Micah 7:8-13

Jerusalem Will Be Vindicated

7:8 My enemies, ¹  do not gloat ²  over me!

Though I have fallen, I will get up.

Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. ³ 

7:9 I must endure ⁴  the Lord’s anger,

for I have sinned against him.

But then ⁵  he will defend my cause, ⁶ 

and accomplish justice on my behalf.

He will lead me out into the light;

I will experience firsthand ⁷  his deliverance. ⁸ 

7:10 When my enemies see this, they will be covered with shame.

They say ⁹  to me, “Where is the Lord your God?”

I will gloat over them. ¹⁰ 

Then they will be trampled down ¹¹ 

like mud in the streets.

7:11 It will be a day for rebuilding your walls;

in that day your boundary will be extended. ¹² 

A Closing Prayer

7:12 In that day people ¹³  will come to you ¹⁴ 

from Assyria as far as ¹⁵  Egypt,

from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River, ¹⁶ 

from the seacoasts ¹⁷  and the mountains. ¹⁸ 

7:13 The earth will become desolate ¹⁹ 

because of what its inhabitants have done. ²⁰ 

Ezra 1:1-2

The Decree of Cyrus

1:1 ²¹ In the first ²²  year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message ²³  spoken through ²⁴  Jeremiah, ²⁵  the Lord stirred the mind ²⁶  of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated ²⁷  a proclamation ²⁸  throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict ²⁹  the following: ³⁰ 

1:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia:

“‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple ³¹  for him in Jerusalem, ³²  which is in Judah.

Isaiah 45:13

45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; ³³ 

I will make all his ways level.

He will rebuild my city;

he will send my exiled people home,

but not for a price or a bribe,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

Isaiah 48:20

48:20 Leave Babylon!

Flee from the Babylonians!

Announce it with a shout of joy!

Make this known!

Proclaim it throughout the earth! ³⁴ 

Say, ‘The Lord protects ³⁵  his servant Jacob.

Isaiah 52:9-12

52:9 In unison give a joyful shout,

O ruins of Jerusalem!

For the Lord consoles his people;

he protects ³⁶  Jerusalem.

52:10 The Lord reveals ³⁷  his royal power ³⁸ 

in the sight of all the nations;

the entire ³⁹  earth sees

our God deliver. ⁴⁰ 

52:11 Leave! Leave! Get out of there!

Don’t touch anything unclean!

Get out of it!

Stay pure, you who carry the Lord’s holy items! ⁴¹ 

52:12 Yet do not depart quickly

or leave in a panic. ⁴² 

For the Lord goes before you;

the God of Israel is your rear guard.

Zechariah 2:7-9

2:7 “Escape, Zion, you who live among the Babylonians!” ⁴³  2:8 For the Lord who rules over all says to me that for his own glory ⁴⁴  he has sent me to the nations that plundered you – for anyone who touches you touches the pupil ⁴⁵  of his ⁴⁶  eye. 2:9 “I am about to punish them ⁴⁷  in such a way,” he says, “that they will be looted by their own slaves.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me.

[7:8]  ¹ tn The singular form is understood as collective.

[7:8]  ² tn Or “rejoice” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “don’t laugh at me.”

[7:8]  ³ sn Darkness represents judgment; light (also in v. 9) symbolizes deliverance. The Lord is the source of the latter.

[7:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “lift, bear.”

[7:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “until.”

[7:9]  ⁶ tn Or “plead my case” (NASB and NIV both similar); NRSV “until he takes my side.”

[7:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “see.”

[7:9]  ⁸ tn Or “justice, vindication.”

[7:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “who say.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “My eyes will look on them.”

[7:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a trampled-down place.”

[7:11]  ¹² sn Personified Jerusalem declares her confidence in vv. 8-10; in this verse she is assured that she will indeed be vindicated.

[7:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “they.” The referent has been specified as “people,” referring either to the nations (coming to God with their tribute) or to the exiles of Israel (returning to the Lord).

[7:12]  ¹⁴ tn The masculine pronominal suffix suggests the Lord is addressed. Some emend to a feminine form and take Jerusalem as the addressee.

[7:12]  ¹⁵ tc The MT reads וְעָרֵי (vÿ’arey, “and the cities [of Egypt]”), but the parallel line indicates this is a corruption of וְעַד (vÿ’ad, “even to”).

[7:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates River. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also NASB, NIV).

[7:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and sea from sea.” Many prefer to emend this to מִיָּם עַד יָם (miyyam ’ad yam, “from sea to sea”).

[7:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and mountain of the mountain.” Many prefer to emend this to וּמֵהַר עַד הַר (umehar ’ad har, “and mountain to mountain”).

[7:13]  ¹⁹ tn Or “will be ruined.”

[7:13]  ²⁰ tn Heb “on account of its inhabitants, because of the fruit of their deeds.”

[1:1]  ²¹ sn In addition to the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are two deuterocanonical books that are also called “Ezra.” Exactly how these books are designated varies in ancient literature. In the Septuagint (LXX) canonical Ezra is called Second Esdras, but in the Latin Vulgate it is called First Esdras. Our Nehemiah is called Third Esdras in some manuscripts of the LXX, but it is known as Second Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. (In the earliest LXX manuscripts Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as one book, as they were in some Hebrew manuscripts.) The deuterocanonical books of Ezra are called First and Fourth Esdras in the LXX, but Third and Fourth Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. The titles for the so-called books of Ezra are thus rather confusing, a fact that one must keep in mind when consulting this material.

[1:1]  ²² sn The first year of Cyrus would be ca. 539 B.C. Cyrus reigned in Persia from ca. 539-530 B.C.

[1:1]  ²³ tn Heb “the word of the Lord.”

[1:1]  ²⁴ tc The MT reads מִפִּי (mippi, “from the mouth of”), but this should probably be emended to בְּפִי (bÿfi, “by the mouth of”), which is the way the parallel passage in 2 Chr 36:22 reads. This is also reflected in the LXX, which is either reflecting an alternate textual tradition of בְּפִי or is attempting to harmonize Ezra 1:1 in light of 2 Chronicles.

[1:1]  ²⁵ sn Cf. Jer 29:10; 25:11-14. Jeremiah had prophesied that after a time of seventy years the Jews would return “to this place.” How these seventy years are to be reckoned is a matter of debate among scholars. Some understand the period to refer to the approximate length of Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power, beginning either with the fall of Nineveh (612 b.c.) or with Nebuchadnezzar’s coronation (605 b.c.) and continuing till the fall of Babylon to the Persians in 539 b.c. Others take the seventy years to refer to the period from the destruction of the temple in 586 b.c. till its rebuilding in 516 b.c.

[1:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “spirit.” The Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) has a broad range of meanings (see BDB 924-26 s.v.). Here, it probably refers to (1) “mind” as the seat of mental acts (e.g., Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9; Isa 29:24; 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 6) or (2) “will” as the seat of volitional decisions (e.g., Exod 35:5, 22; Pss 51:12, 14; 57:8; 2 Chr 29:31; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 7). So also in v. 5.

[1:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “caused to pass.”

[1:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “a voice.” The Hebrew noun קוֹל (qol, “voice, sound”) has a broad range of meanings, including the metonymical (cause – effect) nuance “proclamation” (e.g., Exod 36:6; 2 Chr 24:9; 30:5; 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 10:7; Neh 8:15). See BDB 877 s.v. 3.a.2.

[1:1]  ²⁹ sn For an interesting extrabiblical parallel to this edict see the Cyrus cylinder (ANET 315-16).

[1:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “in writing, saying.”

[1:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “house.” The Hebrew noun בַּיִת (bayit, “house”) is often used in reference to the temple of Yahweh (BDB 108 s.v. 1.a). This is also frequent elsewhere in Ezra and Nehemiah (e.g., Ezra 1:3, 4, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9).

[1:2]  ³² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[45:13]  ³³ tn Heb “I stir him up in righteousness”; NASB “I have aroused him.” See the note at 41:2. Cyrus (cf. 44:28) is in view here.

[48:20]  ³⁴ tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[48:20]  ³⁵ tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.

[52:9]  ³⁶ tn Or “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.

[52:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “lays bare”; NLT “will demonstrate.”

[52:10]  ³⁸ tn Heb “his holy arm.” This is a metonymy for his power.

[52:10]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the remote regions,” which here stand for the extremities and everything in between.

[52:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God.” “God” is a subjective genitive here.

[52:11]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the vessels of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).

[52:12]  ⁴² tn Heb “or go in flight”; NAB “leave in headlong flight.”

[2:7]  ⁴³ tn Heb “live in [or “with” (cf. NASB), i.e., “among”] the daughter of Babylon” (so NIV; NAB “dwell in daughter Babylon”).

[2:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “After glory has he sent me” (similar KJV, NASB). What is clearly in view is the role of Zechariah who, by faithful proclamation of the message, will glorify the Lord.

[2:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “gate” (בָּבָה, bavah) of the eye, that is, pupil. The rendering of this term by KJV as “apple” has created a well-known idiom in the English language, “the apple of his eye” (so ASV, NIV). The pupil is one of the most vulnerable and valuable parts of the body, so for Judah to be considered the “pupil” of the Lord’s eye is to raise her value to an incalculable price (cf. NLT “my most precious possession”).

[2:8]  ⁴⁶ tc A scribal emendation (tiqqun sopherim) has apparently altered an original “my eye” to “his eye” in order to allow the prophet to be the speaker throughout vv. 8-9. This alleviates the problem of the Lord saying, in effect, that he has sent himself on the mission to the nations.

[2:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “I will wave my hand over them” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “raise my hand against them.”