Chapter V: Part 5

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
----Declare, if thou hast understanding----
Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest?
Or who stretched the line upon it?
Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened?
Or who laid the corner stone thereof;
When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Or who shut up the sea with doors,
When it brake forth, and issued out of the womb;
When I made the cloud the garment thereof,
And thick darkness a swaddling band for it,
And prescribed for it my decree,
And set bars and doors,
And said, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;
And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?"
Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,
And caused the dayspring to know its place;
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
It is changed as clay under the seal;
And all things stand forth as a garment:
And from the wicked their light is withholden,
And the high arm is broken.
Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?
Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee?
Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth?
----Declare, if thou knowest it all----
Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
And as for darkness, where is the place thereof;
That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,
And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?
----Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born,
And the number of thy days is great!----
Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow,
Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail,
Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
Against the day of battle and war?
By what way is the light parted,
Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?
Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood,
Or a way for the lightning of the thunder;
To cause it to rain on a land where no man is;
On the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
To satisfy the waste and desolate ground;
And to cause the tender grass to spring forth?
Hath the rain a father?
Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
Out of whose womb came the ice?
And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
The waters are hidden as with stone,
And the face of the deep is frozen.
Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the bands of Orion?
Canst thou lead forth the signs of the Zodiac in their season?
Or canst thou guide the Bear with her train?
Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens?
Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?
Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds,
That abundance of waters may cover thee?
Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go,
And say unto thee, Here we are?
Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?
Or who hath given understanding to the mind?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
When the dust runneth into a mass,
And the clods cleave fast together?
Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness?
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
When they couch in their dens,
And abide in the covert to lie in wait?
Who provideth for the raven his food,
When his young ones cry unto God,
And wander for lack of meat?
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?
Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
Canst thou number the months that they fulfil?
Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
They bow themselves, they bring forth their young,
They cast out their sorrows.
Their young ones are in good liking,
They grow up in the open field;
They go forth, and return not again.
Who hath sent out the wild ass free?
Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?
Whose house I have made the wilderness,
And the salt land his dwelling place;
He scorneth the tumult of the city,
Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver.
The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searcheth after every green thing.
Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee?
Or will he abide by thy crib?
Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow?
Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?
Or wilt thou leave to him thy labour?
Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy seed,
And gather the corn of thy threshing-floor?
The wing of the ostrich rejoiceth;
But are her pinions and feathers kindly?
For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,
And warmeth them in the dust,
And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,
Or that the wild beast may trample them.
She is hardened against her young ones, as if they were not hers:
Though her labour be in vain, she is without fear;
Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,
Neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
What time she lifteth up herself on high,
She scorneth the horse and his rider.
Hast thou given the horse his might?
Hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane?
Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?
The glory of his snorting is terrible.
He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:
He goeth out to meet the armed men.
He mocketh at fear and is not dismayed;
Neither turneth he back from the sword.
The quiver rattleth against him,
The flashing spear and the javelin.
He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;
Neither standeth he still at the voice of the trumpet.
As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha!
And he smelleth the battle afar off,
The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom,
And stretch her wings toward the south?
Doth the eagle mount up at thy command,
And make her nest on high?
She dwelleth on the rock, and hath her lodging there,
Upon the crag of the rock and the strong hold.
From thence she spieth out the prey;
Her eyes behold it afar off.
Her young ones also suck up blood:
And where the slain are, there is she.

III

SONG OF MOSES AND MIRIAM

TUTTI

_I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously:_
_The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea._
The LORD is my strength and song,
And he is become my salvation:
This is my God, and I will praise him;
My father's God, and I will exalt him.

1

MEN

The LORD is a man of war:
The LORD is his name.
Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea:
And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
The deeps cover them:
They went down into the depths like a stone.

WOMEN

_Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously:_
_The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea._

2

MEN

Thy right hand, O LORD, is glorious in power,
Thy right hand, O LORD, dasheth in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou overthrowest them that
rise up against thee:
Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble.
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up,
The floods stood upright as an heap;
The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil:
My lust shall be satisfied upon them;
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them:
They sank as lead in the mighty waters.

WOMEN

_Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously:_
_The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea._

3

MEN

Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?
Who is like thee, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
Thou in thy mercy hast led the people which thou hast redeemed:
Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy habitation.
The peoples have heard, they tremble:
Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.
Then were the dukes of Edom amazed;
The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them:
All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away.
Terror and dread falleth upon them;
By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a stone;
Till thy people pass over, O LORD,
Till the people pass over which thou hast purchased.
Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine
inheritance,
The place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in,
The sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established.
The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.

WOMEN

_Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously:_
_The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea._

IV

DEBORAH'S SONG

_Men._ _For that the leaders took the lead in Israel--_

_Women._ _For that the people offered themselves willingly--_

_Tutti._ _Bless ye the LORD!_

PRELUDE

_Men._ Hear, O ye kings--

_Women._ Give ear, O ye princes--

_Men._ I, even I, will sing unto the LORD--

_Women._ I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.

_Tutti._ Lord, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,
When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,
The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped,
Yea, the clouds dropped water.
The mountains flowed down at the presence of the LORD,
Even yon Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God
of Israel.

1. THE DESOLATION

_Men._ In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael,
The highways were unoccupied,
And the travellers walked through byways;
The rulers ceased in Israel,
They ceased--

_Women._ Until that I, Deborah, arose,
That I arose a mother in Israel.
They chose new gods;
Then was war in the gates:
Was there a shield or spear seen
Among forty thousand in Israel?

_Men._ _My heart is toward the governors of Israel--_

_Women._ _Ye that offered yourselves willingly among the people--_

_Tutti._ _Bless ye the LORD!_

_Men._ _Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses,_
_Ye that sit on rich carpets,_
_And ye that walk by the way:--_

_Women._ _Far from the noise of archers,_
_In the places of drawing water:--_

_Tutti._ _There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD,_
_Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel._

2. THE MUSTER

_Tutti._ Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates--

(_Men._ _Awake, awake, Deborah,_
_Awake, awake, utter a song:--_

_Women._ _Arise, Barak,_
_And lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam._)

_Tutti._ Then came down a remnant of the nobles,
The people of the LORD came down for me against the mighty.

_Women._ Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Amalek--

_Men._ After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples--

_Women._ Out of Machir came down governors--

_Men._ And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's staff

_Women._ And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah--

_Men._ As was Issachar, so was Barak:

_Tutti._ Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet.

_Men._ By the watercourses of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.

_Women._ Why satest thou among the sheepfolds,
To hear the pipings for the flocks?

_Men._ At the watercourses of Reuben
There were great searchings of heart!

_Women._ Gilead abode beyond Jordan--

_Men._ And Dan, why did he remain in ships?--

_Women._ Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,
And abode by his creeks.

_Men._ Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives
unto the death,
And Naphtali upon the high places of the field.

3. THE BATTLE AND ROUT

_Strophe_

_Men._ The kings came and fought;
Then fought the kings of Canaan,
In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo:--
They took no gain of money!

_Antistrophe_

_Women._ They fought from heaven,
The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
The river Kishon swept them away,--
That ancient river, the river Kishon!

_Strophe_

_Men._ O my soul, march on with strength!
Then did the horsehoofs stamp
By reason of the pransings,
The pransings of their strong ones.

_Antistrophe_

_Women._ Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD,
Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof;
Because they came not to the help of the LORD,
To the help of the LORD against the mighty!

4. THE RETRIBUTION

_Strophe_

_Men._ Blessed above women shall Jael be, the wife of Heber
the Kenite,
Blessed shall she be above women in the tent!
He asked water, and she gave him milk;
She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
She put her hand to the nail,
And her right hand to the workman's hammer;
And with the hammer she smote Sisera.
She smote through his head,
Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.
At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay:
At her feet he bowed, he fell:
Where he bowed, there he fell down dead!

_Antistrophe_

_Women._ Through the window she looked forth, and cried,
The mother of Sisera, through the lattice,
"Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?"
Her wise ladies answered her,
Yea, she returned answer to herself,
"Have they not found,
Have they not divided the spoil?
A damsel, two damsels to every man;
To Sisera a spoil of divers colours,
A spoil of divers colours of embroidery,
Of divers colours of embroidery on both
sides, on the necks of the spoil!"

_Tutti._ So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD:
But let them that love him be as the sun
when he goeth forth in his might!

V

DAVID'S LAMENT

Thy glory, O Israel,
Is slain upon thy high places!
How are the mighty--
Fallen!

Tell it not in Gath,
Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon;
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Neither fields of offerings:
For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away,
The shield of Saul, as of one not anointed with oil.

From the blood of the slain,
From the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan turned not back,
And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,
And in their death they were not divided;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.

Ye daughters of Israel,
Weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet delicately,
Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

How are the mighty--
Fallen in the midst of the battle!
O Jonathan,
Slain upon thy high places,

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:
Very pleasant hast thou been unto me:
Thy love to me was wonderful,
Passing the love of women.

How are the mighty--
Fallen!
And the weapons of war--
Perished!

VI

DAVID'S SONG OF VICTORY

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;
The God of my rock, in him will I trust;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge;
My saviour, thou savest me from violence.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised:
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

For the waves of death compassed me,
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol were round about me:
The snares of death came upon me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD,
Yea, I called unto my God:
And he heard my voice out of his temple,
And my cry came into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled,
The foundations of heaven moved
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured:
Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down;
And thick darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:
Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
And he made darkness pavilions round about him,
Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled
The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered his voice.
And he sent out arrows, and scattered them;
Lightning, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were laid bare,
By the rebuke of the LORD,
At the blast of the breath of his nostrils
He sent from on high, he took me;
He drew me out of many waters;
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From them that hated me;
For they were too mighty for me.
They came upon me in the day of my calamity:
But the LORD was my stay.
He brought me forth also into a large place:
He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness:
According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his judgements were before me:
And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
I was also perfect toward him,
And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness;
According to my cleanness in his eyesight.
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful,
With the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;
With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure;
And with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward.
And the afflicted people thou wilt save:
But thine eyes are upon the haughty,
That thou mayest bring them down.

For thou art my lamp, O LORD:
And the LORD will lighten my darkness.
For by thee I run upon a troop:
By my God do I leap over a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of the LORD is tried;
He is a shield unto all them that trust in him.
For who is God, save the LORD?
And who is a rock, save our God?
God is my strong fortress:
And he guideth the perfect in his way.
He maketh his feet like hinds' feet:
And setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war;
So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:
And thy gentleness hath made me great.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.
I have pursued mine enemies,
And destroyed them;
Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
And I have consumed them,
And smitten them through that they cannot arise:
Yea, they are fallen under my feet.
For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle:
Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,
That I might cut off them that hate me.
They looked, but there was none to save;
Even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,
I did stamp them as the mire of the streets, and did spread
them abroad.
Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people;
Thou hast kept me to be the head of the nations:
A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
The strangers shall submit themselves unto me:
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.
The strangers shall fade away,
And shall come trembling out of their close places.

The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation:
Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,
And bringeth down peoples under me,
And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies:
Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me:
Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the nations,
And will sing praises unto thy name.
Great deliverance giveth he to his king:
And sheweth lovingkindness to his anointed,
To David and to his seed, for evermore.

VII

THE BRIDE'S REMINISCENCES

A Lyric Idyl

The Interrupted Visit

THE BRIDE

The voice of my beloved! behold he cometh,
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart:
Behold, he standeth behind our wall,
He looketh in at the windows,
He sheweth himself through the lattice.
My beloved spake, and said unto me:
"Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.

For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree ripeneth her green figs,
And the vines are in blossom,
They give forth their fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
And come away.

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,
In the covert of the steep place,
Let me see thy countenance,
Let me hear thy voice;

For sweet is thy voice,
And thy countenance is comely."

VOICES OF THE BROTHERS (_heard interrupting_)

"Take us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vineyards;
For our vineyards are in blossom."

* *
*

_My beloved is mine, and I am his:_
_He feedeth his flock among the lilies._
_Until the day break, and the shadows flee away,_
_Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart_
_Upon the mountains of separation._

The Happy Dream

By night, on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loveth:
I sought him, but I found him not.
I said, I will rise now, and go about the city,
In the streets and in the broad ways,
I will seek him whom my soul loveth:
I sought him, but I found him not.

The watchmen that go about the city found me:
To whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
It was but a little that I passed from them,
When I found him whom my soul loveth:
I held him, and would not let him go,
Until I had brought him into my mother's house,
And into the chamber of her that conceived me.

* *
*

_I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,_
_By the roes, and by the hinds of the field,_
_That ye stir not up, nor awaken love,_
_Until it please._

VIII

THE BATTLE OF CARCHEMISH

1

Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle;
Harness the horses, and get up ye horsemen, and stand forth with your
helmets;
Furbish the spears, put on the coats of mail.

Wherefore have I seen it? they are dismayed,
And are turned backward, and their mighty ones are beaten down,
And are fled apace, and look not back.

Terror is on every side, saith the LORD,
Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape:
In the north by the river Euphrates have they stumbled and fallen.

2

Who is this that riseth up like the Nile,
Whose waters toss themselves like the rivers?
Egypt riseth up like the Nile,
And his waters toss themselves like the rivers;
And he saith, I will rise up, I will cover the earth;
I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.

Go up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men go forth:
Cush and Put, that handle the shield;
And the Ludim, that handle and bend the bow.

For that day is a day of the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
A day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries:
And the sword shall devour and be satiate,
And shall drink its fill of their blood:
For the Lord, the LORD of hosts hath a sacrifice
In the north country by the river Euphrates.

3

Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt:
In vain dost thou use many medicines;
There is no healing for thee.

The nations have heard of thy shame, and the earth is full of thy cry:
For the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty,
They are fallen both of them together.

IX

A SONG OF ZION REDEEMED

1

Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
And gross darkness the peoples:
But the LORD shall arise upon thee,
And his glory shall be seen upon thee.

2

And nations shall come to thy light,
And kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:
They all gather themselves together, they come to thee:
Thy sons shall come from far,
And thy daughters shall be carried in the arms.

Then thou shalt see and be lightened,
And thine heart shall tremble and be enlarged;
Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee,
The wealth of the nations shall come unto thee.

The multitude of camels shall cover thee,
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
They all shall come from Sheba, they shall bring gold and frankincense,
And shall proclaim the praises of the LORD.

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee,
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee;
They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar,
And I will beautify the house of my glory.

3

Who are these that fly as a cloud,
And as the doves to their windows?

Surely the isles shall wait for me,
And the ships of Tarshish first,
To bring thy sons from far,
Their silver and their gold with them,
For the name of the LORD thy God,
And for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
And strangers shall build up thy walls,
And their kings shall minister unto thee:
For in my wrath I smote thee,
But in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

Thy gates also shall be open continually,
They shall not be shut day nor night;
That men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations,
And their kings led with them:
For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish;
Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee,
The fir tree, the pine, and the box tree together;
To beautify the place of my sanctuary,
And I will make the place of my feet glorious.

And the sons of them that afflicted thee
Shall come bending unto thee;
And all they that despised thee
Shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet.

4

And they shall call thee the City of the LORD,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated,
So that no man passed through thee,
I will make thee an eternal excellency,
A joy of many generations.

Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations,
And shalt suck the breast of kings:
And thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy saviour,
And thy redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

For brass I will bring gold,
And for iron I will bring silver,
And for wood brass,
And for stones iron.

I will also make thy officers peace,
And thine exactors righteousness;
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land,
Desolation nor destruction within thy borders;
But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation,
And thy gates Praise.

5

The sun shall be no more thy light by day,
Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee:
But the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light,
And thy God thy glory.
Thy sun shall no more go down,
Neither shall thy moon withdraw itself:
For the LORD shall be thine everlasting light,
And the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

Thy people also shall be all righteous,
They shall inherit the land for ever;
The branch of my planting,
The work of my hands,
That I may be glorified.
The little one shall become a thousand,
And the small one a strong nation:
I the LORD will hasten it in its time.

X

ISAIAH'S

DOOM OF BABYLON

Set ye up an ensign upon the bare mountain, lift up the voice unto them, wave the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even them that exult in my majesty.

The noise of a multitude in the mountains,
Like as of a great people!
The noise of a tumult
Of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together!

The LORD of HOSTS
Mustereth the HOST for the battle;
They come from a far country,
From the uttermost part of heaven:

Even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation,
To destroy the whole land.
Howl ye, for the Day of the LORD is at hand:
As destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt: and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail; they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be faces of flame.

Behold, the Day of the LORD cometh,
Cruel, with wrath and fierce anger;
To make the land a desolation,
And to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens to tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. And it shall come to pass, that as the chased roe, and as sheep that no man gathereth, they shall turn every man to his own people, and shall flee every man to his own land. Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is taken shall fall by the sword. Their infants also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished. Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. And their bows shall dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

And BABYLON,
The glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride,
Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

It shall never be inhabited,
Neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation;
Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there;
Neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.

But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there;
And their houses shall be full of doleful creatures;
And ostriches shall dwell there,
And satyrs shall dance there.

And wolves shall cry in their castles,
And jackals in the pleasant palaces:
And her time is near to come,
And her days shall not be prolonged.

For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and for handmaids; and they shall take them captive, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say:

How hath the oppressor ceased!
The golden city ceased!
The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked,
The sceptre of the rulers;
He that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke,
That ruled the nations in anger,
Is persecuted,
And none hindereth!
The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet:
They break forth into singing:
Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee,
And the cedars of Lebanon:
'Since thou art laid down,
No feller is come up against us.'

Hell from beneath is moved for thee,
To meet thee at thy coming:
It stirreth up the dead for thee,
Even all the chief ones of the earth;
It hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations,
All they shall answer and say unto thee:
'Art thou also become weak as we?
Art thou become like unto us?'
Thy pomp is brought down to hell,
And the noise of thy viols:
The worm is spread under thee,
And worms cover thee.

How art thou fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of the morning
How art thou cut down to the ground,
Which didst lay low the nations!
And thou saidst in thine heart, 'I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
And I will sit upon the mount of congregation,
In the uttermost parts of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the Most High.'
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell,
To the uttermost parts of the pit.

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee,
They shall consider thee:
'Is this the man that made the earth to tremble,
That did shake kingdoms;
That made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof,
That let not loose his prisoners to their home?'
All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory,
Every one in his own house:
But thou art cast forth away from thy sepulchre,
Like an abominable branch,
As the raiment of those that are slain,
That are thrust through with the sword,
That go down to the stones of the pit;
As a carcase trodden under foot.

Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall not be named for ever. Prepare ye slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they rise not up, and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities. And I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son, saith the LORD. I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

XI

NAHUM'S DOOM OF NINEVEH

1

The LORD is a jealous God and avengeth; the LORD avengeth and is full of wrath; the LORD taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear the guilty: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt; and the earth is upheaved at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by him.

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that put their trust in him.

But with an overrunning flood he will make a full end of the place thereof, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

2

What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make a full end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. For though they be like tangled thorns, and be drenched as it were in their drink, they shall be devoured utterly as dry stubble. There is one gone forth out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, that counselleth wickedness. Thus saith the LORD: Though they be in full strength, and likewise many, even so shall they be cut down, and he shall pass away.

Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. And now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

And the LORD hath given commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown; out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image; I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.

3

Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! Keep thy feasts, O Judah, perform thy vows: for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face:
Keep the munition; watch the way;
Make thy loins strong,
Fortify thy power mightily.

For the LORD bringeth again the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.

The shield of his mighty men is made red:
The valiant men are in scarlet:
The chariots flash with steel in the day of his preparation,
And the spears are shaken terribly.

The chariots rage in the streets,
They justle one against another in the broad ways:
The appearance of them is like torches,
They run like the lightnings.

He remembereth his worthies:
They stumble in their march;
They make haste to the wall thereof,
And the mantelet is prepared.

The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved:
And Huzzab is uncovered; she is carried away;
And her handmaids mourn as with the voice of doves,
Tabering upon their breasts.

But Nineveh hath been from of old like a pool of water;
Yet they flee away:
'Stand, stand'--
But none looketh back.

Take ye the spoil of silver,
Take the spoil of gold;
For there is none end of the store,
The glory of all pleasant furniture.

She is empty, and void, and waste:
And the heart melteth, and the knees smite together;
And anguish is in all loins,
And the faces of them all are waxed pale.

4

Where is the den of the lions,
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion and the lioness walked,
The lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?

The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps,
And strangled for his lionesses;
And filled his caves with prey,
And his dens with ravin.

5

Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.

Woe to the bloody city!
It is all full of lies and rapine;
The prey departeth not.

The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels;
And pransing horses, and jumping chariots;
The horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear;

And a multitude of slain, and a great heap of carcases:
And there is none end of the corpses;
They stumble upon their corpses:

Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favoured harlot,
The mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms,
And families through her witchcrafts.

Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face; and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say:

6

Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her?
Whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

Art thou better than No-amon, that was situate among the rivers,
That had the waters round about her;
Whose rampart was the sea,
And her wall was of the sea?

Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite;
Put and Lubim were thy helpers:
Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity:
Her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the
streets;

And they cast lots for her honourable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains:
Thou also shalt be drunken, thou shalt be hid;
Thou also shalt seek a strong hold because of the enemy.

All thy fortresses shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs:
If they be shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.

Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women;
The gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies;
The fire hath devoured thy bars.

Draw the water for the siege;
Strengthen thy fortresses:
Go into the clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brickkiln:
There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off.

It shall devour thee like the cankerworm:
Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locust;
Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven:
The cankerworm spreadeth himself, and flieth away.

Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of
grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges in the cold day,
But when the sun ariseth they flee away,
And their place is not known where they are.

7

Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria,
Thy worthies are at rest:
Thy people are scattered upon the mountains,
And there is none to gather them.

There is no assuaging of thy hurt;
Thy wound is grievous:
All that hear the bruit of thee clap the hands over thee:
For upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

RHAPSODY

OR

PROPHETIC DRAMA

JEREMIAH'S RHAPSODY OF THE DROUGHT

Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they sit in black upon the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

And their nobles send their little ones to the waters: they come to the pits, and find no water; they return with their vessels empty: they are ashamed and confounded, and cover their heads.

Because of the ground which is chapt, for that no rain hath been in the land, the plowmen are ashamed, they cover their heads.

Yea, the hind also in the field calveth, and forsaketh her young, because there is no grass. And the wild asses stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage.

REPENTENT ISRAEL

Though our iniquities testify against us, work thou for thy name's sake, O LORD: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. O thou hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a sojourner in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name: leave us not.

THE PROPHET

Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Even so have they loved to wander; they have not refrained their feet: therefore the LORD doth not accept them; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.

THE LORD (to the Prophet)

Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

THE PROPHET

Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.

THE LORD

The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake I unto them; they prophesy unto you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their own heart. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land: By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them. And thou shalt say this word unto them, 'Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound. If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! for both the prophet and the priest go about in the land and have no knowledge.'

REPENTENT ISRAEL

Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul loathed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold dismay! We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake; do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us. Are there any among the vanities of the heathen that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee; for thou hast made all these things.

THE LORD (to the Prophet)

Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. And it shall come to pass, when they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD: Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity. And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy. And I will cause them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall turn aside to ask of thy welfare? Thou hast rejected me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore have I stretched out my hand against thee, and destroyed thee; I am weary with repenting. And I have fanned them with a fan in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them of children, I have destroyed my people; they have not returned from their ways. Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused anguish and terrors to fall upon her suddenly. She that hath borne seven languisheth; she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day; she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD.

THE PROPHET

Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have not lent on usury, neither have men lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.

THE LORD (to the Prophet)

Verily I will strengthen thee for good; verily I will cause the enemy to make supplication unto thee in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.

THE LORD (to the People)

Can one break iron, even iron from the north, and brass? Thy substance and thy treasures will I give for a spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders. And I will make thee to serve thine enemies in a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.

REPENTENT ISRAEL

O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and avenge me of my persecutors: take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered reproach. Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. I sat not in the assembly of them that make merry, nor rejoiced: I sat alone because of thy hand; for thou hast filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou indeed be unto me as a deceitful brook, as waters that fail?

THE LORD

Therefore thus saith the LORD: If thou return, then will I bring thee again, that thou mayest stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall return unto thee, but thou shalt not return unto them.

EPILOGUE (to the Prophet)

And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall; and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.

HABAKKUK'S RHAPSODY OF THE CHALDEANS

i

The Mystery

THE PROPHET

O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save. Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to look upon perverseness? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there is strife, and contention riseth up. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgement doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore judgement goeth forth perverted.

THE LORD