Transcriber's note. 

 Text enclosed by underscores was italicized in the original book (_italics_), and text enclosed by forward slashes was in bold face (/bold face/). 

 A minor printing error was corrected (Gen. Xliv 29). 

The Modern Reader's Bible

A Series of Works from the Sacred Scriptures Presentedin Modern Literary Form

SELECT MASTERPIECES OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE

Edited, with an Introduction and Notes by

RICHARD G. MOULTON, M. A. (CAMB. ), Ph. D. (PENN. )

Professor of Literature in English in the University of Chicago

New YorkThe MacMillan CompanyLondon: MacMillan & Co. , Ltd. 1902

Copyright, 1897, By THe MacMillan Company. 

Set up and electrotyped September, 1897. Reprinted December, 1897;August, 1898; February, 1899; August, 1900; July, 1901; April, 1902. 

Norwood PressJ. S. Cushing & Co. --Berwick & SmithNorwood Mass. U. S. A. 

INTRODUCTION

That which we call 'The Bible' has the outward appearance of a book: inreality it is--what the word 'bible' implies in the original Greek--awhole library. More than fifty books, the production of a large numberof different authors, representing periods of time extending over manycenturies, are all comprehended between the covers of a single volume. There is no greater monument of the power of printing to diffuse thoughtthan this fact, that the whole classic literature of one of the world'sgreatest peoples can be carried about in the hand or the pocket. 

But there is another side to the matter. A high price has been paid forthis feat of manufacturing a portable literature: no less a price thanthe effacement from the books of the Bible of their whole literarystructure. Where the literature is dramatic, there are (except in onebook) no names of speakers nor divisions of speeches; there are notitles to essays or poems, nor anything to mark where one poem ordiscourse ends and another begins; not only is there nothing to reflectfiner rhythmic distinctions in poetry, but (in King James's version)there is not even a distinction made between poetry and prose. It is asif the whole were printed 'solid, ' like a newspaper without thenewspaper headings. The most familiar English literature treated in thisfashion would lose a great part of its literary interest; the writingsof the Hebrews suffer still more through our unfamiliarity with many ofthe literary forms in which they are cast. Even this statement does notfully represent the injury done to the literature of the Bible by thetraditional shape in which it is presented to us. Between the Biblicalwriters and our own times have intervened ages in which all interest inliterary beauty was lost, and philosophic activity took the form ofprotracted discussions of brief sayings or 'texts. ' Accordingly thissolidified matter of Hebrew literature has been divided up into singlesentences or 'verses, ' numbered mechanically one, two, three, etc. , andthus the original literary form has still further been obscured. It isnot surprising that to most readers the Bible has become, not aliterature, but simply a storehouse of pious 'texts. '

If the sacred Scriptures then are to be appreciated as literature, it isnecessary to restore their literary form and structure. To do this, withall the assistance that the modern printed page gives to the reader, isthe aim of the 'Modern Reader's Bible. ' The present volume is intendedas an introduction to the series, and, it is hoped, to the literarystudy of the Bible in general, by Select Masterpieces, illustrating thedifferent types of literature represented in Scripture. 

It is natural to enquire, What are the leading literary forms underwhich the sacred writings may be classified?

A large proportion of the Bible is History: the History of the People ofIsrael as presented by themselves. How Israel is chosen from all thenations to be the special people of Jehovah; how the invisible Jehovahis at first their only ruler; how gradually the spirit of assimilationto surrounding nations leads to a demand for visible kings. Just as thistendency to secular kingship becomes strong, there comes into prominencean order of 'prophets': the word signifies 'interpreters, ' and theprophets are accepted as the interpreters of Jehovah's will to Israel. Under such rule as that of David, the man after God's own heart, thework of the prophets may fall into the background; but where, as usuallyhappened, the secular government tends to ungodliness, the order ofprophets stands forth as an organised opposition. On lines like thesethe historic narrative of the Bible pursues its course; and with thethread of narrative are interwoven legal and statistical documents whichgive it support. The History Series of the Modern Reader's Biblepresents the sacred narrative divided according to its logicaldivisions. Genesis is occupied with the formation of the chosen nation, from the first beginnings of things to the development of thedescendants of Abraham as a patriarchal family. The Exodus narrates themigration of the fully formed nation to the land of promise; this is theperiod of constitutional development, and in this part of the historywe find massed together the whole of the constitutional lore of Israel. The group of books constituting The Judges volume represents a period oftransition: the 'judges' of Israel correspond to the 'heroes' of otherpeoples, and amid a succession of these judges the incidents of Israel'shistory reveal the efforts of the people of Jehovah towards a seculargovernment. The Kings takes up the history of the nation from theestablishment of the dynasty of David, and covers the struggle betweenthe prophetic and the secular parties until the time of the fall andcaptivity. Upon the return of the remnant from Babylon all opposition tothe theocracy has ceased; to the prophets have succeeded the 'scribes, 'or interpreters of the written law, and The Chronicles is theecclesiastical history, not of a Hebrew nation, but of a Jewish church. 

From History we must, in literary analysis, distinguish Story: the oneis founded on the sense of record and scientific explanation of events, the other appeals to the imagination and the emotions. The Storyliterature of most peoples is 'fiction, ' in the sense that its matter isinvented solely for literary purposes. The stories of the Bible are partof the sacred history, differing only in the mode in which the matter ispresented; and a long series of these stories is scattered through thehistorical books, with nothing to distinguish them, in the ordinaryversions, from the historic context. In the volumes of this series thedistinction is made by titles; the reader can thus, without difficulty, bring to each of these varieties of literature the kind of attention itrequires; it is further possible, and highly desirable, for him to makea separate study of Scriptural Story. History it is not easy toillustrate by selections; but the stories of the sacred books arerepresented in the present volume by typical specimens. 

One book that has a place in the historic sequence of the Bibleintroduces us in reality to a different class of literature--Oratory. Deuteronomy is made up of the Orations (and Songs) of Moses, constituting his Farewell to the People of Israel. It is oratory in thefullest sense of the term, representing the words as they may besupposed to come direct from the speaker. For the most part however thesacred literature of oratory is of a different kind; not exact reportsof spoken words, but the substance, it may be, of several similarspeeches worked up afresh into a form of written discourse. In thiswider sense, the oratorical literature of the Bible is of considerableextent; it includes the prophetic discourses, and reflects the fervidcontests over first principles of righteousness which constituted themain life of Israel. The principal varieties of Biblical oratory areillustrated in this volume. 

Philosophy has an important place in Scripture. The word however is notthere used to describe a division of literature, but the sacredphilosophy is called 'wisdom, '--a term suggestive of its closeapplication to matters of human life and duty. This Wisdom literaturestarted from the 'proverbs'--simple thoughts conveyed in a couplet ortriplet of verse, which were collected together by King Solomon andother of the wise men of Israel. From these proverbs the form of wisdomenlarged to verse epigrams and sonnets, or prose maxims and essays, until we find books of wisdom comprehending complete systems of thought. To catch the development of this Wisdom literature, it is necessary totake in two books of 'The Apocrypha'; a portion of sacred Scripturewhich in the last century used to be bound up with Bibles, standing inits historical position between the Old and New Testaments, though nowit is usually separated. In theology, which is concerned with questionsof authority, the distinction between the Bible and the Apocrypha isfundamental: the one is accepted as authoritative in matters of faith, whereas the Apocryphal books are merely recommended for devout reading. But in literary study the distinction disappears; and two books of theApocrypha are of the highest literary importance, --Ecclesiasticus andThe Wisdom of Solomon. The Wisdom series of the Modern Reader's Biblearranges the representative books of Biblical philosophy in the order ofits logical development. The Proverbs is a Miscellany of Sayings andPoems, embodying isolated observations of life. Ecclesiasticus is aMiscellany including longer compositions, but still embodying onlyisolated observations of life. In Ecclesiastes we find a connectedseries of writings, in which attempt is made to solve the mystery of theuniverse: but the attempt breaks down in despair. The Wisdom of Solomonrenews the attempt in the light of an immortal life beyond the grave, and despair yields to serenity of spirit. The four books thus reflect aphilosophical advance. In The Book of Job--one of the world's literarymarvels--men's varying attitudes towards the mystery of life arerepresented in various speakers, and drawn together into a unity by themovement of a dramatic plot. Such is the wisdom of the sacred Scripturesviewed as a whole; in the present volume it is only possible toillustrate the different forms, whether of poetry or of prose, in whichBiblical philosophy is conveyed. 

Biblical Lyrics may be mentioned next. Originally, all poetry was spokenwith musical accompaniment; when this primitive literature began todivide up into specialised forms, Lyric was the literary form whichretained most of the spirit of music. It includes Songs and Odes, inwhich the very structure of the poem is determined by the mode of itsperformance; Psalms and Lamentations; the Traditional Poetry scatteredthrough the historical books; again, considerable portions of propheticliterature are found to take a lyric form. Even in the ordinary versionsthe Psalms and Lamentations retain something of their poetic structure;the less obvious features of lyric rhythm will be illustrated in theselections admitted into this volume. 

Of the fundamental divisions of literature there yet remains one--theDrama. The relation of this to the Bible is interesting. It isimpossible to read the scriptures of the Old Testament without feelingthat the genius of the Hebrew people is strongly dramatic. Yet thenatural instrument for the expression of dramatic creations--thetheatre--is not a Hebrew institution. Accordingly the dramatic instinct, denied its readiest outlet, is found to leaven all other literary forms. We have already noticed dramatic wisdom in Job. Dramatic lyrics arefound, not only in some of the psalms, but on a larger scale in the lovesongs of Solomon. [1] But there is a more important type of dramaticliterature in the sacred Scriptures. The prophets of Israel were notonly statesmen and preachers, they were also poets, and from them hascome down to us a form of spiritual drama to which may be given the name'Rhapsody. '

[Footnote 1: This Lyric Idyl of 'Solomon's Song, ' together with somenarrated stories of the same idyllic spirit, are united in a singlevolume of this series under the name of Biblical Idyls. ]

These spiritual dramas of the prophets are occupied with thatfundamental topic of Hebrew thought which is expressed by the word'judgment': the eternal contest between good and evil, and the Divineoverthrow of wrong. They are dramas which no actual theatre could everexpress, for their action covers all space and all time. Theirpersonages include not only the prophet and the nation of Israel, butalso God himself and the celestial hosts. The working of events towardsthe judgment is brought out before us with the general impression ofdramatic movement; but the means by which this movement is realised gobeyond the machinery of drama: not only dialogue and monologue, but songand even discourse are made to bear their part in the total effect. Thegrand example of rhapsody which covers the latter part of our Book ofIsaiah can be represented in the present volume only by its prelude andone of its seven acts or 'visions. ' But some of the shorter, and hardlyless splendid, rhapsodies are given in full; and the selections furtherillustrate how a prophecy may set out as a simple discourse, andsuddenly rise to the level of rhapsodic presentation. 

I believe few people realise what an immense addition has been made tothe literary patrimony of the English reader by the Revised Version ofthe Bible, and such other presentations of the sacred Scriptures as thisRevised Version has made possible. The language of Biblical writers, andthe sentences of which their writings are made up, have long beenfamiliar through the earlier versions; the Revisers, by the attentionthey have given to connectedness of thought, have carried forwardtranslated language into translated literature. It is thus open to aperson of average culture to add to his other mental possessions thewhole expression of itself which a great people has made in poetry andprose throughout all the periods of its development. With the exceptionof humorous writing, which is foreign to the genius of the ancientHebrews, the whole range of literary production is here illustrated; andvarieties of literary form are presented to which classic Greek ormodern European writers furnish no parallel. It is a literaturenumbering among its authors some who--by critics entirely outside theranks of theologians--have been classed with the greatest names in theworld's roll of honour. More than this, the English reader who givesattention to the literary side of the Bible is studying what is to himancestral literature. The Hebrew writers of the Old Testament, and theirfollowers the Christian Hebrews of the New Testament, have been theinspiration of those who have inspired our own writers: their style haslargely leavened the style of modern English, their thought has becomeso closely interwoven with English thought of the last three centuriesthat it is impossible to sever the two. And, if the question be of whatis higher than literary impressions, no reader need fear that the moresacred uses of the Bible will be imperilled by his reading, not with thespirit only, but with the understanding also. 

 * * *

In this, as in the other volumes of this series, the text of theSelections is that of the Revised Version, the marginal alternativesbeing often substituted for the readings in the text. For the use ofthis Revised Version I express my obligation to the University Pressesof Oxford and Cambridge. A Reference Table at the end connects theSelections with the volumes of the Modern Reader's Bible from which theyare taken, and with the chapters and verses of the ordinary versions. 

CONTENTS

STORIES

 I Joseph and his Brethren 5 II The Witness of Balaam to Israel 32 III The Crowning of Abimelech 43 IV Samson's Wedding Feast 49 V The Expedition against Elisha 53 VI The Dream of the Tree cut down 55 VII Belshazzar's Feast 60

ORATORY

 I The Oration of Moses at the Rehearsal of the Blessing and the Curse 67 II A Discourse on Immortality and the Covenant with Death 75 III Isaiah: The Great Arraignment 84 IV Isaiah: The Covenant with Death 87 V Isaiah: The Utter Destruction and the Great Restoration 90 VI Ezekiel: The Sword of the LORD 93 VII Ezekiel: Wreck of the Goodly Ship Tyre 98VIII Prophetic Sentences (from Jeremiah) 101

WISDOM

 Wisdom Brevities 107 Essays i Wisdom's Way with her Children 112 ii Prosperity and Adversity are from the Lord 113 iii Against Gossip 114 iv On the Tongue 115 v Choice of Company 116 vi The Wisdom of Business and the Wisdom of Leisure 120 vii Life as a Joy shadowed by the Judgment (with a Sonnet: The Coming of the Evil Days) 123 Sonnets i The Sluggard 125 ii The Mourning for the Fool 126 iii The Two Paths 126 iv The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize 127 v Watchfulness of Lips and Heart 129 vi Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord 130 vii Wisdom and the Strange Woman 132

LYRICS

 I An Elegy of a Broken Heart 141 II The Creator's Joy in his Creation 143 III Song of Moses and Miriam 149 IV Deborah's Song 152 V David's Lament 158 VI David's Song of Victory 160 VII The Bride's Reminiscences: a Lyric Idyl 165VIII Jeremiah: The Battle of Carchemish 168 IX A Song of Zion Redeemed (from the Isaiahan Rhapsody) 170 X Isaiah: Doom of Babylon 175 XI Nahum: Doom of Nineveh 182

RHAPSODY

 I Jeremiah: Rhapsody of the Drought 193 II Habakkuk: Rhapsody of the Chaldeans 200 III Joel: Rhapsody of the Locust Plague 209 IV Jeremiah: The Hurt of the Daughter of my People (A Rhapsodic Discourse) 222 V Micah: The LORD'S Controversy before the Mountains (A Dramatic Morceau) 226 VI Prelude to the Rhapsody of Zion Redeemed 228 VII Zion Awakened (Vision III of the Rhapsody of Zion Redeemed) 231

MASTERPIECES

OF

BIBLICAL LITERATURE

STORIES

I

JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN

And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land ofCanaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeenyears old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a ladwith the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father'swives: and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto their father. NowIsrael loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the sonof his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And his brethrensaw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and theyhated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed adream, and he told it to his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I havedreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, mysheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves cameround about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said tohim, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominionover us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for hiswords. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream; and, behold, the sun andthe moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to hisfather, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said untohim, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy motherand thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind. 

And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. AndIsrael said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. Andhe said to him, Go now, see whether it be well with thy brethren, andwell with the flock; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of thevale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in a field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I praythee, where they are feeding the flock. And the man said, They aredeparted hence: for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Josephwent after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And they saw him afaroff, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him toslay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of thepits, and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him: and we shallsee what will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and deliveredhim out of their hand; and said, Let us not take his life. And Reubensaid unto them, Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in thewilderness, but lay no hand upon him: that he might deliver him out oftheir hand, to restore him to his father. And it came to pass, whenJoseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colours that was on him; and they took him, and casthim into the pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. Andthey sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a travelling company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, withtheir camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it downto Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slayour brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to theIshmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened unto him. And there passed byMidianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of thepit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. Andthey brought Joseph into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And hereturned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whithershall I go? And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, anddipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: knownow whether it be thy son's coat or not. And he knew it, and said, It ismy son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubttorn in pieces. And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon hisloins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all hisdaughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and hesaid, For I will go down to the grave to my son mourning. And his fatherwept for him. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, anofficer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard. 

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer ofPharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the handof the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD waswith Joseph and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of hismaster the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, andthat the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Josephfound grace in his sight, and he ministered unto him: and he made himoverseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. Andit came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house forJoseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph'shand; and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which hedid eat. 

And Joseph was comely and well favoured. And it came to pass after thesethings, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, mymaster knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he hath put allthat he hath into my hand; there is none greater in this house than I;neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou arthis wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that hehearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came topass about this time, that he went into the house to do his work; andthere was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught himby his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in herhand, and fled, and got him out. And it came to pass, when she saw thathe had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, that she calledunto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hathbrought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie withme, and I cried with a loud voice: and it came to pass, when he heardthat I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, andfled, and got him out. And she laid up his garment by her, until hismaster came home. And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came inunto me to mock me: and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice andcried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out. And it came topass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake untohim, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath waskindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, theplace where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in theprison. But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed kindness unto him, andgave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeperof the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were inthe prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. Thekeeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand, because the LORD was with him; and that which he did, the LORD made itto prosper. 

And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king ofEgypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaohwas wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in thehouse of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place whereJoseph was bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them: and they continued a season in ward. Andthey dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler andthe baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. AndJoseph came in unto them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, theywere sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in ward inhis master's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly today? And theysaid unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that caninterpret it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belongto God? tell it me, I pray you. And the chief butler told his dream toJoseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; andin the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and itsblossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressedthem into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. AndJoseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: the threebranches are three days; within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift upthine head, and restore thee unto thine office: and thou shalt givePharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast hisbutler. But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me untoPharaoh, and bring me out of this house: for indeed I was stolen awayout of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing thatthey should put me into the dungeon. When the chief baker saw that theinterpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head: and in theuppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; andthe birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. And Josephanswered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: the three basketsare three days; within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy headfrom off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eatthy flesh from off thee. And it came to pass the third day, which wasPharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and helifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief bakeramong his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto his butlershipagain; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: but he hanged the chiefbaker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butlerremember Joseph, but forgat him. 

And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed:and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out ofthe river seven kine, well favoured and fatfleshed; and they fed in thereed-grass. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of theriver, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine uponthe brink of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine dideat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And heslept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came upupon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven ears, thin and blastedwith the east wind, sprung up after them. And the thin ears swallowed upthe seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was adream. And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled;and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wisemen thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none thatcould interpret them unto Pharaoh. Then spake the chief butler untoPharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: Pharaoh was wrothwith his servants, and put me in ward in the house of the captain of theguard, me and the chief baker: and we dreamed a dream in one night, Iand he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of hisdream. And there was with us there a young man, an Hebrew, servant tothe captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us ourdreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. And it cameto pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mineoffice, and him he hanged. 

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out ofthe dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came inunto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, andthere is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, thatwhen thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it. And Joseph answeredPharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer ofpeace. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood uponthe brink of the river: and, behold, there came up out of the riverseven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in thereed-grass: and, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor andvery ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the landof Egypt for badness: and the lean and ill favoured kine did eat up thefirst seven fat kine: and when they had eaten them up, it could not beknown that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as atthe beginning. So I awoke. And I saw in my dream, and, behold, sevenears came up upon one stalk, full and good: and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears: and I told it untothe magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me. AndJoseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God is aboutto do he hath declared unto Pharaoh. The seven good kine are sevenyears; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. Andthe seven lean and ill favoured kine that came up after them are sevenyears, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; theyshall be seven years of famine, That is the thing which I spake untoPharaoh: what God is about to do he hath shewed unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all theplenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shallconsume the land; and the plenty shall not be known in the land byreason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because thething is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Nowtherefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him overthe land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseersover the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in theseven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of these goodyears that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh for food inthe cities, and let them keep it. And the food shall be for a store tothe land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the landof Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. 

And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of allhis servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a oneas this, a man in whom the spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said untoJoseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none sodiscreet and wise as thou: thou shalt be over my house, and accordingunto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I begreater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set theeover all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his signet ring fromhis hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures offine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; and he made him to ridein the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow theknee: and he set him over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said untoJoseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand orhis foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's nameZaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter ofPoti-phera priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 

And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king ofEgypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and wentthroughout all the land of Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years theearth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of theseven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in thecities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid heup in the same. And Joseph laid up corn as the sand of the sea, verymuch, until he left numbering; for it was without number. 

And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whichAsenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bare unto him. AndJoseph called the name of the first born 'Manasseh': For, said he, Godhath 'made me forget' all my toil, and all my father's house. And thename of the second called he 'Ephraim': For God hath made me 'fruitful'in the land of my affliction. 

And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to anend. And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Josephhad said: and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land ofEgypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, thepeople cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all theEgyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine wasover all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land ofEgypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn;because the famine was sore in all the earth. 

Now Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, and Jacob said unto hissons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heardthat there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us fromthence; that we may live, and not die. And Joseph's ten brethren wentdown to buy corn from Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sentnot with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befallhim. And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came: for thefamine was in the land of Canaan. And Joseph was the governor over theland; he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph'sbrethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to theearth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himselfstrange unto them, and spake roughly with them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. AndJoseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph rememberedthe dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies;to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. We are all oneman's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. And he said untothem, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And theysaid, We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in theland of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake untoyou, saying, Ye are spies: hereby ye shall be proved: by the life ofPharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother comehither. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall bebound, that your words may be proved, whether there be truth in you: orelse by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he put them alltogether into ward three days. 

And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fearGod: if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in yourprison house; but go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: andbring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. And they said one to another, Weare verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress ofhis soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is thisdistress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I notunto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear?therefore also, behold, his blood is required. And they knew not thatJoseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them. Andhe turned himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to them, and spake to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him beforetheir eyes. Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with corn, andto restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provisionfor the way: and thus was it done unto them. And they laded their asseswith their corn, and departed thence. And as one of them opened his sackto give his ass provender in the lodging place, he espied his money;and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. And he said unto hisbrethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: andtheir heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, What is this that God hath done unto us?

And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and toldhim all that had befallen them: saying, The man, the lord of the land, spake roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. And we saidunto him, We are true men; we are no spies: we be twelve brethren, sonsof our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our fatherin the land of Canaan. And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethrenwith me, and take corn for the famine of your houses, and go your way:and bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye areno spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land. And it came to pass as they emptiedtheir sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack:and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they wereafraid. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of mychildren: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjaminaway: all these things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him intomy hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he said, My son shallnot go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: ifmischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bringdown my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 

And the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they hadeaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father saidunto them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not seemy face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brotherwith us, we will go down and buy thee food: but if thou wilt not sendhim, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see myface, except your brother be with you. And Israel said, Wherefore dealtye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? Andthey said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerningour kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother?and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in anywise know that he would say, Bring your brother down? And Judah saidunto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go;that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our littleones. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if Ibring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear theblame for ever: for except we had lingered, surely we had now returned asecond time. And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, dothis; take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carrydown the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery andmyrrh, nuts, and almonds: and take double money in your hand; and themoney that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry again in yourhand; peradventure it was an oversight: take also your brother, andarise, go again unto the man: and God Almighty give you mercy before theman, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. Andif I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. 

And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood beforeJoseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the stewardof his house, Bring the men into the house, and slay, and make ready;for the men shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade;and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. And the men wereafraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first timeare we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall uponus, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. And they came near to thesteward of Joseph's house, and they spake unto him at the door of thehouse, and said, Oh my lord, we came indeed down at the first time tobuy food: and it came to pass, when we came to the lodging place, thatwe opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth ofhis sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in ourhand. And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food: weknow not who put our money in our sacks. And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasurein your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. 

And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for theyheard that they should eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, theybrought him the present which was in their hand into the house, andbowed down themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them of theirwelfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Ishe yet alive? And they said, Thy servant our father is well, he is yetalive. And they bowed the head, and made obeisance. And he lifted up hiseyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and said, Is thisyour youngest brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God begracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels didyearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered intohis chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and came out; andhe refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. And they set on for him byhimself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which dideat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat breadwith the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. Andthey sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and theyoungest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one withanother. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: butBenjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drankand were merry with him. 

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sackswith food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in hissack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of theyoungest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word thatJoseph had spoken. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sentaway, they and their asses. And when they were gone out of the city, andwere not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after themen; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have yerewarded evil for good? Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, andwhereby he indeed divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. And heovertook them, and he spake unto them these words. And they said untohim, Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? God forbid that thyservants should do such a thing. Behold, the money, which we found inour sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan:how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? Withwhomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will bemy lord's bondmen. And he said, Now also let it be according unto yourwords: he with whom it is found shall be my bondman; and ye shall beblameless. Then they hasted, and took down every man his sack to theground, and opened every man his sack. And he searched, and began at theeldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin'ssack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, andreturned to the city. 

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; and he was yet there:and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, Whatdeed is this that ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I canindeed divine? And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? whatshall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out theiniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, andhe also in whose hand the cup is found. And he said, God forbid that Ishould do so: the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be mybondman; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. 

Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, Ipray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burnagainst thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked hisservants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? And we said unto mylord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a littleone; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, andhis father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him downunto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, hisfather would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except youryoungest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. Andit came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told himthe words of my lord. And our father said, Go again, buy us a littlefood. And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be withus, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except ouryoungest brother be with us. And thy servant my father said unto us, Yeknow that my wife bare me two sons: and the one went out from me, and Isaid, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since: and ifye take this one also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bringdown my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore when I cometo thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that hislife is bound up in the lad's life; it shall come to pass, when he seeththat the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shallbring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to thegrave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my fatherfor ever. Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead ofthe lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest Isee the evil that shall come on my father. 

Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him;and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no manwith him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he weptaloud: and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. AndJoseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? Andhis brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at hispresence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I prayyou. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother whom yesold into Egypt. And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, thatye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. Forthese two years hath the famine been in the land: and there are yet fiveyears in the which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. And Godsent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to saveyou alive by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent mehither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord ofall his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go upto my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath mademe lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: and thou shalt dwellin the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thychildren, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: and there will I nourish thee; for there are yetfive years of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thyhousehold, and all that thou hast. And, behold, your eyes see, and theeyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that yehave seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. And hefell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept uponhis neck. And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and afterthat his brethren talked with him. 

And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph'sbrethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. AndPharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade yourbeasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; and take your fatherand your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good ofthe land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou artcommanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for yourlittle ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Alsoregard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. And the sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according tothe commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. To allof them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gavethree hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And to hisfather he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good thingsof Egypt, and ten she-asses, laden with corn and bread and victual forhis father by the way. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed:and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. 

And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan untoJacob their father. And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, andhe is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for hebelieved them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which hehad said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent tocarry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: and Israel said, Itis enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before Idie. 

And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came toBeer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. AndGod spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thyfather: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee agreat nation: I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will alsosurely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thineeyes. And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carriedJacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in thewagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and cameinto Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: his sons, and his sons'sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seedbrought he with him into Egypt. 

And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to shew the way before himunto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph madeready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; andhe presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on hisneck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since Ihave seen thy face, that thou art yet alive. And Joseph said unto hisbrethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were inthe land of Canaan, are come unto me; and the men are shepherds, forthey have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. And it shall come to pass, whenPharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? that yeshall say, Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth evenuntil now, both we, and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land ofGoshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 

Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and mybrethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, arecome out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land ofGoshen. And from among his brethren he took five men, and presented themunto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is youroccupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, bothwe, and our fathers. And they said unto Pharaoh, To sojourn in the landare we come; for there is no pasture for thy servants' flocks; for thefamine is sore in the land of Canaan: now, therefore, we pray thee, letthy servants dwell in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: the land ofEgypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and thybrethren to dwell: in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thouknowest any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: andJacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How many are thedays of the years of thy life? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days ofthe years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evilhave been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attainedunto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days oftheir pilgrimage. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from thepresence of Pharaoh. And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, andgave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, inthe land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished hisfather, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families. 

II

THE WITNESS OF BALAAM TO ISRAEL

And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to theAmorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they weremany: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. AndMoab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this multitude lick upall that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. And he sentmessengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by theRiver, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover theface of the earth, and they abide over against me: come now therefore, Ipray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me:peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I maydrive them out of the land: for I know that he whom thou blessest isblessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. And the elders of Moab andthe elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in theirhand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you wordagain, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abodewith Balaam. And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these withthee? And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, Behold, the people that is come out of Egypt, it covereth the face of the earth: now, come curse me them; peradventureI shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out. And Godsaid unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse thepeople: for they are blessed. And Balaam rose up in the morning, andsaid unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORDrefuseth to give me leave to go with you. 

And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak, the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinderthee from coming unto me: for I will promote thee unto very greathonour, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do: come therefore, Ipray thee, curse me this people. And Balaam answered and said unto theservants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver andgold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less ormore. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that Imay know what the LORD will speak unto me more. And God came unto Balaamat night, and said unto him, If the men be come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thoudo. 

And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went withthe princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went: andthe angel of the LORD placed himself in the way for an adversary againsthim. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with hissword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, andwent into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a hollow way between the vineyards, a fence being on this side, and a fence on that side. And the ass sawthe angel of the LORD, and she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushedBalaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. And the angel ofthe LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way toturn either to the right hand or to the left. And the ass saw the angelof the LORD, and she lay down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger waskindled, and he smote the ass with his staff. And the LORD opened themouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto theass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in minehand, for now I had killed thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not Ithine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy life long unto this day?was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. Then the LORDopened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing inthe way, with his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed his head, andfell on his face. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Whereforehast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forthfor an adversary, because thy way is perverse before me: and the ass sawme, and turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turnedaside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knewnot that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if itdisplease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the LORD saidunto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak untothee, that thou shalt speak. 

So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. And when Balak heard thatBalaam was come, he went out to meet him unto the city of Moab, which ison the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost part of the border. AndBalak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee?wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote theeto honour? And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have Inow any power at all to speak anything? the word that God putteth in mymouth, that shall I speak. 

And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kiriath-huzoth. And Balaksacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes thatwere with him. And it came to pass in the morning, that Balak tookBalaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, and he saw fromthence the utmost part of the people. And Balaam said unto Balak, Buildme here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered onevery altar a bullock and a ram. And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand bythy burnt offering, and I will go; peradventure the LORD will come tomeet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to abare height. And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have preparedthe seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on everyaltar. And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return untoBalak, and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and, lo, hestood by his burnt offering, he, and all the princes of Moab. And hetook up his parable, and said:

 From Aram hath Balak brought me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: Come, curse me Jacob, And come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that dwell alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my last end be like his!

And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee tocurse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. Andhe answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORDputteth in my mouth?

And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part ofthem, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. And hetook him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built sevenaltars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. And he saidunto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORDyonder. And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak. And he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken? And he took up hisparable, and said:

 Rise up, Balak, and hear; Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: And he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, Neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: The LORD his God is with him, And the shout of a king is among them. God bringeth them forth out of Egypt; He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, Neither is there any divination against Israel: Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up: He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain. 

And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them atall. But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?

And Balak said unto Balaam, Come now, I will take thee unto anotherplace; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me themfrom thence. And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that lookethdown upon the desert. And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here sevenaltars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. And Balak didas Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he wentnot, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set hisface toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he sawIsrael dwelling according to their tribes; and the spirit of God cameupon him. And he took up his parable, and said:

 Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye is opened saith: He saith, which heareth the words of God, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:

 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel! As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the river side, As lign-aloes which the LORD hath planted, As cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets, And his seed shall be in many waters, And his king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted. God bringeth him forth out of Egypt; He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox: He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, And shall break their bones in pieces, And smite them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee. 

And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his handstogether: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mineenemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these threetimes. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote theeunto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers whichthou sentest unto me, saying, If Balak would give me his house full ofsilver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD, to do eithergood or bad of mine own mind; what the LORD speaketh, that will I speak?And now, behold, I go unto my people: come, and I will advertise theewhat this people shall do to thy people in the latter days. And he tookup his parable, and said:

 Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye is opened saith: He saith, which heareth the words of God, And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:

 I see him, but not now: I behold him, but not nigh: There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of tumult. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession, which were his enemies; While Israel doeth valiantly. And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, And shall destroy the remnant from the city. 

And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said:

 Amalek was the first of the nations; But his latter end shall come to destruction. 

And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said:

 Strong is thy dwelling place, And thy nest is set in the rock. Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. 

And he took up his parable, and said:

 Alas, who shall live when God doeth this? But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, And he also shall come to destruction. 

And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak alsowent his way. 

III

THE CROWNING OF ABIMELECH

And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. AndGideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had manywives. And his concubine that was in Sechem, she also bare him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. And Gideon the son of Joash died in agood old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, inOphrah of the Abiezrites. 

And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children ofIsrael turned again, and went a whoring after the Baalim, and madeBaal-berith their god. And the children of Israel remembered not theLORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all theirenemies on every side: neither shewed they kindness to the house ofJerubbaal, who is Gideon, according to all the goodness which he hadshewed unto Israel. 

And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother'sbrethren, and spake with them, and with all the family of the house ofhis mother's father, saying, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all themen of Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all the sons ofJerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or thatone rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men ofShechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech;for they said, He is our brother. And they gave him threescore and tenpieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelechhired vain and light fellows, which followed him. And he went unto hisfather's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: but Jotham theyoungest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. 

And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all thehouse of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of thepillar that was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham, he went andstood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God mayhearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king overthem; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But theolive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by methey honour God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? Andthe trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But thefig tree said unto them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? And the trees said unto thevine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, ShouldI leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and froover the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, andreign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth yeanoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: andif not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars ofLebanon. Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that yehave made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal andhis house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of hishands;--for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, anddelivered you out of the hand of Midian: and ye are risen up against myfather's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and tenpersons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of hismaidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is yourbrother;--if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal andwith his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him alsorejoice in you: but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devourthe men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out fromthe men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, forfear of Abimelech his brother. 

And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. And God sent an evilspirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechemdealt treacherously with Abimelech: that the violence done to thethreescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their bloodmight be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them, and uponthe men of Shechem, which strengthened his hands to slay his brethren. And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him on the tops of themountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and itwas told Abimelech. 

And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over toShechem: and the men of Shechem put their trust in him. And they wentout into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat anddrink, and cursed Abimelech. And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who isAbimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he theson of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor thefather of Shechem; but why should we serve him? And would to God thispeople were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said toAbimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. And when Zebul the rulerof the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger waskindled. And he sent messengers unto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they constrain the city to take part against thee. Now therefore, up bynight, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in thefield: and it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he andthe people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou doto them as thou shalt find occasion. 

And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. And Gaal the sonof Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: andAbimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from theambushment. And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul saidunto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the middleof the land, and one company cometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim. Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Whois Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thouhast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them. And Gaal wentout before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. And Abimelechchased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, evenunto the entering of the gate. And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebuldrave out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into thefield; and they told Abimelech. And he took the people, and divided theminto three companies, and laid wait in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people came forth out of the city; and he rose up againstthem, and smote them. And Abimelech, and the companies that were withhim, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city:and the two companies rushed upon all that were in the field, and smotethem. And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he tookthe city, and slew the people that was therein: and he beat down thecity, and sowed it with salt. 

And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they enteredinto the hold of the house of Elberith. And it was told Abimelech thatall the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. AndAbimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that werewith him; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a boughfrom the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he saidunto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. And all the people likewise cut down every manhis bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set thehold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem diedalso, about a thousand men and women. 

Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and tookit. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled allthe men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, andgat them up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burnit with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper millstone uponAbimelech's head, and brake his skull. Then he called hastily unto theyoung man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and killme, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrusthim through, and he died. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelechwas dead, they departed every man unto his place. Thus God requited thewickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying hisseventy brethren: and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did Godrequite upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the sonof Jerubbaal. 

IV

SAMSON'S WEDDING FEAST

And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of thedaughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father andhis mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters ofthe Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. Then his fatherand his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughtersof thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wifeof the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Gether for me; for she pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother knewnot that it was of the LORD; for he sought an occasion against thePhilistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel. Thenwent Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came tothe vineyards of Timnah: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as hewould have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told nothis father or his mother what he had done. And he went down and talkedwith the woman; and she pleased Samson well. And after a while hereturned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of thelion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. And he took it into his hands, and went on, eating as hewent, and he came to his father and mother, and gave unto them, and theydid eat: but he told them not that he had taken the honey out of thebody of the lion. And his father went down unto the woman: and Samsonmade there a feast: for so used the young men to do. And it came topass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be withhim. And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth a riddle unto you:if ye can declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find itout, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes ofraiment: but if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirtylinen garments and thirty changes of raiment. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. 

And they could not in three days declare the riddle. And it came to passon the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thyhusband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee andthy father's house with fire: have ye called us to impoverish us? is itnot so? And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hateme, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children ofmy people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I havenot told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell thee? And she weptbefore him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to passon the seventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him sore: andshe told the riddle to the children of her people. And the men of thecity said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down:

 What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?

And he said unto them:

 If ye had not plowed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle. 

And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down toAshkelon, and smote thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gavethe changes of raiment unto them that declared the riddle. And his angerwas kindled, and he went up to his father's house. But Samson's wife wasgiven to his companion, whom he had used as his friend. 

But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, thatSamson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wifeinto the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. And herfather said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her;therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairerthan she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her. And Samson said untothem, This time shall I be blameless in regard of the Philistines, whenI do them a mischief. And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in themidst between every two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt upboth the shocks and the standing corn, and also the oliveyards. Then thePhilistines said, Who hath done this? And they said, Samson, the son inlaw of the Timnite, because he hath taken his wife, and given her to hiscompanion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her fatherwith fire. And Samson said unto them, If ye do after this manner, surelyI will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. And he smote themhip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in thecleft of the rock of Etam. 

V

THE EXPEDITION AGAINST ELISHA

Now the king of Syria warred against Israel: and he took counsel withhis servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And theman of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou passnot such a place; for thither the Syrians are coming down. And the kingof Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned himof; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. And the heart of theking of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called hisservants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is forthe king of Israel? And one of his servants said, Nay, my lord, O king:but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israelthe words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and seewhere he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host with horses and chariots was round about the city. Andhis servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And heanswered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that bewith them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open hiseyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man;and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots offire round about Elisha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayedunto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. AndElisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city:follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. And he led themto Samaria. And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, thatElisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. Andthe LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in themidst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he sawthem, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? And heanswered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thouhast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and waterbefore them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And heprepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, hesent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syriacame no more into the land of Israel. 

VI

THE DREAM OF THE TREE CUT DOWN

'Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: peace be multiplied unto you. It hathseemed good unto me to shew the signs and wonders that the Most High Godhath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are hiswonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is fromgeneration to generation. 

'I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in mypalace. I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts upon my bedand the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree tobring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might makeknown unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in themagicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and Itold the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me theinterpretation thereof. But at the last Daniel came in before me, whosename was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom isthe spirit of the holy gods: and I told the dream before him, saying, OBelteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit ofthe holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me thevisions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. 

'Thus were the visions of my head upon my bed: I saw, and behold a treein the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The treegrew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven and thesight thereof to the end of all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts ofthe field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in thebranches thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions ofmy head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came downfrom heaven. He cried aloud, and said thus: "Hew down the tree, and cutoff his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let thebeasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches. Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with aband of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it bewet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts inthe grass of the earth: let his heart be changed from man's, and let abeast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. Thesentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word ofthe holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the Most Highruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, andsetteth up over it the lowest of men. " This dream I king Nebuchadnezzarhave seen: and thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make knownunto me the interpretation; but thou art able, for the spirit of theholy gods is in thee. 

'Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for a while, andhis thoughts troubled him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, letnot the dream, or the interpretation, trouble thee. Belteshazzaranswered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and theinterpretation thereof to thine adversaries. The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, andthe sight thereof to all the earth; whose leaves were fair, and thefruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beastsof the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven hadtheir habitation; it is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong:for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominionto the end of the earth. And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holyone coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew down the tree, and destroyit; nevertheless leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, evenwith a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and letit be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beastsof the field, till seven times pass over him; this is theinterpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which iscome upon my lord the king: that thou shalt be driven from men, and thydwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and thou shalt be madeto eat grass as oxen, and shalt be wet with the dew of heaven, and seventimes shall pass over thee; till thou know that the Most High ruleth inthe kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereasthey commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shallbe sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens dorule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, andbreak off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewingmercy to the poor; if there may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. 

'All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve monthshe was walking in the royal palace of Babylon. The king spake and said, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwellingplace, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty? Whilethe word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying: "O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: the kingdom isdeparted from thee. And thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwellingshall be with the beasts of the field; thou shalt be made to eat grassas oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee; until thou know that theMost High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever hewill. " The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and hewas driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wetwith the dew of heaven, till his hair was grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. And at the end of the days INebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understandingreturned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised andhonoured him that liveth for ever; for his dominion is an everlastingdominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation: and all theinhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth accordingto his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of theearth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Atthe same time mine understanding returned unto me; and for the glory ofmy kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned unto me; and mycounsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in mykingdom, and excellent greatness was added unto me. 

'Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven;for all his works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walkin pride he is able to abase. '

VII

BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, anddrank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzarhis father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that theking and his lords, his wives and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the templeof the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, andpraised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, andof stone. In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man's hand, andwrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of theking's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Thenthe king's countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubledhim; and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote oneagainst another. The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, theChaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spake and said to the wise menof Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me theinterpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chainof gold about his neck, and shall rule as one of three in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read thewriting, nor make known to the king the interpretation. Then was kingBelshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, andhis lords were perplexed. 

Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came intothe banquet house: the queen spake and said: O king, live for ever; letnot thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: thereis a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and inthe days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like thewisdom of the gods, was found in him: and the king Nebuchadnezzar thyfather, the king, I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellentspirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, andshewing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in thesame Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation. 

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spake and said untoDaniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of thecaptivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? I haveheard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that lightand understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now thewise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that theyshould read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretationthereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing. But Ihave heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolvedoubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me theinterpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have achain of gold about thy neck, and shalt rule as one of three in thekingdom. Then Daniel answered and said before the king: Let thy gifts beto thyself, and give thy rewards to another; nevertheless I will readthe writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. Othou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty: and because of the greatness thathe gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and fearedbefore him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; andwhom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down. But when hisheart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:and he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like thebeasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; he was fed with grasslike oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven: until he knewthat the Most High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he settethup over it whomsoever he will. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast nothumbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this: but hast lifted upthyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels ofhis house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thyconcubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods ofsilver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, norhear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose areall thy ways, hast thou not glorified: then was the part of the handsent from before him, and this writing was inscribed. And this is thewriting that was inscribed[2]:

 M U P E L H N E A E K R M E S E T I N E N

[Footnote 2: Daniel reads down, up, down: instead of across. ]

This is the interpretation of the thing:

 MENE

 God hath NUMBERED thy kingdom: And brought it to an end!

 TEKEL

 Thou art WEIGHED in the balances: And art found wanting!

 PERES

 Thy kingdom is DIVIDED: And given to the Medes and Persians!

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and puta chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he should rule as one of three in the kingdom. In that nightBelshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede received thekingdom, being about threescore and two years old. 

ORATORY

I

THE ORATION OF MOSES

AT THE REHEARSAL OF THE BLESSING AND THE CURSE

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto thevoice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which Icommand thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high aboveall the nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come uponthee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of theLORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thoube in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruitof thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock. Blessed shall be thy basket and thykneadingtrough. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessedshalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemiesthat rise up against thee to be smitten before thee: they shall come outagainst thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. The LORDshall command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thouputtest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which theLORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee for an holypeople unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep thecommandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all thepeoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of theLORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make theeplenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thycattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD swareunto thy fathers to give thee. The LORD shall open unto thee his goodtreasury the heaven to give the rain of thy land in its season, and tobless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the LORD shall make thee the head, andnot the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not bebeneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thyGod, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them; and shaltnot turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, tothe right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. 

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice ofthe LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statuteswhich I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come uponthee, and overtake thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursedshalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thykneadingtrough. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit ofthy ground, the increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock. Cursedshalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thougoest out. The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, discomfiture, andrebuke, in all that thou puttest thine hand unto for to do, until thoube destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the evil of thydoings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. The LORD shall make thepestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off theland, whither thou goest in to possess it. The LORD shall smite theewith consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fieryheat, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and theyshall pursue thee until thou perish. And thy heaven that is over thyhead shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. TheLORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shallit come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. The LORD shall causethee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one wayagainst them, and shalt flee seven ways before them: and thou shalt betossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcaseshall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of theearth, and there shall be none to fray them away. The LORD shall smitethee with the boil of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scurvy, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The LORD shallsmite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment ofheart: and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth indarkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be onlyoppressed and spoiled alway, and there shall be none to save thee. Thoushalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shaltbuild an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant avineyard, and shalt not use the fruit thereof. Thine ox shall be slainbefore thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shalt beviolently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored tothee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt havenone to save thee. Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given untoanother people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing forthem all the day: and there shall be nought in the power of thine hand. The fruit of thy ground, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thouknowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shaltsee. The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with asore boil, whereof thou canst not be healed, from the sole of thy footunto the crown of thy head. The LORD shall bring thee, and thy kingwhich thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood andstone. And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples whither the LORD shall lead thee away. Thou shaltcarry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in; for thelocust shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, butthou shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for theworm shall eat them. Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thyborders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine oliveshall cast its fruit. Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but theyshall not be thine; for they shall go into captivity. All thy trees andthe fruit of thy ground shall the locust possess. The stranger that isin the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; andthou shalt come down lower and lower. He shall lend to thee, and thoushalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. 

And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, andovertake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not untothe voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statuteswhich he commanded thee: and they shall be upon thee for a sign, and fora wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. Because thou servedst not the LORDthy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of theabundance of all things: therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies whichthe LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and innakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of ironupon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. The LORD shall bring anation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagleflieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a nation offierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, norshew favour to the young: and he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, andthe fruit of thy ground, until thou be destroyed: which also shall notleave thee corn, wine, or oil, the increase of thy kine, or the young ofthy flock, until he have caused thee to perish. And he shall besiegethee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiegethee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy Godhath given thee. And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, theflesh of thy sons and of thy daughters which the LORD thy God hath giventhee; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shallstraiten thee. The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, hiseye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he hath remaining: so thathe will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom heshall eat, because he hath nothing left him; in the siege and in thestraitness, wherewith thine enemy shall straiten thee in all thy gates. The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure toset the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness andtenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, andtoward her son, and toward her daughter; and toward her young one thatcometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which sheshall bear; for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly: inthe siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall straitenthee in thy gates. 

If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that arewritten in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearfulname, THE LORD THY GOD; then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of longcontinuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. And he willbring upon thee again all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraidof; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and everyplague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORDbring upon thee until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few innumber, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; becausethou didst not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. And it shallcome to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and tomultiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whitherthou goest in to possess it. And the LORD shall scatter thee among allpeoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of theearth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone. And among these nations shaltthou find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot:but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing ofeyes, and pining of soul: and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee;and thou shalt fear night and day, and shalt have none assurance of thylife: in the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at eventhou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heartwhich thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shaltsee. And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by theway whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and thereye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and forbondwomen: and no man shall buy you. 

II

A DISCOURSE ON

IMMORTALITY AND THE COVENANT WITH DEATH

Court not death in the error of your life;Neither draw upon yourselves destruction by the works of your hands. 

Because God made not death: neither delighteth he when the livingperish. For he created all things that they might have being; and thegenerative powers of the world are healthsome, and there is no poison ofdestruction in them, nor hath Hades royal dominion upon earth: forrighteousness is immortal. But ungodly men by their hands and theirwords called death unto them; deeming him a friend they consumed away, and they made a covenant with him because they are worthy to be of hisportion. 

For they said within themselves, reasoning not aright: "Short andsorrowful is our life; and there is no healing when a man cometh to hisend, and none was ever known that gave release from Hades. Because bymere chance were we born, and hereafter we shall be as though we hadnever been; because the breath in our nostrils is smoke, and while ourheart beateth reason is a spark, which being extinguished, the bodyshall be turned into ashes, and the spirit shall be dispersed as thinair. And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall rememberour works; and our life shall pass away as the traces of a cloud, andshall be scattered as is a mist, when it is chased by the beams of thesun, and overcome by the heat thereof. For our allotted time is thepassing of a shadow, and our end retreateth not; because it is fastsealed, and none turneth it back. Come therefore and let us enjoy thegood things that now are; and let us use the creation with all our soulas youth's possession. Let us fill ourselves with costly wine andperfumes, and let no flower of spring pass us by; let us crown ourselveswith rosebuds before they be withered; let none of us go without hisshare in our proud revelry; everywhere let us leave tokens of our mirth:because this is our portion, and our lot is this. Let us oppress therighteous poor: let us not spare the widow, nor reverence the hairs ofthe old man gray for length of years, but let our strength be to us alaw of righteousness; for that which is weak is found to be of noservice. But let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is ofdisservice to us, and is contrary to our works, and upbraideth us withsins against the law, and layeth to our charge sins against ourdiscipline. He professeth to have knowledge of God, and nameth himselfservant of the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts. He isgrievous unto us even to behold, because his life is unlike other men's, and his paths are of strange fashion. We were accounted of him as basemetal, and he abstaineth from our ways as from uncleannesses. The latterend of the righteous he calleth happy; and he vaunteth that God is hisfather. Let us see if his words be true, and let us try what shallbefall in the ending of his life: for if the righteous man is God's son, he will uphold him, and he will deliver him out of the hand of hisadversaries. With outrage and torture let us put him to the test, thatwe may learn his gentleness, and may prove his patience under wrong. Letus condemn him to a shameful death; for he shall be visited according tohis words. "

Thus reasoned they, and they were led astray. For their wickednessblinded them; and they knew not the mysteries of God, neither hoped theyfor wages of holiness, nor did they judge that there is a prize forblameless souls. Because God created man for incorruption, and made himan image of his own proper being; but by the envy of the devil deathentered into the world, and they that are of his portion make trialthereof. 

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no tormentshall touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died;and their departure was accounted to be their hurt, and their journeyingaway from us to be their ruin: but they are in peace. For even if inthe sight of men they be punished, their hope is full of immortality;and having borne a little chastening, they shall receive great good. Because God made trial of them, and found them worthy of himself; asgold in the furnace he proved them, and as a whole burnt offering heaccepted them. And in the time of their visitation they shall shineforth, and as sparks among stubble they shall run to and fro. They shalljudge nations, and have dominion over peoples; and the Lord shall reignover them for evermore. They that trust on him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercyare to his chosen. 

But the ungodly shall be requited even as they reasoned, they whichlightly regarded the righteous man, and revolted from the Lord: for hethat setteth at nought wisdom and discipline is miserable. And void istheir hope and their toils unprofitable, and useless are their works. Their wives are foolish, and wicked are their children; accursed istheir begetting. [3] For good labours have fruit of great renown; and theroot of understanding cannot fail. But children of adulterers shall notcome to maturity, and the seed of an unlawful bed shall vanish away. For if they live long they shall be held in no account, and at the lasttheir old age shall be without honour; and if they die quickly theyshall have no hope, nor in the day of decision shall they haveconsolation. For the end of an unrighteous generation is alway grievous. Better than this is childlessness with virtue. For in the memory ofvirtue is immortality, because it is recognised both before God andbefore men; when it is present men imitate it, and they long after itwhen it is departed; and throughout all time it marcheth crowned intriumph, victorious in the strife for the prizes that are undefiled. Butthe multiplying brood of the ungodly shall be of no profit, and withbastard slips they shall not strike deep root, nor shall they establisha sure hold. For even if these put forth boughs and flourish for aseason, yet, standing unsure, they shall be shaken by the wind, and bythe violence of winds they shall be rooted out. Their branches shall bebroken off before they come to maturity; and their fruit shall beuseless, never ripe to eat, and fit for nothing. For children unlawfullybegotten are witnesses of wickedness against parents when God searcheththem out. 

[Footnote 3: Because happy is the barren that is indefiled, she who hathnot conceived in transgression; she shall have fruit when God visitethsouls. And happy is the eunuch which hath wrought no lawless deed withhis hands, nor imagined wicked things against the Lord; for there shallbe given him for his faithfulness a peculiar favour, and a lot in thesanctuary of the Lord more delightsome than wife or children. ]

But a righteous man, though he die before his time, shall be at rest. For honourable old age is not that which standeth in length of time, noris its measure given by number of years: but understanding is gray hairsunto men, and an unspotted life is ripe old age. Being found wellpleasing unto God he was beloved of him, and while living among sinnershe was translated. He was caught away lest wickedness should change hisunderstanding, or guile deceive his soul; for the bewitching ofnaughtiness bedimmeth the things which are good, and the giddy whirl ofdesire perverteth an innocent mind. Being made perfect in a little whilehe fulfilled long years: for his soul was pleasing unto the Lord;therefore hasted he out of the midst of wickedness. 

But as for the peoples, seeing and understanding not, neither layingthis to heart, that grace and mercy are with his chosen, and that hevisiteth his holy ones:[4] they shall see, and they shall despise; butthem the Lord shall laugh to scorn. And after this they shall become adishonoured carcase, and a reproach among the dead for ever. Because heshall dash them speechless to the ground, and shall shake them from thefoundations, and they shall lie utterly waste, and they shall be inanguish, and their memory shall perish. They shall come, when their sinsare reckoned up, with coward fear; and their lawless deeds shall convictthem to their face. Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldnessbefore the face of them that afflicted him, and them that make hislabours of no account. When they see it, they shall be troubled withterrible fear, and shall be amazed at the marvel of God's salvation. 

[Footnote 4: But a righteous man that is dead shall condemn the ungodlythat are living, and youth that is quickly perfected the many years ofan unrighteous man's old age; for the ungodly shall see a wise man'send, and shall not understand what the Lord purposed concerning him, andfor what he safely kept him. ]

They shall say within themselves, repenting, and for distress of spiritshall they groan: "This was he whom aforetime we had in derision, andmade a parable of reproach; we fools accounted his life madness and hisend without honour. How was he numbered among sons of God? and how ishis lot among saints? Verily we went astray from the way of truth; andthe light of righteousness shined not for us, and the sun rose not forus. We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction, and wejourneyed through trackless deserts; but the way of the Lord we knewnot. What did our arrogancy profit us? and what good have riches andvaunting brought us? Those things all passed away as a shadow, and as amessage that runneth by; as a ship passing through the billowy water, whereof, when it is gone by, there is no trace to be found, neitherpathway of its keel in the billows; or as when a bird flieth through theair, no token of her passage is found, but the lightwind, lashed withthe stroke of her pinions, and rent asunder with the violent rush of themoving wings, is passed through, and afterwards no sign of her coming isfound therein; or as when an arrow is shot at a mark, the air dispartedcloseth up again immediately, so that men know not where it passedthrough: so we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be; and ofvirtue we had no sign to shew, but in our wickedness we were utterlyconsumed. "

Because the hope of the ungodly man is as chaff carried by the wind, andas foam vanishing before a tempest; and is scattered as smoke isscattered by the wind; and passeth by as the remembrance of a guest thattarrieth but a day. But the righteous live for ever, and in the Lord istheir reward, and the care for them with the Most High. Therefore shallthey receive the crown of royal dignity and the diadem of beauty fromthe Lord's hand; because with his right hand shall he cover them, andwith his arm shall he shield them. He shall take his jealousy ascomplete armour, and shall make the whole creation his weapons forvengeance on his enemies; he shall put on righteousness as abreastplate, and shall array himself with judgement unfeigned as with ahelmet: he shall take holiness as an invincible shield, and he shallsharpen stern wrath for a sword. And the world shall go forth with himto fight against his insensate foes. Shafts of lightning shall fly withtrue aim, and from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow, shall they leapto the mark; and as from an engine of war shall be hurled hailstonesfull of wrath; the water of the sea shall be angered against them, andrivers shall sternly overwhelm them; a mighty blast shall encounterthem, and as a tempest shall it winnow them away. And so shalllawlessness make all the land desolate, and their evil-doing shalloverturn the thrones of princes. 

Hear therefore, ye kings, and understand; learn, ye judges of the endsof the earth; give ear, ye that have dominion over much people, and makeyour boast in multitudes of nations. Because your dominion was given youfrom the Lord, and your sovereignty from the Most High, who shall searchout your works, and shall make inquisition of your counsels; becausebeing officers of his kingdom ye did not judge aright, neither kept yelaw, nor walked after the counsel of God. Awfully and swiftly shall hecome upon you, because a stern judgement befalleth them that be in highplace: for the man of low estate may be pardoned in mercy, but mightymen shall be searched out mightily. For the Sovereign Lord of all willnot refrain himself for any man's person, neither will he reverencegreatness, because it is he that made both small and great. And alike hetaketh thought for all; but strict is the scrutiny that cometh upon thepowerful. Unto you, therefore, O princes, are my words, that ye maylearn wisdom and fall not from the right way. For they that have keptholily the things that are holy shall themselves be hallowed; and theythat have been taught them shall find what to answer. Set your desiretherefore on my words; long for them, and ye shall be trained by theirdiscipline. 

III

ISAIAH'S DISCOURSE

THE GREAT ARRAIGNMENT

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD hath spoken: I havenourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel dothnot know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people ladenwith iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly: theyhave forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, theyare estranged and gone backward. Why will ye be still stricken, that yerevolt more and more? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness init; but wounds, and bruises, and festering sores: they have not beenclosed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oil. Your country isdesolate; your cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers devourit in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. Andthe daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a lodge in agarden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the LORD of hosts hadleft unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, weshould have been like unto Gomorrah. 

Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law ofour God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of yoursacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings oframs, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood ofbullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts? Bring no morevain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; new moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies, --I cannot away with iniquity and the solemnmeeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: theyare a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forthyour hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make manyprayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. 

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from beforemine eyes; cease to do evil: learn to do well; seek judgement, relievethe oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, andlet us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, theyshall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the goodof the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with thesword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 

How is the faithful city become an harlot! she that was full ofjudgement! righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. Thy silver isbecome dross, thy wine mixed with water. Thy princes are rebellious, andcompanions of thieves; every one loveth gifts, and followeth afterrewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of thewidow come unto them. Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, theMighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avengeme of mine enemies: and I will turn my hand upon thee, and throughlypurge away thy dross, and will take away all thy alloy: and I willrestore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at thebeginning: afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, thefaithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgement, and her convertswith righteousness. But the destruction of the transgressors and thesinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall beconsumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For yeshall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath nowater. And the strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark; and theyshall both burn together, and none shall quench them. 

IV

ISAIAH'S DISCOURSE

THE COVENANT WITH DEATH

Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fadingflower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley ofthem that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty andstrong one; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest ofmighty waters overflowing, shall he cast down to the earth with thehand. The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be troddenunder foot: and the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is onthe head of the fat valley, shall be as the firstripe fig before thesummer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in hishand he eateth it up. 

In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for adiadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people: and for a spirit ofjudgement to him that sitteth in judgement, and for strength to themthat turn back the battle at the gate. 

But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink aregone astray; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are gone astray through strongdrink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgement. For all tablesare full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no placeclean. --'Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make tounderstand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawnfrom the breasts? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept;line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little. '--Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to thispeople: to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that isweary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Thereforeshall the word of the LORD be unto them precept upon precept, preceptupon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there alittle; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, thatrule this people which is in Jerusalem: Because ye have said, We havemade a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when theoverflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; forwe have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:therefore thus saith the LORD God, Behold, I lay in Zion for afoundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone of surefoundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. And I will makejudgement the line, and righteousness the plummet: and the hail shallsweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hidingplace. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and youragreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shallpass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. As often as itpasseth through, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it passthrough, by day and by night: and it shall be nought but terror tounderstand the message. For the bed is shorter than that a man canstretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wraphimself in it. For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shallbe wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, hisstrange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act. Now thereforebe ye not scorners, lest your bands be made strong: for a consummation, and that determined, have I heard from the Lord, the LORD of hosts, uponthe whole earth. 

Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. Doth theplowman plow continually to sow? doth he continually open and break theclods of his ground? When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth henot cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and put in thewheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place and the spelt in theborder thereof? For his God doth instruct him aright, and doth teachhim. For the fitches are not threshed with a sharp threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitchesare beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod. Is bread corncrushed? Nay, he will not ever be threshing it, and driving his cartwheels and his horses over it; he doth not crush it. This also comethforth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, andexcellent in wisdom. 

V

ISAIAH'S DISCOURSE

THE UTTER DESTRUCTION AND THE GREAT RESTORATION

1

Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye peoples: let the earthhear, and the fulness thereof; the world, and all things that come forthof it. For the LORD hath indignation against all the nations, and furyagainst all their host: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hathdelivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, andthe stink of their carcases shall come up, and the mountains shall bemelted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their hostshall fade away, as the leaf fadeth from off the vine, and as a fadingleaf from the fig tree. For my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven:behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgement. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fatwith fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of thekidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a greatslaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild-oxen shall come down withthem, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be drunkenwith blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. For it is the day ofthe LORD'S vengeance, the year of recompence in the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereofinto brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. Itshall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall passthrough it for ever and ever. But the pelican and the porcupine shallpossess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he shallstretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness. They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall bethere; and all her princes shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up inher palaces, nettles and thistles in the fortresses thereof: and itshall be an habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches. And the wildbeasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, and the satyr shall cryto his fellow; yea, the night-monster shall settle there, and shall findher a place of rest. There shall the arrowsnake make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: yea, there shall the kites begathered, every one with her mate. 

 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: No one of these shall be missing, None shall want her mate: For my mouth it hath commanded, And his spirit it hath gathered them. 

And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it untothem by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation togeneration shall they dwell therein. 

2

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad; and the desertshall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, andrejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be givenunto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the gloryof the LORD, the excellency of our God. 

 Strengthen ye the weak hands, And confirm the feeble knees; Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompence of God he will come and save you. 

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deafshall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and thetongue of the dumb shall sing: for in the wilderness shall waters breakout, and streams in the desert. And the glowing sand shall become apool, and the thirsty ground springs of water: in the habitation ofjackals, where they lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And anhighway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way ofholiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those:the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall bethere, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon, they shall not befound there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of theLORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joyshall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, andsorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

VI

EZEKIEL'S DISCOURSE

THE SWORD OF THE LORD

1

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy facetoward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the sanctuaries, and prophesyagainst the land of Israel; and say to the land of Israel, Thus saiththe LORD: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my SWORD outof its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all fleshfrom the south to the north: and all flesh shall know that I the LORDhave drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore. Sigh therefore, thou son of man; with the breaking of thy loinsand with bitterness shalt thou sigh before their eyes. And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh: and every heart shall melt, andall hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all kneesshall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and it shall be done, saiththe Lord GOD. 

2

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy, andsay, Thus saith the LORD: Say, A sword, A sword, It is sharpened, And also furbished: It is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; It is furbished that it may be as lightning!

'Shall we then make mirth? The Rod of my son, it contemneth every tree. '

 And it is given to be furbished That it may be handled: The sword, it is sharpened, yea it is furbished, To give it into the hand of the slayer. 

Cry and howl, son of man: for it is upon my people, it is upon all theprinces of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people:smite therefore upon thy thigh. For there is a trial; and what if eventhe Rod that contemneth shall be no more? saith the Lord GOD. Thoutherefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together. 

 And let the sword be doubled the third time; The sword of the deadly wounded: It is the sword of the great one that is deadly wounded Which compasseth them about. 

 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, That their heart may melt, And their stumblings be multiplied: Ah! it is made as lightning! It is pointed for slaughter-- Gather thee together, go to the right; Set thyself in array, go to the left-- Whithersoever thy face is set. 

I will also smite mine hands together, and I will satisfy my fury: I theLORD have spoken it. 

3

The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways that the sword of the king of Babylon may come;they twain shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, markit out at the head of the way to the city. Thou shall appoint a way, forthe sword to come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah inJerusalem the defenced. For the king of Babylon stood at the parting ofthe way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook thearrows to and fro, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver. Inhis right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounts, to buildforts. And it shall be unto them as a vain divination in their sight, which have sworn oaths unto them: but he bringeth iniquity toremembrance, that they may be taken. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD:Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that yourtransgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins doappear; because that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken withthe hand. And thou, O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end; thus saiththe Lord GOD: Remove the mitre, and take off the crown: this shall be nomore the same: exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high. Iwill overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, untilhe come whose right it is; and I will give it him. 

4

And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord GODconcerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and saythou:

 'A sword, a sword is drawn, For the slaughter it is furbished: To cause it to devour, That it may be as lightning:'

whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine lies unto thee, tolay thee upon the necks of the wicked that are deadly wounded, whose dayis come, in the time of the punishment of the end. (Cause it to returninto its sheath. ) In the place where thou wast created, in the land ofthy birth, will I judge thee. And I will pour out mine indignation uponthee; I will blow upon thee with the fire of my wrath: and I willdeliver thee into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy. Thoushalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of theland; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it. 

VII

EZEKIEL'S DISCOURSE

WRECK OF THE GOODLY SHIP TYRE

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, And thou, son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre; and say unto Tyre, O thou that dwellestat the entry of the sea, which art the merchant of the peoples unto manyisles: thus saith the Lord GOD: Thou, O Tyre, hast said, I am perfect inbeauty. Thy borders are in the heart of the seas, thy builders haveperfected thy beauty. They have made all thy planks of fir trees fromSenir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make a mast for thee. Ofthe oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; they have made thy benchesof ivory inlaid in boxwood, from the isles of Kittim. Of fine linen withbroidered work from Egypt was thy sail, that it might be to thee for anensign; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thine awning. Theinhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy rowers: thy wise men, O Tyre, were in thee, they were thy pilots. The ancients of Gebal and the wisemen thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea withtheir mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. Persia and Ludand Put were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield andhelmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. The men of Arvad withthine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadim were in thytowers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they haveperfected thy beauty. Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of themultitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, theytraded for thy wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thytraffickers: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass for thymerchandise. They of the house of Togarmah traded for thy wares withhorses and war-horses and mules. The men of Dedan were thy traffickers:many isles were the mart of thine hand: they brought thee in exchangehorns of ivory and ebony. Syria was thy merchant by reason of themultitude of thy handyworks: they traded for thy wares with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and rubies. Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy traffickers: they tradedfor thy merchandise wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. Damascus was thy merchant for the multitude of thy handyworks, by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with the wine ofHelbon, and white wool. Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for thy wares:bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were among thy merchandise. Dedan wasthy trafficker in precious cloths for riding. Arabia, and all theprinces of Kedar, they were the merchants of thy hand; in lambs, andrams, and goats, in these were they thy merchants. The traffickers ofSheba and Raamah, they were thy traffickers: they traded for thy wareswith chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. Haranand Canneh and Eden, the traffickers of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, werethy traffickers. These were thy traffickers in choice wares, inwrappings of blue and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. The ships ofTarshish were thy caravans for thy merchandise: and thou wastreplenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the seas. 

Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hathbroken thee in the heart of the seas. Thy riches, and thy wares, thymerchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and theoccupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, with all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into theheart of the seas in the day of thy ruin. At the sound of the cry of thypilots the suburbs shall shake. And all that handle the oar, themariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from theirships, they shall stand upon the land, and shall cause their voice tobe heard over thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upontheir heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes: and they shallmake themselves bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and theyshall weep for thee in bitterness of soul with bitter mourning. And intheir wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament overthee, saying, 'Who is there like Tyre, like her that is brought tosilence in the midst of the sea?' When thy wares went forth out of theseas, thou filledst many peoples; thou didst enrich the kings of theearth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise. In thetime that thou wast broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thymerchandise and all thy company did fall in the midst of thee. All theinhabitants of the isles are astonished at thee, and their kings arehorribly afraid, they are troubled in their countenance. The merchantsamong the peoples hiss at thee; thou art become a terror, and thou shaltnever be any more. 

VIII

PROPHETIC SENTENCES

Thus saith the LORD: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neitherlet the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in hisriches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things Idelight, saith the LORD. 

 * * *

There is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name isgreat in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of the nations? for tothee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of thenations, and in all their royal estate, there is none like unto thee, but they are together brutish and foolish. 

 * * *

Thus saith the LORD: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and makethflesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall belike the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; butshall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and notinhabited. 

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORDis. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadethout his roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but hisleaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 

 * * *

The New Covenant

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenantwith the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according tothe covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took themby the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenantthey brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD. Butthis is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel afterthose days, saith the LORD; I will put my law in their inward parts, andin their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shallbe my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, andevery man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all knowme, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD:for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember nomore. 

WISDOM

WISDOM BREVITIES

 The liberal soul shall be made fat: And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. 

 * * *

 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: But much increase is by the strength of the ox. 

 * * *

 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. 

 * * *

 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. 

 * * *

 The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. 

 * * *

 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. 

 * * *

 As vinegar to the teeth, And as smoke to the eyes, So is the sluggard to them that send him. 

 * * *

 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: How much more do his friends go far from him! He pursueth them with words, but they are gone. 

 * * *

 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue Is a vapour driven to and fro; They that seek them seek death. 

 * * *

 As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, And as vinegar upon nitre, So is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart. 

 * * *

 Wrath is cruel, And anger is outrageous: But who is able to stand before jealousy?

 * * *

 The fining pot is for silver, And the furnace for gold: And a man is tried by his praise. 

 * * *

Transitoriness of Riches

An Epigram

 Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom; Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven. 

 * * *

Hospitality of the Evil Eye

An Epigram

 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties; For as one that reckoneth within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words. 

 * * *A Maxim

 My son, if thou comest to serve the Lord, Prepare thy soul for temptation. 

Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make not haste in timeof calamity. Cleave unto him, and depart not, that thou mayest beincreased at thy latter end. Accept whatsoever is brought upon thee, andbe longsuffering when thou passest into humiliation. For gold is triedin the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. Put thytrust in him, and he will help thee: order thy ways aright, and set thyhope on him. * * *

Three Temperance Maxims

 Go not after thy lusts; And refrain thyself from thine appetites. 

If thou give fully to thy soul the delight of her desire, she will makethee the laughingstock of thine enemies. 

 Make not merry in much luxury; Neither be tied to the expense thereof. 

Be not made a beggar by banqueting upon borrowing, when thou hastnothing in thy purse. A workman that is a drunkard shall not becomerich. 

 He that despiseth small things Shall fall by little and little. 

Wine and women will make men of understanding to fall away: and he thatcleaveth to harlots will be the more reckless. Moths and worms shallhave him to heritage; and a reckless soul shall be taken away. 

ESSAYS

i

Wisdom's Way with her Children

Wisdom exalteth her sons, and taketh hold of them that seek her. He thatloveth her loveth life; and they that seek to her early shall be filledwith gladness. He that holdeth her fast shall inherit glory; and wherehe entereth, the Lord will bless. They that do her service shallminister to the Holy One; and them that love her the Lord doth love. Hethat giveth ear unto her shall judge the nations; and he that givethheed unto her shall dwell securely. If he trust her, he shall inherither; and his generations shall have her in possession. For at the firstshe will walk with him in crooked ways, and will bring fear and dreadupon him, and torment him with her discipline, until she may trust hissoul, and try him by her judgements: then will she return again thestraight way unto him, and will gladden him, and reveal to him hersecrets. If he go astray, she will forsake him, and give him over to hisfall. 

ii

Prosperity and Adversity are from the Lord

There is one that toileth, and laboureth, and maketh haste, and is somuch the more behind. There is one that is sluggish, and hath need ofhelp, lacking in strength, and that aboundeth in poverty; and the eyesof the Lord looked upon him for good, and he set him up from his lowestate, and lifted up his head; and many marvelled at him. Good thingsand evil, life and death, poverty and riches, are from the Lord. Thegift of the Lord remaineth with the godly, and his good pleasure shallprosper for ever. There is that waxeth rich by his wariness andpinching, and this is the portion of his reward: when he saith, I havefound rest, and now will I eat of my goods--yet he knoweth not what timeshall pass, and he shall leave them to others, and die. Be stedfast inthy covenant, and be conversant therein, and wax old in thy work. Marvelnot at the works of a sinner, but trust the Lord, and abide in thylabour; for it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord swiftly on thesudden to make a poor man rich. The blessing of the Lord is in thereward of the godly; and in an hour that cometh swiftly he maketh hisblessing to flourish. Say not, What use is there of me? And what fromhenceforth shall my good things be? Say not, I have sufficient, andfrom henceforth what harm shall happen unto me? In the day of goodthings there is a forgetfulness of evil things; and in the day of evilthings a man will not remember things that are good. For it is an easything in the sight of the Lord to reward a man in the day of deathaccording to his ways. The affliction of an hour causeth forgetfulnessof delight; and in the last end of a man is the revelation of his deeds. Call no man blessed before his death; and a man shall be known in hischildren. 

iii

Against Gossip

He that is hasty to trust is lightminded; and he that sinneth shalloffend against his own soul. He that maketh merry in his heart shall becondemned: and he that hateth talk hath the less wickedness. Neverrepeat what is told thee, and thou shalt fare never the worse. Whetherit be of friend or foe, tell it not; and unless it is a sin to thee, reveal it not: for he hath heard thee, and observed thee, and when thetime cometh he will hate thee. Hast thou heard a word? let it die withthee: be of good courage, it will not burst thee. A fool will travail inpain with a word, as a woman in labour with a child. As an arrow thatsticketh in the flesh of the thigh, so is a word in a fool's belly. Reprove a friend: it may be he did it not, and if he did something, thathe may do it no more. Reprove thy neighbour: it may be he said it not, and if he hath said it, that he may not say it again. Reprove a friend, for many times there is slander; and trust not every word. There is onethat slippeth, and not from the heart; and who is he that hath notsinned with his tongue? Reprove thy neighbour before thou threaten him;and give place to the law of the Most High. 

iv

On the Tongue

If thou blow a spark, it shall burn; and if thou spit upon it, it shallbe quenched: and both these shall come out of thy mouth. Curse thewhisperer and double-tongued: for he hath destroyed many that were atpeace. A third person's tongue hath shaken many, and dispersed them fromnation to nation; and it hath pulled down strong cities, and overthrownthe houses of great men. A third person's tongue hath cast out bravewomen, and deprived them of their labours. He that hearkeneth unto itshall not find rest, nor shall he dwell quietly. The stroke of a whipmaketh a mark in the flesh; but the stroke of a tongue will breakbones. Many have fallen by the edge of the sword; yet not so many asthey that have fallen because of the tongue. Happy is he that issheltered from it, that hath not passed through the wrath thereof; thathath not drawn its yoke, and hath not been bound with its bands. For theyoke thereof is a yoke of iron, and the bands thereof are bands ofbrass. The death thereof is an evil death; and Hades were better thanit. It shall not have rule over godly men; and they shall not be burnedin its flame. They that forsake the Lord shall fall into it; and itshall burn among them, and shall not be quenched: it shall be sent forthupon them as a lion, and as a leopard it shall destroy them. Look thatthou hedge thy possession about with thorns; bind up thy silver and thygold; and make a balance and a weight for thy words; and make a door anda bar for thy mouth. Take heed lest thou slip therein; lest thou fallbefore one that lieth in wait. 

v

Choice of Company

Bring not every man into thine house; for many are the plots of thedeceitful man. As a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the heart of aproud man; and as one that is a spy, he looketh upon thy falling. For helieth in wait to turn things that are good into evil; and in thingsthat are praiseworthy he will lay blame. From a spark of fire a heap ofmany coals is kindled; and a sinful man lieth in wait for blood. Takeheed of an evil-doer, for he contriveth wicked things; lest haply hebring upon thee blame for ever. Receive a stranger into thine house, andhe will distract thee with brawls, and estrange thee from thine own. 

If thou do good, know to whom thou doest it; and thy good deeds shallhave thanks. Do good to a godly man, and thou shalt find a recompense;and if not from him, yet from the Most High. There shall no good come tohim that continueth to do evil, nor to him that giveth no alms. Give tothe godly man and help not the sinner. Do good to one that is lowly, andgive not to an ungodly man; keep back his bread, and give it not to him, lest he overmaster thee thereby; for thou shalt receive twice as muchevil for all the good thou shalt have done unto him. For the Most Highalso hateth sinners, and will repay vengeance unto the ungodly. Give tothe good man, and help not the sinner. 

A man's friend will not be fully tried in prosperity; and his enemy willnot be hidden in adversity. In a man's prosperity his enemies aregrieved; and in his adversity even his friend will be separated fromhim. Never trust thine enemy, for like as the brass rusteth, so is hiswickedness: though he humble himself, and go crouching, yet take goodheed, and beware of him, and thou shalt be unto him as one that hathwiped a mirror, and thou shalt know that he hath not utterly rusted it. Set him not by thee, lest he overthrow thee and stand in thy place; lethim not sit on thy right hand, lest he seek to take thy seat, and at thelast thou acknowledge my words, and be pricked with my sayings. Who willpity a charmer that is bitten with a serpent? or any that come nigh wildbeasts? Even so who will pity him that goeth to a sinner, and is mingledwith him in his sins? For a while he will abide with thee, and if thougive way, he will not hold out. And the enemy will speak sweetly withhis lips, and in his heart take counsel how to overthrow thee into apit; the enemy will weep with his eyes, and if he find opportunity, hewill not be satiated with blood. If adversity meet thee, thou shalt findhim there before thee; and as though he would help thee, he will trip upthy heel. He will shake his head, and clap his hands, and whisper much, and change his countenance. 

He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled; and he that hath fellowshipwith a proud man shall become like unto him. Take not up a burden abovethy strength; and have no fellowship with one that is mightier andricher than thyself. What fellowship shall the earthen pot have with thekettle? this shall smite, and that shall be dashed in pieces. The richman doeth a wrong, and he threateneth withal: the poor is wronged, andhe shall entreat withal. If thou be profitable, he will makemerchandise of thee; and if thou be in want, he will forsake thee. Ifthou have substance, he will live with thee; and he will make thee bare, and will not be sorry. Hath he had need of thee? then he will deceivethee, and smile upon thee, and give thee hope: he will speak thee fair, and say, What needest thou? and he will shame thee by his meats, untilhe have made thee bare twice or thrice. And at the last he will laughthee to scorn; afterward will he see thee, and will forsake thee, andshake his head at thee. Beware that thou be not deceived, and broughtlow in thy mirth. If a mighty man invite thee, be retiring, and so muchthe more will he invite thee. Press not upon him, lest thou be thrustback; and stand not far off, lest thou be forgotten. Affect not to speakwith him as an equal, and believe not his many words: for with much talkwill he try thee, and in a smiling manner will search thee out. He thatkeepeth not to himself words spoken is unmerciful; and he will not spareto hurt and to bind. Keep them to thyself, and take earnest heed, forthou walkest in peril of thy falling. 

Every living creature loveth his like, and every man loveth hisneighbour. All flesh consorteth according to kind, and a man will cleaveto his like. What fellowship shall the wolf have with the lamb? so isthe sinner unto the godly. What peace is there between the hyena and thedog? and what peace between the rich man and the poor? Wild asses arethe prey of lions in the wilderness; so poor men are pasture for therich. Lowliness is an abomination to a proud man; so a poor man is anabomination to the rich. A rich man when he is shaken is held up of hisfriends; but one of low degree being down is thrust away also by hisfriends. When a rich man is fallen, there are many helpers; he speakeththings not to be spoken, and men justify him: a man of low degreefalleth, and men rebuke him withal; he uttereth wisdom, and no place isallowed him. A rich man speaketh, and all keep silence; and what hesaith they extol to the clouds: a poor man speaketh, and they say, Whois this? and if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him. Riches aregood that have no sin; and poverty is evil in the mouth of the ungodly. 

vi

The Wisdom of Business and the Wisdom of Leisure

The wisdom of the scribe cometh by opportunity of leisure; and he thathath little business shall become wise. How shall he become wise thatholdeth the plow, that glorieth in the shaft of the goad, that drivethoxen, and is occupied in their labours, and whose discourse is of thestock of bulls? He will set his heart upon turning his furrows; and hiswakefulness is to give his heifers their fodder. So is every artificerand workmaster, that passeth his time by night as by day; they that cutgravings of signets, and his diligence is to make great variety; he willset his heart to preserve likeness in his portraiture, and will bewakeful to finish his work. So is the smith sitting by the anvil, andconsidering the unwrought iron; the vapour of the fire will waste hisflesh, and in the heat of the furnace will he wrestle with his work; thenoise of the hammer will be ever in his ear, and his eyes are upon thepattern of the vessel; he will set his heart upon perfecting his works, and he will be wakeful to adorn them perfectly. So is the potter sittingat his work, and turning the wheel about with his feet, who is alwayanxiously set at his work, and all his handywork is by number; he willfashion the clay with his arm, and will bend its strength in front ofhis feet; he will apply his heart to finish the glazing, and he will bewakeful to make clean the furnace. All these put their trust in theirhands; and each becometh wise in his own work. Without these shall not acity be inhabited, and men shall not sojourn nor walk up and downtherein. They shall not be sought for in the council of the people, andin the assembly they shall not mount on high, they shall not sit on theseat of the judge, and they shall not understand the covenant ofjudgement; neither shall they declare instruction and judgement, andwhere parables are they shall not be found. But they will maintain thefabric of the world; and in the handywork of their craft is theirprayer. 

Not so he that hath applied his soul, and meditateth in the law of theMost High. He will seek out the wisdom of all of the ancients, and willbe occupied in prophecies. He will keep the discourse of the men ofrenown, and will enter in amidst the subtilties of parables. He willseek out the hidden meaning of proverbs, and be conversant in the darksayings of parables. He will serve among great men, and appear beforehim that ruleth. He will travel through the land of strange nations; forhe hath tried good things and evil among men. He will apply his heart toresort early to the Lord that made him, and will make supplicationbefore the Most High, and will open his mouth in prayer, and will makesupplication for his sins. If the great Lord will, he shall be filledwith the spirit of understanding: he shall pour forth the words of hiswisdom, and in prayer give thanks unto the Lord. He shall direct hiscounsel and knowledge, and in his secrets shall he meditate. He shallshew forth the instruction which he hath been taught, and shall glory inthe law of the covenant of the Lord. Many shall commend hisunderstanding, and so long as the world endureth, it shall not beblotted out; his memorial shall not depart, and his name shall live fromgeneration to generation; nations shall declare his wisdom, and thecongregation shall tell out his praise. If he continue, he shall leave agreater name than a thousand: and if he die, he addeth thereto. 

vii

Life as a Joy shadowed by the Judgment

An Essay with a Sonnet

Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes tobehold the sun. Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in themall; and remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All thatcometh is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heartcheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thineheart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all thesethings God will bring thee into judgement. Therefore remove sorrow fromthy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for youth and the prime oflife are vanity. 

The Coming of the Evil Days

 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth:

 Or ever the evil days come, And the years draw nigh, When thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them:

 Or ever the sun. And the light, And the moon, And the stars, Be darkened, And the clouds return after the rain: In the days when the keepers of the house shall tremble, And the strong men shall bow themselves, And the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the street;

 When the sound of the grinding is low, And one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, And all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

 Yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high. And terrors shall be in the way;

 And the almond tree shall blossom, And the grasshopper shall be a burden, And the caperberry shall burst:

 Because man goeth to his long home, And the mourners go about the streets:

 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, Or the golden bowl be broken, Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the cistern:

 And the dust return to the earth, As it was; And the spirit return unto God Who gave it. 

SONNETS[5]

[Footnote 5: For the difference of form between the Hebrew and themodern sonnet see Notes, page 255. ]

i

The Sluggard

 Go to the ant, thou Sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no chief, Overseer, Or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest. 

 How long wilt thou sleep, O Sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? "Yet a little sleep, A little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep"-- So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man!

ii

The Mourning for the Fool

 Weep for the dead, For light hath failed him; And weep for a fool, For understanding hath failed him:

 Weep more sweetly for the dead, Because he hath found rest; But the life of the fool Is worse than death. 

Seven days are the days of mourning for the dead: But for a fool and anungodly man, all the days of his life. 

iii

The Two Paths

 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; Let her not go: Keep her; For she is thy life. 

 Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, Pass not by it; Turn from it, And pass on. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. 

 But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble. 

iv

The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize

 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; Neither be weary of his reproof: For whom the LORD loveth he reproveth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 

 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, And the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her. 

 Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her. 

 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew. 

v

Watchfulness of Lips and Heart

 Who shall set a watch over my mouth, And a seal of shrewdness upon my lips, That I fall not from it, And that my tongue destroy me not?

 O Lord, Father and Master of my life, Abandon me not to their counsel: Suffer me not to fall by them. 

 Who will set scourges over my thought, And a discipline of wisdom over mine heart? That they spare me not for mine ignorances, And my heart pass not by their sins: That mine ignorances be not multiplied, And my sins abound not; And I shall fall before mine adversaries, And mine enemy rejoice over me?

 O Lord, Father and God of my life, Give me not a proud look, And turn away concupiscence from me. Let not greediness and chambering overtake me, And give me not over to a shameless mind. 

vi

Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord

 All wisdom cometh from the Lord, And is with him for ever. The sand of the seas, And the drops of rain, And the days of eternity, who shall number? The height of the heaven, And the breadth of the earth, and the deep, And wisdom, who shall search them out? Wisdom hath been created before all things, And the understanding of prudence from everlasting. 

 To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed? And who hath known her shrewd counsels? There is one wise, Greatly to be feared, The Lord sitting upon his throne: He created her, And saw, and numbered her, And poured her out upon all his works. She is with all flesh according to his gift; And he gave her freely to them that love him. 

 The fear of the Lord Is glory and exultation, And gladness, and a crown of rejoicing. 

 The fear of the Lord Shall delight the heart, And shall give gladness, and joy, and length of days. 

 Whoso feareth the Lord, It shall go well with him at the last, And in the day of his death he shall be blessed. 

 To fear the Lord Is the beginning of wisdom; And it was created together with the faithful in the womb. With men she laid an eternal foundation; And with their seed shall she be had in trust. 

 To fear the Lord Is the fulness of wisdom; And she satiateth men with her fruits. She shall fill all her house with desirable things, And her garners with her produce. 

 The fear of the Lord Is the crown of wisdom, Making peace and perfect health to flourish. He both saw and numbered her; He rained down skill and knowledge of understanding, And exalted the honour of them that hold her fast. 

 To fear the Lord Is the root of wisdom; And her branches are length of days. 

vii

Wisdom and the Strange Woman

1

 My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; And my law, as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the table of thine heart. Say unto Wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call Understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the Strange Woman, From the stranger which flattereth with her words. 

2

 For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice; And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man, Void of understanding, Passing through the street near her corner, And he went the way to her house; In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the blackness of night and the darkness; And behold, there met him a Woman With the attire of an harlot, and wily of heart. 

 She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house; Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner. So she caught him, and kissed him, With an impudent face she said unto him:

 "Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me; This day have I paid my vows; Therefore came I forth to meet thee, Diligently to seek thy face, And I have found thee. I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt; I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love Until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with loves; For the goodman is not at home, He is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon. "

 With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield, With the flattering of her lips she forceth him away. 

 He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool; Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteth to the snare, And knoweth not that it is for his life. 

3

 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, Go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host. Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death. 

4

 Doth not Wisdom cry, And Understanding put forth her voice? In the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, She standeth; Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, She crieth aloud:

 Unto you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of men. O ye simple, understand subtilty; And ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 

 All the words of my mouth are righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, And right to them that find knowledge Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto her. 

5

 I Wisdom have made subtilty my dwelling, And find out knowledge and discretion. 

 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogancy, And the evil way, And the froward mouth, do I hate. 

 Counsel is mine, And sound knowledge; I am understanding, I have might. 

 By me kings reign, And princes decree justice; By me princes rule, And nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 

 I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me. 

 Riches and honour are with me; Durable riches and righteousness; My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver. 

 I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of judgement: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries. 

6

 The LORD formed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 

 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 

 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, Nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 

 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep: When he made firm the skies above: When the fountains of the deep became strong: When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment:

 When he marked out the foundations of the earth, Then I was by him, As a master workman, And I was daily his delight, Sporting always before him; Sporting in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men. 

7

 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me: For blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favour of the LORD; But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul; All they that hate me love death. 

LYRICS

I

AN ELEGY OF A BROKEN HEART

1

 Let the day perish wherein I was born; And the night which said, There is a man child conceived!

 Let that day be darkness; Let not God regard it from above, Neither let the light shine upon it! Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let all that maketh black the day terrify it!

 As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it; Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months! Lo, let that night be barren; Let no joyful voice come therein! Let them curse it that curse the day, Who are ready to rouse up leviathan! Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark! Let it look for light, but have none; Neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning:

 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, Nor hid trouble from mine eyes!

2

 Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should suck?

 For now should I have lien down and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest, With kings and counsellors of the earth, Which built solitary piles for themselves; Or with princes that had gold, Who filled their houses with silver; Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; As infants which never saw light. There the wicked cease from troubling; And there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners are at ease together; They hear not the voice of the taskmaster. The small and great are there; And the servant is free from his master. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, And life unto the bitter in soul? Which long for death, but it cometh not; And dig for it more than for hid treasures; Which rejoice exceedingly, And are glad when they can find the grave. Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing cometh before I eat, And my roarings are poured out like water. For the thing which I fear cometh upon me, And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, Neither have I rest: but trouble cometh!

II

THE CREATOR'S JOY IN HIS CREATION

 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 havecommanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mineanger, 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 atanother; 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 givetheir light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moonshall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world fortheir evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause thearrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of theterrible. I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man thanthe 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 LORDof 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 shallturn every man to his own people, and shall flee every man to his ownland. Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every onethat is taken shall fall by the sword. Their infants also shall bedashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, andtheir wives ravished. Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they shall not delightin it. And their bows shall dash the young men in pieces; and they shallhave no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not sparechildren. 

 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 withthem, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the peoples shalltake them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shallpossess them in the land of the LORD for servants and for handmaids; andthey shall take them captive, whose captives they were; and they shallrule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day thatthe LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, andfrom the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalttake 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 hastdestroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of evil-doersshall not be named for ever. Prepare ye slaughter for his children forthe iniquity of their fathers; that they rise not up, and possess theearth, and fill the face of the world with cities. And I will rise upagainst them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name andremnant, and son and son's son, saith the LORD. I will also make it apossession for the porcupine, and pools of water: and I will sweep itwith 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 ofwrath; the LORD taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he reservethwrath 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 thewhirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. Herebuketh 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 isupheaved at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in thefierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocksare broken asunder by him. 

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

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

2

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

Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. And now willI 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 thyname be sown; out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the gravenimage 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: forthe 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 excellencyof Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vinebranches. 

 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 herchariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and Iwill cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengersshall 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 discoverthy skirts upon thy face; and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, andthe kingdoms thy shame. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, andmake thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. And it shall come topass, 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 uponthe ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 

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

Because of the ground which is chapt, for that no rain hath been in theland, 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 noherbage. 

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. Othou hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in the time of trouble, whyshouldest thou be as a sojourner in the land, and as a wayfaring manthat turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a manastonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in themidst 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 acceptthem; 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 heartheir cry; and when they offer burnt offering and oblation, I will notaccept 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 thesword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peacein this place. 

THE LORD

The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have Icommanded them, neither spake I unto them; they prophesy unto you alying vision, and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit oftheir own heart. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophetsthat prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword andfamine shall not be in this land: By sword and famine shall thoseprophets be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be castout in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; andthey shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them. Andthou shalt say this word unto them, 'Let mine eyes run down with tearsnight and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of mypeople is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound. If Igo forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if Ienter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! forboth the prophet and the priest go about in the land and have noknowledge. '

REPENTENT ISRAEL

Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul loathed Zion? why hastthou 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! Weacknowledge, 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 thycovenant with us. Are there any among the vanities of the heathen thatcan cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORDour God? therefore we will wait upon thee; for thou hast made all thesethings. 

THE LORD (to the Prophet)

Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be towardthis people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. And itshall 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 arefor the famine, to the famine; and such as are for captivity, tocaptivity. And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: thesword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, andthe beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy. And I will cause themto be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, because ofManasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did inJerusalem. For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shallbemoan thee? or who shall turn aside to ask of thy welfare? Thou hastrejected me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore have Istretched out my hand against thee, and destroyed thee; I am weary withrepenting. And I have fanned them with a fan in the gates of the land; Ihave bereaved them of children, I have destroyed my people; they havenot returned from their ways. Their widows are increased to me above thesand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of theyoung men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused anguish and terrors tofall upon her suddenly. She that hath borne seven languisheth; she hathgiven up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day; she hathbeen ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver tothe 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 manof contention to the whole earth! I have not lent on usury, neither havemen 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 tomake supplication unto thee in the time of evil and in the time ofaffliction. 

THE LORD (to the People)

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

REPENTENT ISRAEL

O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and avenge me of mypersecutors: take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thysake 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 Iam called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. I sat not in the assembly ofthem that make merry, nor rejoiced: I sat alone because of thy hand; forthou hast filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual, and mywound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou indeed be untome as a deceitful brook, as waters that fail?

THE LORD

Therefore thus saith the LORD: If thou return, then will I bring theeagain, that thou mayest stand before me; and if thou take forth theprecious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall returnunto 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 theyshall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for Iam with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. And Iwill deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem theeout 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 untothee of violence, and thou wilt not save. Why dost thou shew meiniquity, and cause me to look upon perverseness? for spoiling andviolence are before me: and there is strife, and contention riseth up. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgement doth never go forth: for thewicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore judgement goeth forthperverted. 

THE LORD

Behold ye among the nations, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for Iwork a work in your days, which ye will not believe though it be toldyou. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation;which march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling placesthat are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgementand their dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifterthan leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves; and theirhorsemen bear themselves proudly: yea, their horsemen come from far;they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour. They come all of them forviolence; their faces are set eagerly as the east wind; and they gathercaptives as the sand. Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are aderision unto him: he derideth every strong hold; for he heapeth updust, and taketh it. Then shall he sweep by as a wind, and shall passover, and be guilty: even he whose might is his god. 

THE PROPHET

Art not thou from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? thou diestnot. O LORD, thou hast ordained him for judgement; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction. Thou that art of purer eyes than tobehold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookestthou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when thewicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he; and makestmen as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no rulerover them? He taketh up all of them with the angle, he catcheth them inhis net, and gathereth them in his drag: therefore he rejoiceth and isglad. Therefore he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense untohis drag; because by them his portion is fat, and his meat plenteous. Shall he therefore empty his net, and not spare to slay the nationscontinually?

ii

The Solution

THE PROPHET

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will lookforth to see what he will speak by me, and what I shall answerconcerning my complaint. 

THE LORD

Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run thatreadeth it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hastethtoward the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; becauseit will surely come, it will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright in him: but the just shall live in his faithfulness. Yea, moreover, wine is a treacherous dealer, a haughty man, and thatkeepeth not at home; who enlargeth his desire as hell, and he is asdeath, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, andheapeth unto him all peoples. Shall not all these take up a parableagainst him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say:

Doom of the Chaldeans

1

 Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his, --How long?-- And that ladeth himself with pledges!

Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall exact usury of thee, andawake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the peoplesshall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence done tothe land, to the city, and to all that dwell therein. 

2

 Woe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the hand of evil!

Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many peoples, andhast sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. 

3

 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, And stablisheth a city by iniquity!

Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the peoples labour for thefire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity? For the earth shallbe filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waterscover the sea. 

4

 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, That addest thy venom thereto, And makest him drunken also, That thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and be as oneuncircumcised. The cup of the LORD'S right hand shall be turned untothee, and foul shame shall be upon thy glory. For the violence done toLebanon shall cover thee, and the destruction of the beasts which madethem afraid; because of men's blood, and for the violence done to theland, to the city, and to all that dwell therein. 

5

What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it;the molten image, and the teacher of lies, that the maker of his worktrusteth therein, to make dumb idols?--

 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; To the dumb stone, Arise!

Shall this teach? Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, andthere is no breath at all in the midst of it. But the LORD is in hisholy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him!

iii

Jehovah come to Judgment

 Prelude

 O LORD, I have heard the report of thee, and am afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known: In wrath remember mercy!

 Strophe

 God cometh from Teman, And the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covereth the heavens, And the earth is full of his praise. And his brightness is as the light; He hath rays coming forth from his hand; And there is the hiding of his power. Before him goeth the pestilence, And fiery bolts go forth at his feet. He standeth and shaketh the earth; He beholdeth, and driveth asunder the nations: And the eternal mountains are scattered, The everlasting hills do bow; His ways are everlasting. I see the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian do tremble. 

 Antistrophe

 Is the LORD displeased against the rivers? Is thine anger against the rivers, or thy wrath against the sea, That thou dost ride upon thine horses, Upon thy chariots of salvation? Thy bow is made quite bare, Sworn are the chastisements of thy word. Thou dost cleave the earth with rivers; The mountains see thee and are afraid; The tempest of waters passeth by; The deep uttereth his voice, And lifteth up his hands on high; The sun and moon stand still in their habitation At the light of thine arrows as they go, At the shining of thy glittering spear. Thou dost march through the land in indignation, Thou dost thresh the nations in anger. 

 Epode

 Thou art come for the salvation of thy people, For the salvation of thine anointed: Thou dost smite off the head from the house of the wicked, Laying bare the foundation even unto the neck. Thou dost pierce with his own staves the head of his warriors: (They came as a whirlwind to scatter me, Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly:) Thou dost tread the sea with thine horses, the surge of mighty waters. 

 Postlude

 I heard, and my belly trembled, My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in my place: That I should rest waiting for the day of trouble, When he that shall invade them in troops cometh up against the people. For though the fig tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength, And he maketh my feet like hinds' feet, And will make me to walk upon mine high places. 

JOEL'S RHAPSODY OF THE LOCUST PLAGUE

i

The Land Desolate and Mourning

OLD MEN

 Hear this, ye old men, And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land! Hath this been in your days, Or in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, And let your children tell their children, And their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left Hath the locust eaten; And that which the locust hath left Hath the cankerworm eaten; And that which the cankerworm hath left Hath the caterpillar eaten. 

REVELLERS

 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep, And howl, all ye drinkers of wine, Because of the sweet wine; For it is cut off from your mouth! For a nation is come up upon my land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he hath the jaw teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, And barked my fig tree: He hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; The branches thereof are made white. 

PRIESTS

 Lament like a virgin Girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth! The meal offering and the drink offering Is cut off from the house of the LORD: The priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, The land mourneth; For the corn is wasted, The new wine is dried up, The oil languisheth. 

HUSBANDMEN

 Be ashamed, O ye husbandmen, Howl, O ye vinedressers, For the wheat, and for the barley; For the harvest of the field is perished! The vine is withered, And the fig tree languisheth; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, and the apple tree, Even all the trees of the field are withered: For joy is withered away from the sons of men. 

PRIESTS

 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests; Howl, ye ministers of the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, Ye ministers of my God: For the meal offering and the drink offering Is withholden from the house of your God!

THE WHOLE PEOPLE

Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the old men and all theinhabitants of the land unto the house of the LORD your God, and cryunto the LORD:

 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand! And as destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, Yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

 The seeds rot under their clods: The garners are laid desolate, The barns are broken down; For the corn is withered. 

 How do the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, Because they have no pasture; Yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 

 O LORD, to thee do I cry: For the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, And the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto thee: For the water brooks are dried up, And the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. 

ii

The Judgment Advancing

 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in my holy mountain; Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble!

For the Day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day ofdarkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the dawnspread upon the mountains; a great people and a strong, there hath notbeen ever the like, neither shall be any more after them, even to theyears of many generations!

 A fire devoureth before them; And behind them a flame burneth: The land is as the garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness!

Yea, and none hath escaped them. The appearance of them is as theappearance of horses; and as horsemen, so do they run. Like the noise ofchariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap, like the noise of aflame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set inbattle array. 

 At their presence the peoples are in anguish: All faces are waxed pale: They run like mighty men; They climb the wall like men of war; And they march every one on his ways. 

And they break not their ranks: neither doth one thrust another; theymarch every one in his path: and they burst through the weapons, andbreak not off their course. 

 They leap upon the city; They run upon the wall; They climb up into the houses; They enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth quaketh before them; The heavens tremble: The sun and the moon are darkened, And the stars withdraw their shining. 

And the LORD uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is verygreat; for he is strong that executeth his word: for the Day of the LORDis great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

iii

Repentance at the Last Moment

THE LORD

Yet even now, saith the LORD, turn ye unto me with all your heart, andwith fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he isgracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and repenteth him of the evil. 

THE PEOPLE

Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessingbehind him, even a meal offering and a drink offering unto the LORD yourGod?

 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Sanctify a fast, Call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the old men, Gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, And the bride out of her closet. 

Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch andthe altar, and let them say:

PRIESTS

 Spare thy people, O LORD, And give not thine heritage to reproach, That the nations should use a byword against them, Wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

iv

Relief and Restoration

Then was the LORD jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. 

THE LORD

Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall besatisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among thenations: but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and willdrive him into a land barren and desolate, his forepart into the easternsea, and his hinder part into the western sea; and his stink shall comeup, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. 

Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice; for the LORD hath done greatthings. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of thewilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree andthe vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, andrejoice in the LORD your God: for he giveth you the former rain in justmeasure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rainand the latter rain, in the first month. And the floors shall be full ofwheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I willrestore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sentamong you. And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praisethe name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: andmy people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in themidst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and there is noneelse: and my people shall never be ashamed. 

v

Afterward

THE LORD

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit uponall flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old menshall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon theservants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, andfire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, andthe moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of theLORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shallbe those that escape, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom theLORD doth call. For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when Ishall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gatherall nations, and will bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat[6];and I will plead with them there for my people and for my heritageIsrael, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people: and have given a boy for anharlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. Yea, and whatare ye to me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the regions of Philistia? willye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedilywill I return your recompence upon your own head. Forasmuch as ye havetaken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples mygoodly pleasant things; the children also of Judah and the children ofJerusalem have ye sold unto the sons of the Grecians, that ye mightremove them far from their border: behold, I will stir them up out ofthe place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompenceupon your own head; and I will sell your sons and your daughters intothe hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the menof Sheba, to a nation far off: for the LORD hath spoken it. 

[Footnote 6: The LORD'S Decision. ]

vi

Advance to the Valley of Decision

THE LORD

Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war: stir up the mighty men;let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowsharesinto swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I amstrong. 

VOICES

Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselvestogether. Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 

THE LORD

Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the Valley of'Jehoshaphat': for there will I 'sit to judge' all the nations roundabout. 

THE LORD (to his Hosts)

Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, tread ye; for thewinepress is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 

THE PROPHETIC SPECTATOR

Multitudes, multitudes in the Valley of Decision! for the Day of theLORD is near in the Valley of Decision. The sun and the moon aredarkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. And the LORD shall roarfrom Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and theearth shall shake: but the LORD will be a refuge unto his people, and astrong hold to the children of Israel. 

vii

The Holy Mountain and Eternal Peace

THE LORD

So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God, dwelling in Zion my holymountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangerspass through her any more. And it shall come to pass in that day, thatthe mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow withmilk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountainshall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the Valley ofAcacias. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolatewilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, becausethey have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall beinhabited for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. And Iwill cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwellethin Zion. 

THE HURT OF THE DAUGHTER OF MY PEOPLE

A Rhapsodic Discourse of Jeremiah

Thus saith the LORD: Shall men fall, and not rise up again? shall oneturn away, and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem sliddenback by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse toreturn. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no manrepenteth him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every oneturneth to his course, as a horse that rusheth headlong in the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtleand the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but mypeople know not the ordinance of the LORD. How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? But, behold, the false pen of thescribes hath wrought falsely. The wise men are ashamed, they aredismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; andwhat manner of wisdom is in them? Therefore will I give their wives untoothers, and their fields to them that shall possess them: for every onefrom the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from theprophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. And they havehealed the hurt of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committedabomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could theyblush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time oftheir visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. I will utterlyconsume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, norfigs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that Ihave given them shall pass away from them. 

THE PEOPLE

Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into thedefenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hathput us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we havesinned against the LORD. We looked for peace, but no good came; and fora time of healing, and behold dismay! The snorting of his horses isheard from Dan: at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones thewhole land trembleth; for they are come, and have devoured the land andall that is in it; the city and those that dwell therein. 

THE LORD

For, behold, I will send serpents, basilisks, among you, which will notbe charmed; and they shall bite you, saith the LORD. 

THE PROPHET

Oh that I could comfort myself against sorrow! my heart is faint withinme. Behold, the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from aland that is very far off--

THE PEOPLE

Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her King in her?

THE LORD

Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and withstrange vanities?

THE PEOPLE

The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!

THE PROPHET

For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt: I am black;astonishment hath taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead? is thereno physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of mypeople recovered? Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountainof tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughterof my people! Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place ofwayfaring men; that I might leave my people and go from them! for theybe all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. And they bend theirtongue as it were their bow for falsehood; and they are grown strong inthe land, but not for truth. 

THE LORD

For they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith theLORD. Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in anybrother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbourwill go about with slanders. And they will deceive every one hisneighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongueto speak lies; they weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thinehabitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to knowme, saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, Iwill melt them, and try them; for how else should I do, because of thedaughter of my people? Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speakethdeceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but inhis heart he layeth wait for him. Shall I not visit them for thesethings? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation asthis?

THE LORD'S CONTROVERSY BEFORE THE MOUNTAINS

A Dramatic Morceau of Micah

THE LORD

Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thyvoice. Hear, O ye mountains, the LORD'S controversy, and ye enduringfoundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with hispeople, and he will plead with Israel. 

O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I weariedthee? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land ofEgypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage; and I sent beforethee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what Balak kingof Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him;remember from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteous actsof the LORD. 

THE PEOPLE

Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the highGod? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a yearold? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with tenthousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for mytransgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

THE MOUNTAINS

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD requireof thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly withthy God?

A CRY OF COMFORT FOR JERUSALEM

Prelude to the Rhapsody of 'Zion Redeemed'

JEHOVAH

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortablyto Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, thather iniquity is pardoned; that she hath received of the LORD'S handdouble for all her sins. 

[Voices carry on the tidings across the desert to Jerusalem

A VOICE OF ONE CRYING

 Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the LORD, Make straight in the desert a high way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, And every mountain and hill shall be made low: And the crooked shall be made straight, And the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together: For the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 

A SECOND VOICE (in the distance)

 Cry!

A DESPAIRING VOICE

 What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, And all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, The flower fadeth, Because the breath of the LORD bloweth upon it: Surely the people is grass!

THE SECOND VOICE

 The grass withereth, The flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever. 

FOURTH VOICE (still more distant)

 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, Get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, Lift up thy voice with strength; Lift it up, be not afraid; Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

FIFTH VOICE

 Behold, the Lord GOD will come as a mighty one, And his arm shall rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, And his recompence before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, He shall gather the lambs in his arm, And carry them in his bosom, And shall gently lead those that give suck. 

ZION AWAKENED

(Being Vision III of the Rhapsody of 'Zion Redeemed')

Appeals to Zion

JEHOVAH

Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek theLORD: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pitwhence ye were digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarahthat bare you: for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many. 

For the LORD hath comforted Zion: he hath comforted all her wasteplaces, and hath made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like thegarden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. 

(No response)

JEHOVAH

Attend unto me, O my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation; for alaw shall go forth from me, and I will make my judgement to rest for alight of the peoples. My righteousness is near, my salvation is goneforth, and mine arms shall judge the peoples; the isles shall wait forme, and on mine arm shall they trust. 

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: forthe heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax oldlike a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner:but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not beabolished. 

(No response)

JEHOVAH

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heartis my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye dismayed attheir revilings. 

For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eatthem like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvationunto all generations. 

(No response)

THE CELESTIAL HOSTS

 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; Awake, as in the days of old, The generations of ancient times! Art thou not it that cut Rahab in pieces, That pierced the dragon? Art thou not it which dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea A way for the redeemed to pass over?

 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come with singing unto Zion; And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: They shall obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

JEHOVAH

I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou art afraidof man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made asgrass; and hast forgotten the LORD thy Maker, that stretched forth theheavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and fearest continuallyall the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he maketh readyto destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exileshall speedily be loosed; and he shall not die and go down into the pit, neither shall his bread fail. 

For I am the LORD thy God, which stilleth the sea, when the wavesthereof roar: the LORD of hosts is his name. And I have put my words inthy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I mayplant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say untoZion, Thou art my people. 

(No response)

THE CELESTIAL HOSTS

 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, Which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; Thou hast drunken the bowl of the cup of staggering, and drained it. 

 There is none to guide her Among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; Neither is there any that taketh her by the hand Of all the sons that she hath brought up. 

 These two things are befallen thee; Who shall bemoan thee? Desolation and destruction, And the famine, and the sword, How shall I comfort thee?

 Thy sons have fainted, They lie at the top of all the streets, As an antelope in a net; They are full of the fury of the LORD, The rebuke of thy God. 

JEHOVAH

Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:Thus saith thy Lord, the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause ofhis people: Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup ofstaggering, even the bowl of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no moredrink it again: and I will put it into the hand of them that afflictthee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: andthou hast laid thy back as the ground, and as the street, to them thatgo over. 

(No response)

THE CELESTIAL HOSTS

 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: For henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 

 Shake thyself from the dust; Arise, sit thee down, O Jerusalem: Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 

JEHOVAH

For thus saith the LORD, Ye were sold for nought, and ye shall beredeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went downat the first into Egypt to sojourn there: and the Assyrian oppressedthem without cause. Now therefore, what do I here, saith the LORD, seeing that my people is taken away for nought? They that rule over themdo howl, saith the LORD, and my name continually all the day isblasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shallknow in that day that I am he that doth speak: Behold it is I!

ii

The Awakening

CHORUS OF WATCHMEN

 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him That bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, That bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation: That saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

 The voice of thy Watchmen! they lift up the voice, Together do they sing, For they shall see, eye to eye, How the LORD returneth to Zion. 

 Break forth into joy, sing together, Ye waste places of Jerusalem: For the LORD hath comforted his people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. 

 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth Shall see the salvation of our God. 

 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, Touch no unclean thing; Go ye out of the midst of her; Be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels of the LORD. 

 For ye shall not go out in haste, Neither shall ye go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rearward. 

NOTES

The Metrical System of Biblical Verse

In the strictest sense the term 'metrical' is not applicable to Biblicalverse, since this is constituted, not by any numbering of syllables, butby the parallelism of whole clauses. 

 The LORD of Hosts is with us, The God of Jacob is our refuge. 

This is verse, not in virtue of any particular number of syllables inthe lines, but because the second line is felt to run parallel with thefirst. This principle of parallelism of clauses underlies the whole ofversification in Scriptural literature. As however the different modesof combination and variation of these parallel lines in Biblical poetrycorrespond, to a large extent, with those of metrical lines in otherlanguages, it is convenient to speak of the principles governing them asa 'metrical system. '

One consequence however of the difference between Biblical and otherverse should always be borne in mind. The parallelism of clauses, whichmakes the foundation of Hebrew verse, is also a thing proper tooratorical prose in all languages. Accordingly in Hebrew prose and verseoverlap: the extremes of either (e. G. Psalms and Chronicles) arestrongly contrasted, but there is a middle style which can be presentedin either form. Hence there is nothing strange in the fact that the samepassage of Scripture may be presented by one editor as prose and byanother as verse, according to the purpose of each arrangement. [Forexample: the Oration on Immortality (page 75), which for a specimen oforatory is here arranged as prose, is printed as verse in the RevisedVersion of the Apocrypha. ]

1. The simplest type of parallelism in Biblical literature may be called'Antique Rhythm. ' It is the metre of most of the traditional poetrypreserved in the historic books of Scripture. Its unit consists in acouplet, of which either member may be strengthened by a parallel line, but not both. 

 Let me die the death of the righteous. And let my last end be like his!

 He saith, which heareth the words of God, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open. 

 He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, And shall break their bones in pieces, And smite them through with his arrows. 

Such a unit may be called a 'strain. ' It will be seen in the examplesthat the first strain is a simple couplet, the second has its first linestrengthened, the last has its second line strengthened. This power ofoccasionally strengthening either line of a couplet by an additionalline gives the Antique Rhythm a flexibility suited to spontaneouscomposition. A similar device is found in connection with thetraditional ballad poetry of England, of which such collections as ThePercy Reliques are accidentally preserved specimens. While the regularmetre of such ballads is a four-line stanza, yet a few poems, such asthe Ballad of Sir Cauline, show some stanzas with individual linesstrengthened:

 Fair Christabel, that lady mild, Was had forth of her tower; But ever she droopeth in her mind, As nipt by an ungentle wind Doth some pale lily flower. 

The poetry of the historic books mostly takes the form of aggregationsof such 'strains' of Antique Rhythm, with no further structure. Occasionally such a poem will fall into verse paragraphs or 'strophes'[to be distinguished from the antistrophic system presently to bedescribed]: an example is David's Song of Victory (see note on page266). [For a combination of Antique Rhythm and the Antistrophic system, see note to vii on page 267. ]

2. The metre of Wisdom verse is highly elaborate: we find here, not onlythe parallelism of successive clauses, but the 'high parallelism' whichcorrelates all parts of a whole poem with one another. Two types may bedistinguished: the Stanza structure and the Antistrophic structure. 

Stanzas are familiar to the English reader: in Biblical poetry groups ofthree lines, or four lines, etc. , recur in succession: a simple exampleis the Chorus of Watchmen (on page 236). 

The Antistrophic system is familiar to students of Greek, as themetrical form of tragic choral odes. In this case the stanzas run inpairs, strophe and antistrophe, the theory being that the antistropheexactly repeats the metrical form of its strophe; if another strophefollows the form may altogether change, but the changed form will berepeated in the corresponding antistrophe. [This may be expressed by theformula a a', b b', c c', etc. ] Besides the pair of strophes there maybe an introduction, or conclusion, or both. No. I of the Sonnets (onpage 125) is an example of a poem consisting simply of strophe andantistrophe; No. Iii (page 126) has also a conclusion. [7]

[Footnote 7: The term strophe is the Greek for 'turning': the system isderived from the dance performance of Greek odes, according to which thechorus danced from the altar to the end of the orchestra in one stanza, then 'turned, ' and _retraced their steps_ for the antistrophe or'answering' stanza. The term strophe has come to be used also for verseparagraphs where there is no antistrophic arrangement. (See page 266, note on vi. )]

Both in the case of the Stanza structure and the Antistrophic structurethere are various modifications and elaborations--duplication, inversion, interruption, etc. : these it will be sufficient to explain inconnection with the examples in which they are found. 

3. The metre of Lyrics is in the main the same as that of Wisdom poetry. But in the strictest kinds of lyrics the structure is further determinedby the musical performance. A lyric may be a solo, or the matter may bearranged for 'antiphonal' performance between different performers, e. G. Choruses of Men and of Women. Antiphonal and antistrophic structure goeasily together: see Deborah's Song, page 152. The musical performancealso introduces the 'refrain, ' a passage recurring (with or withoutchanges for musical effect): for example see The Song of Moses andMiriam (page 149). 

4. A characteristic metrical system in Biblical verse is the 'Doomform. ' Here the thread of the poem is in what, for form and spirit, maybe called prose; but this prose is interrupted at intervals by lyricverse, celebrating or realising what the prose brings forward. This ischiefly found in prophecies of 'doom, ' or denunciation of the foes ofIsrael (hence the name): the prose is a Divine word of denunciation, thelyrics are mostly impersonal celebrations of what the Divine speakersays. The form is easily collected from examples; see pages 175-181. 

STORY

Story as a form of literature differs from History by its appeal to theimagination and emotions, whereas History addresses itself to our senseof record and scientific explanation. It is of no consequence whetherthe matter of the story be historic fact or invention; in the one casethe writer selects, in the other case he frames, such details as willhave the desired effect in presenting the story to the mind of thereader. The stories of the Bible are scattered through the history, ofwhich they form a part; thus a reader of the Bible in its ordinaryversions may be required at any moment to alter the character of hisattention without anything to warn him of the change. In the ModernReader's Bible (volumes Genesis, The Exodus, The Judges, The Kings) thestories are separated from the surrounding matter by titles. Selectionsof these stories enter into the present volume. 

/i. Joseph and his Brethren. / This is one of the most elaborate andartistically beautiful stories in all literature. It emphasises animportant place in the Biblical history, Joseph being a link between theChildren of Israel and the world empire of Egypt. Among elements ofstory beauty note the personality of Joseph, its attractiveness whereverhe goes and its gradual maturing. Note also the sketches of varied lifewhich make a background to the story as it moves along--glimpses ofshepherd life, of caravan trading, of palace life in Egypt. But the maininterest will be the 'plot'--the technical term for the harmony thatbinds the different parts of a story into one whole. In the present casethere are three 'motives' underlying the plot. (1) What has been calledthe 'oracular action': the interest of mystic dream oracles graduallybecoming clear as the oracles are fulfilled. (2) The development of anironic situation--Joseph recognising his brethren but not recognised bythem: once developed this situation is prolonged to the utmost by thehero's conflict of feelings, between resentment and family affection. (3) Beneath all other motives is the providential overruling of humanevents for high purposes (compare page 27). 

/ii. The Witness of Balaam. / The place of this story in the main historyis indicated by its title: the 'Exodus' is the period of development forIsrael from a family to a nation, and towards the close of the periodBalaam, an outsider, bears witness in spite of himself to the growingnumbers of the nation and to its glorious future. --In literary form itis a 'mixed epic' or 'canti-fable': a story in prose that breaks intoverse at appropriate places. (Compare the expression _took up hisparable_: the parable is an undefined term for a more specialisedliterary form occurring in the course of more general literature, suchas a fable in the midst of a discourse, or a poem in the midst ofprose. )--Its interest rests partly upon the conception of the 'Blessingand the Curse': there is the superstitious idea of the efficacy of thesein the minds of Balak and his people, while the true Blessing comes fromthe prophetic vision accorded to Balaam by God. [Compare 'The StolenBlessing' in the Genesis volume. ] In character Balaam is a sincereworshipper of Jehovah outside the ranks of Jehovah's people, who howeverfrom interested motives conforms to the heathen world around him as faras he can. [Outside this story the general history shows him as yieldingat last to material interest and acting as tempter to Israel: compareRevelation, chapter ii. 14. ]--The third paragraph (page 34) is thefamous story of Balaam's Ass. It is the opinion of some that this is afable interwoven with the main story: it is in favour of this view thatthe following paragraph, _So Balaam went with the princes of Balak_, etc. , seems the natural continuation of the second paragraph; while the_princes of Balak_ are ignored in the story of the Ass. 

/iii. The Crowning of Abimelech. / This occupies an important place inthe general history. Originally Israel is ruled only by the invisibleJehovah; gradually the secularising forces around lead to theinstitution of visible kings. This story is the first attempt atcrowning a king, the work of a faction, with civil war and ruin as aresult. --It is a story of war and adventure. [Compare the Raid onMichmash, or The Feud of Saul and David in the Judges volume. ]--Itsinterest also rests upon the bitter fable of Jotham in scorn ofkingship: the fable has the effect of a curse since it is literallyfulfilled. 

/iv. Samson's Wedding Feast. / This illustrates a variety of story called'Idyl': the word is almost equivalent to 'trifle, ' and the term isapplied to incidents of love or domestic life in contradistinction tograver matters of history. [Three Idyl Stories (Ruth, Esther, Tobit) arecontained in the Biblical Idyls volume of this series. ]--Characteristicof such a story is the game of riddles; the original riddle, answer, andrejoinder are all in single couplets. --It is not a pure idyl; feats ofhero strength form another interest, as with other stories of Samson. 

/v-vii. / These are Prophetic Stories. As the secularising tendency inIsrael towards visible kings prevails against the original conception ofa spiritual rule by an invisible God there arises an order of'prophets, ' who stand forth as representatives of the invisible Jehovah, and are thus often in opposition to the external government. So in thehistory of The Kings stories of these prophets, with their miraculouspowers, take the place of the stories of heroes and their feats inearlier parts of the history. During the captivity in Babylon, Daniel ina similar way represents the Hebrew God against the king and hierarchyof Babylon. 

/vii. Page 63. / I have followed a tradition that the mystic writing onthe wall was interpreted by Daniel reading downward instead of across[or rather, down, up, down: the form of writing known as boustrophedon, that is, the way an ox turns in a furrow]. If the handwriting was in anunknown alphabet Daniel must have said so, or why should hisinterpretation be accepted at once? But if the characters were those towhich the beholders were accustomed, but arranged in an unthought-ofdirection, it is easy to realise the puzzle of the audience and theinstantaneous acceptance of the solution. 

ORATORY

/i. The Oration of Moses at the Rehearsal of the Blessing and theCurse. / The Book of Deuteronomy, from which this is taken, is acollection of the Orations and Songs of Moses, constituting his Farewellto the People of Israel. The general subject both of the oratory andsong is the Covenant between Jehovah and his people, now for the firsttime committed to writing, and entrusted by the retiring leader ofIsrael to the Levites and Elders. The third of these orations isconnected with a ceremonial occasion. An ordinance has been made for theceremony of 'The Blessing and the Curse' to be an institution of thepromised land: representatives of the Blessing are to stand on onemountain and representatives of the Curse on the opposite slope, thewhole ritual solemnly enforcing the sanctity of the Covenant. At presenthowever the people are on the wilderness side of Jordan; accordinglyMoses arranges a _Rehearsal_ of this ceremony, on ground resembling thevalley between Ebal and Gerizim. This rehearsal is allowed to proceed toa certain point when Moses stops it, and takes the subject of theblessings and curses into his own hands. Hence the abrupt commencementof this oration. --As elements of oratorical beauty note (1) theinterweaving and parallelism of sentences, (2) the terrific crescendoand climax of denunciation. The oration must be spoken to get the fulleffect. 

/ii. Immortality and the Covenant with Death. / This is an example of theWritten Address, Oratory that is not intended to be spoken. It is one ofa series of imaginary addresses by King Solomon to the other rulers ofthe nations, constituting a work entitled 'The Wisdom of Solomon' (involume 3 of the present series). --The author's style is distinguished bya peculiar order of thought, according to which some of the leadingpoints of his argument take the form of digressions. The thought of thisdiscourse is that death is no part of the natural order of the universe, but is introduced into the world by the wickedness of men. The authorimagines a monologue of the wicked, led by despair of aught beyond thegrave to a life of luxury and oppression. Another imaginary monologueexpresses the feelings of the same wicked men as they awaken from deathto the life beyond. But as a digression between these two monologues theauthor places his reflections on the 'hopes of the ungodly, ' that is, the substitutes in earlier thought for the grand conception of a lifebeyond death. These substitutes are (1) the living over again inposterity, (2) long life in this world. With regard to the first heargues that the brood of the ungodly is unstable and accursed: better ischildlessness with virtue. As to the hopes of long life, he argues thatthe old age of the wicked is without honour; whereas a life cut shortmay be a life perfected. 

/iii-vii. / These are Prophetic Discourses. Considered as part of theliterature of Oratory these Prophetic Discourses hold an intermediateposition between the spoken and the written address. What appears as adiscourse in the books of the prophets is probably not the exact reportof a speech, but the substance of a speech, or of several similarspeeches, worked up again into the style of a written address. 

/iii. The Great Arraignment. / This discourse of Isaiah takes theform of a theme (God's arraignment of his people as rebels) treatedin four paragraphs: the prophet's remonstrance--repentance byoblations--repentance of life--corruption redeemed with judgment. 

/iv. The Covenant with Death. / The phrase Covenant with Death in thetitle of this discourse of Isaiah has a different meaning from the samephrase in the title of another discourse (ii). In the latter it meant asupposed invitation to Death to come as a friend, by those who were 'ofhis portion'; in the present case it means an agreement with Death topass by the supposed speaker while he visits others. --This discourseillustrates what is a characteristic feature of Hebrew literature--the'pendulum structure, ' by which the thought alternates in successiveparagraphs between one and the other of two contrasting themes, in thiscase between Judgment and Salvation. The prophet is writing for thesouthern kingdom of Judah. Commencing with the rival kingdom of northernIsrael he denounces drunken Ephraim, and how its crown of pride shall betrodden down (Judgment). But (Salvation) there shall be a crown of gloryfor the residue. Now he proceeds to Judgment upon Judah: the drunkenrulers who trust to a refuge of lies, which the overflowing scourgeshall sweep away. But there is Salvation for the patient. This comfortis imparted in agricultural images: the cruel plowing does not go on forever, the gentle sowing comes; there are sharp threshing instruments[for the guilty], the gentle threshing with the rod for the preciouscummin; and even the threshing is not to crush, but to make corn fit forbread. 

/v. The Utter Destruction and the Great Restoration. / A discourse madeby companion pictures linked together by two parallel passages, each aparenthetic quintet, interrupting the pictorial description, which isafterwards resumed, with words emphasising the prophecy as a whole:_Seek ye out of the book of the LORD and read_ [how all these woes shallcome to pass] . . . _Strengthen ye the weak hands_ [with these gloriouspromises]. --Note that Edom is only mentioned as typical of the foes ofIsrael in general, the pictures being of universal destruction andrestoration. There is a similar use of Egypt and Edom as types of allthe foes of Israel in another discourse (page 220). 

/vi. The Sword of the LORD. / This is an illustration of a very peculiarform of discourse, which is without parallel in modern literature. Ezekiel is the great representative of 'Emblem Prophecy, ' that is, discourses which have for texts some symbolic action or piece of dumbshow. But in extreme examples of Emblem Prophecy, like the present, symbolism pervades the whole of the discourse: attitude, gesture, visible emblem, sustained dumb show, song, are all mingled together andcombined with oratory. --The discourse falls into four parts. (1) At theopening, the prophet sets his face toward Jerusalem: there is nosymbolic action beyond this. (2) But as the address progresses, hesuddenly draws forth a sword: this is the sword of the Lord which is togo forth out of its sheath against all flesh, and it will not return anymore. Suddenly, the dramatic speaker has identified himself with thevictims of this Divine sword: _Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with thebreaking of thy loins_, etc. Now the theme of the sword is resumed, andwith it mingles what is evidently some military strain or folk-loresong, of which the augmenting lines suggest the gathering spirit ofcombat: _A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished_, etc. For a single moment the other side is presented--a people careless andsecure: _the Rod of my son_ [they say] _it contemneth every tree_. Butthe impending destruction continues to gather force: _And it is given tobe furbished that it may be handled_, etc. There is a sudden change, andcries and howls proclaim how the sword has fallen upon the people, andthe _Rod that contemneth_ is no more. The emblematic movement seems tobecome more and more rapid [through three verses of the song: _And letthe sword be doubled the third time_, etc. ]. --(3) A total change hereensues. The sword now becomes emblematic of the sword of Babylon; andthe imaginary picture is that of the conqueror arriving at the junctionof the ways and deciding by his omens to proceed against Jerusalem. --(4)Once more there is a total change: the sword now stands for Israel'senemies, the children of Ammon, and the verse conveys their boasting. But suddenly the prophetic speaker plunges the sword into its sheath: sois symbolically introduced the fate of Ammon to return to the land ofhis birth and perish there. 

/vii. Wreck of the Goodly Ship Tyre. / This illustrates a characteristicof Ezekiel's style by which, in place of visible symbolism, illustratedby the last example, a single image is sustained through the whole of adiscourse. In the present case it is the image of a ship. Tyre was thegreat maritime city of antiquity: its grandeur is conveyed under theimage of a ship which all the nations of the known world combine tobuild and load; the judgment is the wrecking of this goodly ship. 

/viii. / Amongst other things the prophetic books contain 'Sentences, 'that is, brief sayings of prophets, each like an epigram, complete initself. These no doubt passed from mouth to mouth like proverbs, andwere collected by the prophets. The examples in this section are fromthe Book of Jeremiah. 

WISDOM

'Wisdom' is the name given to the department of Biblical literaturewhich corresponds to Philosophy in modern literature. It is howeveralways philosophy in application to human life and conduct. 

The starting-point of Wisdom literature is the /Unit Proverb/, which isa unit of thought in a unit of form. The unit of form is the couplet ortriplet of verse: see above, page 242. Examples are given on pages107-9. It will be seen that this Unit Proverb is a meeting-point ofprose and verse literature: its form is verse, its matter (philosophy)belongs to the literature of prose. Accordingly it is natural that themore extended forms of Wisdom literature should take two directions: oneon the side of verse, the other on the side of prose. 

/Epigrams/ and /Maxims/: examples of these are found on pages 109-11. The Epigram is a verse saying, of a few lines in length, in which twolines (not necessarily consecutive) are capable of standing bythemselves as a unit proverb. In the examples given the two lines ineach epigram that stand out on the left may be read as a proverbcomplete in itself. Such a germ proverb is the text of the epigram, theremaining lines serve to expand this text. The corresponding prose formis the Maxim, a unit proverb text with a brief prose comment. 

/Essays. / A more extended form of Wisdom literature, on the side ofprose, is the Essay. The word has various uses: the Scriptural essaysare not of the modern type (like those of Macaulay or Emerson), but ofthe antique type like the essays of Bacon. The title of an essaysuggests a theme, on which the rest is a prose comment. (Pages 112-24. )

Verse compositions consisting of comments upon themes are in this seriescalled /Sonnets/. In general literature the idea underlying the Sonnetis the adaptation of the matter to the outer form, as if a poet'sthought were poured into special moulds. In English and Italian sonnetsthere is only one such form or mould--a sequence of 14 lines dividedaccording to a particular plan; the matter of these sonnets must becondensed or expanded to suit this plan. The nearest approach to this inScriptural literature is the Fixed or Number Sonnet: the opening of thissuggests a number scheme, to which the rest conforms. 

 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not: The way of an Eagle in the air; The way of a Serpent upon a rock; The way of a Ship in the midst of the sea; And the way of a Man with a Maid. 

The examples quoted in the present volume are different. They may becalled 'Free Sonnets': the moulding in these is to nothing morerestricted than 'high parallelism, ' that is, not the parallelism bindingsuccessive lines into a stanza, but the bond which may correlate themost distant parts of a poem into a single scheme. The scheme ofparallelism for each sonnet will be given in a separate note. 

Essays

/ii. / This essay touches upon what was the great difficulty to earlyHebrew thinkers: the visible prosperity of the wicked, which seemed tothem contrary to their conception of 'judgment' or righteous providence. The author in this essay endeavours to meet the difficulty by twothoughts: (1) how a change of fate at the very end of life may make allthe difference; (2) how the punishment may come in the nextgeneration. --A resemblance will be noted at one point to a parable ofthe New Testament. 

/v. / An essay on the Choice of Company, in five paragraphs: The dangerof unknown company in a house--the good only are proper objects ofcharity--friendship not trustworthy until tested by adversity--thehumble can only be defiled by contact with the proud--like will to like, and riches cannot consort with poverty. 

/vi. / This essay is founded upon the old conception of society by whichthe educated formed a separate class--here called 'the scribes. 'Translated into modern ideas of life the argument would be that no lifein any social station must be without leisure, and on such leisureself-culture depends. 

/vii. / This section makes a transitional stage to the next division ofour selections, as it consists of an Essay containing a Sonnet. 

The argument of the whole is that Life is a thing of joy, tempered bythe sense of responsibility. The latter idea is conveyed by the word'judgment, ' which throughout the Old Testament stands for theirreconcilable antagonism between good and evil, and the certainoverthrow of evil: the recognition of this makes action responsible. With this limitation, the author urges that the very shortness of lifeand youth is so much incentive to make joyful what days are allowed. 

The scheme of high parallelism [see above, page 256] in this sonnet isthe 'pendulum structure': the alternation of successive lines betweentwo thoughts is conveyed to the eye by the indenting of the lines. Themiddle lines put symbolic descriptions of old age; the lines indented onthe left drop the symbolism and speak in plain terms. [The linesindented on the right are subordinate clauses. ]

The matter of the sonnet is a tour-de-force of symbolism, under whichare veiled the symptoms of senile decay followed by death. It is verylikely that some of the symbols may be lost; but it is not difficult tosee, without straining, a possible interpretation for each; and some ofthem have passed into traditional use. The poetic beauty of the passageis marvellous. 

_Or ever the sun, and the light . . . Be darkened_: in view of the openingwords of the preceding essay, which take the 'light' and 'sun' assymbols of the whole happiness of conscious existence, it is clear thatthe darkening of this light is the gradual failing of the joy ofliving. --_And the clouds return after the rain_: an exquisite symbol, closely akin to the last. In youth we may overstrain and disturb ourhealth, but we soon rally; these are storms that quickly clear up. Inage the rallying power is gone: "the clouds return after therain. "--_The keepers of the house shall tremble_: Cheyne understands ofthe hands and arms, the trembling of which is a natural accompaniment ofold age. --_The strong men shall bow themselves_: the stooping frame; theplural is merely by attraction to 'keepers. '--_The grinders ceasebecause they are few_: obviously of the teeth. --_Those that look out ofthe windows be darkened_: the eyes becoming dim. --_The doors shall beshut in the street_: the general connection of ideas makes it inevitablethat the 'folding-doors' should be the jaws; clenched jaws are so markeda feature in the skull that it is not difficult to associate them withthe picture of old age. --_When the sound of the grinding is low, and oneshall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of musicshall be brought low_: these must be taken together: appetite, speech, and sleep are all feeble. Grinding must be interpreted as grinders inthe previous part of the sonnet: the loud or low sound of such grindingmay fitly typify the eagerness of appetite or the reverse. The earlywaking or short sleeping of old age is well known. _The daughters ofmusic_ are the tones of the voice. --_They shall be afraid of that whichis high, and terrors shall be in the way_: the gait of old age is, through physical feebleness, much what the gait of a person terrified isfor other reasons. --_The almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshoppershall be a burden, and the caperberry shall burst_: the three are linkedtogether as being images from natural objects, not because of theirsymbolising similar things. _The blossoming of the almond tree_ probablyrefers to the sparse white hairs of age. The name of this tree in Hebrewis founded on the fact that it is the first to blossom; though notstrictly white, its blossoms may be called whitish: the whitishblossoms, solitary while all is bare around, just yield the imagerequired. The grasshopper is evidently a symbol for a small object, which is nevertheless heavy to feeble age. _The caperberry shall burst_:the last stage of its decay: the failing powers at last give way. Andthen follows the dropping of the symbolism: "Man goeth to his longhome. "

So far we have had symbols for failure of powers; now for actual deathand dissolution. _Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowlbe broken_: a symbol from the house-lamp of gold, suspended by a silvercord, suddenly slipping its cord and breaking, its light becomingextinguished. For bowl in this sense compare Zechariah, chapter iv. 2, 3. --_Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken atthe cistern_: these are exquisite symbols for the sudden and violentcessation of every-day functions. Compare the popular proverb: "Thepitcher goes to the well once too often. "--_And the spirit return untoGod who gave it_: this by analogy with the previous line must beinterpreted to mean no more than that the man becomes just what he wasbefore he was born. 

Sonnets

/i. The Sluggard. / The metrical scheme of this sonnet is simple: astrophe balanced by an antistrophe. [See above, page 244. ]

/ii. The Mourning for the Fool. / Metrical scheme: a brief strophe andantistrophe and conclusion. 

/iii. The Two Paths. / Strophe, the way of wisdom; antistrophe, the pathof the wicked; conclusion, union of the two in a common image. 

/iv. The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize. / The metrical schemeof this sonnet is an example of 'antistrophic inversion': that is, twostrophes followed by their antistrophes, but the antistrophe to thesecond strophe precedes the antistrophe to the first. [This is sometimesexpressed by the formula a b b a; or (reckoning the number of lines ineach strophe) 4, 6; 6, 4. ] The printing makes this clear to theeye. --The unity of thought in the sonnet is the conception of Wisdom asa prize. The middle strophe and antistrophe describe the richness ofthis prize; the opening strophe makes 'chastening' the cost at which itis obtained by the individual from the Lord; and the correspondingantistrophe (at the end) explains the reason for this costliness--wisdomwas the instrument by which the whole universe was created. 

/v. Watchfulness of Lips and Heart. / A Prayer in sonnet form. Themetrical scheme is an illustration of 'duplication' applied toantistrophic structure: a quatrain question (strophe 1) has a coupletanswer (strophe 2); then the quatrain is duplicated into an octet(antistrophe 1), and the answer is duplicated into a quatrain(antistrophe 2). [The lines of invocation are not counted in strophe andantistrophe 2. ]

/vi. Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord. / This is one of the most elaboratesonnets: its metrical scheme combines antistrophic and stanza structure(above, page 243). There is first a strophe with its antistrophe; then aseries of stanzas; but these stanzas illustrate the metrical device of'augmenting, ' for they increase, as the thought gathers strength, from 3lines to 5 lines and 6 lines. 

/vii. Wisdom and the Strange Woman. / This is at once the foremost ofwisdom poems in its thought, and the most elaborate in sonnet structure:here, as always, the structure is an exact reflection of the thought. 

The metrical scheme shows stanza structure throughout. The poem fallsinto seven sections. In sections 1, 3, 4, 7, which contain the thread ofargument, we find octet and ten-line stanzas. Section 2, which breaksoff from the argument to give a picture of temptation, changes to sextetstanzas. Sections 5 and 6, the monologue of Wisdom, are cast inquatrains, but as the monologue crescendoes to its climax the quatrains'augment' to 5, 6, 7 lines. There is further the artistic device of'interruption': the regular flow of stanzas is broken at critical pointsby single couplets (like musical rhythm interrupted by recitative);again in section 2 the actual speech of the temptress is an irregularmass of lines outside the stanza structure, and this break in the flowof lines has a fine effect. 

The thought of the poem is in the highest degree grand and bold. Scriptural philosophy loves to celebrate under the name 'Wisdom' theunion of all things, whether of the external universe or of thespiritual life, in one Divine harmony. In this poem this Wisdom is to bepersonified, and to proclaim her attractions. But the poet prepares theway by contrast with the spirit of temptation, also personified infemale form practising her allurements. This is displayed in a boldlydrawn picture; and then the poet, with the words _Doth not Wisdom cry?_suddenly turns round and presents 'Wisdom' as the temptress to good. 

LYRICS

/i-ii. / These two selections are from the Book of Job. This consists ofmatter mainly philosophic worked up into an elaborate poem in which allliterary forms--epic, lyric, drama, rhetoric, etc. --are blended in a wayunparalleled in modern literature. Hence the form of these two pieces isintermediate between wisdom sonnets and the lyrical poems that follow. 

/i. An Elegy of a Broken Heart. / In the Book of Job this intervenesbetween the Story Prologue, which is prose, and the main body of thepoem, which takes a dramatic form. Job breaks the silence to dilate, with lyrical elaboration, upon the situation of utter ruin which is tobe the starting-point of the dramatic discussion. Hence the title of thesection in the whole poem of Job is 'Job's Curse': but it admits ofbeing separated from the action of the drama as an independent poem, with some such title as I have given it. --In metrical scheme it fallsinto two sections. Section 1 is an example of 'interruption' (comparenote to vii of the sonnets). It will be seen that the last two linescontinue the sentence begun by the first two lines, making with them aquatrain: between come masses of parallel lines interrupting with atour-de-force of execration. Section 2 is made up of introductoryquatrain, strophe, and antistrophe. 

/ii. The Creator's Joy in his Creation. / This selection from Job is apart of the 'Divine Intervention, ' which may be read as a complete poem. That drama introduces the Voice of God out of the whirlwind as taking apart in the dialogue. The link between the Divine Intervention as awhole and the general argument is the impossibility of any mortalgrasping the mysteries of the universe, which mysteries enfold theglories of nature as well as the dark ways of providence which Job andhis friends have been discussing. As a part of this general thought theportion here cited works out the idea of the Creator's joy in hiscreation--a joyous sympathy with the infinities of great and smallthroughout the universe. It might be an expansion of the words in thestory of the creation: "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. "--The metrical scheme of this poem is avariation of the 'pendulum structure. ' [Page 251. ] It may be called a'triple pendulum, ' or alternation between three notes: one note is madeby the startling questions of nature mysteries, another (lines indentedto the right) exquisitely pictures the details of these wonders ofnature, while for a third (lines still more to the right) there is aword of challenge to Job to answer. 

/iii-v. / These three selections are lyrics in the strictest sense. Originally all poetry is of the form technically called 'Ballad-Dance, 'that is, verse combined with musical accompaniment and dancing. Whenthis primitive poetry branches out into other forms, lyric is the formwhich retains most of the musical element. The poems here cited arelyrics in the strict sense that their structure is determined by themode of their musical performance. This is seen by the 'antiphonal'distribution of the matter, for example, between choruses of men andwomen, and by the recurrence of passages ('refrains'). 

/iii. Song of Moses and Miriam. / This is arranged for a Chorus of Men, taking the successive sections of the song, and a Chorus of Women, singing the refrain. The metre is Antique Rhythm (above, page 242): thesuccessive strophes augment with the growing fulness of the theme. Thefirst strophe (after the prelude) simply states the fact of thedeliverance; the second pictures it in detail, the third meditates onthe consequences to the furthest future. 

/iv. Deborah's Song. / This also is arranged for a Chorus of Men, led byBarak, and a Chorus of Women, led by Deborah. It is in Antique Rhythm(above, page 242). Its structure is antiphonal as between Men, Women, and the two combined. The structure is further elaborated by'interruption' [passages printed in italics], where the singersencourage one another. 

To appreciate the matter of the song it should be compared with thedescription of the incident in plain historic prose (Judges, chapteriv). It is not difficult to make out from this narrative (1) that Heberthe Kenite, Jael's husband, was acting as a spy against his allies ofIsrael, and betraying their movements to the tyrant. Jael's act wastreachery in retaliation for the treachery on the other side by herhusband. This explains the exultation over her deed in Deborah's Song. (2) This treachery of Heber had upset the plans of Deborah and Barak:helpless against the iron chariots, their only hope had been to assemblesecretly on the heights of Kedesh and attempt a surprise. But while thearmy of Sisera, warned by Heber, were awaiting them on the plains ofEsdraelon, a sudden thunder storm with rain (commemorated in the Song)converted the whole plain into a morass. The army of Barak fell on thefoe while their horses were struggling in the mud, and extirpated themat a blow. 

/V. David's Lament. / This simple elegy is cast in quatrain stanzas. Itsonly elaboration is an augmenting refrain. This beautiful refrain seemsto rest for its effect upon the bringing together of two ideas, like acrescendo and decrescendo in music: How are the mighty fallen! Thisfragmentary refrain as it appears at the beginning is enlarged at thepassage from the section on Saul to that on Jonathan, and still furtherenlarged at the close of the whole. 

/vi. David's Song of Victory. / This is in Antique Rhythm: its structureis 'strophic' (above, page 243). There is an introduction andconclusion, and three unequal strophes: the first pictures thedeliverance, the second meditates on the principle involved (deliveranceof the righteous), the third extends the confidence thus produced to thewhole past and future. The most notable artistic effect is the suddenchange at the prayer of the afflicted one: all nature is convulsed asthe Almighty rushes to the rescue. 

/vii. The Bride's Reminiscences. / This is introduced as an example ofthe Lyric Idyl. The term 'idyl' has been explained above (page 248, noteto iv): such idyls may be either narrated as stories, or brought outlyrically or dramatically, as in the present case. It is one of a seriesof lyric idyls making up the poem of Solomon's Song. The storyunderlying this poem has been variously interpreted; the interpretationfollowed in this series (Biblical Idyls volume) is that King Solomon, visiting his vineyards on Mount Lebanon, has come by surprise upon abeautiful Shulammite maiden. As she flies from the royal suite he seeksher in shepherd disguise and wins her love, then he brings her as queento his palace. The present selection is Idyl II of the series, andcontains two of the Bride's Reminiscences of this courtship. The firstis of a visit by the disguised king on a fair spring morning, and howthe lovers were interrupted by the harsh voices of the Bride's Brotherscrying out that the foxes were in the vineyards. The second is a dreamof losing and finding her lover. [The passages in italics are not spokenby the Bride, but are the poet's interludes, dividing the differentsections of the poem. ]--Metrical scheme. The idyls are a combination ofAntique Rhythm and Antistrophic structure: but the parallelism ofstrophe and antistrophe must be reckoned in strains, not in lines (seeabove, page 242): thus we have four strains balanced by four, then twoby two; then (in the Dream) three by three. [The refrains are outsidethe metrical scheme. ]

/viii, ix. / These are songs from the books of the prophets. 

/viii. The Battle of Carchemish. / This is a War Ballad, in tripletstanzas with 'duplication. ' The battle celebrated was a turning-point inhistory, settling for ever the supremacy of the Babylonian over theEgyptian empire: these were the two world empires between which partiesin the nation of Israel fluctuated, the whole strength of Jeremiah andthe prophetic party being thrown against Egypt. 

/ix. / This /Song of Zion Redeemed/ forms a section of the Isaiahan'Rhapsody of Zion Redeemed' [chapters xl-lxvi]. It is in stanzas of 4, or occasionally 6 and 8 lines, the flow interrupted by couplets, especially at the beginning of the sections. Compare above, page 262, note to /vii/ (Sonnets). 

/x, xi. / These are illustrations of a characteristic feature ofBiblical poetry--the 'Doom form. ' See above, page 245. 

/x. Isaiah's Doom of Babylon. / The structure is made up of the Divineword of the overthrow of Babylon [prose passages] interrupted atintervals by [impersonal] songs, realising or celebrating what theDivine word brings forward. The last of these verse interruptions is afully developed Ode on Fallen Babylon. The structural form of this odeis antistrophic inversion (7, 6; 6, 7), like that of No. /iv/ of theSonnets (above, page 260). Another effect in this ode is the Taunt orDirge Song. --_My consecrated ones . . . Them that exult in my majesty. _The Divine voice is heard calling to God's 'hosts, ' the idea suggestedby the title 'Jehovah Sabaoth. ' Compare Joel, chapter iii. 11 and 13;Psalm ciii. 20, 21. --_I will sit upon the mount of congregation in theuttermost parts of the north_: the north is regularly in Scripture thequarter from which Divine judgment is looked for (e. G. Ezekiel, chapteri. 4; Jeremiah vi. I; Job xxxvii. 22). 

/xi. Nahum's Doom of Nineveh. / This is a Doom Prophecy directed againstNineveh, partly in the structure called above 'doom form, ' partly inother forms. It falls into seven sections. Sections 1 and 2 aremeditations in pendulum form (above, page 251), the paragraphsalternating between judgment and salvation. Section 3 is in doom form:the Divine announcement of doom is interrupted by lyric realisation ofthe sudden attack upon Nineveh in the midst of its careless security. Section 4 is a brief lyric triumph over Nineveh overthrown. Section 5resumes the doom form: the Divine denunciation interrupted by lyricrealisation of Nineveh in its pride. With section 6 this passes into aTaunt Song (as in example /x/). The seventh section is a brief lyricmeditation upon Nineveh overthrown and desolate. 

RHAPSODY

This has been explained in the Introduction (pages xii-xiii) as a termapplied to a highly characteristic form of prophetic literature, amounting to spiritual drama: actual dramatic dialogue and action beingcombined with other literary modes of expression to produce the generaleffect of dramatic realisation and movement. Some of the examples(I-III) are complete rhapsodies; IV is a discourse that becomesrhapsodic at its conclusion; V is a rhapsodic morceau, a single thoughtcast in this literary form; VI and VII are integral portions of one ofthe long rhapsodies. 

/I. Rhapsody of the Drought. / This is a simple and clear example ofrhapsodic writing. It opens with scenic description of the drought; therest is dialogue between God, Repentant Israel, and the Prophet. Theaction of the rhapsody consists in the gradual effect of intercession:God at first refuses so much as to answer the sinful People, and speaksonly through the Prophet; at last he answers the People directly, butonly to threaten; finally he shows mercy to the repentant remnant. 

/II. Habakkuk's Rhapsody of the Chaldeans. / This is a thoroughly typicaland a splendid specimen of the rhapsody as a form of literature, (1) Thehistoric situation is the appearance of the Chaldeans as a conqueringpower trampling down surrounding nations. This suggests the thought ofjudgment upon unpunished sin in Israel. But the Prophet feels adifficulty: how can a righteous God use a godless people as aninstrument for the punishment of wickedness that is less than its own?The elaboration of this spiritual problem, in dramatic dialogue betweenGod and the Prophet, makes the first section of the rhapsody. --(2) TheDivine solution of this problem comes under the image of intoxication:the haughty career of the Chaldean is no more than the drunkard'sreeling which precedes his fall. But as the idea of the fall of theChaldean is reached there is a sudden change from dialogue to the doomform. This Doom of the Chaldeans has five stanzas of the usualcombination between prose and verse: the prose is Divine denunciation, the verse passages are the imagined triumphing of the down-troddennations over their fallen oppressor. Four of the stanzas express thefall of the Chaldean in four images: his uninterrupted career has been aheaping up of usury, but the exactor shall come; it has been building ahouse of refuge, but shame has been built into its walls; it has beenbuilding a huge city only to make a bigger bonfire to the glory of theavenging God; it has been giving drink to behold shame, but the drink ofshame shall be given to the oppressor. The fifth stanza goes to the rootof the matter: the Chaldean has trusted to senseless idols: Jehovah isthe true teacher. --(3) So far the overthrow of the Chaldeans has beenpresented as a thing of the distant future; in the third section it isrealised as visibly present: thus the movement of the rhapsody has beensteadily advancing from the first forming of a problem to the climax ofits solution. The literary form now changes to that of an Ode, realisingthe idea of Jehovah come to judgment. The prelude and postlude expressthe Prophet's feelings at the vision he hears and sees; the body of theode realises the theophany itself. [Strophe, All nature convulsed as Godcomes; antistrophe, Is it against nature that the coming is directed?conclusion, Nay, but God comes to deliver his people. Compare Psalmcxiv. ]

/Page 205. / _I have heard the report of thee. _ This _report_, and so_the voice_ in the second line of the postlude, refer to the voicesupposed to sing what makes the body of the ode. This is the voice ofIsrael, heard in the vision describing the advent of Jehovah. --_O LORDrevive thy work in the midst of the years_: compare on page 202 _thoughit tarry, wait for it_: the Prophet prays God to interpose before it istoo late. 

/Page 207. / _I trembled in my place_, etc. The Prophet has a strangemingling of different feelings: terror at the vision of Jehovah'sadvent, though it be for his deliverance, and confidence, as a result ofthis vision, in the midst of desolation. 

/III. Joel's Rhapsody of the Locust Plague. / This rhapsody may befounded on an historic plague of locusts, but the notion is idealisedinto mystic forces of destruction. Nothing else in the historicsituation has any bearing on the rhapsody, it is ideal all through:desolation because of sin, and 'judgment, ' in the double sense of firsta judgment on Israel that is turned by repentance to purification, thena judgment as between Israel and the nations. As arranged in the textthe movement of this rhapsody explains itself. 

/VI. / This selection is the Prelude to the elaborate 'Rhapsody of ZionRedeemed' [Isaiah volume, pages 127-209]. Like the overture of manymodern musical compositions, this Prelude is a lyric anticipation orforeshadowing of the whole work. A word of comfort for Jerusalem isspoken by God, and Voices are heard carrying the glad tidings on the waytowards Jerusalem. The words spoken by these voices are anticipations ofsubsequent parts of the rhapsody. 

/VII. / This selection is the third Act or 'Vision' of the same rhapsody. It brings out in dramatic realisation the Awakening of Zion. Successiveappeals are made by Jehovah to Zion without response. The CelestialHosts join in the appeal: still without response from Zion. At last theawakening of Zion is brought out by the Chorus of Zion's Watchmenrecognising the advent of the messengers who bring the glad tidings(compare the Prelude), and calling upon the city to awake and rejoice. 

REFERENCE TABLE

The Volumes of the Modern Reader's Bible referred to in the Table are asfollows:

 Wisdom Series: four volumes The Proverbs Ecclesiasticus Ecclesiastes and The Wisdom of Solomon The Book of Job

 Deuteronomy

 Biblical Idyls

 History Series: five volumes Genesis The Exodus The Judges The Kings The Chronicles

 Prophecy Series: four volumes Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel and the Minor Prophets

REFERENCE TABLE

To connect the Selections with the Volumes of the Modern Reader's Bibleand with the Chapters and Verses of the Ordinary Versions

Modern Reader's Authorised or Revised Bible Version

Volume Page Book Chapter Verse STORY

Genesis 107 I Joseph and his Brethren Genesis XXXVII 1The Exodus 250 II The Witness of Balaam to Israel Numbers XXII 2The Judges 105 III The Crowning of Abimelech Judges VIII 29The Judges 122 IV Samson's Wedding Feast Judges XIV 1The Kings 189 V The Expedition against Elisha II Kings VI 8Minor Prophets 15 VI The Dream of the Tree cut down Daniel IV 1Minor Prophets 20 VII Belshazzar's Feast Daniel V 1

 ORATORY

Deuteronomy 91 I The Oration of Moses at the Rehearsal of the Blessing and the Curse Deuteronomy XXVIII 1Ecclesiastes, 71 II A Discourse on etc. Immortality and the Wisdom Covenant with Death of Solomon I 12Isaiah 7 III Isaiah: The Great Arraignment Isaiah I 2Isaiah 93 IV Isaiah: The Covenant with Death Isaiah XXVIII 1Isaiah 109 V Isaiah: The Utter Destruction and the Great Restoration Isaiah XXXIV 1Ezekiel 79 VI Ezekiel: The Sword of the Lord Ezekiel XXI 1Ezekiel 104 VII Ezekiel: Wreck of the Ezekiel XXVII 1 Goodly Ship Tyre, VIII Prophetic SentencesJeremiah 41 Thus saith the Lord: Let not the wise Jeremiah IX 23Jeremiah 43 There is none like unto thee Jeremiah X 6Jeremiah 71 Thus saith the Lord: Cursed Jeremiah XVII 5Jeremiah 127 Behold, the days come Jeremiah XXXI 31

 WISDOM

 Wisdom Brevities

Proverbs 48 The liberal soul Proverbs XI 25Proverbs 59 Where no oxen are Proverbs XIV 4Proverbs 75 He that is slow to anger Proverbs XVI 32Proverbs 91 It is naught Proverbs XX 14Proverbs 132 The words of a whisperer Proverbs XXVI 22Proverbs 133 Boast not thyself Proverbs XXVII 1Proverbs 43 As vinegar to the teeth Proverbs X 26Proverbs 85 All the brethren Proverbs XIX 7Proverbs 94 The getting of treasures Proverbs XXI 6Proverbs 128 As one that taketh off Proverbs XXV 20Proverbs 134 Wrath is cruel Proverbs XXVII 4Proverbs 136 The fining pot Proverbs XXVII 21Proverbs 108 Epigram: Transitoriness of Riches, Proverbs XXIII 4Proverbs 109 Epigram: Hospitality of the Evil Eye Proverbs XXIII 6Ecclesiasticus 16 Maxim: My son, if thou comest Ecclesiasticus II 1Ecclesiasticus 57 Three Temperance Maxims Ecclesiasticus XVIII 30

 Essays

Ecclesiasticus 22 i Wisdom's Way with her Children Ecclesiasticus IV 11Ecclesiasticus 40 ii Prosperity and Adversity are from the Lord Ecclesiasticus XI 11Ecclesiasticus 58 iii Against Gossip Ecclesiasticus XIX 4Ecclesiasticus 94 iv On the Tongue Ecclesiasticus XXVIII 12Ecclesiasticus 42 v Choice of Company Ecclesiasticus XI 29Ecclesiasticus 129 vi The Wisdom of Business and the Wisdom of Leisure Ecclesiasticus XXXVIII 24Ecclesiastes, etc. 55 vii Life as a Joy shadowed by the Judgment Ecclesiastes XI 7

 Sonnets

Proverbs 23 i The Sluggard Proverbs VI 6Ecclesiasticus 70 ii Mourning for the Fool Ecclesiasticus XXII 11Proverbs 18 iii The Two Paths Proverbs IV 10Proverbs 13 iv The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize Proverbs III 11Ecclesiasticus 72 v Watchfulness of Lips and Heart Ecclesiasticus XXII 27Ecclesiasticus 13 vi Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord Ecclesiasticus I 1Proverbs 27 vii Wisdom and the Strange Woman Proverbs VII 1

 LYRICS

Job 15 I An Elegy of a Broken Heart Job III 3Job 107 II The Creator's Joy in his Creation Job XXXVIII 4The Exodus 43 III The Song of Moses and Miriam Exodus XV 1The Judges 88 IV Deborah's Song Judges V 2The Judges 244 V David's Lament II Samuel I 19The Kings 67 VI David's Song of Victory II Samuel XXII 2Bib. Idyls 13 VII The Bride's Reminiscences Song of Songs II 8Jeremiah 175 VIII Jeremiah: The Battle of Carchemish Jeremiah XLVI 3Isaiah 190 IX A Song of Zion Redeemed Isaiah LX 1Isaiah 49 X Isaiah: Doom of Babylon Isaiah XIII 2Minor Prophets 147 XI Nahum: Doom of Nineveh Nahum I 2

 RHAPSODY

Jeremiah 61 I Rhapsody of the Drought Jeremiah XIV 2Minor Prophets 157 II Rhapsody of the Chaldeans Habakkuk I 2Minor Prophets 77 III Rhapsody of the Locust Plague Joel I 2Jeremiah 35 IV The Hurt of the Daughter of my People Jeremiah VIII 4Minor Prophets 140 V The Lord's Controversy before the Mountains Micah VI 1Isaiah 131 VI Prelude to the Rhapsody of Zion Redeemed Isaiah XL 1Isaiah 165 VII Zion Awakened Isaiah LI 1

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THE BOOK OF JOB

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DEUTERONOMY

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BIBLICAL IDYLS

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DANIEL AND THE MINOR PROPHETS

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