Blessings both precede and follow the haftarah reading. One reason the reading of the haftarah is a special honor is because of the voluminous blessings the accompany the reading. These blessings are derived from the minor (and uncanonical) Talmudic tractate "Massekhet Soferim" - also called, simply, "Soferim", which dates back to the 7th or 8th century CE. But it is possible that these blessings, or at least some of them, date from before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. At least some haftarah blessings were in use by the second century. The blessings are read by the person designated to read the haftarah portion; the blessing before the haftarah is read in the tune of the haftarah. The Sephardic practice is to recite, immediately after the text of the haftarah and before the concluding blessings, the verse of Isaiah 47:4 ("Our Redeemer! The Lord of Hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel!"). The blessings following the haftarah are standard on all occasions the haftarah is read, except for the final blessing, which varies by date and is omitted on some days.