Xu Xi, one of Hong Kong's preeminent novelists, examines the lives of four of the city's residents amid the tension and uncertainties leading up to the 1997 handover to China.

In poems that range from New England to the Southwest, Without My Asking, takes its cue from Psalms 90's petition--"teach us to number our days." That biblical sense of limits--of what we can know and not know--and, ultimately, the mystery of before and after that encloses our existence is the center around which these poems turn, both seasonally and from day-to-day. In poems that attend to the events of our lives--from the deaths of parents to hummingbirds at a bird feeder--these poems work to utter "Yes" to all that happens, that "peculiar affirmative" that recognizes, as Elizabeth Bishop says, "Life's like that . . . also death."

The Babylonia Talmud is an immense collection of laws, practices, and customs of the Jewish people, edited in its present form in the fifth century. Tractate Megilla (literally, ‘scroll’) concerns a deep exegesis of the history and customs of the holiday of Purim, when the Jewish people in ancient Persia were saved through the intervention of Queen Esther at the last minute from extermination by the wicked Haman. It is a holiday of gaiety and commemoration. The Talmud is often extremely difficult to understand, and tractate Megilla is no exception. The Whole Megilla is an effort to explain the text, page by page, for interested readers. It affords the reader an opportunity to capture the flavor of the Talmud and follow the notoriously demanding text.

This book, a volume in the Old Testament Library series, explores the books of Haggai and Zechariah. The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.

"In this book William Dever addresses the question that must guide every good historian of ancient Israel: What was life really like in those days? Writing as an expert archaeologist who is also a secular humanist, Dever relies on archaeological data, over and above the Hebrew Bible, for primary source material. He focuses on the lives of ordinary people in the eighth century B.C.E. - not kings, priests, or prophets - people who left behind rich troves of archaeological information but who are practically invisible in "typical" histories of ancient Israel."--Résumé de l'éditeur.

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship. Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope. Translation—the author’s own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English. Notes—the author’s notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation. Form/Structure/Setting—a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here. Comment—verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research. Explanation—brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues. General Bibliography—occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliographycontains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

A comprehensive reference work which provides a way to access research on urban politics and policy in the United States. Experts in the field guide readers through major controversies, while evaluating and assessing the subfields of urban politics and policy. Each chapter follows the same basic organization with topics such as methodological and theoretical issues, current states of the field, and directions for future research. For students, this work provides a starting place to guide them to the most important works in a particular subfield and a context to place their work in a larger body of knowledge. For scholars, it serves as a reference work for immediately familiarity with subfields of the discipline, including classic studies and major research questions. For urban policymakers or analysts, the handbook provides a wealth of information and allows quick identification of existing academic knowledge and research relevant to the problem at hand.

The world is on an inexorable path toward the apocalypse, currently exhibiting many of the Bibles prophesied signs of the end times. When the Jews regained nationhood in May 1948, the countdown began toward the promised return of the Messiah. In Fifty Signs of the End Times, compelling new information is shared demonstrating that the end-time clock is nearing midnight, including: How the alignment of the nations soon to come against Israel is exactly as prophesied in the Bible. The many ways that God has honored His promise to richly bless Israel in the latter days including the discovery of new energy sources. Recent and detailed information concerning the coming Tribulation Temple. Amazing accounts demonstrating how God is pouring out His Spirit in these latter days. How God has miraculously protected Israel in its recent wars. Revealing how twelve of Christs prophecies in His Olivet Discourse have come true in our time. Dr. David Nichols explains these intriguing signs, and dozens more, in meticulous detail. We are fast approaching Armageddon. However, this need not cause alarm. God has provided an escape. I have well over fifty prophecy volumes in my library and can honestly say that none display more of the detailed and accurate research as seen in this book. Every prophecy student worth his salt needs to read it! ---Dr. H.L. Willmington, Founder and Dean, Liberty Home Bible Institute David Nichols has written an excellent study on the signs of the end times. His biblical knowledge, medical and scientific perspective, and analysis of the culture make this an incredible study. Dont miss it. ---Dr. Ed Hindson, Asst. Chancellor, Liberty University; Host of The King is Coming