1 Samuel 2:8-9

2:8 He lifts the weak ¹  from the dust;

he raises ²  the poor from the ash heap

to seat them with princes

and to bestow on them an honored position. ³ 

The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord,

and he has placed the world on them.

2:9 He watches over ⁴  his holy ones, ⁵ 

but the wicked are made speechless in the darkness,

for it is not by one’s own strength that one prevails.

Psalms 9:18

9:18 for the needy are not permanently ignored, ⁶ 

the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed. ⁷ 

Isaiah 14:32

14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? ⁸ 

Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;

the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.

Zechariah 9:12

9:12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; today I declare that I will return double what was taken from you.

[2:8]  ¹ tn Or “lowly”; Heb “insignificant.”

[2:8]  ² tn The imperfect verbal form, which is parallel to the participle in the preceding line, is best understood here as indicating what typically happens.

[2:8]  ³ tn Heb “a seat of honor.”

[2:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “guards the feet of.” The expression means that God watches over and protects the godly in all of their activities and movements. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 9 are understood as indicating what is typically true. Another option is to translate them with the future tense. See v. 10b.

[2:9]  ⁵ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the plural (“his holy ones”) rather than the singular (“his holy one”) of the Kethib.

[9:18]  ⁶ tn Or “forgotten.”

[9:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “the hope of the afflicted does [not] perish forever.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The imperfect verbal forms express what typically happens.

[14:32]  ⁸ sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.