We made it to the finish line. After two earlier episodes, we wrap up the Twelve Prophets and tie a bow on them all. Along the way we get into why these texts barely show up in yeshiva, a much-debated Midrash about Adam and the animals, and whether religion or just plain ideology has driven the worst of human history. Then we go prophet by prophet, all the way to the very last words of prophecy.

In this episode, we get into:

• Micah, and the “swords into plowshares” verse that 99 percent of the world wrongly credits to Isaiah

• Nahum and the fall of Nineveh, plus a thorny question: if God wanted the exile, why blame Assyria for carrying it out?

• Habakkuk, who opens by arguing with God and reduces all 613 commandments to one: the righteous shall live by his faith

• Zephaniah on fear, fight-or-flight, and the command “do not fear”

• Haggai, Zechariah’s colored-horse visions, and Malachi closing the prophets with the hearts of parents and children turning back to each other

Grab a book of the prophets and read along with us. It only takes a few minutes a day, and as we say in here, it’s no great honor to be ignorant.

Resources:

• Micah

• Nahum

• Habakkuk

• Zephaniah

• Haggai

• Malachi