 CHAPTER XXIX–XXXXX, ARIEL, THE CITY WHERE DAVID ENCAMPED, AD YEAR TO YEAR, LET THE FEASTS come round, then will I distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation, and she shall be unto me as Ariel, and I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with posted troops, and I will raise siege works against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passeth away, yea, it shall be in an instant suddenly. She shall be visited of Jehovah of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire, and the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her shall be as a dream, a vision of the night. And it shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and behold, he eateth, but he awakeeth, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite, so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion. Terry ye, and wonder, take your pleasure and be blind. They are drunken, but not with wine. They stagger, but not with strong drink. For Jehovah hath poured out upon you the soul of all the nations that fight against strong drink. For Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, the prophets and your heads, the seers hath he covered. And all vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee, and he sayeth, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee, and he sayeth, I am not learned. And the Lord said, For as much as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth, and with their lips to honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me as a commandment of men which hath been taught them. For behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder, and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid, while unto them that hide deep their counsel from Jehovah, and whose works are in the dark, and that say, Who seeeth us, and who knoweth us? He turned things upside down, shall the potter be esteemed as clay, that the thing made should say of him that made it, he made me not, or the thing formed say of him that formed it, he hath no understanding? Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest, and in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the holy one of Israel, for the terrible one is brought to not, and the scoffer ceaseth, and all they that watch for iniquity are cut off, that make a man an offender in his cause, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just with the thing of not. For thus sayeth Jehovah, who redeemed Abraham concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale, but when he seeeth his children, the work of my hands, and the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, yea they shall sanctify the holy one of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel. They also that air in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmur shall receive instruction. End of Chapter 29, Chapter 30. Woe to the rebellious children, sayeth Jehovah, that take counsel, but not of me, and that make a league, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin, that set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your confusion, for their princes are at Zohan, and their ambassadors are come to heinous. They shall all be ashamed because of a people that cannot profit them, that are not a help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach, the burden of the beasts of the south. Through the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent. They carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasure upon the humps of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. For Egypt helpeth in vain, and to no purpose, therefore have I called her Rahab that sitteth still. Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever. For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of Jehovah, that say to the seers, see not, and to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, because ye despise this word, entrust in oppression and perverseness, and rely thereon, therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach, ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly in an instant. And he shall break it as a potter's vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing, so that there shall not be found among the pieces, thereof assured, wherewith to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern. For thus said the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, and ye would not. But ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses, therefore shall ye flee. And we will ride upon the swift, therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five shall ye flee, till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill. And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you, for Jehovah is a God of justice. Blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, thou shalt weep, no more. He will surely be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry, when he shall hear, he will answer thee. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be hidden any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way. Walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. And ye shall defile the overlaying of thy graven images of silver, and the plating of thy molten images of gold. Thou shalt cast them away as an uncleaned thing. Thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence, and he will give the rain for thy seed, wherewith thou shalt sow the ground, and bread of thy increase of the ground. And it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures, the oxen likewise, and the young asses, that till the ground shall eat savory preventer, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork. And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, and the day of the great slaughter when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke, his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire, and his breath is as an overflowing stream that reaches even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and a bridle that causeth to air shall be in the jaws of the peoples. Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart is when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of Jehovah, to the rock of Israel. And Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the lighting down of his arm with the indignation of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire with a blast, and tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be dismayed, with his rod will he smite him, and every stroke of the appointed staff which Jehovah shall lay upon him shall be with the sound of tabrets and harps, and in battles with the brandishing of his arm will he fight with them. For our topheth is prepared of old. Yea, for the king it is made ready. He hath made it deep and large. The pile thereof is fire and much wood. The breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. End of chapter 30. Chapter 31. Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, entrust in chariots, because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong. But they look not unto the holy one of Israel, neither seek Jehovah. Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evil doers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh, and not spirit. And when Jehovah shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together. For thus sayeth Jehovah unto me, as the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds be called forth against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor base himself for the noise of them. So will Jehovah of hosts come down to fight, upon Mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof. As birds hovering, so will Jehovah of hosts protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it. He will pass over and preserve it. Turn ye unto him, from whom ye have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. For in that day they shall cast away every man his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. And the Assyrian shall fall by the sword, not of man. And the sword not of men shall devour him, and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become subject to task work. And his rock shall pass away by reason of terror, and his princes shall be dismayed at the ensign, sayeth Jehovah, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. End of chapter 31, chapter 32. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice. And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken, and the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. The fool shall be no more called noble, nor the churl said to be bountiful. For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice profaneness, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. And the instruments of the churl are evil, he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the meek with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. But the noble deviseth noble things, and in noble things shall he continue. Rise up ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice, ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech. For days beyond a year shall ye be troubled, ye careless women, for the vintage shall fail, the in-gathering shall not come. Tremble ye women that are at ease, be troubled, ye careless ones, strip you, and make you bear, and gird sackcloth upon your loins. They shall smite upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briars, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city. For the palace shall be forsaken, the populous city shall be deserted, the hill and the watchtower shall be for dens, for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks, until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest. Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field, and the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and confidence, for ever, and my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting places. But it shall hail in the downfall of the forest, and the city shall be utterly laid low. Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth the feet of the ox and the ass. CHAPTER XXXIII Woe to thee that destroyest, and thou wast not destroyed, and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee. When thou hast ceased to destroy, thou shalt be destroyed, and when thou hast made an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. O Jehovah, be gracious unto us. We have waited for thee. Be thou our arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. At the noise of the tumult the peoples are fled, at the lifting up of thyself the nations are scattered, and your spoil shall be gathered as the caterpillar gathereth, as locusts leap shall men leap upon it. Jehovah is exalted, for he dwelleth on high. He hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness, and there shall be stability in thy times. Abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Jehovah is thy treasure. Behold, their valiant ones cry without. The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. The highways lie waste. The wayfaring man ceaseth. The enemy hath broken the covenant. He hath despised the cities. He regardeth not man. The land mourneth and languisheth. Lebanon is confounded and withereth away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bation and Carmel shake off their leaves. Now will I rise, sayeth Jehovah. Now will I lift up myself. Now will I be exalted. Ye shall conceive chaff. Ye shall bring forth stubble. Your breath is a fire that shall devour you, and the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime. His thorns cut down that are burned in the fire. Here ye that are far off, what I have done, and ye that are near acknowledge my might. The sinners and Zion are afraid. Trembling hath seized the godless ones. Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly. He that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from taking a bribe, that stopeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shuteth his eyes from looking upon evil. He shall dwell on high. His place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks. His bread shall be given him. His waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty. They shall behold a land that reacheth afar. Thy heart shall muse on the terror. Where is he that counted? Where is he that weighed the tribute? Where is he that counted the towers? Thou shalt not see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that thou canst not comprehend, of a strange tongue that thou canst not understand. Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed. The stakes whereof shall never be plucked up. Neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there Jehovah will be with us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For Jehovah is our judge. Jehovah is our lawgiver. Jehovah is our king. He will save us. Thy tacklings are loosed. They could not strengthen the foot of their mast. They could not spread the sail. Then was the prey of a great spoil divided. The lame took the prey. And the inappinent shall not say, I am sick. The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. End of chapter 33, chapter 34. Come near ye nations, to hear and harken. Ye peoples, let the earth, hear, and the fullness thereof, the world, and all things that come forth from it. For Jehovah hath indignation against all the nations, and wrath against all their host. He hath utterly destroyed them. He hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and the stench of their dead bodies shall come up, and the mountains shall be melted 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 host shall fade away, as the leaf fadeeth from off the vine, and as a fading leaf 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 judgment. The sword of Jehovah is filled with blood. It is made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For Jehovah hath a sacrifice in Basra, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild oxen shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls. And their land shall be drunken with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. For Jehovah hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day. The smoke thereof shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste. None shall pass through it forever and ever. But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein. And he will stretch over it the line of confusion and the plummet of emptiness. They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing, and thorns shall come up in its palaces, nettles and thistles and the fortresses thereof, and it shall be a habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches. And the wild beasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow, yea, the night monster shall settle there, and shall find her a place of rest. There shall the dart snake make her nest, and lay in a hatch, and gather under her shade. Yea, there shall the kites be gathered, every one with her mate. Seek ye out the book of Jehovah 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 a lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line. They shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein. End of chapter 34, chapter 35. The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose, and shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it. The excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of Jehovah, 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 recompense of God. He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a heart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing, for in the wilderness shall waters break out and streams in the desert, and the glowing sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water, and the habitation of jackals where they lay shall be grass with reeds and Russians, and a highway shall be there and away, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for the redeemed. The wayfaring men, yea, fools shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon. They shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of Jehovah 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. End of chapter 35, chapter 36. Now it came to pass in the 14th year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them, and the king of Assyria sent Rabshaka from Lekish to Jerusalem unto King Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the Fullers field, then came forth unto him Eliachim, the son of Hilchiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joa the son of Asaph the recorder. And Rabshaka said unto them, say ye now to Hezekiah, thus sayeth the great king, the king of Assyria, what confidence is this wherein thou trustest? I say thy counsel and strength for the war are but vain words. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me? Behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all that trust on him. But if thou say unto me, we trust in Jehovah our God, is not that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ye shall worship before this altar? Now therefore I pray thee, give pledges to my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give thee 2,000 horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. How then canst thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? And am I now come up without Jehovah against this land to destroy it? Jehovah said unto me, go up against this land and destroy it. Then said Eliachem and Shebna and Joah unto Rapshaka, speak, I pray thee unto thy servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it, and speak not to us in the Jews language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall. But Rapshaka said, hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words, hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall to eat their own dung and to drink their own water with you? Then Rapshaka stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews language and said, hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria, thus saith the king, let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying Jehovah will surely deliver us. This city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Hark not to Hezekiah, for thus saith the king of Assyria, make your peace with me and come out to me and eat ye every one of his vine and every one of his fig tree and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern. Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying Jehovah will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpid? Where are the gods of Sef Arvaim? And have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who are they among all the gods of these countries that have delivered their country out of my hand that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? But they held their peace and answered him not a word. For the king's commandant was saying, answer him not. Then came Eliakim, the son of Hezekiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joa the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent and told him the words of Rapshika. End of chapter 36, chapter 37. And it came to pass when King Hezekiah heard it that he rent his clothes and covered himself with satcloth and went into the house of Jehovah. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests covered with satcloth unto Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos. And they said unto him, thus sayeth Hezekiah, this day is a day of trouble and of rebuke and of contumely, for the children are come to the birth and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be Jehovah thy God will hear the words of Rapshika, whom the king of Assyria, his master, hath sent to defy the living God and will rebuke the words which Jehovah thy God hath heard. Wherefore, lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said unto them, thus shall ye say to your master, thus sayeth Jehovah, be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the King of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him and he shall hear tidings and shall return unto his own land and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. So Rapshika returned and found the King of Assyria warring against Libna, for he had heard that he was departed from Lekish. And he heard say concerning Terhaka, King of Ethiopia, he has come out to fight against thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah, King of Judah, saying, let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the King of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the Kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly, and shalt thou be delivered. Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, goes in in Heran and Rezeth and the children of Eden that were in Tulasir? Where is the King of Hamath and the King of Arbid and the King of the city of Sef Arvaim of Hina and Eva? And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. And Hezekiah went up unto the house of Jehovah and spread it before Jehovah. And Hezekiah prayed unto Jehovah, saying, O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel that sittest above the chair of them, thou art the God, even thou alone of all the kingdoms of the earth, thou hast made heaven and earth, incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear, open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib who had sent to defy the living God. Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries in their land and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Jehovah, our God, save us from His hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Jehovah, even thou only. Then Isaiah, the son of Amos, sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thou sayeth, Jehovah, the God of Israel, whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib, king of Assyria. This is the word which Jehovah hath spoken concerning him. The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn. The daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? And against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high, even against the holy one of Israel? By thy servants hast thou defied the Lord and hast said, with a multitude of my chariots, Am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost part of Lebanon, and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof, and I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field. I have digged in drunk water, and with the soul of my feet, will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt. Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago and formed it of ancient times? Now have I brought it to pass that it should be thine to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps? Therefore, their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded, they were as the grass of the field and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as a field of grain before it is grown up. But I know thy sitting down and thy going out and thy coming in and thy raging against me. Because of thy raging against me and because thine arrogance is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest, and this shall be the sign unto thee, ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same, and in the third year so ye and reap and plant vineyards and eat the fruit thereof. And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant and out of Mount Zion, they that shall escape. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this. Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria, he shall not come unto this city nor shoot an arrow there. Neither shall he come before it with shield nor cast up a mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah, for I will defend this city to save it, for mine own's sake, and for my servant David's sake. And the angel of Jehovah went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and four score and five thousand. And when men arose early in the morning behold, these were all dead bodies. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroq, his god, that Adrem Melek and Sharizer, his sons, smote him with the sword and they escaped into the land of Ararat and Esar had and his son reigned in his stead. End of chapter 37, chapter 38. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos came to him and said unto him, thus saith Jehovah, set thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed unto Jehovah and said, remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of Jehovah to Isaiah saying, go and say to Hezekiah, thus saith Jehovah, the god of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears, behold, I will add unto thy days 15 years and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria and I will defend this city and this shall be the sign unto thee from Jehovah that Jehovah will do this thing that he had spoken. Behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps which has gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the son to return backward 10 steps. So the son returned 10 steps on the dial whereon it was gone down. The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah when he had been sick and was recovered of his sickness. I said, in the noon tide of my days I shall go into the gates of Sheol. I am deprived of the residue of my years. I said, I shall not see Jehovah, even Jehovah in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. My dwelling is removed and is carried away from me as a shepherd's tent. I have rolled up like a weaver. My life, he will cut me off from the loom. From day even to night will thou make an end of me. I quieted myself until morning as a lion. So he breaketh all my bones. From day even to night will thou make an end of me. Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chatter. I did moan as a dove. My eyes fail with looking upward. Oh Lord, I am oppressed. Be thou my surety. What shall I say? He hath both spoken unto me and himself hath done it. I shall go softly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. Oh Lord, by these things men live and holy therein is the life of my spirit. Wherefore recover thou me and make me to live. Behold, it was from my peace that I had great bitterness. But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption. For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For she, O, cannot praise thee. Death cannot celebrate thee. They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do this day. The father to the children shall make known thy truth. Jehovah is ready to save me. Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of Jehovah. Now Isaiah had said, let them take a cake of figs and lay it for a plaster upon the boil and he shall recover. Hezekiah also had said, what is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah? End of chapter 38, chapter 39. At that time, Merodoc Baladon, the son of Baladon, king of Babylon sent letters in a present to Hezekiah for he heard that he had been sick and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and all the house of his armor and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah showed them not. Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah and said unto him, what said these men and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, they are come from a far country unto me even from Babylon. Then said he, what have they seen in thy house? And Hezekiah answered, all that is in my house have they seen. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, hear the word of Jehovah of hosts, behold the days are coming when all that is in thy house and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, sayeth Jehovah and of thy sons that shall issue from thee whom thou shalt be get shall they take away and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, for there shall be peace and truth in my days. End of chapter 39. Chapters 40 through 48 of Isaiah, American Standard Version. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Sam Stinson. Chapter 40. Comfort Yee. Comfort yee my people, sayeth your God. Speak yee comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins. The voice of one that cryeth, prepare yee in the wilderness the way of Jehovah, make level in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the uneven shall be made level and the rough places a plain and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. The voice of one saying, cry, and one said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field, and the grass withereth, the flower fadeeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it, surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeeth, but the word of our God shall stand for ever. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a 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. Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm and carry them in his bosom and will gently lead those that have their young, who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out heaven with the span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains and scales and the hills in a balance. Who hath directed the spirit of Jehovah or being his counselor hath taught him, with whom took he counsel and who instructed him and taught him in the path of justice and taught him knowledge and showed to him the way of understanding. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are accounted as the small dust of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the aisles as a very little thing, and Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him. They are accounted by him as less than nothing and vanity, to whom then will ye liken God or what likeness will ye compare unto him? The image, a workman hath cast it, and the goldsmith overlayeth it with gold and casteth for it silver chains. He that is too impoverished for such an oblation chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeketh unto him a skillful workman to set up a graven image that shall not be moved. Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers, that stretches out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in, that bringeth princes to nothing, that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yay, they have not been planted. Yay, they have not been sown. Yay, their stock hath not taken root in the earth. Moreover, he bloweth upon them, and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble. To whom, then, will ye liken me, that I should be equal to him, sayeth the Holy One? Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number. He calleth them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel? My way is hid from Jehovah, and the justice due to me is passed away from my God. Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not. Neither is weary. There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to him that hath no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. End of chapter 40, chapter 41. Keep silence before me, O islands, and let the peoples renew their strength. Let them come near, then let them speak. Let us come near together to judgment. Who hath raised up one from the east, whom he calleth in righteousness to his foot. He giveth nations before him and maketh him rule over kings. He giveth them as the dust to his sword, as the driven stubble to his bow. He pursueth them and passeth on safely, even by a way that he had not gone with his feet. Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last, I am he. The isles have seen and fear. The ends of the earth tremble. They draw near and come. They help every one his neighbor and every one sayeth to his brother, be of good courage. So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer, him that smitheth the anvil, saying of the soldering, it is good, and he fasteneth it with nails, that it should not be moved. But thou, Israel, my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend, thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said unto thee, thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that are incensed against thee shall be put to shame and confounded. They that strive with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contend with thee. They that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of not. For I, Jehovah thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not, I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel, I will help thee, sayeth Jehovah, and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I have made thee to be a new, sharp, threshing instrument, having teeth. Thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them, and thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst. I, Jehovah, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree. I will set in the desert the fir-tree, the pine and the box-tree together, that they may see and know and consider, and understand together that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. Produce your cause, saith Jehovah. Bring forth your strong reasons, saith the king of Jacob. Let them bring forth, and declare unto us what shall happen. Declare ye the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them. Or show us things to come. Declare the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods. Ye, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed and behold it together. Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work is of naught, and abomination is he that chooses you. I have raised up one from the north, and he has come from the rising of the sun, one that calleth upon my name, and he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter-treadeth clay. Who hath declared it from the beginning that we may know, and before time that we may say he is right? Ye, there is none that declareeth. Ye, there is none that showeth. Ye, there is none that heareth your words. I am the first that sayeth unto Zion. Behold, behold them, and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. And when I look, there is no man. Even among them there is no counselor, that when I ask of them, can answer a word. Behold, all of them, their works are vanity, and not, their molten images are wind, and confusion. End of chapter 41, chapter 42. Behold, my servant whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. A bruised reed? Will he not break? In a dimly burning wick? Will he not quench? He will bring forth justice in truth. He will not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth, and the aisles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth. He that spread abroad the earth, and that which cometh out of it. He that giveth breath unto the people upon it. And spirit to them that walk therein, I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. I am Jehovah, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare, before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the aisles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice. The villages that quedar doth inhabit. Let the inhabitants of Sila sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands. Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man. He will stir up his zeal like a man of war. He will cry, yea, he will shout aloud. He will do mightily against his enemies. I have long time hold in my peace. I have been still, and refrained myself. Now will I cry out like a travelling woman. I will gasp, and pant together. I will lay waste mountains in hills, and dry up all their herbs. And I will make the river's islands, and will dry up the pools. And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not. And paths that they know not will I lead them. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them. They shall be turned back. They shall be utterly put to shame. That trust in graven images, that say unto molten images, ye are our gods. Here ye deaf, and look ye blind, that ye may see. Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger that I send? Who is blind as he that is at peace with me, and blind as Jehovah's servant? Thou seest many things, but thou observest not. His ears are open, but he heareth not. It pleased Jehovah for his righteousness's sake to magnify the law, and make it honorable. But this is a people robbed and plundered. They are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses. They are for a prey, and none delivereth for a spoil, and none sayeth, Restore. Who is there among you that will give ear to this, that will hearken and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for a spoil in Israel to the robbers, did not Jehovah? He against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk? Neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore he poured upon him the fierceness of his anger, and the strength of battle, and it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not, and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. But now, thus seeth Jehovah that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Siba in thy stead. Since thou hast been precious in my sight, and honourable, and I have loved thee, therefore will I give men in thy stead, and peoples instead of thy life. Fear not, for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, give up, and to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth. One that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified. Or let them hear and say it is truth. We are my witnesses, sayeth Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know, and believe me, and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am Jehovah, and besides me there is no Saviour. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed, and there was no strange God among you. For ye are my witnesses, sayeth Jehovah, and I am God. Yea, since the day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who can hinder it? Thus sayeth Jehovah your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, for your sake I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing. I am Jehovah your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. Thus sayeth Jehovah, who maketh away in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters, who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man. They lie down together, they shall not rise. They are extinct, they are quenched as a wick. Remember ye, not the former things, neither consider the things of old? Behold, I will do a new thing. Now shall it spring forth, shall ye not know it? I will even make away in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beasts of the fields shall honour me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise. That thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob, but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. Thou hast not brought me of thy sheep for burnt offerings, neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not burdened thee with offerings, nor weary thee with frankincense. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices. But thou hast burdened me with thy sins. Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. I, even I, am he that bloneth out thy transgressions for mine own sake. And I will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together, set thou forth thy cause, that thou mayest be justified. Thy first father sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. For I will profane the princes of the sanctuary, and I will make Jacob a curse in Israel a reviling. End of chapter 43. CHAPTER 44 Yet, now hear, O Jacob, my servant, in Israel who I have chosen, thus saith Jehovah that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, who will help thee. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, and thou just sure in whom I have chosen, for I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring, and they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by the water-courses. One shall say, I am Jehovah's, and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Thus saith Jehovah, the king of Israel, and his redeemer, Jehovah of hosts, I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God, and who, as I shall call and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I established the ancient people, and the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare. Fear ye not? Better be afraid. Have I not declared unto thee of old, and showed it? And ye are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? Yea, there is no rock. I know not any. They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity, and the things that they delight and shall not profit, and their own witnesses see not, nor know, that they may be put to shame, who have fashioned a God or molten an image that is profitable for nothing. Behold, all his fellows shall be put to shame, and the workmen they are of men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up. They shall fear, they shall be put to shame together. The smith maketh an axe, and worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with his strong arm. Yea, he is hungry, and his strength phaeleth. He drinketh no water, and his faint. The carpenter stretcheth out a line. He marketh it out with a pencil. He shapeeth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compasses, and shapeeth it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the home-tree in the oak. And strengtheneth for himself one among the trees of the forest. He planteth a fir-tree, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn, and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself. Yea he kindleth it, and bakeeth bread. Yea he maketh a God, and worshipeth it. He maketh it a graven image, and falleth down there too. He burneth part thereof in the fire. With part thereof he eateth flesh. He roasteth roast, and is satisfied. Yea he warmeth himself in sayeth, Aha, I am warm. I have seen the fire. And the residue thereof he maketh a God, even his graven image. He falleth down unto it, and worshipeth, and prayeth unto it, and sayeth, Deliver me for thou art my God. They know not, neither do they consider, for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see, and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none calleth to mind, neither is their knowledge, nor understanding, to say, I have burned part of it in the fire. Yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof. I have roasted flesh and eaten it. And shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes. A deceived heart hath turned him aside, and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? Remember these things, O Jacob, in Israel, for thou art my servant. I have formed thee, thou art my servant, O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and as a cloud, thy sins. Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens, for Jehovah hath done it, shout ye lower parts of the earth, break forth into singing ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein, for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel. Thus saith Jehovah thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb. I am Jehovah that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth, who is with me. That frustrateeth the signs of the liars, and maketh diviners mad, that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish, that confirmeth the word of his servant, that performeth the counsel of his messengers. That saith of Jerusalem she shall be inhabited, and of the cities of Judah they shall be built. And I will raise up the waste places thereof, that saith to the deep be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers. That saith of Cyrus he is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, she shall be built, and of the temple thy foundation shall be laid. End of chapter forty-four, chapter forty-five. Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee, and make the rough places smooth. I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron, and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that it is I, Jehovah, who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called thee by thy name. I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am Jehovah, and there is none else, besides me there is no God. I will gird thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me. I am Jehovah, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that do with all these things. Distill ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up together. I, Jehovah, have created it. Woe unto him that striveth with his maker, a pot-shirt among the pot-shirts of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it? What makeest thou? Or thy work? He hath no hands. Woe unto him that saith unto a father, what begetteth thou? Or to a woman, with what travailest thou? Thus saith Jehovah, the holy one of Israel, and his maker, ask me of the things that are to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price, nor reward, saith Jehovah of hosts. Thus saith Jehovah, the labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the beings, men of stature shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine. They shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee. They shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee, and there is none else. There is no God. Fairly, thou art a God that hightest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. They shall be put to shame, yea, confounded, all of them. They shall go into confusion together, that are makers of idols. But Israel shall be saved by Jehovah, with an everlasting salvation. Ye shall not be put to shame, nor confounded, world without end. For thus saith Jehovah, that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth, and made it, that established it, and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited. I am Jehovah, and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I said not unto the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain. I Jehovah speak righteousness. I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves and come, draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge, that carry the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a God that cannot save. Declare ye, and bring it forth, yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath showed this from ancient time? Who hath declared it of old? Have not I Jehovah? And there is no God else besides me, a just God, and a Saviour. There is none besides me. Look unto me, and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. By myself have I sworn. The word has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Only in Jehovah the descent of me is righteousness and strength. And to him shall men come, and all they that were incensed against him shall be put to shame. In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. End of Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Bell boweth down, knee-bow, stupeth. Their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle. The things that ye carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together. They could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity. Harken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been borne by me from their birth, that have been carried from the womb. And even to old age I am he, and even to whore hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear, yea I will carry, and will deliver. To whom will ye like me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like, such as lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance? They hire a goldsmith, and he maketh it a gond. They fall down, yea they worship. They bear it upon the shoulder, they carry it, and set it in its place, in its standeth. From its place shall it not remove, yea one may cry unto it, yet can it not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. Remember this, and show yourselves men, bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure, calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country, yea I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed, I will also do it. Harken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness, I bring near my righteousness. It shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry, and I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory. CHAPTER 47 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones, and grind meal. Remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers, thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea thy shame shall be seen, I will take vengeance, and will spare no man. Our Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts, is his name, the Holy One of Israel. Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. I was wroth with my people, I profaned my inheritance, and gave them into thy hand. Thou didst show them no mercy, upon the aged hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke. And thou saidest, I shall be mistress for ever, so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end thereof. Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, that sittest securely, that sayest in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me. I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children. But these two things shall come to thee in a moment, in one day, the loss of children and widowhood, and their full measure shall they come upon thee, in the multitude of thy sorceries, and the great abundance of thine enchantments, for thou hast trusted in thy wickedness, thou hast said, none seeth me, thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath perverted thee, and thou hast said in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee, thou shalt not know the dawning thereof, and mischief shall fall upon thee, thou shalt not be able to put it away, and desolation shall come upon thee, suddenly, which thou knowest not. And now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth, if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art weary in the multitude of thy councils, let now the astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognosticators stand up and save thee from the things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble, the fire shall burn them, they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame. It shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sick before. Thus shall the things be unto thee, wherein thou hast labored. They that have trafficked with thee from thy youth shall wander every one to his quarter. There shall be none to save thee. CHAPTER 48 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of Jehovah, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel. Jehovah of hosts is his name. I have declared the former things from a fold. Ye, they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass. Therefore I have declared it to thee from of old. Before it came to pass I showed it thee, lest thou shouldest say, My idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them. Thou hast heard it. Behold all this, and ye, will ye not declare it? I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, which thou hast not known. They are created now, and not from of old. And before this day thou hurtest them not, lest thou shouldest say, Behold I knew them. Ye, thou hurtest not. Ye, thou newest not. Ye, from of old, thine ear was not opened. For I knew that thou didst deal very treacherously, and was called a transgressor from the womb. For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. Behold, I have refined thee, but not a silver. I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction, for mine own sake. For mine own sake will I do it. For how should my name be profaned, and my glory will I not give to another? Harken unto me, O Jacob, in Israel my called. I am he. I am the first. I also am the last. Ye, my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spread out the heavens. When I call unto them, they stand up together. All yourselves, all ye, and here, who among them hath declared these things. He whom Jehovah loveth shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken. Yea, I have called him. I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. Come ye near unto me. Hear ye this, from the beginning I have not spoken in secret. In the time that it was there am I, and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me and his spirit. Thus sayeth Jehovah thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am Jehovah thy God, who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hast harkened to my commandments, then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof. His name would not be cut off, nor destroyed from before me. Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with the voice of singing declare ye. Tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth. Say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob. And they thirsted not, when he led them through the deserts. He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them. He claved the rock also, and the waters gushed out. There is no peace, sayeth Jehovah, to the wicked. End of chapter 48. Chapters 49 through 58 of Isaiah, American Standard Version. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Sam Stinson. Chapter 49 Listen, O Isles unto me, and hearken ye peoples from far. Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, and the shadow of his hand hath he hid me. And he hath made me a polished shaft, and his quiver hath he kept me close. And he said unto me, Thou art my servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified. But I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and vanity, yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah and my recompense with my God. And now sayeth Jehovah that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered unto him. For I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God is become my strength. Yea, he sayeth, it is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Thus sayeth Jehovah the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhoreth, to a servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise, princes and they shall worship, because of Jehovah that is faithful even the Holy One of Israel who hath chosen thee. Thus sayeth Jehovah, in an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee, and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages, saying to them that are bound, go forth, to them that are in darkness, show yourselves, they shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. They shall not hunger, nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them, for he that hath mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water will he guide them, and I will make all my mountains away, and my highways shall be exalted. Low, these shall come from far, and low, these from the north, and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim. Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains, for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted. But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually before me. Thy children make haste, thy destroyers, and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee. Lift up thine eyes, round about, and behold, all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and gird thyself with them like a bride. For, as for thy waste, and thy desolate places, and thy land that hath been destroyed, surely now shalt thou be too straight for the inhabitants, and they that swallowed the up shall be far away. The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, the place is too straight for me, give place to me that I may dwell. And shalt thou say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, and exile, and wandering too and fro, and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone, these, where were they? Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples, and they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders, and kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers. They shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet, and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah, and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered? But thus saith Jehovah, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children, and I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh, and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine, and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. End of Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Thus saith Jehovah, where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, wherewith I have put her away, or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were ye sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away, wherefore when I came was there no man, when I called was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness, their fish stink because there is no water, and die for thirst, I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary. He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught. The Lord Jehovah hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward. I gave my back to the smiders, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I had not my face from shame and spitting, for the Lord Jehovah will help me. Therefore have I not been confounded, therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He is near that justifyeth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord Jehovah will help me. Who is he that shall condemn me? Behold, all they shall wax old as a garment. The moth shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, that obeyeth the voice of his servant? He that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and rely upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves about with fire-brands. Walk ye in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of my hand. Ye shall lie down in sorrow. CHAPTER 51 Harken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah. Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged. Look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah that bear you. For when he was but one, I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many. For Jehovah hath comforted Zion. He hath comforted all her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah. Joy and gladness shall be found therein. Thanksgiving and the voice of Melody. Attend unto me, O my people, and give ear unto me, O my nation, for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the peoples. The aisles shall wait for me, and on mine arms shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath, for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. Harken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law. Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye dismayed at their revilings, for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. That my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation unto all generations. Awake! Awake! Put on strength, O arm of Jehovah! Awake! As in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Is it not thou that didst cut Rahab in pieces, that didst pierce the monster? Is it not thou that driest up the sea, the waters of the great deep, that madest the depths of the sea away for the redeemed to pass over? And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. An everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. I, even I, am he that comforteth you. Who art thou, that thou art afraid of man that shall die, and of the Son of man that shall be made as grass? And hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and fierced continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor when he maketh ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile shall speedily be loosed, and he shall not die and go down into the pit. Neither shall his bread fail. For I am Jehovah thy God, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar. Jehovah of hosts is his name, and I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people. Awake! Awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, that hast drunk at the hand of Jehovah the cup of his wrath. Thou hast drunk in the bowl of the cup of staggering, and trained 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 among 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 head of all the streets as an antelope in a net. They are full of the wrath of Jehovah, the rebuke of thy God. Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted and drunken, but not with wine. Thus sayeth thy Lord Jehovah and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people. Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of staggering. Even the bowl of the cup of my wrath thou shalt no more drink it again. And I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee, that have said to thy soul, Thou down, that we may go over, and thou hast laid thy back as the ground, and as the street to them that go over. End of chapter 51, chapter 52. Awake! Awake! Put on thy strength, though 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 on thy throne, O Jerusalem. Loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus sayeth Jehovah. Ye were sold for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus sayeth the Lord Jehovah. My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian hath oppressed them without cause. Now, therefore, what do I hear, sayeth Jehovah, seeing that my people is taken away for not. They that rule over them do howl, sayeth Jehovah. And my name continually all the day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak, behold, it is I. 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 sayeth 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 when Jehovah returneth to Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem, for Jehovah hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth hath seen the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from vents, touch no uncleaned thing. Go ye out of the midst of her, cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah. For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight. For Jehovah will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rearward. Behold, my servant shall deal wisely. He shall be exalted, and lifted up, and shall be very high. Like as many were astonished at thee, his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they understand. CHAPTER 53 Who hath believed our message, and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised, and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. And we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth, as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb. So he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due. And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death. Although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. By the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors. And he bear the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. And of chapter 53, chapter 54, Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing, and cry aloud, Thou that didst not travail with child, for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah, and large the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes, for thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed, neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame, for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood, shalt thou remember no more, for thy maker is thy husband, Jehovah of hosts is his name, and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, the God of the whole earth shall he be called, for Jehovah hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth when she is cast off, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting loving kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith Jehovah thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wrath with thee, nor rebuke thee, for the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my loving kindness shall not depart from thee. Neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith Jehovah, that hath mercy on thee. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted. Behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah, and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established, thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they may gather together, but not by me. Whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall, because of thee. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work. And I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee, and judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness, which is of me, saith Jehovah. End of chapter 54, chapter 55. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat. Ye, come, buy wine and milk, without money, and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money, for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hark indiligently unto me, and eat, ye, that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. And climb your ear, and come unto me, here, and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader, and commander to the peoples. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and a nation that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye Jehovah, while he may be found. Call ye upon him, while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man, his thoughts, and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth in butt, and giveeth seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. So shall my word be, that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing where too I send it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to Jehovah for a name, for an everlasting sign, that shall not be cut off. CHAPTER 56 THE SEATH JOHOVA Keep ye justice, and do righteousness, for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that holdeth it fast, that keepeth the Sabbath from profaning it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the foreigner that hath joined himself to Jehovah speak, saying, Jehovah will surely separate me from his people. Neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith Jehovah of the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold fast my covenant, unto them will I give in my house, and within my walls a memorial, and a name, better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the foreigners that join themselves to Jehovah, to minister unto him, and to love the name of Jehovah, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from profaning it, and holdeth fast my covenant. Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar. For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. The Lord Jehovah, who gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, Yet will I gather others to him, besides his own that are gathered. All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, ye all ye beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot mark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough, and these are shepherds that cannot understand. They have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain from every quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and tomorrow shall be as this day, a day great beyond measure. End of chapter 56. Chapter 57. The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart, and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He entereth into peace. They rest in their beds, each one that walketh in his uprightness. But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot, against whom do ye sport yourselves, against whom make ye a wide mouth and put out the tongue. Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, ye that inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree that slay the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? Among the smooth stones of the valley is thy portion. They, they are thy lot. Even to them hast thou poured a drink offering. Thou hast offered an oblation. Shall I be appeased for these things? Upon a high and lofty mountain hast thou set thy bed. Thither also wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. And behind the doors and the posts hast thou set up thy memorial, for thou hast uncovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up. Thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them. Thou lovest their bed, where thou sawest it. And thou wentest to the king with oil, and just increase thy perfumes, and just send thine ambassadors far off, and just debase thyself even unto sheol. Thou wasst wearied with the length of thy way, yet setest thou not. It is in vain. Thou didst find a quickening of thy strength. Therefore thou wasst not faint. And of whom hast thou been afraid, and in fear that thou liest, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? Have not I held my peace even of long time, and thou fearst me not? I will declare thy righteousness, and as for thy works they shall not profit thee. When thou cryest, let them that thou hast gathered deliver thee. But the wind shall take them, a breath shall carry them all away. But he that taketh refuge in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain. And he will say, cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block, out of the way of my people. For thus sayeth the high and lofty, one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. To revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not contend for ever. Neither will I be always wroth, for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him. I hid my face, and was wroth, and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him. I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him, and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, sayeth Jehovah, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, for it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, sayeth my God, to the wicked. End of chapter 57, chapter 58. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and declare unto my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways. As a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments. They delight to draw near unto God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seeest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takeest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast, ye find your own pleasure, in exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Ye fast not this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high? Is such the fast that I have chosen? The day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Jehovah? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bonds of wickedness? To undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seeest the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily, and thy righteousness shall go before thee? The glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward. Then shall thou call, and Jehovah will answer. Thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am! If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly, and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noonday, and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in dry places, and make strong thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail not, and they that shall be of thee, shall build the old waste places, thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of Jehovah honorable, and shalt honor it, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words, then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father, for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. End of chapter 58