Mikha 5:7-9

5:7 Those survivors from ¹  Jacob will live ² 

in the midst of many nations. ³ 

They will be like the dew the Lord sends,

like the rain on the grass,

that does not hope for men to come

or wait around for humans to arrive. ⁴ 

5:8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples.

They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,

like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

which attacks when it passes through;

it rips its prey ⁵  and there is no one to stop it. ⁶ 

5:9 Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; ⁷ 

may all your enemies be destroyed! ⁸ 

Mikha 7:15-17

7:15 “As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt,

I will show you ⁹  miraculous deeds.” ¹⁰ 

7:16 Nations will see this and be disappointed by ¹¹  all their strength,

they will put their hands over their mouths,

and act as if they were deaf. ¹² 

7:17 They will lick the dust like a snake,

like serpents crawling on the ground. ¹³ 

They will come trembling from their strongholds

to the Lord our God; ¹⁴ 

they will be terrified ¹⁵  of you. ¹⁶ 

Zakharia 9:13-16

9:13 I will bend Judah as my bow; I will load the bow with Ephraim, my arrow! ¹⁷  I will stir up your sons, Zion, against yours, Greece, and I will make you, Zion, ¹⁸  like a warrior’s sword.

9:14 Then the Lord will appear above them, and his arrow will shoot forth like lightning; the Lord God will blow the trumpet and will sally forth on the southern storm winds. 9:15 The Lord who rules over all will guard them, and they will prevail and overcome with sling stones. Then they will drink, and will become noisy like drunkards, ¹⁹  full like the sacrificial basin or like the corners of the altar. ²⁰  9:16 On that day the Lord their God will deliver them as the flock of his people, for they are the precious stones of a crown sparkling over his land.

Zakharia 10:3-6

10:3 I am enraged at the shepherds and will punish the lead-goats.

For the Lord who rules over all has brought blessing to his flock, the house of Judah, and will transform them into his majestic warhorse. 10:4 From him will come the cornerstone, ²¹  the wall peg, ²²  the battle bow, and every ruler. ²³  10:5 And they will be like warriors trampling the mud of the streets in battle. They will fight, for the Lord will be with them, and will defeat the enemy cavalry. ²⁴ 

10:6 “I (says the Lord) will strengthen the kingdom ²⁵  of Judah and deliver the people of Joseph ²⁶  and will bring them back ²⁷  because of my compassion for them. They will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and therefore I will hear them.

Zakharia 10:12

10:12 Thus I will strengthen them by my power, ²⁸  and they will walk about ²⁹  in my name,” says the Lord.

Zakharia 12:3-7

12:3 Moreover, on that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy burden ³⁰  for all the nations, and all who try to carry it will be seriously injured; ³¹  yet all the peoples of the earth will be assembled against it. 12:4 In that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will pay close attention to the house of Judah, but will strike all the horses ³²  of the nations ³³  with blindness. 12:5 Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a means of strength to us through their God, the Lord who rules over all.’ 12:6 On that day ³⁴  I will make the leaders of Judah like an igniter ³⁵  among sticks and a burning torch among sheaves, and they will burn up all the surrounding nations right and left. Then the people of Jerusalem will settle once more in their place, the city of Jerusalem. 12:7 The Lord also will deliver the homes ³⁶  of Judah first, so that the splendor of the kingship ³⁷  of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not exceed that of Judah.

Zakharia 14:1-4

The Sovereignty of the Lord

14:1 A day of the Lord ³⁸  is about to come when your possessions ³⁹  will be divided as plunder in your midst. 14:2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem ⁴⁰  to wage war; the city will be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away. ⁴¹ 

14:3 Then the Lord will go to battle ⁴²  and fight against those nations, just as he fought battles in ancient days. ⁴³  14:4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half southward. ⁴⁴ 

Maleakhi 4:2

4:2 But for you who respect my name, the sun of vindication ⁴⁵  will rise with healing wings, ⁴⁶  and you will skip about ⁴⁷  like calves released from the stall.

Maleakhi 4:2

4:2 But for you who respect my name, the sun of vindication ⁴⁸  will rise with healing wings, ⁴⁹  and you will skip about ⁵⁰  like calves released from the stall.

Titus 2:1-3

Conduct Consistent with Sound Teaching

2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with ⁵¹  sound teaching. 2:2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, ⁵²  sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. ⁵³  2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good.

Ibrani 10:32-33

10:32 But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering after you were enlightened. 10:33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other times you came to share with others who were treated in that way.

Wahyu 6:11

6:11 Each ⁵⁴  of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached ⁵⁵  of both their fellow servants ⁵⁶  and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.

Wahyu 7:9-10

7:9 After these things I looked, and here was ⁵⁷  an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, ⁵⁸  people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 7:10 They were shouting out in a loud voice,

“Salvation belongs to our God, ⁵⁹ 

to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Wahyu 12:7-11

War in Heaven

12:7 Then ⁶⁰  war broke out in heaven: Michael ⁶¹  and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 12:8 But ⁶²  the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, ⁶³  so there was no longer any place left ⁶⁴  in heaven for him and his angels. ⁶⁵  12:9 So ⁶⁶  that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 12:10 Then ⁶⁷  I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“The salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the ruling authority ⁶⁸  of his Christ, ⁶⁹  have now come,

because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, ⁷⁰ 

the one who accuses them day and night ⁷¹  before our God,

has been thrown down.

12:11 But ⁷²  they overcame him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

and they did not love their lives ⁷³  so much that they were afraid to die.

[5:7]  ¹ tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ² tn Heb “will be.”

[5:7]  ³ tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).

[5:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”

[5:7]  sn Men wait eagerly for the dew and the rain, not vice versa. Just as the dew and rain are subject to the Lord, not men, so the remnant of Israel will succeed by the supernatural power of God and not need the support of other nations. There may even be a military metaphor here. Israel will overwhelm their enemies, just as the dew completely covers the grass (see 2 Sam 17:12). This interpretation would be consistent with the image of v. 7.

[5:8]  ⁵ tn The words “its prey” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “and there is no deliverer.”

[5:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “let your hand be lifted against your adversaries.”

[5:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “be cut off.”

[7:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “him.” This probably refers to Israel in a collective sense. Because the switch from direct address to the third person is awkward, some prefer to emend the suffix to a second person form. In any case, it is necessary to employ a second person pronoun in the translation to maintain the connection for the English reader.

[7:15]  ¹⁰ sn I will show you miraculous deeds. In this verse the Lord responds to the petition of v. 14 with a brief promise of deliverance.

[7:16]  ¹¹ tn Or “be ashamed of.”

[7:16]  ¹² tn Heb “and their ears will be deaf.” Apparently this means the opposing nations will be left dumbfounded by the Lord’s power. Their inability to respond will make them appear to be deaf mutes.

[7:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “like crawling things on the ground.” The parallelism suggests snakes are in view.

[7:17]  ¹⁴ tn Thetranslationassumesthatthe phrase אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ (’el-yÿhvah ’elohenu, “to the Lord our God”) goes with what precedes. Another option is to take the phrase with the following verb, in which case one could translate, “to the Lord our God they will turn in dread.”

[7:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they will be in dread and afraid.”

[7:17]  ¹⁶ tn The Lord is addressed directly using the second person.

[9:13]  ¹⁷ tn The words “my arrow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify the imagery for the modern reader (cf. NRSV, NLT).

[9:13]  ¹⁸ tn The word “Zion” is not repeated here in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to indicate that the statement refers to Zion and not to Greece.

[9:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they will drink and roar as with wine”; the LXX (followed here by NAB, NRSV) reads “they will drink blood like wine” (referring to a figurative “drinking” of the blood of their enemies).

[9:15]  ²⁰ sn The whole setting is eschatological as the intensely figurative language shows. The message is that the Lord will assume his triumphant reign over all the earth and will use his own redeemed and renewed people Israel to accomplish that work. The imagery of v. 15 is the eating and drinking of the flesh and blood of God’s enemies, that is, Israel’s complete mastery of them. Like those who drink too much wine, the Lord’s warriors will be satiated with the blood of their foes and will exult as though drunk.

[10:4]  ²¹ sn On the NT use of the image of the cornerstone, see Luke 20:17; Eph 2:20; 1 Pet 2:6.

[10:4]  ²² sn The metaphor of the wall peg (Heb. יָתֵד, yated), together with the others in this list, describes the remarkable change that will take place at the inauguration of God’s eschatological kingdom. Israel, formerly sheep-like, will be turned into a mighty warhorse. The peg refers to a wall hook (although frequently translated “tent peg,” but cf. ASV “nail”; TWOT 1:419) from which tools and weapons were suspended, but figuratively also to the promise of God upon which all of Israel’s hopes were hung (cf. Isa 22:15-25; Ezra 9:8).

[10:4]  ²³ tn This is not the usual word to describe a king of Israel or Judah (such as מֶלֶךְ, melekh, or נָשִׂיא, nasi’), but נוֹגֵשׂ, noges, “dictator” (cf. KJV “oppressor”). The author is asserting by this choice of wording that in the messianic age God’s rule will be by force.

[10:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and the riders on horses will be put to shame,” figurative for the defeat of mounted troops. The word “enemy” in the translation is supplied from context.

[10:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the house.”

[10:6]  ²⁶ tn Or “the kingdom of Israel”; Heb “the house of Joseph.”

[10:6]  sn Joseph is mentioned here instead of the usual Israel (but see 2 Sam 19:20; Ps 78:67; 80:1; 81:5; Ezek 37:16; Amos 5:6, 15; 6:6) because of the exodus motif that follows in vv. 8-11.

[10:6]  ²⁷ tc The anomalous MT reading וְחוֹשְׁבוֹתִים (vÿkhoshÿvotim) should probably be וַהֲשִׁי בוֹתִם (vahashi votim), the Hiphil perfect consecutive of שׁוּב (shuv), “return” (cf. Jer 12:15).

[10:12]  ²⁸ tc Heb “I will strengthen them in the Lord.” Because of the perceived problem of the Lord saying he will strengthen the people “in the Lord,” both BHK and BHS suggest emending גִּבַּרְתִּים (gibbartim, “I will strengthen them”) to גְּבֻרָתָם (gevuratam, “their strength”). This is unnecessary, however, for the Lord frequently refers to himself in that manner (see Zech 2:11).

[10:12]  ²⁹ tc The LXX and Syriac presuppose יִתְהַלָּלוּ (yithallalu, “they will glory”) for יִתְהַלְּכוּ (yithallÿkhu, “they will walk about”). Since walking about is a common idiom in Zechariah (cf. 1:10, 11; 6:7 [3x]) to speak of dominion, and dominion is a major theme of the present passage, there is no reason to reject the MT reading, which is followed by most modern English versions.

[12:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “heavy stone” (so NRSV, TEV, NLT); KJV “burdensome stone”; NIV “an immovable rock.”

[12:3]  ³¹ sn In Israel’s and Judah’s past they had been uprooted by various conquerors such as the Assyrians and the Babylonians. In the eschaton, however, they will be so “heavy” with God’s glory and so rooted in his promises that no nation will be able to move them.

[12:4]  ³² tn Heb “every horse.”

[12:4]  ³³ tn Or “peoples” (so NAB, NRSV).

[12:6]  ³⁴ sn On that day (referring to the day of the Lord) the Davidic monarchy will be restored and the Lord’s people will recognize once more the legitimacy and divine sanction of David’s dynasty. But there will also be a democratizing that will not give Jerusalem and its rulers undue priority over the people of the countryside (v. 7).

[12:6]  ³⁵ tn Heb “a firepot” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “a blazing pot”; NLT “a brazier.”

[12:7]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the tents” (so NAB, NRSV); NIV “the dwellings.”

[12:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “house,” referring here to the dynastic line. Cf. NLT “the royal line”; CEV “the kingdom.” The same expression is translated “dynasty” in the following verse.

[14:1]  ³⁸ sn The eschatological day of the Lord described here (and through v. 8) is considered by many interpreters to refer to the period known as the great tribulation, a seven year time of great suffering by God’s (Jewish) people culminating in the establishing of the millennial reign of the Lord (vv. 9-21). For other OT and NT references to this aspect of the day of the Lord see Amos 9:8-15; Joel 1:15–2:11; Isa 1:24-31; 2:2-4; 4:2-6; 26:16–27:6; 33:13-24; 59:1–60:22; 65:13-25; Jer 30:7-11; 32:36-44; Ezek 20:33-44; Dan 11:40; 12:1; Matt 24:21, 29; 25:31-46; Rev 19:11-16.

[14:1]  ³⁹ tn Heb “your plunder.” Cf. NCV “the wealth you have taken.”

[14:2]  ⁴⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[14:2]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “not be cut off from the city” (so NRSV); NAB “not be removed.”

[14:3]  ⁴² sn The statement the Lord will go to battle introduces the conflict known elsewhere as the “battle of Armageddon,” a battle in which the Lord delivers his people and establishes his millennial reign (cf. Joel 3:12, 15-16; Ezek 38–39; Rev 16:12-21; 19:19-21).

[14:3]  ⁴³ tn Heb “as he fights on a day of battle” (similar NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[14:4]  ⁴⁴ sn This seismic activity provides a means of escape from Jerusalem so that the Messiah (the Lord), whose feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, may destroy the wicked nations in the Kidron Valley (the v. of Jehoshaphat, or of “judgment of the Lord”) without harming the inhabitants of the city.

[4:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Here the Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah), usually translated “righteousness” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT; cf. NAB “justice”), has been rendered as “vindication” because it is the vindication of God’s people that is in view in the context. Cf. BDB 842 s.v. צְדָקָה 6; “righteousness as vindicated, justification, salvation, etc.”

[4:2]  sn The expression the sun of vindication will rise is a metaphorical way of describing the day of the Lord as a time of restoration when God vindicates his people (see 2 Sam 23:4; Isa 30:26; 60:1, 3). Their vindication and restoration will be as obvious and undeniable as the bright light of the rising sun.

[4:2]  ⁴⁶ sn The point of the metaphor of healing wings is unclear. The sun seems to be compared to a bird. Perhaps the sun’s “wings” are its warm rays. “Healing” may refer to a reversal of the injury done by evildoers (see Mal 3:5).

[4:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “you will go out and skip about.”

[4:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Here the Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah), usually translated “righteousness” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT; cf. NAB “justice”), has been rendered as “vindication” because it is the vindication of God’s people that is in view in the context. Cf. BDB 842 s.v. צְדָקָה 6; “righteousness as vindicated, justification, salvation, etc.”

[4:2]  sn The expression the sun of vindication will rise is a metaphorical way of describing the day of the Lord as a time of restoration when God vindicates his people (see 2 Sam 23:4; Isa 30:26; 60:1, 3). Their vindication and restoration will be as obvious and undeniable as the bright light of the rising sun.

[4:2]  ⁴⁹ sn The point of the metaphor of healing wings is unclear. The sun seems to be compared to a bird. Perhaps the sun’s “wings” are its warm rays. “Healing” may refer to a reversal of the injury done by evildoers (see Mal 3:5).

[4:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “you will go out and skip about.”

[2:1]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “say what is fitting for sound teaching” (introducing the behavior called for in this chapter.).

[2:2]  ⁵² tn Or “sensible.”

[2:2]  ⁵³ sn Temperate…in endurance. See the same cluster of virtues in 1 Thess 1:3 and 1 Cor 13:13.

[6:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[6:11]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “until they had been completed.” The idea of a certain “number” of people is implied by the subject of πληρωθῶσιν (plhrwqwsin).

[6:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Though σύνδουλος (sundoulos) has been translated “fellow servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[7:9]  ⁵⁷ tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[7:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the following categories, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:10]  ⁵⁹ tn The dative here has been translated as a dative of possession.

[12:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[12:7]  ⁶¹ sn The archangel Michael had a special role in protecting the nation of Israel in the OT (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; see also Jude 9).

[12:8]  ⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast.

[12:8]  ⁶³ tn The words “to prevail” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “found.”

[12:8]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “for them”; the referent (the dragon and his angels, v. 7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.

[12:10]  ⁶⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.

[12:10]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[12:10]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.

[12:10]  ⁷¹ tn Or “who accuses them continually.”

[12:11]  ⁷² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[12:11]  ⁷³ sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.