Ezra Previous Versions
Current version 2.51 home page
Ezra SIL Fonts v 2.5 and 2.0 (Obsolete)
NOTE:
Use of these outdated fonts is not recommended. However, they are made available here in case you have older documents that were prepared using them. Also please note that Ezra SIL version 1.x is no longer available for downloading.
Release history
- 2007-10-04 – Windows OpenType Unicode version 2.51 (final release)
- 2007-06-15 – Windows OpenType Unicode version 2.5
- 2004-01-08 – Windows OpenType Unicode version 2.0
- 2002-09-30 – Windows OpenType Unicode version 1.1 (minor documentation changes only)
- 2002-09-11 – Windows OpenType Unicode version 1.0
NOTE: Text typed with v2.0 fonts will display legibly using v2.5 or v2.51, with only minor errors. However, text typed with v2.5 or v2.51 will not display acceptably using v2.0 fonts.
Ezra SIL v2.5
Changes from v2.0
1) Five new code points have been added:
- U+05A2 HEBREW ACCENT ATNAH HAFUKH is an alternative form, not found in Codex L or the printed BHS, so it should not be used routinely. It is accessed by
alt+2. - U+05C7 HEBREW POINT QAMATS QATAN is an alternative form not found in Codex L, or the printed BHS, so it should not be used routinely. It is accessed by
alt+Aoralt+O. - U+05C6 HEBREW PUNCTUATION NUN HAFUKHA is accessed by
alt+N. To add a dot, followalt+Nbyalt+shift+,. - U+05C5 HEBREW MARK LOWER DOT is accessed by
alt+'. - U+05BA HEBREW POINT HOLAM HASER FOR VAV is defined for use only with U+05D5 HEBREW LETTER VAV. The keyboard does not give direct access to this character, but only in combination following vav.
2) The underlying handling of holam-waw combinations has changed, but this should be transparent to the user:
- For vocalic holam-waw: type ow or Ow
- For consonantal waw-holam: type wo or wO
3) When two vowels are typed in succession, as in the Qere perpetue for Jerusalem, the keyboard inserts a CGJ between them.
Known Issues
OpenType Issues
Diacritics do not position properly
Cause 1: The application you are using is not OpenType-aware. In order to work, the application must be able to use the OpenType tables in the font.
Solution: Choose an application that supports OpenType.
Cause 2: Another problem can be that Hebrew is not implemented completely. Microsoft Office 2000 and XP may not correctly and consistently display biblical Hebrew text.
Solution: Upgrade to Office 2003+ which has all the necessary code or make sure that earlier versions of Word have access to an updated version of Uniscribe (1.468.4015.0 or above).
Cause 3: Another common cause is formatting issues within the application. In order for diacritic positioning to work correctly, the application must render the complete character sequence in one operation. The most common reason for this condition to fail is if some characters in the sequence have different formatting than the others. If there is any difference at all in the formatting (e.g., in character spacing or color, font names or sizes, etc.) the application may have to break the sequence into separate “runs.”
Solution: In order to rule out formatting problems, make absolutely sure that the characters in the sequence are formatted identically. Some applications let you copy the affected text to the clipboard and then use Edit / Paste Special to paste unformatted text back into the document. Another approach, available in Microsoft Word, is to select the text and press Ctrl – space to reset all character formatting to the paragraph default. (This assumes your default paragraph style is formatted with Ezra SIL). Note: In Word, even formatting such as Complex Scripts font and Asian Text font settings must match exactly for the entire sequence.
Cause 4: Additionally, the entire run of text must be interpreted as Right-to-Left. If Word does not guess the correct direction, it may mark certain characters as Left-to-Right which shouldn’t be. This can sometimes be seen either by words displaying in an incorrect order or by difficulties in selecting text with the mouse so that the highlighting jumps back and forth.
Solution: Directionality can be re-set for any amount of text, including the entire document, by selecting it and running the “Set Run rtl” macro, available in ABS Macros.
Ezra SIL v2.0
Distribution Restrictions
SIL International (SIL) is an organization of linguists dedicated to the study and promotion of the thousands of languages around the world. SIL’s Writing Systems Technology team (WSTech) serves SIL by developing products to assist in the publication of linguistic texts.
As a service to the general academic community, we are happy to make this package available at no charge. You may (and are encouraged to) share this package with your friends and co-workers, but with the restrictions below.
Before downloading the Ezra SIL Hebrew Unicode Fonts package we ask that you read the following distribution restrictions and license.
- All files must be copied together, including this one.
- No fee may be charged for the font.
- They may not be used as a basis for other fonts.
Even though these fonts are freely distributable, SIL retains all copyright and ownership of the included font and reserves the right to restrict their use and distribution at any time. They may be placed on websites, etc. but cannot be included in (or bundled with) any commercial product including hard disks or CD-ROMs without specific written permission.
License Terms
You may freely share this font and keyboard with others, but with the following restrictions:This is a legal agreement between you and SIL International (SIL) covering your use of the Ezra SIL Hebrew Unicode Fonts. Be sure to read the following agreement before using the software. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT USE THE SOFTWARE AND DESTROY ALL COPIES OF IT.
This copyright software is distributed as freeware. You may use this software without any charge and may distribute to others. The software is owned by SIL and is protected by United States copyright laws and international treaty provisions. Therefore, you must treat the software like any other copyrighted material (e.g. a book or musical recording).
Commercial distribution of the software is restricted without permission of SIL. If you wish to distribute this software contact SIL for details on obtaining a license.
You may not rent or lease the software, nor may you modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the software.
If you violate any part of this agreement, your right to use this software terminates automatically and you then must destroy all copies of this software in your possession.
THE SOFTWARE AND RELATED DOCUMENTATION ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND AND SIL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL SIL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE OR RELATED DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF SIL HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Texas. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of this Agreement, or portion thereof, to be unenforceable, that provision of the Agreement shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible so as to effect the intent of the parties, and the remainder of this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.
The software and documentation is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS.
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of The Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227- 7013.
Manufacturer is SIL International, 7500 West Camp Wisdom Rd., Dallas, Texas, 75236, United States of America.
If you agree to the above license and distribution restrictions, please continue to the download of Ezra SIL v2.0.
Ezra SIL SR — A Different Style of Marking
The two Ezra SIL fonts are available to provide two different styles of cantillation marks. They were developed together, but there are some differences in how they display markings. This was done intentionally. The Ezra SIL font is supposed to render text identically to the printed BHS. The Ezra SIL SR font has different style cantillation marks which may be more familiar to users working with other versions.
- Beginning with v2.0, Ezra SIL SR no longer combines SHIN DOT with a preceding HOLAM.
- With v2.0, Ezra SIL SR no longer centers 0592-HEBREW ACCENT SEGOL above a consonant. SEGOL is placed to the left except in the rare medial instance, when it centers.
- Ezra SIL characters and markings follow the printed BHS as much as possible. Ezra SIL SR follows a different style of text.
- Ezra SIL differentiates holam from holam-waw by displaying the holam slightly to the right on holam-waw. This is determined by the order holam occurs in the data. A holam preceding a waw will display to the right. If the holam is moved after waw, it will not display to the right. Ezra SIL SR does not do this.
- With v2.0, Ezra SIL SR uses a diamond-shaped mark for the puncta, rather than a round dot.
Known Issues
This document contains a list of known technical issues, such as OpenType or type design problems. It also lists changes in type design and OpenType handling for the fonts with version 2.0. Keep in mind that in all rendering — displaying of the text — the printed version takes priority. Screen resolution is secondary.
For information on how MS Office handles right-to-left (RTL) scripts, see RTL scripts in Microsoft Office.
OpenType Issues
Diacritics do not position properly
Same as in v 2.5 above.
Type Design Issues
There are no current Type Design issues.
Downloads
License
Ezra SIL Version 2.5 is licensed under the SIL Open Font License (OFL). However, Version 2.0 has different distribution restrictions and licensing; see above.
Previous versions
| Ezra SIL source files 2.5 | for all platforms | |
| Ezra SIL 2.5 | for all platforms | |
| Ezra SIL 2.0 | for all platforms |
“Ezra SIL source files 2.5” contains the same files as “Ezra SIL 2.5” – plus the source files for creating the font.
Data Conversion
| Ezra SIL Mapping Files 2.5 | for all platforms |
Support
As these fonts and utilities are distributed at no cost, we are unable to provide a commercial level of personal technical support. Note: the final version of Ezra SIL fonts was v2.51, released 23 October 2007. See Ezra SIL home page.
Please note that these fonts are intended for use by experienced computer users. Installing and using these fonts is not a trivial matter. The most effective technical support is usually provided by an experienced computer user who can personally sit down with you at your computer to troubleshoot the problem.
Contact
General troubleshooting information, including frequently asked questions, can be found in the documentation. Additional information is also available on the general Font FAQ page. If that fails to answer your question, send an email via this contact form.
Before requesting technical support, please:
- Carefully read all the documentation provided with the font and on this site.
Language Software Community
Support from other software users may be available through the SIL Language Software Community. This community will be growing to become the major source of software support.
If that fails to answer your question, or you have a bug report, feature suggestion, or need help using the software, please contact us using the form below.