Esther 8:10

8:10 Mordecai ¹  wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. He then sent letters by couriers on horses, who rode royal horses that were very swift.

Esther 8:14

8:14 The couriers who were riding the royal horses went forth with the king’s edict without delay. ²  And the law was presented in Susa the citadel as well.

Micah 1:13

1:13 Residents of Lachish, ³  hitch the horses to the chariots!

You ⁴  influenced Daughter Zion ⁵  to sin, ⁶ 

for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back ⁷  to you!

¹ tn Heb “He”; the referent (Mordecai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “making haste and hurrying”; KJV, ASV “being hastened and pressed.”

³ sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”

⁴ tn Heb “she”; this has been translated as second person (“you”) in keeping with the direct address to the residents of Lachish in the previous line.

⁵ sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.

⁶ tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”

⁷ tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”