Psalms 72:10-11

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ¹  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ²  and Seba ³  will bring tribute.

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

Psalms 76:11

76:11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them!

Let all those who surround him ⁴  bring tribute to the awesome one!

Psalms 76:1

Psalm 76 ⁵ 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.

76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; ⁶ 

in Israel his reputation ⁷  is great.

Psalms 10:10

10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they are trapped in his sturdy nets. ⁸ 

Psalms 10:1

Psalm 10 ⁹ 

10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? ¹⁰ 

Psalms 10:1-2

Psalm 10 ¹¹ 

10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? ¹² 

10:2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed; ¹³ 

the oppressed are trapped ¹⁴  by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 32:1

Psalm 32 ¹⁶ 

By David; a well-written song. ¹⁷ 

32:1 How blessed ¹⁸  is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, ¹⁹ 

whose sin is pardoned! ²⁰ 

Ezra 7:13-28

7:13 I have now issued a decree ²¹  that anyone in my kingdom from the people of Israel – even the priests and Levites – who wishes to do so may go up with you to Jerusalem. ²²  7:14 You are authorized ²³  by the king and his seven advisers to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your possession, ²⁴  7:15 and to bring silver and gold which the king and his advisers have freely contributed to the God of Israel, who resides in Jerusalem, 7:16 along with all the silver and gold that you may collect ²⁵  throughout all the province of Babylon and the contributions of the people and the priests for the temple of their God which is in Jerusalem. 7:17 With this money you should be sure to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs, along with the appropriate ²⁶  meal offerings and libations. You should bring them to the altar of the temple of your God which is in Jerusalem. 7:18 You may do whatever seems appropriate to you and your colleagues ²⁷  with the rest of the silver and the gold, in keeping with the will of your God. 7:19 Deliver to ²⁸  the God of Jerusalem the vessels that are given to you for the service of the temple of your God. 7:20 The rest of the needs for the temple of your God that you may have to supply, ²⁹  you may do so from the royal treasury.

7:21 “I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of ³⁰  Trans-Euphrates, that you precisely execute all that Ezra the priestly scribe of the law of the God of heaven may request of you – 7:22 up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of olive oil, ³¹  and unlimited ³²  salt. 7:23 Everything that the God of heaven has required should be precisely done for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath ³³  against the empire of the king and his sons? 7:24 Furthermore, be aware of the fact ³⁴  that you have no authority to impose tax, tribute, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or the attendants at the temple of this God.

7:25 “Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess, ³⁵  appoint judges ³⁶  and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught. 7:26 Everyone who does not observe both the law of your God and the law of the king will be completely ³⁷  liable to the appropriate penalty, whether it is death or banishment or confiscation of property or detainment in prison.”

7:27 ³⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who so moved in the heart of the king to so honor the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem! 7:28 He has also conferred his favor on me before the king, his advisers, and all the influential leaders of the king. I gained strength as the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

Nehemiah 2:8

2:8 and a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king’s nature preserve, ³⁹  so that he will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the temple and for the city wall ⁴⁰  and for the house to which I go.” So the king granted me these requests, ⁴¹  for the good hand of my God was on me.

Isaiah 60:6-11

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ⁴² 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ⁴³  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ⁴⁴ 

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁴⁵ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ⁴⁶ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along ⁴⁷  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ⁴⁸ 

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ⁴⁹  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ⁵⁰  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ⁵¹ 

the Holy One of Israel, ⁵²  for he has bestowed honor on you.

60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. ⁵³ 

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ⁵⁴ 

Isaiah 60:16-17

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings. ⁵⁵ 

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, ⁵⁶  the powerful ruler of Jacob. ⁵⁷ 

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you ⁵⁸  bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you ⁵⁹  iron.

I will make prosperity ⁶⁰  your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler. ⁶¹ 

[72:10]  ¹ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ² sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ³ sn Seba was located in Africa.

[76:11]  ⁴ tn The phrase “all those who surround him” may refer to the surrounding nations (v. 12 may favor this), but in Ps 89:7 the phrase refers to God’s heavenly assembly.

[76:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.

[76:1]  ⁶ tn Or “God is known in Judah.”

[76:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[10:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).

[10:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm. Taken in isolation, Psalm 10 is a petition for help in which the psalmist urges the Lord to deliver him from his dangerous enemies, whom he describes in vivid and terrifying detail. The psalmist concludes with confidence; he is certain that God’s justice will prevail.

[10:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[10:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm. Taken in isolation, Psalm 10 is a petition for help in which the psalmist urges the Lord to deliver him from his dangerous enemies, whom he describes in vivid and terrifying detail. The psalmist concludes with confidence; he is certain that God’s justice will prevail.

[10:1]  ¹² tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[10:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “because of the pride of [the] wicked he burns [i.e. hotly pursues] [the] oppressed.” The singular forms רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) and עָנִי (’aniy, “oppressed”) are collective and representative, as indicated in the next line, which uses plural verb forms to describe the actions of both.

[10:2]  ¹⁴ tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 describe either what typically happens (from the psalmist’s perspective) or what the psalmist was experiencing at the time he offered this prayer.

[10:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they are trapped in the schemes which they have thought up.” The referents of the two pronominal suffixes on the verbs have been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent of the first suffix (“they”) is taken as the oppressed, while the referent of the second (“they”) is taken to be the wicked (cf. NIV, which renders “wicked” in the previous line as a collective singular). Others take the referent of both occurrences of “they” in the line to be the wicked (cf. NRSV, “let them be caught in the schemes they have devised”).

[32:1]  ¹⁶ sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.

[32:1]  ¹⁷ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[32:1]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.

[32:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “lifted up.”

[32:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “covered over.”

[7:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “from me is placed a decree.” So also in v. 21.

[7:13]  ²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:14]  ²³ tn Aram “sent.”

[7:14]  ²⁴ tn Aram “in your hand.”

[7:16]  ²⁵ tn Aram “find.”

[7:17]  ²⁶ tn Aram “their meal offerings and their libations.”

[7:18]  ²⁷ tn Aram “brothers.”

[7:19]  ²⁸ tn Or “before.”

[7:20]  ²⁹ tn Aram “may fall to you to give.”

[7:21]  ³⁰ tn Aram “who are in.”

[7:22]  ³¹ tc The translation reads מְשַׁח בַּתִּין (mÿshakh battin) rather than מְשַׁח בַּתִּין (battin mÿshakh) of the MT.

[7:22]  ³² tn Aram “he did not write.”

[7:23]  ³³ tn The Aramaic word used here for “wrath” (קְצַף, qÿtsaf; cf. Heb קָצַף, qatsaf) is usually used in the Hebrew Bible for God’s anger as opposed to human anger (but contra Eccl 5:17 [MT 5:16]; Esth 1:18; 2 Kgs 3:27). The fact that this word is used in v. 23 may have theological significance, pointing to the possibility of divine judgment if the responsible parties should fail to make available these provisions for the temple.

[7:24]  ³⁴ tn Aram “we are making known to you.”

[7:25]  ³⁵ tn Aram “in your hand.”

[7:25]  ³⁶ tc For the MT reading שָׁפְטִין (shoftim, “judges”) the LXX uses the noun γραμματεῖς (grammatei", “scribes”).

[7:26]  ³⁷ tn On the meaning of this word see HALOT 1820-21 s.v. אָסְפַּרְנָא; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 14.

[7:27]  ³⁸ sn At this point the language of the book reverts from Aramaic (7:12-26) back to Hebrew.

[2:8]  ³⁹ tn Or “forest.” So HALOT 963 s.v. פַּרְדֵּס 2.

[2:8]  ⁴⁰ tc One medieval Hebrew MS, the Syriac Peshitta, Vulgate, and the Arabic read here the plural וּלְחוֹמוֹת (ulÿkhomot, “walls”) against the singular וּלְחוֹמַת (ulÿkhomat) in the MT. The plural holem vav (וֹ) might have dropped out due to dittography or the plural form might have been written defectively.

[2:8]  ⁴¹ tn The Hebrew text does not include the expression “these requests,” but it is implied.

[60:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ⁴³ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[60:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ⁴⁶ tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[60:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[60:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ⁵² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:10]  ⁵³ tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”

[60:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[60:16]  ⁵⁵ sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.

[60:16]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[60:16]  ⁵⁷ sn See 1:24 and 49:26.

[60:17]  ⁵⁸ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).

[60:17]  ⁵⁹ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).

[60:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).

[60:17]  ⁶¹ tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.