, 2011.
       NOTE: SANS-SERIF TYPE, GREY COLOUR:  Mostly on this website, if scripture scholars have declared books or parts of books disputed or doubtful, quotations are shown on this website in sans-serif typeface, and in a grey colour (which when printed is sometimes hard to tell from black), to distinguish them from what many say are more reputable scriptures.
       SOURCES and REFERENCES (alphabetical order):
       Authorised Version (AV), that is, the King James Bible, London, 1611.  (Reformers' translation in England.)
       Contemporary English Version (CEV) 1991 and 1995, also known as The Bible for Today.
       Douay-Rheims Bible; New Testament 1582, Old Testament 1609.  (Roman Catholic translation done by English refugees in France; often called just Douay or, at times, Douai.)
       God's Word ® translation (GWT), © 1995, by God's Word to the Nations, (a mission society), <www.godsword.org>, PO Box 400, Orange Park, Florida, 32067-0400, United States of America.  AND © 2003 Green Key Books. AND imprinted with Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group. (To this webpage on 19 Aug 2011.)
       Good News Bible (GNB) 1966 and 1971, also known as The Bible in Today's English Version (TEV).
       Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, The, (KIT) (literalist translation), 1st Edition, foreword dated 1950, 1st edition © 1969, New World Bible Translation Committee, International Bible Students Association, Brooklyn (New York).
       New International Version (NIV) © 1973, 1978, 1983, (reformed and evangelical scholars), International Bible Society, Publisher: Zondervan Publishing House <http://­www.­zonde­rvan.com>, Grand Rapids (Michigan, U.S.A.).
       New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), (regular edition), (scholarly Roman Catholic translation), © 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday; Doubleday, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland. WANSBROUGH, Henry (general editor). ISBN 0-385-14264-1.
       New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), (pocket edition), (scholarly R.C. translation), © 1985, 1990, Darton Longman & Todd, London, U.K.  ISBN 0 232 51890 4 (Printed case edition)
       New World Translation (NWT) (literalist translation), © 1984 revision, New World Bible Translation Committee, International Bible Students Association, Brooklyn (New York), U.S.A.
       Revised Standard Version, (RSV) of the Holy Bible, © O.T. 1952 and © N.T. 1971, Collins Clear-Type Press, New York, Glasgow, and Toronto.  (Stated to be an authorised revision of the American Standard Version, 1901, which was a revision of the Authorised Version, i.e., the reformers' 1611 King James Version.)
       Today's New International Version (TNIV ®) © 2001, 2005, (reformed and evangelical scholars), International Bible Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.A.; an update of NIV.
       ZAMENHOF, Lazaro Ludoviko, 1927, La Malnova Testamento el la Hebrea Originalo, British and Foreign Bible Society, London, and the National Bible Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.  (He was a Judaist by birth, and his translations from Hebrew into Esperanto, yielding sklavo and sklavino, align with J.L.McKenzie's 1965 slave article.)
       Internet Bibles: 
       Bible Crosswalk http://bible.crosswalk.com .
       Bible Gateway www.biblegateway.com .
       ZAMENHOF, Lazaro Ludoviko; 1927; Old Testament translation: <www.jesus.org.uk/­cgi-bin/bible/­bible.cgi?BIBLE=Esp­eranto&BOOK=1&SEAR­CH=­++&CASE=­ON­&HILITE­=­O­N­&FIRST=OK­&R1=I&CH­AP=2&S­UBMIT=Read#15>.
       OTHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
       CRUDEN, Alexander; (orig. 1737), 1969; Cruden's complete concordance to the Old and New Testaments, Lutterworth Press, London.  (Its coverage is of the Bible books acknowledged by the Reformed Churches.  The text indexed is of the Authorised Version (King James Version) of 1611, with some references to the Revised Version of 1881.)
       McKENZIE, John L. (Jesuit); © 1965, 1968 edition; Article "Slave, slavery," Dictionary of the Bible, Geoffrey Chapman, London; pp 823-25, and elsewhere.  (Its coverage includes books, often called apocrypha, such as the two books of Maccabees, not accepted by Judaists and the Reformed Churches, and some of which are rejected also by the Orthodox Churches.  Quite frank about the slavery question.)
       STRONG, Dr James (1882-94); © 1996; The New Strong's ™ Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.. (It indexes the English words in the Authorised Version of 1611, and keys in the words by unique numbers to the relevant languages, Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek, with pronunciation guide.)
    http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/religion/difficult.htm#sources-and-references
    More objectionable texts
       MORE OBJECTIONABLE TEXTS such as "an eye for an eye," and "heavenly" orders to totally destroy Palestine's indigenous people (and their livestock and food trees) may be found by looking at what were originally Hebrew writings, and traditions, plus similar death-dealing scriptures from another religion that wrote in another Asian language, Arabic, and its traditions.   (Keep both eyes open when looking on this website and elsewhere in the literature for more lowlights that ought to be included in scholarly papers and leaders' talks on "comparative religion," "oecumenism," "non-discrimination," "inclusion," "diversity," "multicultural," "culturally sensitive," "culturally appropriate," "harmony day," and suchlike.)
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    • Slavery is supported in the 10th Commandment. Aug 2011
    • Sources and References.
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    Hived off (as sicken.htm, next day difficult.htm) from spurious.htm with Microsoft® WordPad© on 20 June 2008, quotes about the Lord being a man of war and Jehovah of armies added on 19 Jul 08, also transliteration of Hebrew words for God and Lord (only displayed under mouse cursor) added on 19 Jul 08, to be tested with more than one Browser, spellchecked with Ms Word © on 27 Aug 08 and at later times; not to ascend steps to altar, rules for Hebrews buying Hebrew slaves, and wives to be subject to husbands added 21 May 2010, cut off wife's hand, and no blood no forgiveness, added 25 May 2010; on 31 March 2011 there were effectively about 4 1/3 pages; inserted explanation of Hebrew words for God and Lord in a visible endnote on 01 Apr 2011; endnote numbers given yellow background and black borders on 01 Apr 2011; blue borders 02 Apr 2011; 10th Commandment "servants" instead of "slaves" exposed on 19 Aug 2011; El Shaddai facts and discussion to this webpage 19 Aug 2011; Enos / Enosh time men began calling on Yehovah added 23 Aug 2011; last modified on 09 Jan 2012
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