Chapter XLVIII: Part 48

15. He that walketh in righteousness, and speaketh uprightness; he that despiseth gain of oppressions, whose hand keepeth from grasping bribes; he that stoppeth his ear from hearing murderous counsel, and shutteth his eyes from looking at evil; 16. he will dwell upon high places; rocky fastnesses are his castle; his bread is abundant, his waters inexhaustible.

17. Thine eyes will see the King in His beauty, will see a land that is very far off.

18. Thy heart meditates upon the shuddering. Where is the valuer? where is the weigher? where he who counted the towers? 19. The rough people thou seest no more, a people of deep inaudible lip, of stammering unintelligible tongue.

20. Look upon Zion, the castle of our festal meeting. Thine eyes will see Jerusalem, a pleasant place, a tent that does not wander about, whose pegs are never drawn, and none of whose cords are ever broken. 21. No, there dwells for us a glorious One, Jehovah; a place of streams, canals of wide extent, into which no fleet of rowing vessels ventures, and which no strong man of war shall cross. 22. For Jehovah is our Judge; Jehovah is our war-Prince; Jehovah is our King; He will bring us salvation.

23. Thy ropes hang loose; they do not hold fast the support of thy mast; they do not hold the flag extended: then is the booty of plunder divided in abundance; even lame men share the prey. 24. And not an inhabitant will say, I am weak: the people settled there have their sins forgiven.

_PART VI._

FINALE OF THE JUDGMENT UPON ALL THE WORLD (MORE ESPECIALLY UPON EDOM) AND REDEMPTION OF THE PEOPLE OF JEHOVAH.--CHAPS. XXXIV., XXXV.

1. Come near, ye peoples, to hear; and ye nations, attend. Let the earth hear, and that which fills it, the world, and everything that springs from it. 2. For the indignation of Jehovah will fall upon all nations, and burning wrath upon all their host; He has laid the ban upon them, delivered them to the slaughter. 3. And their slain are cast away, and their corpses--their stench will arise, and mountains melt with their blood. 4. And all the host of the heavens are rolled up like a scroll, and all their heat withers as a leaf withers away from the vine, and like withered leaves from the fig-tree.

5. For My sword has become intoxicated in the heaven; behold, it comes down upon Edom, and upon the people of My ban to judgment. 6. The sword of Jehovah fills itself with blood, is fattened with fat, with blood of lambs and he-goats, with kidney-fat of rams; for Jehovah has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7. And buffaloes fall with them, and bullocks together with bulls; and their land becomes intoxicated with blood, and their dust fattened with fat.

8. For Jehovah hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense, to contend for Zion. 9. And the brooks of Edom are turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone, and its land becomes burning pitch. 10. Day and night it is not quenched; the smoke of Edom goes up for ever: it lies waste from generation to generation; no one passes through it for ever and ever. 11. And pelican and hedgehog take possession of it, and eared-owl and raven dwell there; and He stretched over it the measure of Tohu and the level of Bohu. 12. Its nobles--there is no longer a monarchy which they elected; nettles and thistles in the castles; and it and all its princes come to nought. 13. And the palaces of Edom break out into thorns, nettles and thistles in the castles; and it becomes the abode of wild dogs, pasture for ostriches. 14. And martens meet with jackals, and a wood-devil runs upon its fellow; yea, Līlīth dwells there, and finds rest for itself. 15. There the arrow-snake makes its nest, and breeds and lays eggs, and broods in the shadow there; yea, there vultures gather one to another. 16. Search in the book of Jehovah, and read! Not one of the creatures falls, not one misses the other: for My mouth--it has commanded it; and His breath--it has brought them together. 17. And He has cast the lots for them, and His hand has assigned it (this land) to them by measure; they will possess it for ever; to generation and generation they will dwell therein.

XXXV.--1. Gladness fills the desert and the heath; and the steppe rejoices, and flowers like the crocus. 2. It flowers abundantly, and rejoices; yea, rejoicing and singing: the glory of Lebanon is given to it, the splendour of Carmel and the plain of Sharon; they will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendour of our God.

3. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and make the trembling knees strong. 4. Say to those of a terrified heart, Be strong, Fear ye not! Behold, your God will come for vengeance, for a Divine retribution: He will come, and bring you salvation. 5. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6. Then will the lame man leap as the stag, and the tongue of the dumb man shout; for waters break out in the desert, and brooks in the steppe. 7. And the mirage becomes a fish-pond, and the thirsty ground gushing water-springs; in the place of jackals, where it lies, there springs up grass with reeds and rushes.

8. And a highway rises there, and a road, and it will be called the Holy Road; no unclean man will pass along it, as it is appointed for them: whoever walks the road, even simple ones do not go astray. 9. There will be no lion there, and the most ravenous beast of prey will not approach it, will not be met with there; and redeemed ones walk. 10. And the ransomed of Jehovah will return, and come to Zion with shouting, and everlasting joy upon their heads; they lay hold of gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing flee away.

_PART VII._

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY; AND PROPHECIES BELONGING TO THE FOURTEENTH YEAR OF HEZEKIAH'S REIGN, AND THE TIMES IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING.--CHAPS. XXXVI.-XXXIX.

_A.--First Assyrian Attempt to Compel the Surrender of Jerusalem._--CHAPS. XXXVI.-XXXVII. 7.

XXXVI.--1. And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hizikiyahu, Sancherîb, king of Asshur, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. 2. Then the king of Asshur sent Rabshakeh from Lachish towards Jerusalem to king Hizkiyahu with a great army, and he advanced to the conduit of the upper pool by the road of the fuller's field; 3. and there went out to him Eliakim, son of Hilkiyahu, the house-minister, and Shebna the chancellor, and Joah, son of Asaph the recorder.

4. And Rabshakeh said to them, Say now to Hizkiyahu, Thus saith the great king, the king of Asshur, What sort of confidence is this that thou hast got? 5. I say, Vain talk is counsel and strength for war: now, then, in whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me? 6. Behold, thou trustest in this broken reed-staff there, in Egypt, on which one leans, and it runs into his hand and pierces it; so does Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7. But if thou sayest to me, We trust in Jehovah our God; is it not He whose high places and altars Hizkiyahu has removed, and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before the altar? 8. And not take a wager with my lord the king of Asshur; I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou art able for thy part to give horsemen upon them. 9. And how couldst thou repel the advance of a single satrap among the least of the servants of my lord? Thou puttest thy trust then in Egypt for chariots and riders! 10. And now have I come up without Jehovah against this land to destroy it? Jehovah said to me, Go up to this land, and destroy it.

11. Then said Eliakim, and Shebna, and Joah, to Rabshakeh, Pray, speak to thy servants in Aramæan, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Jewish, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

12. Then Rabshakeh said to them, Has my lord sent me to thy lord and to thee, not rather to the men who sit upon the wall, to eat their dung, and to drink their urine together with you?

13. Then Rabshakeh went near, and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and said, Hear the words of the great king, the king of Asshur. 14. Thus saith the king, Let not Hizkiyahu practise deception upon you; for he cannot deliver you. 15. And let not Hizkiyahu feed you with hope in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will deliver, yea, deliver us: this city will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Asshur. 16. Hearken not to Hizkiyahu; for thus saith the king of Asshur, Enter into a connection of mutual good wishes with me, and come out to me: and enjoy every one his vine, and every one his fig-tree, and drink every one the water of his cistern: 17. till I come and take you away into a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread-corn and vineyards; 18. that Hizkiyahu do not befool you, saying, Jehovah will deliver us. Have the gods of the nations delivered every one his land out of the hand of the king of Asshur? 19. Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where the gods of Sepharvayim? and how much less have they delivered that Samaria out of my hand? 20. Who were they among all the gods of these lands who delivered their land out of my hand? how much less will Jehovah deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

21. But they held their peace, and answered him not a word; for it was the king's commandment, Ye shall not answer him.

22. Then came Eliakim, son of Hilkiyahu, the house-minister, and Shebna that chancellor, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, to Hizkiyahu, with torn clothes, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

XXXVII.--1. And it came to pass, when king Hizkiyahu had heard, he rent his clothes, and wrapped himself in mourning linen, and went into the house of Jehovah. 2. And sent Eliakim the house-minister, and Shebna the chancellor, and the eldest of the priests, wrapped in mourning linen, to Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet. 3. And they say to him, Thus saith Hizkiyahu, A day of affliction, and punishment, and blasphemy is this day; for children are come to the matrix, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4. Perhaps Jehovah thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, with which the king of Asshur his lord has sent him to revile the living God; and Jehovah thy God will punish for the words He hath heard, and thou wilt make intercession for the remnant that still exists.

5. And the servants of king Hizkiyahu came to Isaiah. 6. And Isaiah said to them, Speak thus to your lord, Thus saith Jehovah, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Asshur have blasphemed Me. 7. Behold, I will bring a spirit upon him, and he will hear a hearsay, and return to his own land; and I will cut him down with the sword in his own land.

_B.--Second Attempt of the Assyrians to Force the Surrender of Jerusalem. Its Miraculous Deliverance._--CHAP. XXXVII. 8-38.

8. Rabshakeh thereupon returned, and found the king of Asshur warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had withdrawn from Lachish. 9. And he had heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, he has come out to make war against thee; and heard, and sent messengers to Hiskiyahu, saying, 10. Thus shall ye say to Hizkiyahu king of Judah, saying, Let not the God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Asshur. 11. Behold, thou hast surely heard what the kings of Asshur have done to all lands, to lay the ban upon them; and thou, thou shouldest be delivered? 12. Have the gods of the nations, which my fathers destroyed, delivered them? Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the B•nē-'Eden, which are in Telassar? 13. Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of 'Ir-Sepharvayim, Hen'a, and 'Ivah?

14. And Hizkiyahu took the letter out of the hand of the messengers, and read it, and went up to the house of Jehovah; and Hizkiyahu spread it before Jehovah. 15. And Hizkiyahu prayed to Jehovah, saying, 16. Jehovah of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim, Thou, yea Thou alone, art God of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth. 17. Incline Thine ear, Jehovah, and hear! Open Thine eyes, Jehovah, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he hath sent to despise the living God! 18. Truly, O Jehovah, the kings of Asshur have laid waste all lands, and their land, 19. and have put their gods into the fire: for they were not gods, only the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. 20. And now, Jehovah our God, help us out of his hand, and all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou Jehovah art it alone.

21. And Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hizkiyahu, saying, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me concerning Sennacherib the king of Asshur: 22. This is the utterance which Jehovah utters concerning him:--The virgin daughter of Zion despiseth thee, laugheth thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem shaketh her head after thee. 23. Whom hast thou reviled and blasphemed, and over whom hast thou spoken loftily, that thou hast lifted up thine eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. 24. By thy servants hast thou reviled the Lord, in that thou sayest, "With the multitude of my chariots have I climbed the height of the mountains, the inner side of Lebanon; and I shall fell the lofty growth of its cedars, the choice of its cypresses; and I shall penetrate to the height of its uttermost border, the grove of its orchard. 25. I, I have digged and drank waters, and will make dry with the sole of my feet all the Nile-arms." 26. Hast thou not heard? I have done it long ago, from the days of ancient time have I formed it, and now brought it to pass, that thou shouldest lay waste fortified cities into desolate stone heaps; 27. and their inhabitants, powerless, were terrified, and were put to shame: became herb of the field and green of the turf, herb of the house-tops, and a cornfield before the blades. 28. And thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy entering in, I know; and thy heating thyself against Me. 29. On account of thy heating thyself against Me, and because thy self-confidence has risen up into Mine ears, I put My ring into thy nose, and My muzzle into thy lips, and lead thee back by the way by which thou hast come.

30. And let this be a sign to thee, Men eat this year what is self-sown; and in the second year what springs from the roots; and in the third year they sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31. And that which is escaped of the house of Judah, that which remains will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 32. For from Jerusalem will a remnant go forth, and a fugitive from Mount Zion; the zeal of Jehovah of hosts will carry this out.

33. Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of Asshur, He will not enter into this city, nor shoot off an arrow there; nor do they assault it with a shield, nor cast up earthworks against it. 34. By the way by which he came will he return; and he will not enter into this city, saith Jehovah. 35. And I shield this city, to help, for Mine own sake, and for the sake of David My servant.

36. Then the angel of Jehovah went forth and smote in the camp of Asshur a hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when men rose up in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 37. Then Sennacherib king of Asshur decamped, and went forth and returned, and settled down in Nineveh. 38. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the temple of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharazer his sons smote him with the sword; and when they escaped to the land of Ararat, Esar-haddon reigned in his stead.

_C.--Hezekiah's Illness. Isaiah Assures Him of His Recovery._--CHAP. XXXVIII.

1. In those days Hizkiyahu became dangerously ill. And Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, came to him, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah, Set thine house in order; for thou wilt die, and not recover. 2. Then Hizkiyahu turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Jehovah, 3. and said, O Jehovah, remember this, I pray, that I have walked before Thee in truth, and with the whole heart, and have done what was good in Thine eyes. And Hizkiyahu wept with loud weeping.

4. And it came to pass the word of Jehovah came to Isaiah as follows: 5. Go and say to Hizkiyahu, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thine ancestor, I have heard thy prayer, seen thy tears; behold, I add to thy days fifteen years. 6. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Asshur, and defend this city.

[21. Then Isaiah said they were to bring a fig-cake; and they plastered the boil, and he recovered. 22. And Hizkiyahu said, What sign is there that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?]

7. And let this be the sign to thee on the part of Jehovah, that Jehovah will perform the word which He has spoken: 8. Behold, I will make the shadow retrace the steps, which it has gone down upon the sun-dial of Ahaz through the sun, ten steps backward. And the sun went back ten steps upon the dial, which it had gone down.

9. Writing of Hizkiyahu king of Judah, when he was sick, and recovered from his sickness.

10, 11, 12:--
I said, in quiet of my days shall I depart into
the gates of Hades:
I am mulcted of the rest of my years.
I said, I shall not see Jah, Jah, in the land of
the living:
I shall behold man no more, with the inhabitants
of the regions of the dead.
My home is broken up, and is carried off from me
like a shepherd's tent:
I rolled up my life like a weaver: He would have
cut me loose from the roll:
From day to night Thou makest an end of me.

13, 14:--
I waited patiently till the morning; like the lion,
So will He break in pieces all my bones:
From day to night Thou makest it all over with me.
Like a swallow, a crane, so I chirped;
I cooed like the dove:
Mine eyes pined for the height.
O Lord, men assault me! Be bail for me.

15-17:--
What shall I say, That He promised me,
and He hath carried it out:
I should walk quietly all my years,
on the trouble of my soul?
Oh Lord, by such things men revive, and the life
of my spirit is always therein:
And so wilt Thou restore me, and make me
to live!
Behold, bitterness became salvation to me,
bitterness;
And Thou, Thou hast delivered my soul in
love out of the pit of corruption:
For Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back.

18-20:--
For Hades does not praise Thee; death does not sing
praises to Thee:
They that sink into the grave do not hope for
Thy truth.
The living, the living, he praises Thee,
as I do to-day;
The father to the children makes known Thy truth,
Jehovah is ready to give me salvation;
Therefore will we play my stringed instruments
all the days of my life
In the house of Jehovah.

_D.--Threatening of the Babylonish Captivity Occasioned by Hezekiah._--CHAP. XXXIX.

1. At that time Merodach Bal'adan, son of Bal'adan king of Babel, sent writings and a present to Hizkiyahu, and heard that he had been sick, and was restored again.

2. And Hizkiyahu rejoiced concerning them, and showed them all his storehouses: the silver, and the gold and the spices, and the fine oil, and all his arsenal, and all that was in his treasures: there was nothing that Hizkiyahu had now shown them in all his house or in all his kingdom.

3. Then came Isaiah the prophet to king Hizkiyahu, and said to him, What have these men said, and whence came they to thee? Hizkiyahu said, They came to me from a far country, out of Babel. 4. He said further, What have they seen in thy house? Hizkiyahu said, All that is in my house have they seen; there was nothing in my treasures that I had not shown them. 5. Then Isaiah said to Hizkiyahu, Hear the word of Jehovah of hosts; 6. Behold, days come, that all that is in thy house, and all that thy fathers have laid up unto this day, will be carried away to Babel: nothing will be left behind, saith Jehovah. 7. And of thy children that proceed from thee, whom thou shalt beget, will they take; and they will be courtiers in the palace of the king of Babel. 8. Then said Hizkiyahu to Isaiah, Good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken. And he said further, Yea, there shall be peace and steadfastness in my days.

SECOND HALF OF THE COLLECTION, CHAPS. XL.-LXVI.

_PART I._

FIRST PROPHECY.--CHAP. XL.

_Words of Comfort, and the God of Comfort._

1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2. Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her affliction is ended, that her debt is paid, that she has received from the hand of Jehovah double for all her sins.

3. Hark, a crier! In the wilderness prepare ye a way for Jehovah, make smooth in the desert a road for our God. 4. Let every valley be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low; and let the rugged by made a plain, and the ledges of rock a valley. 5. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh seeth together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

6. Hark, one speaking, Cry! And he answers, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its beauty as the flower of the field. 7. Grass is withered, flower faded, for the breath of Jehovah has blown upon it. Surely grass is the people; 8. grass withereth, flower fadeth: yet the word of our God shall stand for ever.

9. Upon a high mountain get thee up, O evangelistess Zion;[1] lift up thy voice with strength, evangelistess Jerusalem! lift up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God.

10. Behold, the Lord Jehovah as a mighty one will He come! His arm ruling for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His retribution before Him. 11. He will feed His flock like a shepherd, take the lambs in His arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are giving suck.

12. Who hath measured the waters with the hollow of His hand, and regulated the heavens with a span, and taken up the dust of the earth in a third measure, and weighed the mountains with a steelyard, and hills with balances? 13. Who regulated the Spirit of Jehovah, and (who) instructed Him as His counsellor? 14. With whom took He counsel, and who would have explained to Him and instructed Him concerning the path of right, and taught Him knowledge, and made known to Him a prudent course?

15. Behold, nations like a little drop on a bucket, and like a grain of sand in a balance, are they esteemed; behold, islands like an atom of dust that rises in the air. 16. And Lebanon is not a sufficiency of burning, nor its game a sufficiency of burnt-offerings. 17. All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are regarded by Him as belonging to nullity and emptiness. 18. And to whom can ye liken God, and what king of image can ye place beside Him!

19. The idol, when the smith has cast it, the melter plates it with gold, and melteth silver chains for it. 20. The man who is impoverished in oblations, he chooseth a block of wood that will not rot; he seeketh for himself a skilful smith, to prepare an idol that will not shake.

21. Do ye not know? Do ye not hear? Is it not proclaimed to you from the beginning? Have ye not obtained an insight into the foundations of the earth? 22. He who is enthroned above the vault of the earth, and its inhabitants resemble grasshoppers; who has spread out the heavens like gauze, and stretched them out like a tent-roof to dwell in; 23. He who giveth up rulers; maketh judges of the earth like a desolation. 24. They are hardly planted, hardly sown, their stem has hardly taken root in the earth, and He only blows upon them, and they dry up, and the storm carries them away like stubble.

25. And to whom will ye compare Me, to whom can I be equal? saith the Holy One.

26. Lift[2] up your eyes on high and see; who hath created these things? It is He who bringeth out their host by number, calleth them all by names, because of the greatness of (His) might, and as being strong in power: there is not one that is missing.

27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hidden from Jehovah, and my right hand is overlooked by my God? 28. Is it not known to thee, or hast thou not heard, an eternal God is Jehovah, Creator of the ends of the earth? He fainteth not, neither becomes weary; His understanding is unsearchable. 29. Giving power to the faint, and to the incapable He giveth strength in abundance. 30. And youths grow faint and weary, and young men suffer a fall. 31. But they who wait for Jehovah gain fresh strength; lift up their wings like eagles; run, and are not weary; go forward, and do not faint.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] 9. O thou that bringest good tidings to Zion, get thee up
into the high mountain! lift up thy voice with strength, O
thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem! lift it up,
&c.--_Birks and Kay._

[2] Lift up your eyes into the heavens, and behold! who hath
created these things? He bringeth out their host by number,
He calleth them all by names; by the greatness of His
might, for that He is strong in power, not one
faileth.--_Matthew Arnold._

SECOND PROPHECY.--CHAP. XLI.

_The God of the World's History, and of Prophecy._

1. Be silent to Me, ye islands; and let the nations procure fresh strength: let them come near, then speak; we will enter into contest together.

2. Who hath raised up the man from the rising of the sun, whom justice meets at His foot, He giveth up nations before Him, and kings He subdues, giveth men like dust to His sword, and like driven stubble to His bow? 3. He pursueth them, and marcheth in peace by a course which He never trod with His foot. 4. Who hath wrought and executed it? He who calleth the generations of men from the beginning, I Jehovah am first, and with the last one am I HE. 5. Islands have seen it and shuddered; the ends of the earth trembled; they have approached, and drawn near. 6. One helped his companion, and he said to his brother, Only firm! 7. The caster puts firmness into the melter, the hammer-smoother into the anvil-smelter, saying of the soldering, It is good; and made him firm with nails, that he should not shake.

8. And[1] thou, Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, seed of Abraham My friend;[2] 9. thou whom I have laid hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said to Thee, Thou art My servant, I have chosen and not despised thee, 10. fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not afraid, for I am thy God: I have chosen thee, I also help thee, I also hold thee with the right hand of My righteousness. 11. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee must be ashamed and confounded; the men of thy conflict become as nothing, and perish. 12. Thou wilt seek them, and not find them, the men of thy feuds; the men of thy warfare become as nothing, and nonentity. 13. For I, Jehovah thy God, lay hold of thy right hand, He who saith to thee, Fear not, I will help thee.

14. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and handful[3] Israel: I will help thee, saith Jehovah; and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 15. Behold, I have made thee a threshing roller, a sharp new one, with double edges; thou wilt thresh mountains, and pound them; and hills thou wilt make chaff. 16. Thou wilt winnow them, and wind carries them away, and tempest scatters them; and thou wilt rejoice in Jehovah, and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17. The poor and needy, who seek for water and there is none, their tongue faints for thirst. I Jehovah will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 18. I open streams upon hills of the field, and springs in the midst of valleys; I make the desert into a pond, and dry land into fountains of water. 19. I give in the desert cedars, acacias, and myrtles, and oleasters; I set on the steppe cypresses, plane-trees, sherbin-trees together, 20. that they may see, and know, and lay to heart, and understand all together, that the hand of Jehovah hath accomplished it, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

21. Bring hither your cause, saith Jehovah; bring forward your proofs, saith the King of Jacob. 22. Let them bring forward, and make known to us what will happen; make known the beginning, what it is, and we will fix our heart upon it, and take knowledge of its issue; or let us hear what is to come. 23. Make known to us what is coming later, and we will acknowledge that ye are gods! yea, do good, and do evil, and we will measure ourselves, and see together.

25. I have raised up from the north, and he came: from the rising of the sun one who invokes my name; and he treads upon satraps as mud, and like a potter kneadeth clay.

26. Who hath made it known from the beginning, we will acknowledge it, and from former time, we will say He is in the right! Yea, there was none that made known; yea, none that caused to hear; yea, none that heard your words. 27. As at the first I said to Zion,[4] Behold, behold, there it is; and I bestow evangelists upon Jerusalem. 28. And I looked, and there was no man; and of these there was no one answering whom I could ask, and who would give me an answer. 29. See them all, vanity; nothingness are their productions, wind and desolation their molten images.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] But, &c.--_Birks._

[2] Abraham that loved me.--_Kay._

[3] And ye mortals of Israel.--_Birks._

[4] Or, beforehand is it said unto Zion, Behold, behold
them!--_Kay._

THIRD PROPHECY.--CHAPS. XLII. 1-XLIII. 18.

_The Mediator of Israel and Saviour of the Gentiles._

1. Behold My servant, who I uphold; Mine elect, whom My soul loveth; I have laid My Spirit upon Him; He will bring out right to the Gentiles. 2. He will not cry, nor lift up, nor cause to be heard in the street, His voice. 3. A bruised reed He does not break, and a glimmering wick He does not put out: according to truth He brings out right.[1] 4. He will not become faint or broken till He establish right upon earth, and the islands wait for His instruction.

5. Thus saith God, Jehovah, Who created the heavens and stretched them out; Who spread the earth, and its productions; Who gave the spirit of life to the people upon it, and the breath of life to them that walk upon it: 6. I, Jehovah, I have called Thee in righteousness, and grasped Thy hand; and I keep Thee, and make Thee the covenant of the people, the light of the Gentiles, 7. to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners out of the prison, them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.

8. I am Jehovah, that is My name, and My glory I will not give to another, nor My renown to idols. 9. The first, behold, is come to pass, and new things am I proclaiming; before it springs up, I will let you hear it.

10. Sing ye to Jehovah a new song, His praise from the end of the earth, ye navigators of the sea, and its fulness; ye islands and their inhabitants. 11. Let the desert and the cities thereof strike up, the villages the Kedar doth inhabit; the inhabitants of the rock-city may rejoice, about from the summits of the mountains. 12. Let them give glory to Jehovah, and proclaim His praise in the islands. 13. Jehovah, like a hero will He go forth, kindle jealousy like a man of war; He will break forth into a war-cry, a yelling war-cry, prove Himself a hero upon His enemies.

14. I have been silent eternally long, over still, restrained myself; like[2] a travailing woman, I now breathe again, snort and snuff together. 15. I will make waste mountains and hills, and all their herbage I dry up, and change streams into islands, and lakes I dry up. 16. And I lead the blind by a way that they know not; by steps that they know not, I make them walk; I turn dark space before them into light, and rugged places into a plain. These are the things that I carry out, and do not leave.

17. They fall back, are put deeply to shame, that trust in molten images, that say to the molten image, Thou art our god.

18. Ye deaf, hear; and ye blind, look up that ye may see.

19. Who is blind but My servant? and deaf, as My messenger who I send? who blind as the confident of God, and blind as the servant of Jehovah? 20. Thou hast seen much, and yet keepest not; opening the ears, he yet doth not hear. 21. Jehovah was pleased for His righteousness' sake: He gave a Church [direction, instruction, revelation] great and glorious. 22. And yet it is a people robbed and plundered; fastened in holes all of them, and they are hidden in prison-houses: they have become booty, without deliverers; a spoil, without any one saying, Give it up again!

23. Who among you will give ear to this, attend, and hear afar off? 24. Who has given up Jacob to plundering, and Israel to the spoilers? Is it not Jehovah, against whom we have sinned? and they would not walk in His way, and hearkened not to His law. 25. Then He poured upon it in burning heat His wrath, and the strength of the fury of war: and this set it in flames round about, and it did not come to be recognised; it set on fire, and it did not lay it to heart.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] He shall cause judgment to go forth unto
truth.--_Kay._

[2] Now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will desolate and
swallow up at once.--_Kay._

XLIII.--1. But now thus saith Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel! Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine. 2. When thou goest through the water, I am with thee; and through rivers, they shall not drown thee: when thou goest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; and the flame shall not set thee on fire. 3. For I Jehovah am thy God; (I) the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I give up Egypt as a ransom for thee, Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead. 4. Because thou art dear in my eyes, highly esteemed, and I loved thee; I give up men in thy stead, and peoples for thy life.

5. Fear not, for I am with thee: I bring thy seed from the east, and from the west will I gather thee; 6. I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth; 7. everything that is called by My name, and I have created for My glory, that I have formed, yea finished!

8. Bring out a blind people, and it has eyes: and deaf people, and yet furnished with ears! 9. All ye hearken, gather yourselves together, and let peoples assemble! Who among you can proclaim such a thing? And let them cause former things to be heard, appoint their witnesses, and be justified. Let these hear, and say, True! 10. Ye are My witnesses, saith Jehovah, and My servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me, and see that it is I: before Me was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.

11. I, I am Jehovah; and beside me there is no Saviour. 12. I,[1] I have proclaimed and brought salvation, and given to perceive, and there was no other God among you: and ye are My witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God. 13. Even from the day onwards I am so; and here is no deliverer out of My hand; I act, and who can turn it back?

FOURTH PROPHECY.--CHAP. XLIII. 14.-XLIV. 5.

_Avenging and Deliverance; and Outpouring of the Spirit._

14. Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, For your sake I have sent to Babel, and will hurl them all down as fugitives, and the Chaldeans into the ships of their rejoicing. 15. I, Jehovah, am your Holy One; (I), Israel's Creator, your King.

16. Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth a road through the sea, and a path through tumultuous waters; 17. who bringeth out chariot and horse, army[2] and hero; they lie down together, they never rise: they have flickered away, extinguished like a wick. 18. Remember not things of olden time, nor meditate upon those of earlier times! 19. Behold, I work out a new thing; will ye not live to see it? Yea, I make a road through the desert, and streams through solitudies. 20. The beast of the field will praise Me, wild dogs and ostriches; for I give water in the desert, streams in solitude, to give drink to My people, My chosen. 21. The people that I formed for Myself, they shall show forth My praise.

22.[3] And thou hast not called upon Me, O Jacob, that thou shouldest have wearied thyself for Me, O Israel! 23. Thou hast not brought Me sheep of My burnt-offerings, and thou hast not honoured Me with thy slain-offerings. I have not burdened thee with meat-offerings, and have not troubled thee about incense. 24. Thou hast brought Me no spice-cane for silver, nor hast thou refreshed Me with the fat of thy slain-offerings. No; thou hast wearied Me with thy sins, troubled Me with thine iniquities. 25. I, I alone, blot out thy transgressions for My own sake, and do not remember thy sins.

26. Call to My remembrance; we will strive together; tell Me now, that thou mayest appear just. 27. Thy first forefather sinned, and thy mediators have fallen away from Me. 28. Then I profaned holy princes, and gave up Jacob to the curse, and Israel to blasphemies.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] I myself declared (beforehand), and saved (in accordance
with that declaration), and published (the account of that
deliverance); I myself have done this, and there was no
strange (god) among you.--_Kay._

I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, and it
was no strange god that was among you.--_Matthew Arnold._

[2] The valiant and the strong.--_Kay._

[3] 22-24. Yet on Me hast thou not called: but thou hast toiled
in respect of Me. Thou broughtest not for _Me_ the lamb of
thy burnt-offerings; with thy sacrifices thou didst not
glorify Me; I caused thee no labour in meat-offering,
neither made thee to toil in respect of incense. Thou
broughtest not sweet cane with money for _Me;_ and with the
fat of thy sacrifices thou didst not refresh _Me._ Verily,
thou hast caused Me to labour by thy sins; thou hast made
Me to toil by thine iniquities.--_Kay._

XLIV.--1. And now hear, O Jacob, My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. 2. Thus saith Jehovah, thy Creator, and thy Former from the womb, who cometh to thy help: Fear not, My servant Jacob, and Jeshurun, whom I have chosen! 3. For I will pour water on thirsty ones, and brooks upon the dry ground; will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine after-growth; 4. and they shoot up among the grass, as willows by flowing waters. 5. One will say, I belong to Jehovah; and a second will solemnly name the name of Jacob; and a third[1] will inscribe himself to Jehovah, and name the name of Israel with honour.

FIFTH PROPHECY.--CHAP. XLIV. 6-23.

_The ridiculous Gods of the Nations; and the God of Israel, Who Makes His People to Rejoice._

6. Thus saith Jehovah the King of Israel, and its Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts; I am first, and I last; and beside Me there is no God. 7.[2] And who preaches as I do? Let him make it known, and show it to Me; since I founded the people of ancient time! And future things, and what is approaching, let them only make known. 8. Despair ye not, neither tremble: have I not told thee long ago, and made it known, and ye are My witnesses: is there a God beside Me? And nowhere a Rock; I know of none.

9. The makers of idols, they are all desolation, and their bosom children worthless; and those who bear witness for them see nothing and know nothing, that they may be put to shame. 10. Who hath formed the god, and cast the idol to no profit? 11. Behold, all its followers will be put to shame; and the workmen are men; let them all assemble together, draw near, be alarmed, be all put to shame together.

12. The iron-smith[3] has a chisel, and works with red-hot coals, and shapes it with hammers, and works it with his powerful arm. He gets hungry thereby, and his strength fails; if he drink no water he becomes exhausted. 13. The carpenter draws the line, marks it with the pencil, carries it out with planes, and makes a drawing of it with the compass, and carries it out like the figure of a man, like the beauty of a man, which may dwell in the house.

14. One[4] prepares to cut down cedars, and takes holm and oak-tree, and chooses for himself among the trees of the forest. He planteth a fig, and the rain draws it up. 15. And it serves the man for firing; he takes thereof, and warms himself; he also heats, and bakes bread; he also works it into a god, and prostrates himself; makes an idol of it, and falls down before it. 16. The half of it he has burned in the fire! over the half of it he eats flesh, roasts a roast, and is satisfied; he also warms himself, and says, Hurrah! I am getting warm, I feel the heat. 17. And the rest of it he makes into a god, into his idol, and says, Save me, for thou art my god!

18. They perceive not, and do not understand: for their eyes are smeared over, so that they do not see; their hearts that they do not understand. 19. And men take it not to heart, no perception and no understanding, that men should say, The half of it I have burned in the fire, and also baked bread upon the coals thereof; roasted flesh, and eaten: and ought I to make the rest of it into an abomination, to fall down before the produce of a tree? 20. He who striveth after ashes, a befooled heart has led him astray, and he does not deliver his soul, and does not think, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

21. Remember this, Jacob and Israel; for thou art My servant: I have formed thee, thou art servant to Me, O Israel: thou art not forgotten by Me. 22.[5] I have blotted out thy transgressions as a mist, and thy sins as clouds: return to Me; for I have redeemed thee.

23. Exult, O heavens; for Jehovah hath accomplished it: shout, ye depths of the earth; break out, ye mountains, into exulting; thou forest, and all the wood therein: for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and He showeth Himself glorious unto Israel.

SIXTH PROPHECY.--CHAPS. XLIV. 24-XLV.

_Cyrus, the Anointed of Jehovah, and Deliverer of Israel._

24. Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I Jehovah am He that accomplisheth all; who stretched out the heavens alone, spread out the earth by Himself; 25. who bringeth to nought the signs of the prophets of lies, and exposeth the soothsayers as raging mad; who turneth back the wise men, and maketh their science folly; 26. who realiseth the word of His servant, and accomplisheth the prediction of His messengers; who saith to Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited, and their ruins I raise up again! 27. who saith to the whirlpool, Dry up; and I dry its streams; 28. who saith to Koresh, My shepherd, and he will perform all my will; and will say to Jerusalem, She shall be built, and the temple founded!

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Shall write with his hand THE LORD'S.--_Kay._

[2] 7. And who, as I, can ordain, and announce
it, and set it in order for me, ever since I appointed
the ancient people? and coming things,
and those which shall come, can they show
unto them?--_Kay._

And who, as I, hath foretold (let him declare it, and set
it in order for me!) since I appointed the ancient people?
and the things that are coming, and that shall come, let
them show!--_Matthew Arnold._

[3] The iron-smith (maketh) an adze, and worketh it in the
coal.--_Kay._

[4] 14. He must cut down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the
oak, and he encourageth himself in the trees of the
forest.--_Kay._

[5] 22. I have swept away as a cloud thy transgressions, and as
a dark cloud thy sins.--_Kay._

I blot out, as a dark cloud, thy transgressions, and, as
the clouds, thy sins.--_Revised English Bible._

XLV.--1. Thus saith Jehovah to His anointed, to Koresh, whom I have taken by his right hand to subdue nations before him, and the loins of kings I ungird, to open before him doors and gates, that they may not continue shut. 2. I shall go before thee, and level what is heaped up: gates of brass shall I break to pieces, and bolts of iron shall I smite to the ground. 3. And I shall give thee treasures of darkness, and jewels of hidden places, that thou mayest know that I Jehovah am He who called out thy name, (even) the God of Israel.

4. For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My chosen, I called thee hither by name, surnamed thee when thou knewest Me not. 5. I Jehovah, and there is none else, beside Me no God: I equipped thee when thou knewest Me not; 6. that they may know from the rising of the sun, and its going down, that there is none without Me; I Jehovah, and there is none else; 7. Former of the light, and Creator of the darkness; Founder of peace, and Creator of evil: I Jehovah am He Who worketh all this.

8. Cause to trickle down, ye heavens above, and let the blue sky rain down righteousness; let the earth open, and let salvation blossom, and righteousness; let them sprout together, I Jehovah have created it.

9. Woe to him that quarreleth with his Maker--a pot among the pots of earthenware! Can the clay indeed say to him that shapeth it, What makest thou? and thy work, He hath no hands? 10. Woe to him that saith to his father, What begettest thou? and to the woman, What bringest thou forth?

11. Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker, Ask Me what is to come; let My sons and the work of My hands be committed to Me! 12. I, I have made the earth, and created men upon it; I, My hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I called forth. 13. I, I have raised him up in righteousness, and all his ways shall I make smooth: he will build My city, and release My banished ones, not for price nor for reward, saith Jehovah of hosts.

14. Thus saith Jehovah, The productions of Egypt, and gain of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of tall stature, will come over to thee, and belong to thee; they will come after thee; in chains they will come over, and cast themselves down to thee; they pray to thee, Surely God is in thee, and there is none else; no Deity at all.

15. Verily Thou art a mysterious God, Thou God of Israel, Thou Saviour.

16. They are put to shame, and also confounded, all of them; they go away into confusion together, the forgers of idols. 17. Israel is redeemed by Jehovah with everlasting redemption; ye are not put to shame nor confounded to everlasting eternities.

18. For thus saith Jehovah, the Creator of the heavens (He is the Deity), the Former of the earth, and its Finisher; He has established it, He has not created it a desert, He has formed it to be inhabited; I am Jehovah, and there is none else. 19. I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, Into the desert seek ye me! I Jehovah am speaking righteousness, proclaiming upright things.

20. Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye escaped of the heathen! Irrational are they who burden themselves with the wood of their idol, and pray to a god that bringeth no salvation. 21. Make known, and cause to draw near; yes, let them take counsel together: Who has made such things known from the olden time, proclaimed it long ago? have not I, Jehovah? and there is no Deity beside Me; God just, and bringing salvation; there is none without Me!

22. Turn unto Me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth; for I am God, and none else. 23. By Myself have I sworn, a word has gone out of My mouth of righteousness, and will not return, That to Me every knee shall bend, every tongue swear. 24.[1] Only in Jehovah, do men say of Me, in fulness of Righteousness and strength; they come to Him, and all that were incensed against Him are put to shame. 25. In Jehovah all the seed of Israel shall become righteous, and shall glory.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] 24. Only in the Lord (saith one unto Me) is righteousness and
strength; even to Him shall one come; and all that were incensed
against Him shall be ashamed.--_Kay._

SEVENTH PROPHECY.--CHAP. XLVI.

_Fall of the Gods of Babel._

1. Bel sinketh down. Nebo stoopeth; the images come to the beast of burden and draught cattle: your[1] litters are laden, a burden for the panting. 2. They stooped, sank down all at once, and could not get rid of the burden; and their own self went into captivity.

3. Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel: ye, lifted up from the womb; ye, carried from the mother's lap. 4. And till old age it is I, and to grey heir I shall bear you on My shoulder; I have done it, and I shall carry; and I put upon My shoulder, and deliver. 5. To whom can ye compare Me, and liken, and place side by side, that we should be equal?