7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil; 1
government officials and judges take bribes, 2
prominent men make demands,
and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them. 3
7:12 In that day people 4 will come to you 5
from Assyria as far as 6 Egypt,
from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River, 7
from the seacoasts 8 and the mountains. 9
1 tn Heb “upon evil [are their] hands to do [it] well.”
2 tn Heb “the official asks – and the judge – for a bribe.”
3 tn More literally, “the great one announces what his appetite desires and they weave it together.” Apparently this means that subordinates plot and maneuver to make sure the prominent man’s desires materialize.
4 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
5 tn The masculine pronominal suffix suggests the
6 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 tn Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates River. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also NASB, NIV).
8 tn Heb “and sea from sea.” Many prefer to emend this to מִיָּם עַד יָם (miyyam ’ad yam, “from sea to sea”).
9 tn Heb “and mountain of the mountain.” Many prefer to emend this to וּמֵהַר עַד הַר (umehar ’ad har, “and mountain to mountain”).