The Book of Isaiah (, "Sefer Y'sha'yah") is a book of the Bible thought to be written by the Prophet Isaiah, who lived in the second half of the 8th century BC. The Book of Isaiah contains many prophecies about ancient Israel, its people, and its enemies. Tradition says that all 66 chapters of the book were written by Isaiah, but other theories say that some chapters were written by one or more other people. This is mainly because they were about a later period and the text doesn't mention Isaiah after Chapter 39.
Isaiah, the son of Amoz lived in the Kingdom of Judah during the time of four kings from the mid to late 8th-century BCE. During this time, Assyria was growing to the west from what is now Iraq towards the Mediterranean, destroying first Aram (modern Syria) in 734–732 BCE, then the Kingdom of Israel in 722–721, and Judah in 701.
The defeat of Jerusalem by Babylon and the exile of its top people in 586 BCE followed. Chapters 40 to 55 are given to the Jews in exile, telling them about the hope of return. This was the time of king Cyrus the Great – in 559 BCE he became ruler of a small kingdom in what is today Iran. By 540 he ruled a big empire from the Mediterranean to Central Asia, and in 539 he conquered Babylon. Isaiah's predictions of the fall of Babylon and his talk about the glory of Cyrus as one who would help Israel mean these prophecies are about the period of 550–539 BCE.
The Persians ended the Jewish exile, and by 515 BCE some of the exiles had returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the Temple. This is what the final chapters of Isaiah are about.
The first 39 chapters are messages about how God will judge his people for their sins. All of the countries nearby are also to be judged. Mixed with this are promises of God helping those who obey Him.
Chapters 40-57 tell about how God will deliver and comfort His people. This will include the coming of a Messiah who will suffer for others. This will bring forgiveness and blessing. King Cyrus is said to be God's servant also to bring about the release of the Jews from exile in Persia.
Chapters 58-66 tell about a future time of peace when all will be well.
Judiasm
Isaiah was one of the most popular works in the time from the building of the second Temple c. 515 BCE to its destruction by the Romans in 70 CE. Isaiah's "shoot [which] will come up from the stump of Jesse" is mentioned in the Psalms of Solomon and Jewish books about the end of the world. They thought it refereed to a/the messiah and the messianic age. A very important part of Isaiah was the Songs of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 42, 49, 50 and 52. God calls upon his servant to lead the nations. He is treated badly but sacrifices himself in accepting the punishment due others, and is finally rewarded.
Christianity
The earliest Christians interpreted Isaiah 52:13–53:12,as a prophecy of the death and victory of Jesus, a role which Jesus himself accepted according to Luke 4:17–21. Isaiah was held so high that the book was called "the Fifth Gospel". Isaiah is said to be the prophet who spoke more clearly of Christ and the Church than any others. Quotes from the book came into English literature and to Western culture in general. Some of the text was included in Handel's musical masterpiece "Messiah" and in everyday phrases as "swords into plowshares (making weapons into farming tools)" and "voice in the wilderness" meaning someone whose advice is not taken.
(Isaiah chapter 40 verse 28 Good News)
Book of Nehemiah
The Book of Nehemiah is a book of the Hebrew Bible, thought to be a continuation of the Book of Ezra, and is sometimes called the second book of Ezra. It is thought to be written by Nehemiah. It is about the return from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The Book talks about the struggles the Israelites face, such as when they rebuild the walls of the city, non-Israelite people are angry. Another problem is the fact that people are not obeying Jewish law.
Book of Obadiah
The Book of Obadiah is found in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible where it is the shortest book, only one chapter long. It is thought to have been written by a person named Obadiah, which means “servant (or worshipper) of the Lord”. Obadiah probably wrote the book sometime between 850 and 550 B.C.
The message of Obadiah is given to Edom, a country which was made up of descendants of Esau, who was the twin brother of Jacob. Jacob is also called Israel and is the ancestor of the Jewish people. When foreign armies attacked Israel, the people of Edom did not come to their aid, but instead took many things that had belonged to them. Obadiah said that God would destroy the Edomites because of this. The Edomites lived in a city that was protected by mountains. They also had other nations who were their allies in warfare. They were proud of their wise leaders. None of these things could protect them from defeat. Obadiah said that God would give Israel back some lands including the land of the Edomites. Edom no longer exists as a country. Part of what was Edom is now in the kingdom of Jordan. The ruins of their capitol city Petra is a tourist attraction.
Book of Nahum
The Book of Nahum is a book in the Bible's Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh.
We don't know much about who Nahum was. His name means "comforter", and he was from the town of Elkosh or Alqosh (Nahum 1:1), which may have been a town of northern Galilee. He was a Hebrew and may have written from Jerusalem a short time before the downfall of Assyria
Nahum wrote about the final destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the great Assyrian empire. Ashurbanipal the king was at the height of his glory. Nineveh was a large city, and was then the center of the civilization and trade of the world. Jonah had given a warning, and Nahum was followed by Zephaniah, who also told about (Zephaniah 2:4–15) the destruction of the city. The book of Jonah shows us that God had a loving concern for the people of Nineveh, while Nahum tells about the righteousness and justice of God. He says God will punish the Assyrians because of "their cruelty" (Nahum 3:19). Nineveh was burned by fire around 625 BC, after which the Assyrian empire soon came to an end. That made big changes in the political and commercial fate of many in Asia.
Chapter one shows the majesty and might of the LORD God and His goodness and severity.
Chapters two and three tell about the final fall of Nineveh, which took place in 612 BC. Nahum tells about a war and how Nineveh's army tries to stop the invaders. Nahum uses poetry to write as if he were in the battle, giving commands to the soldiers. He uses irony by mentioning the lion as an Assyrian symbol of power; Nineveh is the strong lion with a den full of dead prey but will become weak like the lion hiding in its den. The book ends with a song about the soon destruction of Nineveh and the death of the Assyrian people and end of the once great Assyrian rulers.
Nahum shows God to be slow to anger, but that God will by not ignore the guilty but will bring them to justice. God is presented as a God who will punish evil, but will protect those who trust in Him.
Book of Micah
The Book of Micah (Hebrew: ספר מיכה) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament.
Scholars believe it was written by Micah the prophet, about 700 years before Jesus was born. Chapter 1 verse 5 says Micah was from Moresheth (a town in southern Judah). He lived during the reigns of Yehotam, Ahaz and Hezekiah, roughly 750–700 BC.