5 her in the middle of the fire, and a splendor in it. And in the middle, a resemblance like that of four living beings. And this

6 was the appearance of them. They had a resemblance of a man

7 in them. And each had four faces, and each had four wings; and their legs were straight and their feet winged and sparking; like sparkling brass. And their wings had a quick mo-

8 tion. And underneath their wings on their four sides was a

9 man's hand. And the faces of the four turned not when they went. They marched forward each having a face on every

10 side. And with regard to the similitude of their faces, the four had the face of a man with the face of a lion, on the right; and on the left the four had the face of a bullock, and the four

11 had a face of an eagle. And the wings of the four were expanded upwards, each having a pair expanded adjoining each

12 other and a pair folded on their body. And they moved on,

13 each straight forward, which way soever the wind was moving, they moved on, and turned not. And in the midst of the four living beings, was an appearance like that of glowing coals of fire, resembling lamps whirling round between the living beings with a splendor of fire, and from the fire light.

15 nings flashed. And I beheld and lo! on the ground, close to the four living beings a wheel! one to every of the four.—

16 And th'e appearance of the wheels was like the appearance of a beryl. And the four had one and the same likeness. And their workmanship was as if there was a wheel within

17 a wheel. They ran on their four sections and shifted not

18 their position when they ran, nor did their felloes when they were elevated. And I beheld, and their felloes were full of

19 eyes, all around the four. And when the living beings moved on, the wheels moved on close by them. And when the living beings mounted up from the earth, the wheels mount.

20 ed up. Wherever the cloud was, there was the wind for their movement; the wheels moved on and were carried aloft with them. Because there was a breath of life in the

21 wheels, when the living beings moved on, the wheels moved . on: when those stood still, these stood still: and when those

mounted up from the earth, these mounted up with them, be-

22 cause there was a breath of life in the wheels. And over the head of the living beings, there was a likeness resembling a firmament, like the appearance of chrystal over their wings,

23 which were expanded above them. And their wings which were expanded below the firmament, flapped one against another, while every one had a pair that covered their bodies.—

24 And when they moved on I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of much water: but when they stopped, their

25 wings were still. And lo! a voice from above the firmament!

26 this being over their heads, there was an appearance like that of a sapphire stone and a resemblance of a throne upon it. And upon the resemblance of the throne a resemblance like the ap-

27 pearance of a man above. And I saw a resemblance of amber from the appearance of the loins and upwards; and from the appearance of the loins and downwards, I saw an appearance of fire: and the splendor thereof round about was like the bow which is in the clouds in a showery day. Such was the state of the splendor round about.

II. THIS was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And ivhen I saw it, I fell on my face and I heard a voice of one speaking and he said to me, Son of man, stand on thy

2 feet and I will speak to thee. Whereupon a blast of wind came upon me and took me and lifted me up and set me on my feet and I heard him speaking to me and he said to me,

3 Son of man, I am about to send thee to the house of Israel, to them who are provoking me; who have provoked me, both

4 they and their fathers even to this day. And thou shall say un-

5 to them, "Thus saith the Lord," whether they hear or be af-

6 frighted; (for they are a provoking house) and let them know that thou art a prophet among them. And thou son of man, be not afraid of them nor daunted at their presence. Because they will sting thee and rise up against thee on all sides and thou dwellest in the midst of scorpions, be not afraid of their words

7 nor terrified at their looks—because they are a provoking house, therefore thou shalt deliver my words to them whether they hear or be affrighted. .. . J

8 Because they are a provoking house, thou therefore, son of man, hear him who is speaking to thee and be not thou rebellious like this rebellious house. Open thy mouth and eat what I give thee.

9 Then I looked, and lo! a hand stretched out towards me

and in it a roll of a book and he unfolded it before me and there were writings on it on both sides. And the writings were funeral odes and songs of woe. III. And he said to me, Son of man eat this roll and go and

2 speak to the children of Israel. And when he had opened my

3 mouth and put the roll into it, he said to me, Son of man, Let thy mouth eat and thy belly be filled with this roll which is given thee. So I ate it, and it was in my mouth sweet as ho-

4 ney. Then he said to me, Son of man, go and get thee to the

5 house of Israel and speak to them these words of mine, seeing thou art sent to the house of Israel—not to a people of strange

6 language, nor to many tribes of strange and foreign tongues, nor to them whose pronunciation is harsh and whose words thou canst not understand; though had I sent thee to such they

7 might have hearkened to thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken to thee, since they are not willing to hearken to me. Because all the house of Israel are contentious and stubborn,

8 therefore behold I have made thy face strong against their faces, and I will invigorate thy struggle against their strug-

9 gling and it shall be on all occasions firmer than a rock. Be not afraid of them nor daunted at their countenance, because they

10 area provoking house. Then he said to me, Son of man,-lay up in thy heart all the words which I have spoken to thee; and

11 having heard with thine ears go get thee to the captivity, to the children of thy people, and thou shalt speak to them and say to them, "Thus saith the Lord," whether they hear or forbear.

12 Then a blast of wind took me up and I heard behind me a sound of a great earthquake, "Blessed be the glory oftlie Lord

from this place of his:" whereupon I looked towards the sound and saw that this sound of an earthquake was that of the wings

14 flapping one against another and that of the wheels near them. Then the blast lifted me up and bore me aloft and I went by the impulse of my own spirit, and the hand of the Lord upon

15 me was strong, and being borne aloft I came to the captivity and went round among them who dwelt by the river Chobar— among them who were there. And I abode there seven days conversing with them.

16 And after these seven days a word of the Lord came to me

17 saying, Son of man; I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear a word from my mouth

18 and warn them from me. When I say to the unrighteous, Thou shalt surely die, and thou hast not warned the unrighteous to turn from his ways that he may live; that unrighteous man shall die for his iniquity; but his blood I will require at thy

19 hand. But if thou hast warned the unrighteous and he will not turn from his iniquity and from his way; that unrighteous man shall die for his iniquity, and thou shalt deliver thy soul. So when a righteous man turneth from his righteous acts and shall commit transgression though I lay the punishment before him; he shall die. Because thou hast not warned him, though he indeed shall die for his sins (for his righteous acts will not

21 be remembered;) yet his blood I will require at thy hand. But if thou hast warned the righteous man not to sin and he sin- neth not; the righteous man shall live; and because thou hast warned him, thou shalt deliver thy soul.

22 Then the hand of the Lord was upon me; and he said to

23 me, Arise and go out to the plain and I will there speak to thee. So I arose and went out to the plain; and behold the glory of the Lord stood there like the vision and like the glory of the Lord which I Saw by the river Chobar. Whereupon I fell on

24 my face. And a blast of wind came upon me and set me on my feet, and he spoke to me and said to me, Go and shut thy-

25 self up in thy house. Now son of man, behold chains are prepared for thee; and thou shalt be bound with them and shalt

26 not get out of them. And I will bind up thy tongue, that thou mayst be dumb and not be to them a reprover, because they

27 are a rebellious house. And when I speak to thee, I will open thy mouth and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord, whoso heareth let him hear; and let him who is disobedient, be

IV. disobedient, since they are a rebellious house. And thou son of man, take thee a tile and set it before thee and pourtray

2 thereon the city Jerusalem; and thou shalt lay siege to it and build mounts against it and throw up a circumvallation around it and pitch camps against it and arrange the towers for engines

3 round about. Then take thee an iron pan and place it as an iron wall-between thee and the city and set thy face against it

4 and it shall be besieged and thou shalt bfisiege it. This is A sign for the children of Israel. And thou shall lie on thy left side and lay on it the iniquities of the house of Israel. According to the number of the hundred and fifty days which thou

5 shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquities. Now I have given thee their iniquities to the number of a hundred and

6 ninety days. So when thou hast taken the iniquities of the house of Israel and finished them, thou shalt lie on thy right

7 side and bear the iniquities of the house of Juda forty days. I have given thee a day for a year. Therefore thou shalt prepare thy face for the siege of Jerusalem and strengthen thine arm and

8 prophesy against it. And behold I have given chains for thee that thou mayst not turn from one of thy sides to the other until

9 the days of thy siege are accomplished. Provide therefore for thyself wheat and barley and beans andlentiles and millet and rye and put them into an earthen vessel and make them into loaves for thyself according to the number of the days which thou liest on thy side, to be eaten in the course of a hundred and

10 ninety days. And thou shalt eat thy bread by weight, twenty

11 shekels a day. From time to time thou shalt eat it: and thou shalt drink water by measure, namely the sixth of an hin to be

12 drunk at stated times. And thou shalt eat the loaves baked like barley cakes on the hearth, and thou shalt bake them in their

13 sight with a fire made of human ordure and shalt say, Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, So shall the children of Israel

14 eat impure meats among the nations. Upon this I said, Not so: O Lord God of Israel, seeing my soul hath not been pollut^ ed with impurity. Even from my birth to this day I have not eaten what died of itself, or was torn by wild beasts, nor hath any

15 tainted flesh ever entered my mouth. Thereupon he said to me, Behold I have given thee the dung of cattle instead of hu-

16 man ordure that thou mayst bake thy loaves with it. Moreover he said to me, son of man, Behold I break the staff of bread in Jerusalem and they shall eat bread by weight and with scantiness; and they shall drink water by measure and with famines*;

17 that they may be in want of bread and water and perish, om: and all, and be wasted away for their iniquities.

V. And thou son of man, take thee a knife sharper than a barber's razor and having procured such a one lhau shalt pass it over thy head and thy beard. Then thou shall take a pair of

VOL. III. K k

2 scales; and having weighed the hair thou shalt burn the fourth part of it with fire, in the space before the city; during the completion of the days of the siege. And thou shalt take another fourth part and bum it in the midst of the city; and thou shalt hack with the sword another fourth part, around the city; and the other fourth part thou shalt scatter to the wind and I will

3 draw out a sword after them. But of this parcel thou shalt take a

4 few in number and tie them up in thy mantle. Yet even of these thou shalt take some and cast them into themidstof the fireand burn them with fire which shall come out of the city and thou shah say to all the house of Israel thus saith the Lord, This is Jerusa-

5 lem. I placed her in the midst of nations and the countries around

6 her, that thou shouldst tell my rules of rectitude to such of the nations as are without law; and that mine ordinances might be the ordinances of the countries around her. Because they rejected my rules of rectitude and did not walk by mine ordi-

7 nances; therefore thus saith the Lord, Because you have taken your bent from the nations around you, and have not walked in my statutes, nor practised my rules of rectitude, nor acted even conformably to the moral precepts of the nations around

8 you; therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold I am against thee; and in the midst of thee I will execute judgment in the sight

9 of the nations, and do to thee according to all thine abominations, what I have not done, and the like of which I will not

10 do any more. For this cause fathers shall eat children in ux midst of thee; and children shall eat fathers. And I will execute judgment upon thee, and scatter all the remnant of thcc

11 to every wind. For this cause, as I live saith the Lord, Because thou hast polluted my holy things with all thine abominations; therefore I will cast thee off; mine eye shall not spare

12 nor will I have compassion. The fourth part of thee shall Lk consumed with pestilence; and the fourth part of thee shall perish by famine in the midst of thee; and the fourth part of thee shall fall by the sword around thee; and I will make bare

13 a sword to pursue them. And my wrath shall be spent, and mine indignation, on them; and thou shalt know why I the Lord have spoken in my zeal, when I have executed mine in-

14 dignation on them. And I will make thee and thy daughters

around thee, a desolation, in the sight of every one who pass. .5 eth by. And thou shall be an object of lamentation and horror to the nations around thee, when I have executed judgment on thee with mine avenging wrath: I the Lord have .6 spoken. For when I have sent against them my shafts of fa- 7 mine and they shall be for destruction, I will break thy staff of bread and send against thee famine and wild beasts; and punish thee; and death and blood shall pass through upon thee: and I will bring a sword against thee from all around; I the Lord have spoken.

VI. II. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man set thy face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them and thou shalt say,

3 O mountains of Israel, hear a word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord to the mountains and hills, and to the vales and the forests, Behold I am bringing a sword against you; and your

4 high places shall be destroyed; and your altars and your temples shall be trodden down; and I will cast down your slain be-

5 fore your idols; and scatter your bones around your altars

6 and in all your dwelling places. The cities shall be laid waste and the high places desolated, that your altars may be utterly destroyed: and your idols shall be trampled down, when your

7 fanes are removed; and your wounded shall fall in the midst

8 of you; and you shall know that I am the Lord. When some of you, who have escaped from the sword, are among the na-

9 tions and in your dispersions through the countries; then shall those of you, who have escaped, remember me among the nations whither they have been carried captives. With their heart which is going a whoring from me, and with their eyes, which are going a whoring after their own devices( I have sworn)

10 they shall bewail themselves for all-their abominations and acknowledge that I the Lord have spoken.

L1 Thus saith the Lord, Clap with thy hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Ha! ha! to all the abominations of the house of Israel. By sword and by pestilence, and by famine

12 they shall fall. He who is near shall fall by the sword; and he who is far off, shall die by pestilence; and he who is besieged slull be consumed by famine. And I will accomplish my fury

13 on them. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when your slain are in the midst of your idols, around your altars, on every lofty mount, and under every shady tree, where they

14 offered a sweet smelling savour to all their idols. For I will stretch forth my hand against them ; and make the land a desolation and a scene of destruction, from the wilderness of Deblatha through all their habitations; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

VII. III. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 And thou son of man say, Thus saith the Lord, To the land of Israel an end is coming. The end is come upon the four

6 wings of the land. The end is coming on thee who inhabitest

7 the land. The time is come. The day hath approached, not

8 with commotions nor with pangs. Now near at hand I pour out mine indignation on thee; and upon thee I will spend my wrath ; and judge thee for thy ways, and retribute to thee all

9 thine abominations. Mine eye shall not spare, nor will I have compassion. Because I will retribute to thee thy ways, when thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; therefore

3 thou shalt know that it is I the Lord who smite thee. Now the end is upon thee. I will send it against thee, and punish thee for thy ways and retribute to thee all thine abominations.

4 Mine eye shall not spare, nor will I have compassion. Because I will recompense upon thee thy ways, when thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee ; therefore thou shalt ac-

5 knowledge that I am the Lord. For thus saith the Lord, Lo!

11 the end is coming. Behold it is the day of the Lord. If indeed the rod hath budded, pride hath come to a full growth.— Therefore he will break the stay of the unrighteous; but not

12 with commotion nor with perturbation. The end is come. Behold the day! let not Rim who purchaseth rejoice, nor

13 him who selleth, mourn; since he who purchaseth shall no more return to him who selleth. Nor will any man hold with

14 an eye to life. Sound the trumpet and pass sentence on all

15 together. Abroad let there be battle with the sword, and at home famine and pestilence. Let him who is in the field die by the sword ; and them in the city let famine and pestilence

16 destroy. Now shall they escape who escape from among

them ? When they shall be on the mountains, I will indeed slay all, every one for his iniquities.

17 All hands shall be enfeebled and all thighs stained with filth.

18 And they shall gird on sackcloth; and amazement shall cover them. And shame shall be on all their faces : and on every

19 head, baldness. Their silver shall be thrown in the streets; and their gold shall be disregarded. Their souls shall not be satisfied; nor shall their bellies be filled: because the punish-

20 ment of their iniquities is come. With their choice apparel which was laid by for ostentation—even with this they adorned the images of their abominations ; therefore I have given

21 it to them for defilement—even into the hand of strangers I will deliver it for plunder, and to be a spoil for the ravagers

22 of the earth; and they shall defile it. And I will turn away my face from them ; and they shall pollute the places under my peculiar inspection, and come into them unobserved, and

23 profane them and make them an abomination. Because the

24 land is full of peoples, and the city is full of iniquity ; there, fore I will turn back their tumultuous power, and their holy

25 things shall be polluted. Though an atonement shall come

26 and seek peace, it shall be no more. Woe shall succeed woe; and news be followed by news; and a vision shall be sought from a prophet: and law shall perish from the priest, and

27 counsel from the elders—the chief shall be clothed with darkness ; and the hands of the people of the land shall be weakened. According to their ways I will deal with them ; and for their crimes I will punish them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

VIII. IV. AGAIN in the sixth year in the fifth month, on the fifth of the month as I was sitting at home, and the elders of Juda, were sitting before me, the hand of the Lord came

2 upon me. And I looked and lo! a likeness of a man ! From his loins downward was fire, and from his loins upward

3 was an appearance like that of amber. And he stretched forth the similitude*of a hand and took hold of me by the crown of the head and a blast of wind lifted me up between heaven and earth, and in a vision of God, brought me to Jerusalem, to the vestibule of the gate facing the north, where

4 was the pillar of the possessor. And behold the glory of the Lord God of Israel was there, such in appearance as I saw

5 in the plain. And he said to me, Son of man, look up with thine eyes towards the north. So I looked up with mine eyes towards the north, and behold from the north to the gate

6 facing the east. *** And he said to me, Son of man hast them seen what they are doing, They are committing great iniquities here that they may abstain from my holy things: but

7 thou shalt see still greater iniquities. Then he led me into the vestibule of the court, and said to me, Son of man, dig.

8 So I digged and lo! a door. And he said to me, Go in and

9 see the transgressions which they are committing here. So I

10 went in and beheld, and lo ! vain abominations and all the idols

11 of the house of Israel portrayed upon them round about and seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel; and Jechonias the son of Saphan in the midst stood foremost, and every one had a censer in his hand, and the smoke of the incense ascend-

12 ed. And he said to me, Hast thou seen, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing, every one of them in this

13 hidden apartment of theirs? For they said, The Lord doth not see. The Lord hath forsaken this land. Then he said to me, thou shalt see still greater transgressions which they are com-

14 mitting. Then he led me to the vestibule of the gate of the house of the Lord facing the north, and behold here were wo-

15 men seated, singing mournful ditties to Thammuz. And he said to me, Son of man, hast thou seen? Thou shalt see still

16 worse devices than these. Then he led me into the inner court of the house of the Lord; and at the vestibule of the temple of the Lord, between the ailams and the altar, were about twenty men ; their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces the direct contrary way; and they were worshipping the sun.

17 And he said to me, Hast thou seen? Son of man. Is it a light thing for the house of Juda to commit the transgressions, which they have committed here ? Because they have filled the land with iniquity, and lo ! they are as it were insulting me to my

18 face; therefore I will deal with them with wrath. Mine eye

. shall not spare, nor will I have compassion. IX. Then in my hearing he cried with a loud voice and said, The punishment of this city is at hand, and every one hath in

2 his hand the instruments of the destruction. Thereupon behold there came from the way of the high gate, which faceth the north, six men, every one with his battle axe in his hand; and in the midst of them a man clothed in a long robe and a girdle

3 of sapphire about his loins. And when they came close to the brazen altar, the glory of the God of Israel which was upon the cherubims ascended from them and came to the open part of the house and called the man who was clothed with the long robe and who had a girdle about his loins, and said to him, Go through the midst of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of those men who are sighing and sorrowing for all the transgressions which are committed among them; and to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye after him into the city and smite

6 and spare not with your eyes nor shew compassion. Destroy utterly old men and young, virgins and infants and married women; but go not near any of those who have the mark on them. Begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the men

7 the elders who were in the house. And he said to them, Defile this house and fill the ways with dead as you are going out

8 and continue the slaughter. And while they were slaying them I fell on my face and cried aloud and said, Ah! Lord! art thou utterly destroying the remnant of Israel by pouring out thy

9 wrath on Jerusalem? Whereupon he said to me, .The iniquity of the house of Israel and Juda is exceeding great. Because the land is filled with many peoples and the city is filled with iniquity and impurity—and because they said, the Lord hath

10 forsaken this land; the Lord doth not see; therefore mine eye shall not spare nor will I have compassion. I have requited

11 their ways upon their heads. Then, lo! the man who was clothed with the long robe and girded about the loins with the girdle came and made report, saying, I have done as thou orderedst

X. me. Thereupon I looked, and behold above the firmament which was over the head of the cherubims, there was a resem-

2 blance of a throne above them like a sapphire stone.* And he said to the man who was clothed with the long robe, Go in between the wheels which are under the cherubims and fill thy hands with coals of fire from the midst of the cherubims and scatter them over the city. So in my sight he went in.

3 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house as a

4 man goeth in, and the cloud filled the inner court. And the glory of the Lord had removed from the cherubims to the open part of the house and the cloud filled the house and the court

5 was filled with the splendour of the glory of the Lord: and die sound of the wings of the cherubims was heard to the outer

6 court like the voice of God Saddai speaking. And when he had given orders to the man clothed with the holy robe, saying, Take fire from the midst of the wheels from between the

7 cherubims and he had gone in and stood near the wheels, one stretched out his hand into the midst of the fire, which was between the cherubims and took and put it into the hands of him who was clothed with the holy robe and he took it and

8 Went out. Now I saw that the cherubims had the likeness of

9 men's hands under their wings. I looked also and lo! four wheels stood close to the cherubrms, one wheel close to each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the appear-

10 ance of a carbuncle stone. And as for their appearance, the four had one and the same likeness, as if there was a wheel

11 within a Avheel. When they ran, they ran on their four sections.

12 They altered not their position when they ran, for which way soever the foremost looked, they ran and altered not their

13 position when they ran. Now their backs and their hands and their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around

15 the four wheels. And in my hearing these wheels were called Gelgel. And the cherubims were the same living being

1C which I saw by the river Chobar. And when the cherubims marched on, the wheels ran and kept close to them; and when the cherubims lifted up their wings and were borne alcft from the earth, their wheels altered not their position.

17 When those stood these stood; and when those mounted up these mounted up with them, for there was a breath of life in

18 them. Then the glory of the Lord went out from the house

19 and mounted up upon the cherubims; and the cherubims raised their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out the wheels were close by them. And they stopped at the vestibule of the gate of the house of the Lord which was over against the house and the glory of the

20 God of Israel was above over them. This was the living being which I saw under the God of Israel at the river Chobar, and

21 I knew that it was the cherubims. Every one had four faces, and every one had eight wings, and the likeness of mens'

22 hands under their wings. And as for the likeness of their faces, these were the same faces which I saw under the glory of the God of Israel at the river Chobar and they marched every one

XI. straight forward. Then a blast of wind took me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord which was directly in front and which faced the east. And behold at the vestibule of the gate about five and twenty men! And I saw in the midst of them Jechonias the son of Ezer and PhaMas the

2 son of Banaias, the leaders of the people. And the Lord said to me, son of man, these are the men who devise vanities and who give bad advice in the city, Who say, Are not the houses

3 lately rebuilt? This is the cauldron, but we are the flesh.

4 Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, Son of man.

5 Thereupon the spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, Say, Thus saith the Lord, Thus have you spoken, O house of Israel, for I know the counsels of your mind: you have mul-

6 tiplied your dead in this city, and filled the highways with the

7 slain: therefore thus saith the Lord, your dead men whom you have slain in the midst of it, they are the flesh and it is the cauldron. As for you I will drag you out of the midst of it. You are afraid of the sword, therefore I will bring a sword

9 against you, sakh the Lord, and drag you out of the midst of

it and deliver you into the hands of strangers and execute judg- 10 ment upon you. By the sword you shall fall. On the mountain

of Israel I will judge you; and you shall know that I am the

Lord. 13 And it came to pass while I was prophesying that Phal-

tias the son of Banaias died, whereupon I fell on my face, and

VOL. III. L 1

/

cried with a loud voice and said, Alas ! Alas ! O Lord, art thou

14 making an utter end of the remnant of Israel? Upon which a

15 word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, an end was put to thy brethren and to the men of thy captivity and to all the house of Israel, to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,

16 Away with you far from the Lord: to us this land is given for an inheritance. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord, I wiil drive-these away to the nations and scatter them to every land. But I will be to those a little sanctuary in all the countries to

17 which they have come. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord, I will take those in from among the nations and collect them

18 from the countries in which I have dispersed them and give them the land of Israel and they shall come hither and remove all its abominations and all its iniquities out of it; and I

19 will give them another heart and put a new spirit in them; and I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes and

20 keep my judgments and execute them. And they shall be my 2,1 people and I will be their God. But as the heart of these was

entirely devoted to their abominations and their iniquities, I have requited their ways upon their heads, saith the Lord.

22 Then the cherubims raised their wings and the wheels wot close by them and the glory of the God of Israel was abou

23 over them. And the glory of the Lord ascended up out of the midst of the city and halted on the mountain which was over

24 against the city. And a blast of wind took me up and brought me to the land of the Chaldeans, to the captivity, in a vision, by the spirit of God. And I went up on account of the vision which I saw and spoke to all the captivity all the things which the Lord had shewn me.

XII. V. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of these unrighteous men, who have eyes to see but do not see; and have ears t»

3 hear, but do not hear. Because they are a rebellious house, do thou therefore, son of man, provide thyself utensils foradty of captivity, in their sight. And thou shall be carried captivf from this place of thine to another place, in their sight, that the;

4 may see. Because they are a rebellious house, therefore thou shalt carry out thy utensils, the utensils for a day of captivity, before their eyes. And thou shalt go out in the evening in their

5 sight, as a captive goeth out. Make for thyself a breach in the

6 wall and thou shalt go out through that, in their sight. Thou shalt be taken up upon shoulders and shalt go out in a secret manner. Thou shalt cover thy face and not see the ground, for I have made thee a sign for the house of Israel.

T So when I had done according to all that he had commanded me ; and had carried out utensils for a day of captivity, and made in the evening a breach for myself in the wall, and had gone out in a concealed manner, being taken

8 up upon shoulders in their sight; a word of the Lord came

9 to me in the morning, saying, Son of man, Did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, say to thee, What art thou

10 doing ? Say respecting them, Thus saith the Lord, Lord— With respect to him who is the chief, and the ruler in Jerusalem, even to all the house of Israel, who are among them

11 say, I am acting signs. As I have done, so shall it be with

12 them. They shall go into banishment and captivity. And the chief in the midst of them shall be carried upon shoulders. He will go out in a secret manner through the wall -_r and a breach will be made for him to go out through it. He will cover his face that he may not be seen and he himself shall

13 not see the ground. But I will spread my net over him and he shall be caught in my enclosure. And I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; but he shall not see

L4 it and he shall die there. And all his helpers about him, and

all them who assist him, I will scatter to every wind and make

5 bare a sword to pursue them : and they shall know that I am

the Lord, when I have dispersed them among, the nations.

.6 For I will disperse- them through the countries and leave a few of them from the sword, and from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their iniquities among the nations whither they go. And they shall know that I am the Lord.—

7 Again a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man,

8 thou shalt eat thy bread with sorrow and drink water with

9 tribulation and affliction, and thou shalt say respecting the

people of that land, Thus saith the Lord to the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel, They shall eat their loaves with scantiness, and drink water with astonishment, that the land may be wasted with the fulness thereof; for all its inhabi-

20 tanis are in a course of impiety; and their cities which are inhabited shall be laid waste and the land shall be a desolation and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

21 Again a word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man,

22 what proverb is Ihis which you have concerning Israel, say-

23 ing, The days are far off. Vision is lost. Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord, I will change this parable ; and the house of Israel shall no more use it; for thou shalt say to

24 them, The days are at hand and the word of every vision. For there shall no more be a false vision of any sort, or a flattering

25 diviner among the children of Israel; for I the Lord will speak my words—I will speak and perform, and no more put off to a distant time; for in these your days, O rebellious house, I will spedk a word and perform it, saith the Lord.

26 Again a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of

27 man, behold the house of Israel, that rebellious house, speak saying, The vision which this man seeth is for many days;

28 and for ti mes far distant he prophesieth; therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, None of my words which I speak shall any more be prolonged. I will speak and I will perform saith the Lord.

i * *' *

XIII. VI. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel and thou

3 shalt prophesy and say to them, Hear a word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord, Woe to the prophets who prophesy from

4 their own hearts and see nothing. Like foxes among ruins

5 thy prophets, O Israel, stood not for strength. When flocks Were collected against the house of Israel, they who say, "In

6 the day of the Lord," stood not up. They are seers of lies they are prophesiers of vanities—they say, The Lord saith, Though the Lord did not send them: and in order to confirm

7 a word they began with, " Have you not seen a false vision

8 and spoken false prophesies," now therefore say, Thus saith the Lord, Because your words are false and your prophe

sies vain; therefore behold I am against you, saith the Lord;

9 And I will stretch forth my hand against these prophets, who see falsehoods and prophesy vanities: they shall not be in the school of my people nor enrolled in the enrollment of the house of Israel; nor shall they enter into the land of Israel and they

0 shall know that I am the Lord. Because they have led my people astray, saying "Peace" when there was no peace. And

, 1 when one buildeth a wall they anoint it; it shall fall. Say to these anointers, It shall fall. For there shall be an overwhelming rain, and I will send hail stones against their buttresses; and they shall fall; and a tempestuous wind; and it shall be bro-

L2 ken down. Now when the wall is fallen, will they not say to you, "Where is the anointing with which you anointed it?"

L3 Therefore thus saith the Lord, I will cause a furious tempest to break it down; and there shall be an overwhelming rain in mine anger; And I will bring the hail stones against it with fury

14 for destruction; and demolish the wall which you anointed; and it shall fall: and lay it flat on the ground and its foundations shall be discovered; and when it shall fall, you shall be consumed with rebukes; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

15 When I accomplish my wrath on the wall, and on them who anoint it; it shall fall. I have indeed said to you, the wall is no

16 more, nor do they exist who anointed it, namely, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem and who see peace for her when there is no peace, saith the Lord.

17 Now as for thec son of man set thy face also against the daughters of thy people who prophesy from their own heart; and prophesy against them and say,

18 Thus saith the Lord, Woe to those women who sew pillows under every elbow; and make coverings for every head of every age, to lead souls astray. The souls of my people have

19 been turned out of the way. They have indeed inveigled souls and profaned me to my people, for a handful of barley and for pieces of bread, to kill souls which should not die; and to preserve souls alive which ought not to live, by your oracling

20 to the people who hearken to vain oracles. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Lord, Behold I am against your pillows on which yqu whirl souls about; and I will tear them from your arms and dismiss the souls—those souls which you are whirling about

21 for dispersion: and I will tear in pieces your coverings and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall no more be in your hands to be whirled about. And ye shall know that I

22 am the Lord. Because you turned aside the heart of the righteous, whom I turned not aside, in order that you might strengthen the hands of a transgressor that he should by no means

23 turn from his evil way and live; therefore you shall no more see falsities, nor shall you any more utter divinations; for I will deliver my people out of your hand and you shall know that I am the Lord.

XIV. VII. WHEN some of the elders, principal men of the people of Israel, had come to me and were sitting before me a word of the Lord came to me, saying,

3 Son of man, these men have given their imaginations the rule over their hearts, though they placed before their eyes the punishment of their transgressions. Shall I, being consulted,

4 return them an answer? Therefore speak to them, and them shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord, Be the man who he may of the house of Israel, who giveth his imagination the rule over his understanding, when he hath set before his eyes the punishment of his iniquity, and cometh to a prophet: I the Lord will answer him by the things with which his mind is entangled,

5 that he may lead the house of Israel astray, according to their hearts which are alienated from me by their desires, Say there-

6 fore to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Lord, reform and turn from your evil devices, and from all your acts of hn-

7 piety; andturn your faces about. For be the man who he may of the house of Israel, or of the proselytes who have sojourned with Jsracl, who shall separate himself from me, and give his desires the rule over his understanding when he hath set before his eyes the punishment of his iniquity and shall come to the prophet that he may inquire of me; I the Lord will answer him

8 by that with which he is entangled; and I will set my face against that man, and give him up to desolation and destruction; and remove him from among my people; and ye

9 shall know that I am the Lord. And with respect to that prophet when he shall have wandered and spoken; I the Lord have caused that prophet to wander, and I will stretch out my

hand against him and destroy him from among my people Is-

10 rael. And they shall bear their iniquity; the inquirer according to his guilt, and in like manner the prophet according to his

11 guilt, that the house of Israel may no more be led astray from me, and that they may no more be polluted with their transgressions: so they shall be my people and I will be their God, saith the Lord.

12 Again a word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man,

13 when a country transgresseth against me, so as to incur ruin; and I stretch out my hand against it; and break the staff of bread, and send against it famine, and destroy out of it both

14 man and beast; should there be in it three such men as these Noe, Daniel and Job: They for their righteousness shall be

15 saved, saith the Lord. Or if I send wild beasts against that land and punish it, and it become a desolation not to be travel-

16 led by reason of the wild beasts; and there be in it three such as those; As I live, saith the Lor.d neither sons nor daughters shall be saved; none but they only shall escape, and the land

17 shall .be for destruction. Or if I bring a sword against that land, and say, sword, pass thou through this land, that I may

18 cut off from it man and beast; should there be in it three such men as those; As I live saith the Lord, they shall not deliver

19 sons nor daughters; they and they only shall be saved. Or if I send a pestilence against that land, and pour out my wrath upon it with slaughter, with intent to destroy out of it man and

20 beast, and Noe, Daniel and Job be therein; As I live, saith the Lord, neither sons nor daughters shall be left: they for their

21 righteousness shall deliver only their own souls. Yet thus saith the Lord, Though I send these my four severe judgments sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence, against Jeru-

22 salem to destroy out of it man and beast, still, behold some are left in it, the saved of it, who are leading out of it sons and daughters; behold they are coming out to you and you shall see their ways and their desires, and be sorry for the evils which they have brought on Jerusalem—for all the evils which they have

23 brought upon it. And they will comfort you, for you will see their ways and their desires; and you will know that I have not without cause done all those things which I have done to it, saith the Lord.

XV. VIII. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, say-

2 ing, Son of man, Why should the wood of the grape vine be distinguished from the wood of all the branchy trees which are

3 among the trees of the forest? Can men use the wood of it for any kind of workmanship? Can they make a pin of it to hang

4 thereon any utensil? Is it not in a peculiar manner doomed to be consumed by fire? Every year the fire consumeth what is lopped from it. And if a bit of it is left, is it fit for any kind of

5 workmanship ? Even when entire it will be unfit for any work : how then, when fire hath burned it to a brand, can ii

6 serve for any work? Say therefore, Thus saith the Lord, Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have doomed to be destroyed by fire, so have I

7 doomed the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them. When they escape out of one fire another shall devour them. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when

8 I set my face against them. And I will make the₄land a desolation for their apostacy, saith the Lord.

XVI. Then a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man i 3 testify against Jerusalem her iniquities, and thou shalt say.

Thus saith the Lord to Jerusalem, Thy root and thy pedigree is from the land of Chanaan. Thy father was an Amorite and

4 thy mother a Chettite, and this is the history of thy birth—on the day thou wast born thy navd was not tied nor wert thou washed with water nor sprinkled with- salt; nor wert thou

5 wrapped up in swaddling bands. But mine eye which was over thee did not spare to do for thee all these things—to compassionate thee. When thou wast cast out into the open

6 field for thine ill shape, on the day thou wast born; I passed by thee and saw thee polluted with thy blood and said to thee,

7 From thy blood there is life. Be multiplied like the grass of the field; I have betrothed thee. So thou didst increase and grow great and enter the class of chief cities. Thy breasts were fashioned and thy locks flowing. But thou wast naked

8 and exposed to shame. Then I passed by thee and beheld thee and lo! thou wast of a marriageable age. So I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness; and sware to thee

9 and entered into covenant with thee, saith the Lord. And when thou becamest mine I washed thee with water, and

cleansed away thy blood from thee and anointed thee with oil;

10 And I clothed thee with embroidery and shod thee with purple sandals and girded thee with a cotton zone and threw

11 around thee a mantle of tissue. And I decked thee with ornaments, and put bracelets round thy wrists and a chain rotmd

12 thy neck, and gave thee a jewel for thy nose and ear-rings for

13 thine ears, and a crown of exquisite beauty for thy head. So thou wast adorned with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of cotton, tissue and embroidery; and thy food was fine flour,

14 oil and honey. And thou becamest exceeding beautiful, and thy fame spread among the nations for thy beauty. Because it was perfect by reason of the comeliness and the elegance with

15 which I adorned thee, saith the Lord; thou wast vain of thy beauty and became a harlot because of thy renown: and didst

16 pour out thy fornications upon every passenger. Nay thou didst take some of thy garments and make for thyself idols of needle work; and didst commit gross fornication on them. Though thou shouldst not have gone in; nor should such a

17 thing be done, thou didst take the vessels, which were thy boast, made of my gold and of my silver, some of those which I gave thee; and didst make for thyself male images and com-

18 mit fornication with them. Thou didst take also thine embroidered raiment and clothe them and didst set mine oil and

19 mine incense before them. My bread also which I gave thee —the fine flour, oil and honey with which I fed thee, these

20 thou didst set before them for a sweet smelling savour. Nay, it came to pass, saith the Lord, That thou didst take thy sons and thy daughters whom thou hadst born and didst sacrifice

21 these to them to be devoured. As if it had been a small matter to commit fornication, thou didst slay thy children and offer them up, making them expiatory sacrifices to those images,

22 (this exceeded all thy fornication) and didst not remember thy youth when thou wast naked and bare, when though polluted

23 with thy blood thou didst live. Nay after all these acts of ini-

24 quity, saith the Lord, thou didst moreover build for thyself a brothel; and erect for thyself a place of prostitution in every

25 street; at the head of every street thou didst build thy brothels, and sacrifice thy beauty and prostitute thy self to every comer,

26 and multiply thine acts of whoredom. When thou hadst com-

Vol. in. M m

mitted fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours and lustful paramours; and hadst done this frequently to provoke me

27 to wrath, though I stretched forth my hand against thee, and deprived thee of thy dues and delivered thee up to them who hate thee—to the daughters of the Philistines, who turned thee

28 out of that way in which thou wast committing iniquity; yet thou wentest a whoring among the daughters of Assur; and even thus wast not satisfied. So having committed whoredom

29 and not being satiated thou didst multiply thy covenants with the land of the Chaldees and even with these thou wast not

30 satisfied. How can I dispose of thy daughter? saith the Lord seeing thou hast committed all these acts of an abandoned woman? And hast trebled thy fornication by thy daughters?

31 Having built a brothel at the head of every way, and erected a place of prostitution in every street, wast thou like a harlot

32 collecting hire? Was there ever an adulterous woman like thee receiving gifts from her husband and giving rewards to her

33 gallants? For thou hast given rewards to all thy lovers, and

34 loaded them with gifts to come to thee from all around. So there was in thee a depravity beyond other women, both in thy whoredom and with regard to them who committed lewd- ness with thee. Thy giving gifts and no rewards being given

35 thee are evidences of thy depravity. Therefore, hear O harlot,

36 a word of the Lord, thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast squandered thy money, therefore thy scandalous fornication shall be exposed before thy lovers; but for all thy wicked de-

37 sires and for the blood of thy children whom thou hast sacrificed to them—for this behold I will assemble all thy lovers with whom thou hast had connexion, both all whom thou hast loved and all whom thou hatedst, and I will gather against thee them from all around; and lay open thy wickedness before

38 them, that they may see all thy shame. And I will punish thee with the punishment of an adulteress, and involve thee in thf

39 blood of wrath and jealousy; and deliver thee up into thcir hands. And they shall demolish thy brothel, and pull down thy place of prostitution, and strip thee of thy clothing and seize thy fair jewels ; and when they shall have left thee naked

40 and exposed to shame, then crowds shall be brought againy. thee, who shall stone thee with stones and hack thee with their

1 swords; and they shall burn thy houses with fire, and execute vengeance on thee in the sight of many women. So will I

2 turn thee from whoredom and no more give thee gifts. Then I will cause my wrath against thee to abate, and my jealousy shall be removed from thee, and I will be quiet and no more

3 care for thee. Because thou hast not remembered thy youth and hast grieved me with all these things; therefore behold I have requited thy ways on thy head, saith the Lord. Thou

4 indeed hast so added impiety to all thy transgressions that all these things have occasioned the parable which people use against thee, saying, " As-was tfie mother so is the daughter."

?5 Thou art indeed a very daughter of thy mother who abandoned her husband and her children: and the sisters of thy brothers are they who abandoned their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Chettite and your father an

16 Amorite, your eldest sister is Samaria—she and her daughters who live on thy left; and your youngest sister who liveth on

17 thy right is Sodom with her daughters. But thou hast not walked even in their ways, nor done according to their transgressions in a small degree. Thou hast surpassed them in all

18 thy ways. As I live, saith the Lord, Sodom herself arid her daughters did not do as thou and thy daughters have done.

19 But this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom—Pride. Through fulness of bread and prosperity she and her daughters grew wapton. There was this also in her and her daugh-

50. ters that they did not assist the distressed and the needy; but were haughty and committed iniquities in my sight; therefore

51 I destroyed them. In my view Samaria also did not commit half thy crimes. Thou indeed hast multiplied thine iniquities more than they, and justified thy sisters by all thine iniqui-

^2 ties which thou hast committed. Thou therefore shalt bear thy punishment. Inasmuch as thou hast corrupted thy sisters by thy sins, which thou hast committed in a more aggravated degree than they, and made them righteous in comparison of thee; be thou therefore confounded and bear thy dishonour,

53 for having justified thy sisters. When I turn back their apos- tacies—the apostacy of Sodom and her daughters, and turn back the apostacy of Samaria and her daughters, I will turn

M back also thine apostacy in the midst of them; that thou mayst

bear thy punishment and be dishonoured for all that thou hast

55 done to provoke me to anger. And when thy sister Sodom and her daughters shall be restored to their former state then thou and thy daughters shall be restored to your former state.

56 Now was not thy sister Sodom a by word in thy mouth hi the

57 days of thy pride, before thy wickedness was discovered ; in the same manner as thou art now the scoff of the daughter* of Syria and of all around her and of all the daughters of the

58 foreign tribes around thee? Thou hast borne thy wickedness

59 and thy transgressions, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, I will deal with thee as thou hast done. As thou hast slighted

60 these things that thou mightest transgress my covenant, n Ik n I remember my covenant made with thee in the days of thy

61 youth and re-establish for thee an everlasting covenant; tlten thou wilt recollect thy way and be ashamed, when thou hast again received thy sisters—the elder and the younger. For I will give them to thee to be part of thy family, but not by thy

62 covenant. And I will establish my covenant with thee; and

63 thou Shalt know that I am the Lord, that thou mayst remember and be ashamed, and never more be able to open thy mouth, because of thy confusion when I make a complete atonement for thee according to all that thou hast done, saith the Lord.

, <

XVII. IX. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, relate a fable and speak a parable to the house

3 of Israel and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, There was a great eagle with large wings, rapid in its motion and completely furnished with talons : and it winged its way to Liba-

4 nus, and took hold of its choicest cedar; and cropped the tops of the tender branch and brought them to the land of

5 Chanaan, and in a walled city they were deposited. Then he took a seedling of the land, and planted it in a field by much

6 water, and ordered it to be taken care of. And it sprang up and became a vine weak and small, so that its branches could be seen only by them near it. But it had roots underneath k, so it grew to be a vine, and put forth shoots and extended its tendrils.

7 And there was another eagle with large wings and many

ulons: and lo! this vine warped towards him, and its roots were towards him and it shot out its branches for him, that he might water it together with the shoot of its own planting,

J which being in a good soil by much water grew luxuriantly, so as to blossom and bear fruit, and become a great vine.—

) Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord, Shall it prosper ? Shall not the roots of this tender shoot and its fruit be blasted ? Yes; all its former shoots shall wither; so that it will not require a strong arm nor much people to pull it up by its roots. Though behold it is luxuriant, shall it prosper—shall it not wither at the first touch of a blasting wind ? Both it and hs sprouting shoot shall be withered.

1 Moreover a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man say now to this rebellious house, Do you not know the

2 meaning of this ? Say, When the king of Babylon hath come to Jerusalem, and shall take the king thereof and the chiefs thereof, and hath caused them to be brought to him to Baby-

3 Ion; and shall take one of the royal seed and make a covenant with him, and shall lay him under an oath and comprehend

! the generals of the land, that it shall be a weak kingdom and never be independent—that he will keep this covenant with

5 him and that it shall stand. Now should he revolt from him so as to send his ambassadors to Egypt, that it may furnish him with horses and a great army, shall he prosper ? Shalt he who is perfidious escape ? And shall he who breaketh a

5 covenant be delivered ? As I live saith die Lord, in the place where the king liveth, who made him king ; even with him in Babylon shall he die who hath dishonoured my oath and

i broken my covenant: and neither with a great army nor widi much people, shall Pharao suppcVt him in the war, when ramparts are a raising, and towers a building to destroy lives.—

As he hath dishonoured an oath, by breaking a covenant, (when lo! he had given his hand) and hath done all these

') things to him, he shall not escape. Therefore say, As I live saith the Lord, The oath which he hath dishonoured, and the covenant which he hath broken, even this I will requite

) upon his head. And I will spread my net for him and he shall

1 be taken in my enclosure. In every engagement his men shall fall by the sword; and them who are left I will scatter to every wind; and you shall know that I the Lord have spokes.

22 For thus saith the Lord,

I will myself take one of the choicest cedars from a summit ; (their hearts I will nip) and I will plant it on a lofty

23 mountain; I will cause it to be suspended on a lofty mountain of Israel; and I will plant it, and it shall blossom and bear fruit, and become a great cedar; and under it shall rest every bird, even all the winged tribe shall repose in its shade : hs

24 branches shall be renewed: and all the trees of the plain shall know that I am the Lord who bringeth down the lofty tree, and exalteth the tree which is low, and who causeth the green tree to wither, and the withered tree to flourish. I the Lord have spoken and I will perform.

XVIII. X. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man why have you this proverb among the children of Israel, saying, " The fathers have eaten a sour grape

3 and the childrens' teeth are set on edge." As I live saith the Lord, This parable shall no more be used by Israel, for

4 all souls are mine. As the soul of the father so also the soul

5 of the son is mine. The soul that sinneth it shall die. But the man who shall be just, who executeth judgment and jus-

6 tice, who eateth not upon the mountains, nor lifteth up his eyes to the desires of the house of Israel, and defileth not hib neighbour's wife, nor approacheth a woman in a state of sepa-

7 ration; who shall oppress no man; shall restore the pledge of a debtor and not be guilty of rapine ; who shall deal out

8 his bread to the hungry, and clothe the naked, and not lend his money on interest, nor take usury, and shall turn away his hand from injustice, and execute righteous judgment be-

9 tween man and man, and hath walked in my statutes, and kept my judgments to do them. Such a one is righteous.— He shall live, saith the Lord. . ,i- ,1

10 But if he beget a profligate son, a shedder of blood and

11 one who committeth sins, who hath not walked in the way of his righteous father but hath eaten on the mountains and de-

12 filed his neighbour's wife; hath oppressed the poor and needy, and been guilty of rapine; hath not restored a pledge and hath

13 lifted up his eyes to the idols; hath done injustice, lent on in-

terest and taken usury. He shall not live. He hath committed all these iniquities. He shall surely die. His blood shall be

14 upon him. But if he beget a son who hath seen all the sins which his father committed and hath been struck with awe

15 and not done the like—hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor fixed his eyes on the desires of the house of Israel; nor defiled his neighbour's wife, nor oppressed any man, nor taken a pledge; nor been guilty of rapine—hath dealt out his bread to

17 the hungry and clothed the naked, and turned away his hand from injustice; hath neither lent on interest nor taken usury;

18 hath practised justice and walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquities of his father. He shall live. But as for his father, if he be guilty of rapine and oppression, he hath done wrong in the midst of my people, and for his iniqui-

19 ties he shall die. Now should you say, Why hath not the son borne the iniquity of his father? Because the son hath practised justice and mercy; hath kept all my statutes and done them,

20 he shall live. But the soul which sinneth shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of his father; nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and upon the iniquitous shall be his

21 iniquity. But if the unrighteous man will turn from all the unrighteous acts which he hath done, and will keep all my commandments, and practise righteousness and mercy; he shall

22 surely live and not die. None of the transgressions which he committed shall be remembered; for the righteousness which

23 he hath exercised, he shall live. Can I (saith the Lord) so much desire the death of the unrighteous, as I do that he

24 should turn from his evil way and live? But when a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity according to all the iniquities which the wicked hath done, none of the righteous acts which he hath done shall be remembered. For the sins which he hath committed, even for

25 these he shall die. Yet you have said, The way of the Lord is not straight. Hear now, all ye house of Israel, Is not my way

26 straight? Is it not your way which is not straight? When the righteous t urneth from his righteousness and committeth a crime, for the crime he committeth he should die—for it he shall

27 die. And when a wicked man turneth from his wickedness which he committed, and shall practise justice and righteous-

28 ness; he hath saved his soul. He hath turned away irom alibis wicked acts which be committed; he shall surely live; he shall

29 not die. Yet the house of Israel say, The way of the Lord i- not straight. Is not my way straight, O house of Israel? Is it

30 not your way which is not straight? I will judge you, saiththe Lord, O house of Israel, every one according to his way. Br converted and turn from all your acts of wickedness, and they

31 shall not bring upon you die punishment of iniquity. Cast away from you all your impious acts; which you have impiously committed against me; and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: now why do you die, O house of Israel, since I d.?- sire not the death of him who dieth? saith the Lord.

XIX. Now take thou up a lamentation for the prince of Israel

2 and thou shall say, What was thy mother? She was a lioness among lions. In the,midst of lions she multiplied her young

3 And one of her young lions sallied forth; he became a lion and

4 learned to prowl. He devoured men and the nations heard o! him; in their trap he was taken and carried in a cage to the land

5 of Egypt. When she saw that her main support was removed from her, was lost; she took another of her young lions and

6 made him lion. And he roamed about among lions. He be-

7 came a lion and learned to seize prey. He devoured men and prowled with fierceness, and made their cities a desolation and laid waste the land, and the fulness thereof by the sound of hi-

8 roaring. Then the nations set upon him from the countries around: they spread their nets for him; in their trap he was u

9 ken. So they chained him and in a cage he came to the kine of Babylon, who put him in prison that his voice should no'.

10 be heard on the mountains of Israel. Thy mother was like a vine or a flowery pomegranate planted by water. It was fruit

11 ful and full of buds by being plentifully watered. And it bt came a sceptre for them who bear rule over tribes, and becair.' distinguished for its greatness among other stocks, and w

12 conscious of its greatness by the multitude of its branches. Bu it is broken in wrath and thrown on the ground; and a bum ing wind hath blasted its choice branches. Vengeance hati; been taken on them: and the rod of its strength is withered;

13 fire hath consumed it. And now when they had planted it i

14 desert, in a land without water, a fire hath issued forth from- rod of her choice shoots, and consumed her and she hath n;

more in her a sceptre of power. The tribe is become a parable in the song of woe and shall be for a subject of lamentation.

XX. X. AND it came to pass in the seventh year, on the fifth month and tenth day of the month, that some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and while they were sitting

3 before me a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man speak to the elders of the house of Israel and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord, Are you come to inquire of me? As

4 I live, saith the Lord, I will not answer you; I will not, son of man, with avengement avenge them. Testify against them the

5 iniquities of their fathers and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord, from the day I chose the house of Israel; and was made known to the seed of the house of Jacob; and acknowledged by them in the land of Egypt; when I took hold of

6 them with my hand, saying, I the Lord am your God,—on the very day when I took hold of them with my hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt into the land which I had prepared for them—a land flowing with milk and honey—it is the honey-

7 comb of the whole earth; though I said to them let every one put away the abominations of his eyes and with the devices of

, Egypt be not polluted, I the Lord am your God; yet they

8 apostatized from me and would not hearken to me. They did not cast away the abominations of their eyes, nor did they utterly forsake the devices of Egypt; therefore I spoke of pouring out my wrath on them—of spending mine indignation on

9 them in the midst of Egypt: but that my name might not be altogether profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were, I did in their sight [those miracles] by which I was made known to them, in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

10 So I led them into the wilderness; and gave them my sta-

11 tutes and made known to them my rules of rectitude, which if

12 a man practise he shall live thereby; I gave them also my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them; that they might

13 know that I the Lord am their sanctifier. And I said to the house of Israel in the wilderness, "Walk in my statutes," but they walked not. They rejected my rules of rectitude, which if a man practise he shall live by them; and they profaned my

Vol. in. N n

sabbaths exceedingly: whereupon I spoke of pouring out my wrath on them in the wilderness, to destroy them utterly:

14 But I acted so that my name should not be altogether profaned in _: the sight of the nations, before whose eyes I had brought them

15 out: and I lifted up my hand against them in the wilderness thus far—that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, (a land flowing with milk and honey: it is the ho-

1£ ney comb of the whole earth) because they had rejected my rules of rectitude, and had not walked in my statutes ; but profaned my sabbaths, and had gone after the desires of their

17 own heart. But mine eye had compassion on them so as not to blot them out entirely; so I did not bring them to utter destruction in the wilderness.

18 Then I said to their children in the wilderness, walk not ye in the customs of your fathers, nor observe their rules of conduct; have no communication with their devices and be not

\9 polluted. I the Lord am your God; walk in my statutes, and

20 keep my rules of rectitude and practise them; and hallow my sabbaths and let them be a sign between me and you, that you

21 acknowledge that I the Lord am your God. But even these their children rebelled against me. In my statutes they did not walk, nor did they keep my rules of rectitude to practise them, which if a man do he shall live by them; and they profaned my sabbaths; therefore I spoke of pouring out my wrath upon them in the wilderness—of accomplishing mine indignation

22 upon them. But I acted so that my name should not be utterly profaned in the sight of the nations. As I had brought them out

23 before their eyes, I lifted up my hand against them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and dis-

24 perse them through the countries. Because they did not practise my rules of rectitude, but rejected my statutes and profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after the desires of their

25 fathers; therefore I gave them statutes not morally good, and rules of conduct in which they could not entitle themselves to

26 life by them, that I might by their own doctrinal notions pollute them, when I passed through all their first born maks in

27 order to remove them out of sight. Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and thou shalt say unto them. Thus saith the Lord, thus far your fathers provoked me to wrath, by their transgressions which they committed against

28 me. And when I brought them into the land, which I lifted up my hand to give them; they beheld every high hill and every shady grove, and there they sacrificed to their gods; and there set in order the sweet smelling savour; and there pour-

29 ed out their libations. And when I said to them, What is this Abama, that you go thither, they called its name Abama, which

30 h retaineth to this day. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord if you are polluted with the iniquities of your fathers and you go a whoring after their abominations

31 even with the first fruits of your gifts—with those dedications, with which you are polluted by all your desires even to this day, shall I return you an answer, O house of Israel? As I

32 live, saith the Lord, I will not answer you. And though this should come into your mind it shall not be as you say, "We will be like the nations and like the tribes of the earth in wor-

33 shipping stocks and stones." For as I live, saith the Lord, With a strong hand and an uplifted arm, and with an out pour-

34 ed wrath I will reign over you. And I will bring you out from among the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered with a strong hand and an up-

35 lifted arm and with out poured wrath. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the tribes and there plead with you face

36 to face. As I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord.

37, And I will make you pass under my rod and bring you in by

38 number, and select from among you the wicked and the apostates; (for out of their captivity I will bring even these, but into the land of Israel they shall not come) and you shall know that I am the Lord, Lord.

39 Now as for you, O house of Israel; Thus saith the Lord, put away every one his devices, and after that if you will hearken to me, and no more profane my holy name with your gifts

50 and your devices, (for on ^my holy mountain, on my lofty mountain, saith the Lord, there all the house of Israel shall serve me at last; and there I will expect and there I will accept your offerings—even the offerings of your dedications at all

1-1 your solemnities) with the odour of sweet smelling incense I will accept you, when I have brought you out from among the peoples, and received you from the countries in which you have been dispersed, and I will be hallowed among you before

42 the eyes of the peoples, and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have brought you to the land of Israel, to the land for

43 which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers; and you will there remember your ways and your devices with which you have been polluted, and express contrition for all your

44 acts of wickedness: and acknowledge that I am the Lord, when I deal thus with you (that my name may not be profaned) according to your evil ways and according to your corrupt devices, saith the Lord. '

45 Then a;word of the Lord came to me, saying, son of man,

46 set thy face against Thaiman and look towards Daram and prophesy against the forest at the head of Nageb, and thou shalt say to the forest of Nageb, hear a word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord, Lord, behold I am kindling a fire in thee, and it shall devour in thee every green tree and every dry tree; and the flame which is kindled shall not be extinguished; and by it the whole surface from south to north shall be burned up.

48 And all flesh shall know that I the Lord have kindled it. It shall not be extinguished.

XXI. And when I said, "O Lord, Lord, forbid" they said to me, Is not this a parable which is spoken? Whereupon a word of the Lord came to me saying. Therefore prophesy, son of

2 man, set thy face against Jerusalem, and look towards their holy things, and thou shalt prophesy against the land of Israel

3 and thou shalt say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, behold I am against thee and I will draw my sword out of its

4 sheath, and root out of thee the lawless and unjust. Because I will root out of thee the lawless and unjust; therefore my sword shall come forth out of its sheath against all flesh from south

5 to north. And all flesh shall know, that I the Lord have drawn

6 my sword out of its sheath. It shall not return any more. Therefore, son of man, heave thou convulsive groans, and sigh sor-

7 rowfully before their eyes. And if they say to thee, Why art thou groaning? Then thou shalt say, Because of the news: for it is coming: and every heart shall be broken, and all hands enfeebled; and all flesh and every spirit shall faint; and all thighs shall be polluted with filth. Behold it is coming! saith the Lord."

8 Then a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of

9 man, prophesy and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, Say, 10 O sword, sword be sharp, and full of fury that thou mayst

slaughter; be sharpened that thou mayst glisten; being pre- 11 pared for destruction slay ; set at naught; fell every tree. He hath now made it ready for his hand to grasp it. The sword is sharpened. It is ready to be put into the hand of the slayer.

12 Scream, son of man, and raise the mournful cry; for it is come among my people; it is among all the leaders of Israel. They shall dwell near the sword. It is among my people. Therefore give it a clap of applause with thy hand.

13 (p) Because its cause is just, what then? Must the tribe be cast off?

14 (J) That shall not be the case saith the Lord, Lord. But, thou son of man, prophesy and clap thy hands and redouble the sword. It is the third sword of the slain, the great sword of slaughter. Therefore thou shalt strike them with terror.

15 See that thy heart be not broken, though the fainty be multiplied at every gate. They are delivered up to the slaughter of the sword. It is well made for slaughter. It is well made to

16 glitter. Therefore pass through. Be sharp on the right and on

17 the left; which way soever thy face may be raised up. And as for me I will clap my hands and give a loose to my wrath. I the Lord have spoken.

18 Then a word of the Lord came to me, saying, And thou son of man, Sketch out for thyself two ways, for the sword of

19 the king of Babylon to enter. From one and the same country let diem both come; and let there be a hand at the head of the way to the city. At the head of that way thou shalt set it

20 up, for the sword to enter against Rabbath of the Ammonites, and against Judea and against Jerusalem in the midst of it.

21 For the king of Babylon will halt on the old road—at the head of the two roads to consult an oracle, to divine with an arrow and

22 inquire by graven images and inspect a liver. The oracle against Jerusalem is favourable, to throw up a rampart, to open his mouth with a war cry; to raise his voice with shout-

(p) The prophet. (J) Jehovah.

ing, to cast up a rampart against her gates to raise a mount

23 and build towers for his engines. Now while this man is to them as one consulting an oracle, that other is causing his usurpation to be remembered.

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Because you have brought your iniquities into remembrance by disclosing your impieties; that your sins may be seen, by all your acts of impiety and by your devices—because you have brought them into remem-

25 brance, for them you shall be taken. And as for thee, thou profane wicked ruler of Israel, whose day is coming at the appointed

26 season, there is an end to thy usurpation. Thus saith the Lord, Thou hast pulled off the coronet, and put on the imperial diadem. It shall not be such. Thou hast debased what was high

27 and exalted what was low. To usurpation, usurpation, usurpation I will expose it; alas for it! Such it shall be till He come, to whom it of right belongeth; and I will give it to him.

28 Now as for thee, son of man, prophesy and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, with regard to the Ammonites and their reproach even thus thou shalt say, O sword, sword, drawn for slaughter, and drawn for destruction, be lifted up that thou

29 mayst glisten. By the vain vision and false prophesying con- eerning thee, the day came at the appointed season, for turn-

30 ing thee on the necks of wounded transgressors. There is an end of usurpation; turn back; tarry not. In the place where

31 thou wast born, in thine own land I will judge thee. And I will pour out my wrath upon thee; and with the fire of mine indignation blow upon thee, and deliver thee into the hands of bar-

32 barous men skilled in destruction. Thou shalt be fuel for fire and thy blood shall be in the midst of thy land. There shall Bo more be any remembrance of thee. I the Lord have spoken.

XXII. Then a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Now,

2 son of man, if thou will judge this bloody city, then point out to it all its iniquities and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord,

3 Lord, O city, which sheddest blood in the midst of thee, to cause thy time to come; and which makest idols against thy-

4 self to pollute thyself. In the blood which thou hast shed, thou art fallen : and with thine idols, which thou hast made, thou art defiled: and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and hast brought on the term of thy years; therefore I have made thee a scoff to the nations, and a mocking stock to all the coun-

5 fries—to those near and to those far from thee; and they shall

6 insult thee, thou impure, infamous and abandoned city. Behold in thee the princes of the house of Israel banded themselves, every one with his relations, that they might shed blood.

7 In thee they reviled father and mother; and in thee practised

8 injustice against the stranger. They oppressed the widow and the orphan; and in thee they despised my holy things and pro-

9 faned my sabbaths. In thee men became robbers, that in thee they might shed blood. And they ate upon the mountains near thee; and in the midst of thee committed abominable

10 things. In thee they uncovered the nakedness of a father; and

U in thee humbled a woman in a state of separation. In thee one

debauched his neighbour's wife; another wantonly defiled his

daughter in law; and another humbled his sister, his father's

12 daughter. In thee they received bribes to shed blood. In thee they took interest and usury, and thou hast completed thy wickedness by oppression. And me thou hast forgotten, saith

13 the Lord. Now when I lay my hand on thee to destroy thee, for what thou hast done and for the blood which hath been

14 shed in thee; will thy heart endure? Will thy hands be strong in the day I deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken and I

15 will perform. I will scatter thee among the nations and disperse thee through the countries, and when thine impurity shall

16 be consumed out of thee, I will take possession of thee in the sight of all the nations; and you shall know that I am the

17 Lord. Again a word of the Lord came to me, saying, son of

18 man, Behold to me the house of Israel are all become mixed with brass and iron and tin and lead with a mixture of

19 silver. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord, Lord, Because you are become one mass, I will therefore gather you into the

20 midst of Jerusakm: as silver and brass and iron and tin and lead are put in a furnace, that the fire may be blown on it and that it may be melted; So will I take you in my wrath and

21 gather you and melt you. And I wiU blow upon you with the fire of my wrath and you shall be melted in the midst of

22 it. As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace; so shall you be melted in the midst of it; and you shall know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath on you.

23 Again a word of the Lord came to me, saying; Son of

24 man say to this land, Thou art a land which was not watered with showers; nor did rain fall upon thee in the day of indigiia-

25 tion. Its princes in the midst of it were like roaring lions, ravening prey, devouring souls by oppression, yet receiving honours; and thy widows were multiplied in the midst of thee.

26 Its priests also despised my law and profaned my holy things; between what was holy and what was profane they made no difference, nor did they distinguish between the unclean and the clean. And from my sabbaths they hid their eyes and I was

27 profaned in the midst of them. Its chiefs in the midst of it were like wolves,ravening prey, to the shedding of innocent blood,that

28 they may glut their greediness. They shall fall together with its prophets who anointed them, seeing vanities, prophesying lies, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Though the Lord did not

29 speak, crushing by usurped authority the people of the land, and ravening prey, oppressing the poor and needy, and paying no regard to strangers to the administration of jus-

30 tice. Though I sought among them for a man of integrity and for one who stood uprightly before me in the time of indignation that I might utterly destroy it, yet I found none :

31 therefore I poured out my wrath upon it, to destroy it utterly with the fire of mine indignation. Their ways I have requited on their heads, saith the Lord, Lord.

XXIII. Again a word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same

3 mother, who in their youth had committed whoredom in

4 Egypt. There they were first deflowered. And these were their names—the eldest was called Oola and her sister, Ooliba. And when they became mine and had borne me sons and daughters, These were their names—Oola was called Samaria, and Ooli-

5 ba, Jerusalem. And Oola wantonly left me and attached her-

6 self to her lovers—to the Assyrians her neighbours, whose generals and leaders were clothed in blue. And the chosen

7 youth were all horsemen, mounted on horses. But though she indulged her wantonness with them, who were all the principal men of the Assyrians, and with all them to whom she at-

- 8, tached herself; and defiled herself with all their idols; yet she did not forsake her fornication with Egypt because they had

9 lain with her in her youth and first deflowered her. Wherefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands

10 of the Assyrians to whom she had attached herself. These exposed her shame. They took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword, and she became a common talk for women, and by her they gave warning to their daughters.

11 Though her sister Ooliba saw this, yet she became abandoned

12 and more inordinate in her fornication than her sister. To the sons of the Assyrians she attached herself—to the rulers and

generals near her who were arrayed in sumptuous apparel, who were horsemen mounted on horses. They were all chosen

13 youths. When I saw that they were polluted; and that both took the same course ; and that this one was adding to her

14 fornication ; for upon seeing men pourtrayed on the wall, the

15 pictures of the Chaldeans drawn to the life with a pencil, having their loins girded with embroidered girdles, and deep dyed turbans on their heads; the majestic countenance of all resem-

16 bling that of the Chaldees of the land of her nativity ; she became attached to them by the sight of her eyes, and sent mes-

17 sengers to them to the land of Chaldea. And the sons of Babylon came to her, lay with her, and polluted her in whoredom. And when she was polluted by them, though her mind

18 was alienated from them, still she discovered her whoredom and exposed her shame. So my mind became alienated from

19 her as it had been from her sister. As thou hast multiplied thy whoredom, to call into remembrance the days of thy youth,

20 in which thou didst play the harlot in Egypt, and though con-

21 nected with the Chaldeans, men of beastly lust, hast looked back to the transgressions of thy youth—to what thou didst

22 in the stew of Egypt where thou wast first deflowered. Therefore O Ooliba, thus saith the Lord, Behold I will raise up against thee thy lovers from whom thy mind is alienated;

23 and I will bring them against thec on every side—the children of Babylon, even all the Chaldeans, Phakuk and Soue and Uchoue and all the Assyrians with them, chosen youths, leaders and generals, all men of high rank and renown, mounted

24 on horses. And they shall come against thee from the north with chariots and wheeled carriages, and a multitude of peoples

. with bucklers and shields. And when a guard is set on thee Vol. in. o o

.

roundabout, I will give judgment before them and they shall

25 punish thee by their judgments. And I will give a loose to my jealousy; and they shall deal with thee with furious wrath, they shall cut off thy nose and thine ears; and the remains of thee they shall hack with a sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and a fire shall devour the residue of thee.

26 And they shall strip thee of thy raiment, and take those jewels

27 which are thy boast. And I will remove thine impieties which spring from thyself, and thy fornication which sprang from the land of Egypt; and thou shalt never lift up thine eyes to

28 them, nor shalt thou any more remember Egypt. For thus saith the Lord, Lord, Behold I deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou hatest, and from whom thy mind is with-

29 drawn; and they shall deal spitefully with thee, and take all those things for which thou hast laboured and toiled: and thou shalt be naked and in disgrace and the shame of thy whoredom shall be made public. Thine impiety and thy

30 whoredom have brought these things on thee. By thy going a whoring after the nations, thou hast polluted thyself with

31 their inordinate lusts. Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister ; therefore I will put her cup into thy hands.

32 Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt drink the cup of thy sister, which is deep, and which is large, and which is foaming

33 over, to cause complete intoxication, that thou mayst be filled with fainting—even that cup of astonishment, the cup of thy

34 sister Samaria. Let her take this: and I will turn away her festivals and her new moons; for I the Lord have spoken, saith the Lord.

35 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast forgotten and cast me behind thee, take thou the effects of thine impiety and of thy whoredom.

36 Again the Lord said to me, Son of man, wilt thou not arraign Oola and Ooliba, and announce to them their iniquities? That they have committed adultery and there is blood

37 on their hands? They have committed adultery with their idols; and caused their children whom they bore to me to pass

38 through fire for them. And when they had done this to me,

39 they polluted my holy things and profaned my sabbaths; for

when they had slaughtered their children to their idols, they went into my sanctuary to profane it.

10 Now because they have acted thus in my house; and because, for the men who came from afar, to whom messengers had been despatched, thou didst immediately on their coming, anoint thyself with oil and paint thine eyes with stibium, and

U adorn thyself with sumptuous attire, and sit on a covered so- pha with a table set before it; and they were regaled with mine

12 incense and mine oil, and joined in the harmonious song, even with men of the common herd who had come from the wilderness; (though they had put bracelets on their hands and a

43 crown of exquisite beauty on their heads; I said, surely they do not commit adultery with these! But she acted the harlot

W and they went in unto her: in the same manner as they go in to a common woman, so did they go in unto Oola and to Ooli-

15 bato commit iniquity) therefore these are righteous men and they will punish them with the punishment of an adulteress and with the punishment for blood. Because they are adulter-

t6 esses and there is blood on their hands, thus saith the Lord, Lord, Bring up a multitude against them and expose them to

17 tumult and rapine; and stone them with the stones of tumultuous crowds; and stab them with their swords. Let their sons and their daughters be slain and their houses burned with

48 fire, that I may remove impiety out of the land and that all women may take warning, and not commit the impieties which

49 these have done. Thus shall your impiety be recompensed on you; and for your sins you shall receive retribution; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

XXIV. XII. AGAIN in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, a word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man write down for thyself for a day, from this day on which the king of Babylon hath determinately set himself

3 against Jerusalem; even from this very day; and speak a parable against that provoking family, and thou shalt say to them,

4 Thus saith the Lord, Set on the cauldron and pour water into it; and throw into it the pieces of meat, every choice piece, the flesh of the thigh and the shoulder separated from the

5 bones, and these of the choicest cattle; and bum the bones under thero. It hath boiled and the bones have been sodden in it. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Ah! bloody city! a kettle, in which there is verdigrease in its very substance, and that verdigrease is not gone out of it. She hath brought it out on every member of her: no lot fell upon her. Because her blood is in the midst of her; I have ordered it to be poured out on a smooth stone: I have not poured it on the ground for

8 the earth to cover it. That wrath may be kindled and vengeance executed, I have ordered the blood to be poured out on a smooth stone, that it may not be concealed.

9 Therefore thus saith the Lord, I will enlarge the pile, and

10 heap on wood and cause the fire to burn, that the flesh may be

11 consumed and the broth evaporated : and it shall stand on the coals that the brass may be heated red hot and melted in the

12 midst of its impurity and its verdigrease quite destroyed; so

13 that this its abundant verdigrease may not proceed from it. Its verdigrease shall be exposed to shame. Because thou wast polluted what else could be done, since thou wouldst not be

14 cleansed till I filled up my wrath? I the Lord have spoken. He shall come: and I will act. I will not defer; nor will I shew compassion. According to thy ways and according to thy lusts I will judge thee, saith the Lord, therefore I will judge thee according to thy blood guiltiness; aud I will judge thee according to thine inordinate lusts, O corrupt, infamous and very provoking city.

15 Then a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of

16 man, Behold I take from thee the desires of thine eyes with

17 a stroke. Thou must not mourn, nor utter lamentation. Let sighing for blood and grief of loins be suppressed. Thy hair shall be platted on thy head and thy sandals shall be on thy feet. Thou must not receive comfort from their lips, nor eat funeral bread.

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning as he had ordered me in the evening. And when I did in the morning as I

19 was commanded, the people said to me, Why dost thou not

20 tell us what these things mean which thou art doing"? Thereupon I said to them, A word of the Lord came to me, say-

21 ing, Say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Behold

I will profane my sanctuary, the boast of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and for which your souls are moved with compassion; and your sons and your daughters whom you !2 left shall fall by the sword: and you shall do as I have done. You shall not receive comfort from their mouth nor eat fune-

23 ral bread; your locks of hair shall be on your head, and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither utter lamentations nor she'd tears; but shall pine away for your iniquities and exhort

24 one another. And Ezekiel shall be for a sign to you, (according to all that he hath done you shall do when these things

15 happen) and you shall know that I am the Lord. And with regard to thee son of man, will not this be the case? On the day when I take from them their strength—that which was their exultation and boast and the desire of their eyes and the

26 pride of their soul—their sons and their daughters; on that

27 day one who escapeth shall come to thee to tell thee the news; on that day thy mouth shall be opened to him who escapeth. Thou shalt speak and no more be dumb and thou shalt be a sign to them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

KXV. Again a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of

2 man, set thy face against the children of Ammon and prophesy against them and thou shalt say to the children of Ammon,

3 Hear a word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord, Because you exulted over my sanctuary ; because it was profaned and over the land of Israel because it was laid waste, and over the house

4 of Juda, because they went into captivity; therefore behold I deliver you to the children of Kedem for a possession; and in their excursions they shall inhabit thee and pitch their tents in

5 thee. They shall eat thy fruits and drink thy liquors. And I mil make the city of Ammon feeding places for camels; and the land of the Ammonites a pasture for sheep; and you shall

6 know that I am the Lord. For thus saith the Lord, Because thou didst clap thy hands and stamp with thy feet, and exult

" in thy soul over the land of Israel; therefore I will stretch forth my hand against thee, and deliver thee up for a spoil to the nations : and I will utterly destroy thee from among the peoples, and cause thee to perish out ef the countries, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

8 Thus saith the Lord, Because Moab said, Behold ! shall not the house of Israel and Juda be like all the nations?

9 Therefore behold I will loosen the shoulder of Moab from his frontier cities, that beautiful country the house of Betha- simoth, at the head of the fountain of the city on the sea

10 shore. I have set the children of Kedem over the Ammonites, I have given them to him for an inheritance, that there may be

11 no remembrance of the Ammonites, and upon Moab I will execute vengeance; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

12 Thus saith the Lord, Because Idumea in executing vengeance on the house of Juda gratified private resentment and

13 executed the sentence with rigour. Therefore thus saith the Lord, I will also stretch forth my hand against Idumea, and destroy out of it man and beast and make it a desolation. And they who are driven out of Thaiman shall fall by the sword.

14 And I will execute vengeance on Idumea by the hand of my people Israel who shall deal with Idumea according to mine indignation, and according to my wrath; and they shall know my vengeance saith the Lord.

15 For the same cause, thus saith the Lord, Because the Philistines acted with revenge and with joy of heart heighten-

16 ed the punishment to destroy utterly; therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold I will stretch forth my hand against the Philistines, and utterly exterminate the Cretans, and destroy the

17 remnants which inhabit the sea coast, and inflict on them great punishments; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I execute my vengeance on them.

XXVI. XIII. AGAIN it came to pass in the eleventh year on the first of the month, a word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, Because Sor hath said against Jerusalem, Aha! She is trodden down; the nations have destroyed her; she is turned over to me; she that was full is laid waste,

3 therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold I am against thee, Sor, and I will bring up many nations against thee, as the sea

4 cometh up with its waves. And they shall demolish the walls of Sor and break down thy towers; and I will brush away the

5 loose earth from it and make it a bare rock. It shall be a place to dry nets in the midst of the sea. As I have spoken, saith

6 the Lord, It shall indeed be a prey for the nations; and its daughters on the continent shall be slain with the sword : and

7 they shall know that I am the Lord. For thus saith the Lord, Behold against thee, Sor, I will bring from the North, Nabu- chodonosar king of Babylon, a king of kings, with horses and chariots and horsemen, and a great assembly of many nations.

8 Thy daughters on the main land he will slay with the sword; and he will lay siege to thee and surround thee with works, and make a rampart against thee round about, with places for

9 engines; and arrange his lances over against thee, and with his

10 battle axes demolish thy walls and thy towers. By reason of the multitude of his horses their dust shall cover thee ; and with the neighing of his horses and the rumbling of his chariot wheels thy walls shall shake when he entereth thy gates

11 like one entering a city from the plain. With the hoofs of his horses all thy streets shall be trampled. He will slay thy people with the sword; and level to the ground the confidence of

12 thy strength; and make a prey of thine army, and a spoil of thy wealth; and break down thy walls and demolish thy lovely houses; and thy stones and thy timbers and thy rubbish he

13 will throw into the midst of the sea. And he will put an end to the multitude of thy musicians; and the sound of thy

14 psalteries shall no more be heard. I will indeed make thee a bare rock. Thou shall be a place for drying nets, thou shall never be rebuilded any more; for I the Lord have spoken, saith ihe Lord.

15 For thus saith ihe Lord, Lord, to Sor: At the sound of thy fall; at the groans of thy wounded, when the sword is drawn in

16 the midst of thee, shall not the islands quake? Yes, from their thrones will come down all the chiefs of the maritime nations, and they will take their crowns from their heads, and strip off their embroidered robes. They will be struck with consternation and sit on the ground, and be in dread of their owa de-

17 struction and groan for thee. And they will take up a lamentation for thee and say to thee, "How art thou destroyed from the sea, O renowned city! which didst impress the terror of

18 thee on all who inhabit its shores! The isles also will be terri-

19 fied at the day of thy fall. Fur thus sakh the Lord, Lord, When I make thee a desolate city, like cities never to be rebuilded. when I bring up the abyss against thee; much water shall c-

20 ver thee. And I will press thee down to them who go down to the pit, to the people of old; and make thee dwell in the depths of the earth—in an everlasting desert, with them who go down to the pit; that thou mayst never be rebuilt nor rise again in

21 the land of life. I will make thee a desolation; and thou shall never come into existence again, saith the Lord, Lord.

XXVII. Then a word of the Lord came to me saying, There-

2 fore, son of man, take up a lamentation for Sor and thou shall say to Sor, which is situate at the entrance of the sea, the man

3 of nations from many isles, thus saith the Lord to Sor, tbou

4 saidst, "I have clothed myself with beauty." In the heart of

5 the sea thy sons clothed thee with beauty for Beelim. The cedars from Senir cut into planks have been built into ships for thee; they took cypresses from Lebanon to make for thee taper-

6 ing masts: from the groves of Bashan they made thy oars Thy temples they built of ivory and thy roomy houses from the isles of the Chetians: cotton with embroidery from Egypt was the covering of thy bed. To add to thy glory, and that thou mightest clothe thyself with blue and purple, thy clothing came

8 from the isles of Elisa. The inhabitants of Sidon were thy captains; and the Aradians were thy mariners; thine own wise

9 men, Sor, who were in thee, were thy pilots. The elders of Biblii, even their wise men who were in thee, invigorated thy counsel. And all the ships of the sea and all the mariners of

10 the western world were in thy service. Persians and Lydians and Libyans were in thine army. Thy warriors hung up in thee

11 shields and helmets. They increased thy glory. The Aradians, the arm)- on thy walls, were guards in thy towers; they hung up their quivers on thy shoulders round about. They

12 made thy beauty perfect. The Karchadians purchased of thee for exportation, from thy vast stock of all kinds of merchandize; and paid thee for their purchases silver and gold and iron

13 and tin and lead. Hellas, even that whole country and thost stretching beyond it, traded with thee in the souls of men and

14 supplied thy market with vessels of brass. From the house of Thogarma thy market was supplied with horses and horsemen.

15 The sons of the Rhodians were thy merchants: from the isles they plentifully supplied thy market with ivory; and in exchange 16 thou didst supply them with thy merchandise, with slaves a

part of thy exports from thy vast stock of wares, with stacte

^v 17 and embroideries from Tharsis and Ramoth and Chorchor. Ju-

da also and the children of Israel traded with thee in the sale

of wheat and myrrh and cassia; and for thy merchandises sup-

18 plied thee chiefly with honey and oil and frankincense. Damascus was thy customer for thine abundant wares of all kinds, they had wine from Chelbon, so they paid for their purchases

19 with wool from Miletus and with wine. From Asel thou wast supplied with manufactured iron, .which was a part of thy mer-

20 chandise by a circuitous trade. Daidan was a dealer with thee

21 and supplied thee with choice cattle for carriages. Arabia and all the chiefs of Kedar dealt with thee, and paid thee camels

22 and lambs and rams for what they purchased of thee. The merchants of Saba and Ramma traded with thee with the choicest spiceries and precious stones; they gave gold also for thy mer-

23 chandise. Charra and Ghana also were thy customers and so

24 were Assur and Charman: they supplied thy market with blue

25 cloth and choice merchandise bound up in bales. Fleets of cypress ships were employed in thy trade. So with this multitude and with thy merchandise thou wast filled and deeply la-

26 den in the heart of the sea. Into deep water thy mariners steered thee. In the midst of the sea the south wind hath

27 wrecked thee. Thine armies, and the gains of thee and of thy factors, with thy mariners, and thy pilots, and thy counsellors, and thy factors and all thy warriors were on board of thee: and all this assemblage of thine which are in thee shall

28 sink in the heart of the sea on the day of thy ruin. At the scream

29 of thy voice thy pilots will be astounded. They who handle the oar and they on board ships will quit their vessels; and

30 they who frequent the sea will stand on the land, and with their voice raise a mournful cry for thee, and scream bitterly andput earth on their heads and strew themselves with lashes,

32 and their children will take up a lamentation for thee a peculiar

33 song of woe for Sot—"what immense wealth didst thou acquire from the sea! with thine abundance thou didsL fill nations; and

34 with thy traffic enrich all the kings of $ie earth. Now thou art overwhelmed in the sea; in deep water, thy merchandise, with

35 all thy crew in thee. All thy mariners are fallen. For thee all

VOL. III. P n _m

*

the inhabitants of the isles are in distress, and their kings arc 36 struck with amaze, and tears bedew their countenance. For thee the merchants of the nations express pity; thou art utterly destroyed and never to be any more." XXVIII. Again a word of the Lord came to me, saying, and

2 thou son of man say to the prince of Tyre, Thus saith the Lord, Because thy heart is elated, and thou hast said, "I am a God." "I inhabit the dwelling of a god in the heart of the sea." Now as for thee thou art a man and not a God; though thou hast

3 set thy heart as the heart of a God. Art thou wiser than Daniel? Have not wise men taught thee with their knowledge? Didst thou by thy knowledge, or thine own understanding, procure

5 for thyself power and gold and silver in thy treasuries? By thy great skill and thy traffic thou hast increased thy wealth; and

6 with thy wealth thy heart is elated; therefore, Thus saith the

7 Lord, Since thou hast set thy heart as the heart of a God; for this, behold I will bring against thee strange ravagers from the nations, and they shall unsheath their swords against thee and against the beauty of thy wisdom; and they shall bring down

8 thy beauty to destruction and trample thee down; and thoii shall die the death of wounded men in the heart of the sea.

9?Wilt thou say, "I am a God," in the presence of them who are slaying thee? Thou indeed art but a man and not a God.

IjO Among a multitude of uncircumcised thou shalt die by the liand of strangers, for I have spoken, saith the Lord.

11' Then a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation for the prince of Tyre and say to him,

12 Thus saith the Lord, Lord, thou wast an impression of resem-

1-3 blance and a crown of beauty. In the delightful paradise of God thou wast born. Thou hast been adorned with every precious stone, the sardis and topaz and emerald and carbuncle and, sapphire and jasper, and with silver and gold and the ligure and agate, and amethyst and chrysolite and beryl and onyx; and hast filled thy treasuries and thy stores with gold.

14 From the day thou wast created thou wast with the cherub. On the holy mountain of God I placed thee, thou wast born in the

15 midst of sparkling Clones. Thou in thy days wast spotless from the day thou wast created, until iniquities were"found

16 in thee. By reason of thine abundant traffic thou didst fill thy T stores with iniquity and commit sins; therefore thou art cast out slain from the mountain of God; and from amidst the

17 sparkling stones the cherub hath dragged thee. Thy heart was elated because of thy beauty; with thy beauty thine understand- - ing was perverted. For the multitude of thy sins I have dashed thee on the ground; in the presence of kings I have made.

18 thee a public example. For the multitude of thy sins and the iniquities of thy traffic I have defiled thy sanctuaries; and from the midst of thee I will bring out a fire which shall devour thee. And I will make thee like ashes on the ground, in the

19 sight of all them who behold thee. And all that knew thee among the nations shall lament over thee. Thou art utterly destroyed and never to be any more.

20 Then a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Sidon, and prophesy against it and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold I am against thee, Sidon, and I shall be glorified by thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. When I execute judgments on thee, then shall I be hal-

23 lowed by thee. There shall be blood and death in thy streets, and the victims of the sword shall fall in and around thee:

24 and they shall know that I am the Lord. And there shall no more be in the house of Israel a pricking briar nor a grieving thorn, by reason of those around them, who despised them: and

25 they shall know that I am the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Lord, When I gather Israel from among the nations where they were scattered, I shall be hallowed by them even in the sight of the peoples and nations and they shall dwell in their land which I

26 gave to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell there securely and shall build houses and plant vineyards: they shall indeed dwell securely when I have executed judgment on all who despised them—on all their neighbours around them; and they shall know that I the Lord am their God and the God of their fathers.

XXIX. XIV. IN the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, a word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, set thy face against Pharao king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt; and say, Thus

3 saith the Lord, Behold I am against Pharao—that great dragon

which wallowcth in the midst of his rivers, and saith, "These

4 rivers are mine and I made them." And I will put grapples in thy jaws, and cause the fishes of thy river to stick close to thy

5 fins; and I will drag thee out of the river, and give thee and all the fishes of thy river a sudden cast. On the face of the plain thou shalt fall and shalt not be gathered nor composed. To the

6 beasts of the earth and the birds of the air I have given thee for food. And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord.

Because thou hast been a staff of reed to the house of Israel;

7 when they took hold of thee with their hand thou didst break: even when every hand was clapping against them, and when they leaned on thee thou didst break and disjoint all their loin;

8 therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold I will bring a sword against thee and destroy out of thee man and beast. And the

9 land of Egypt shall be a destruction and a desolation; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

10 Because thou saidst, " These rivers are mine; I made them;" therefore behold I am against thee and against all thy rivers; and I will deliver up the land of Egypt to desolation and sword and destruction. From Magdolus and Syene even

11 to the borders of Ethiopia, no foot of man shall pass across it, nor shall a foot of beast traverse it; and for forty years it shall

12 not be inhabited. I will indeed make its land a desolation in the midst of a desolated land, and its cities, in the midst of desolated cities, forty years. And I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and disperse them through the countries.

13 Thus saith the Lord, After forty years, I will gather the

14 Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered ; and I will bring back the Egyptian captives, and settle them in the land of Pathora—in the land from which they were taken.—

15 And it shall be the basest of all governments; it shall no more be exalted against the nations. For I will make them few and of little account, that they may not be great among the nations.

16 And they shall no more be the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity into remembrance by their going after them ; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

17 Again it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year on the first day of the first month,that a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, Nabuchodonosar king of Babylon

J hath caused his army to undergo hard service at Tyre. Every head is bald and ever' shoulder peeled; and he and his army employed against Tyre, have received no wages ; though they

? have undergone hard service against it. Thus saith the Lord, Behold I will give to Nabuchbdonosar king of Babylon the land of Egypt. And he shall make a prey of its prey, and a spoil

3 »f its spoil. And it shall be wages for his army. For his service which he hath performed against Tyre, I have given him the

1 land of Egypt. Thus saith the Lord, Lord; In that day there shall spring up a horn for the whole house of Israel, and I will give thee an open niouth in the midst of them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

XX. Again a word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of

3 man prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord, Alas ! alas ! the day; for the day of the Lord is near. A cloudy day ! it shall

4 be the end of nations. A sword shall come upon the Egyptians; and there shall be consternation in the land of Ethiopia; and the wounded shall fall in Egypt, and its foundations shall

5 be shaken. Persians and Cretans and Lydians and Libyans and all the mixed people, and some of the children of my co-

6 venant shall fall in it by the sword. The fortresses of Egypt shall fall, and down shall come the pride of her strength, from Magdolus even to Syene—by the sword they shall fall in it, saith

7 the Lord. And it shall be desolate in the midst of desolated countries ; and their cities shall be in the midst of desolated

8 cities. And they shall know that I am the Lord; when I send a fire against Egypt, and all her helpers are trodden down.—

' In that day swift messengers will go forth to cause Ethiopia to vanish : and there shall be consternation among them in the day of Egypt. For behold it is come.

Thus saith the Lord, Lord, I will indeed destroy the multitude of the Egyptians by the hand of Nabuchodonosar

-f OJ1 ¥

king of Babylon—of him and his people. They are ravagers sent from nations to destroy a land; and they shall all un- sheath their swords against Egypt; and the land shall be filled with the slain. And I will dry up their rivers and destroy Ae land, and the fulness thereof by the hands of strangers, I the Lord have spoken. Fbr thus saith the Lord, Lord, When

I have destroyed the nobles from Memphis, and the chiefs of Memphis out of the land of Egypt, and they shall be no more;

14 then I will destroy the land of Padiora, and send a fire against

15 Tanis and execute vengeance on Diospolis. And I will pour out my wrath on Sais, the strength of Egypt, and utterly de-

16 stroy the multitude of Memphis: and I will send a fire against Egypt, and Syene shall be confounded; and at Diospolis there

17 shall be a breach; and water shall gush out. The young men of Heliopolis and Boubaste shall fall by the sword, and the women

18 shall go into captivity. And at Taphnis the day will be darkened, when I there break the sceptres of Egypt, for the pride of her strength shall be destroyed there : and a cloud shall cover

19 her; and her daughters shall be carried away captives. Thus will I execute judgment on Egypt, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, a word of the Lord came to me,

21 saying, Son of man, I bruised the arms of Pharao king of Egypt; and behold lie hath made no supplication for a cure

22 to be given, for a poultice to be applied; for strength to be given to handle a sword, Therefore thus saith the Lord, Lord, Behold I am against Pharao king of Egypt; and I will break his strong and extended arms, and cause the sword to drop

23 from his hand. And I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and

24 disperse them through the countries. And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword into his hand, and he shall wield it against Egypt, and make a prey

25 of his prey, and a spoil of his spoil. I will indeed strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon; and the arms of Pharao shall be enfeebled; and they shall know that I am the Lord. When I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, he shall

26 wield it against the land of Egypt. And I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and disperse them through the countriesi and they shall all know that I am the Lord.

XXXI. Again in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, a word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man say to Pharao king of Egypt, and to his multitude,

3 to whom hast thou likened thyself for thy loftiness ? Lo to Assur! he was a cypress on LibanusV Beautiful with branches

4 and lofty in stature. His top was among the clouds. Water nourished him. The deep made him lofty. It brought its streams about his roots, and sent forth its rills to all the trees

5 of the plain. By reason of this he was exalted in greatness above all the trees of the plain, and by the plentiful supply of

6 water his branches spread. Among his boughs all the birds of the air built their nests; and under his branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young; and all the mul-

7 titude of nations dwelt in ks shade. He was beautiful in his height by the multitude of his branches, because his roots

8 shot out into abundance of water. Even the cypresses such as were in the paradise of God and the pines were not to be compared with his shoots, nor were the fir trees comparable to his branches. Not a tree in the garden of God was equal

9 to him in beauty, on the account of the multitude of his branches; therefore, the trees of God's delicious paradise en-

10 vied him on that account. But thus saith the Lord, Because thou wast of great magnitude, therefore thou hast shot up thy top among the clouds. Now when I saw that he was lifted up,

11 I delivered him into the hands of the chief of nations, who

12 accomplished his destruction. Strangers, merciless ravagers from nations destroyed him. They felled him on the mountains and his branches fell in all the vallies, and his shoots were trampled down in every field of the earth ; and all the tribes of the nations came down from their shade, and levelled

13 him to the ground. Upon his ruins all the birds of the air rested themselves; and all the wild beasts of the earth came against his shoots ; that none of the trees by the water might

14 be exalted by their greatness: though they had shot up their top among the clouds, yet none of these water drinkers stood in their height before them; they were all delivered up to death, to the depth of the earth, among the children of men, to

If-Jthein who go down to the pit. Thus saith the Lord, On the day he went down to Hades, the abyss mourned for him. I stayed its streams and restrained the abundance of water. For him Libanus covered itself with darkness; all the trees of the field

16 were grieved for him. At the sound of his fall the nations were shaken. When he was pressed down to the mansion of the dead, with them who go down iato the pit; all the trees of the

garden comforted him in the earth—even the choice trees of

17 Libanus, all that drink water; for they also went down with him to the mansion of the dead, among them who were victims of the sword; and his seed—they who dwelt under hb

18 shade were in the middle of their life destroyed. To whomsoever thou hast been likened, down with thee, and be pressed low with the trees of pleasure into the depth of the earth. In the midst of the uncircumcised thou shall lie, with them who are the victims of the swords. Thus shall it be with Pharao and the multitude of his strength, saith the Lord, Lord.

XXXII. Now it came to pass in the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, that a word of the Lord

2 came to me, saying, Son of man, take up a funeral song for Pharao king of Egypt, and thou shall say to him, To the lion

. of nations thou hast been likened, but thou art like a dragon which is in the sea. Thou hast harried ihy rivers and troubled

3 ihe water with thy feet, and trampled thy rivers. Therefore thus saith the Lord, I will spread for thee the nets of many

_% 4 peoples, and drag thee up with my grapple. And I will lay thee extended on the land. The plains shall be filled. And I will cause all the birds of the air to settle on thee and glut all

5 the beasts of the earth. I will cast thy flesh on the mountains

6 and fill them with thy blood: and the earth shall be drenched with the torrents from thee. By reason of the abundance of thee on the mountains, I will fill the vallies with parcels of thee.

7 And in the act of extinguishing thee I will cover heaven and darken the stars thereof: I will veil the sun with a cloud and the

8 moon shall not give her light: all that give light in the heaven shall be dark over thee; and I will overspread the earth with darkness, saith the Lord, Lord, and vex the heart of many peoples. »

9 When I bring thy captivity to the nations—to a land which

10 thou hast not known; then shall many nations groan for. .thie: and their kings will be struck with hdrror, when my sword is brandished before their faces, expecting their o\yn ruin from the

11 day of thy downfall. For thus saith the Lord, the sword of the

12 king of Babylon shall come upon thee. With the swords of gp- ants I will overthrow thy strength. They are all ravagers from the nations; and they shall destroy the haughtiness ofr .Egypt-

.1.3 and all her strength shall be trampled down. And I will destroy all her cattle from her great water; and the foot of man shall no more trouble it, nor shall a hoof of cattle trample it.

14 Thus shall their waters then be at rest, and their streams shall

15 glide like oil, saith the Lord. When I have devoted Egypt to destruction, and the land is wasted with the fulness thereof— When I have scattered all its inhabitants, then they shall know

16 that I am the Lord. It is a song of woe and thou shalt sing it mournfully, and the daughters of the nations shall bewail Egypt, and over all her strength pour forth this plaint, saith the Lord, Lord.

17 Again in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the first month a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, sing a song of woe over the strength of Egypt, when the nations

18 shall thrust down her daughters—shall thrust them down dead to the depth of the earth—to them who are going down into

21 the pit; in the midst of the sword's victims they shall fall with him.

When all his power shall be laid to rest; then will the giants

19 say to thee, "Down with thee into the lowest pit! excel whom

20 thou mayst, down with thee, and be laid with the uncircumcis-

22 ed, in the midst of the victims of the sword." There lieth Assur and all his assembly; all the victims of the sword are laid there;

23 and their sepulture is in the deep pit; and around his tomb is his assembly—all the slain who fell by the sword, who made themselves dreaded in the land of life.

24 There lieth Ailain with all his host around his tomb-—-all the slain who fell by the sword, and went down uncircumcised to the depth of the earth: having made themselves dreaded in

25 the land of life, they have received their punishment with them who go down to the pit amidst the slain.

26 There are deposited Mosoch and Thobel, each with all his host around his tomb—all his slain, all uncircumcised, slain with the sword. Having made themselves dreaded in the

27 land of life they are laid with the giants who fell of old; who went down in their armour to the mansion of the dead, and had their swords placed under their heads; but their iniquities were on their bones; because they were the terror of all during

28 their lives. Thou indeed shalt be in the midst of the uncir-

Vol. in. o^ q

cumcised, with them who are the victims of the sword.

29 There have been laid the princes of Assur: they, who gave its strength to the wounding sword, are themselves laid to rest

30 with the slain—with them who go down into the pit. There lie the chiefs of the north, all the generals of Assur, who descending wounded, are with their terror and their strength, laid to rest, uncircumcised with the slain of the sword; and have borne their punishment with them who go down to the pit.

31 These king Pharao shall see and be comforted for all his host,

32 saith the Lord, Lord. Because I have spread the terror of him over the land of life; therefore he shall be in the midst of the uncircumcised, with the slain of the sword—even Pharao and all his multitude with him, saith the Lord, Lord.

XXXIII. XV. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man speak to the children of thy people and thou

2 shalt say to them, With regard to a land on which I am about

3 to bring a sword, when the people of that land take a man, one of themselves, and make him their watchman; if he upon seeing the sword coming against the land, sound the trumpet and

4 warn the people; and he who heareth the trumpet doth not take warning; and the sword cometh and cutteth him off; his blood

5 shall be on his own head. Because upon hearing the sound of the trumpet he did not take warning; his blood shall be upon

6 himself; for had he taken warning he might have saved his life. But if the watchman, upon seeing the sword coming, doth not sound the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword cometh and taketh the life of any of them; that person is taken off because of his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hands.

7 Now, as for thee son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel, therefore thou shalt hear a word

8 from my mouth. When I say to the sinner, Thou shalt die: if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that unrighteous man shall die for his iniquity ; but his blood I

9 will require at thy hand. But if thou forewarn the wicked of his way to turn him from it; and he turn not from it, he shall die for his wickedness and thou hast delivered thv soul.

10 Now son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you spoken, saying, Our errors and our iniquities are upon

11 us; and in them we are pining away; how then can we live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked should turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your way. Why do you die, O house of Israel.

12 Say to the children of thy people, The righteousness of a righteous man will not save him on the day when he goeth astray. Nor shall the iniquity of a wicked man bring ruin on him, on the day when he turneth away from his iniquity.

(a) What! cannot a righteous man be saved.

13 . (b) When I have spoken to the righteous, if he, trusting to his righteousness, shall commit iniquity, none of his righteous acts shall be remembered; for the iniquity which he hath

14 done, even for it he shall die. And when I say to the wicked,

15 Thou shalt die: if he turn from his sin and execute judgment and justice and restore a pledge and make compensation for acts of rapine and walk in the statutes of life without

16 committing injustice, he shall live and not die. None of his sins which he committed shall be remembered. Because he hath executed judgment and justice, for this he shall live.

17 Now will the children of thy people say, The way of the

18 Lord is not straight? It is their own way which is not straight. When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness

19 and shall commit iniquities, for them he shall die. And when the sinner turneth away from his iniquity and shall execute

20 judgment and justice, for them he shall live. Yet this is what gave occasion to your saying, The way of the Lord is not straight. I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways.

21 XVI. NOW it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the twelfth month, on the fifth of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, The

22 city is taken. Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me

(a) An objection, (b) The answer.

the evening before he arrived, and had opened my mouth. So when he came to me in the morning my mouth was opened

23 and no more shut. And a word of the Lord came to me, say-

24 ing, Son of man, they who dwell in the waste places in the land of Israel, say, Abraham was a single person, yet he had this land, now we are many; to us this land is given for a pos-

25 session. Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord, Lord, As I live, they who dwell in the wastes shall fall by the sword; and they in the open country shall be delivered to the wild beasts of the field for food : and those in walled towns and

28 those in caves I will destroy with pestilence and I will make the land a desert. And the pride of its strength shall be destroyed, and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate by reason of none passing through it. And they shall know that I

29 am the Lord. For I will make their land a desert and it shall be wasted, because of all their abominations which they have committed.

30 Now son of man, with regard to these children of thy people who speak of thee by the walls and in the porches of their houses, they indeed speak to one another, saying, "Let us as-

31 semble and hear what come from the Lord." They come to thee as people assemble; and they sit before thee and hear thy words, but will not do them, because there is a lie in their

32 mouth, and their heart goeth after their pollutions; therefore thou art to them like the sound of a tuneful psaltery : they

33 will hear thy words, but will not do them: but when they come to pass they will say, "Lo ! they are come !" And they will know that there was a prophet among them.

XXXIV. XVII. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel: prophesy and say to the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord, Lord, O Shepherds of Israel! Do shepherds feed themselves? Do not

3 the shepherds feed their flocks? Behold you devour the milk and clothe yourselves with the fleeces, and that which is fat

4 you slaughter; but my flock you do not feed. You have not strengthened the weak, nor cured the diseased. That which was bruised you have not bound up, nor brought back that which was going astray; nor have you searched for that which was

5 lost: but you have wearied out the strong with toil, so that my flock is dispersed for want of shepherds, and is become a prey

5 to all the wild beasts of the field. On every mountain and on every high hill my sheep are scattered, and dispersed over the face of the earth; and there is none who sceketh or bringeth

7 them back. Therefore, O shepherds, hear a word of the Lord!

8 As I live, saith the Lord, Because my flock is become a prey, and my sheep are become meat for all the wild beasts of the field, beyond what they would be were there no shepherds; and the shepherds have not looked out for my sheep, and the shepherds have fed themselves and have not tended my sheep;

9 Therefore, O shepherds, thus saith the Lord, Lord, behold I ^0 am against the shepherds; and I will exact my sheep out of

their hands, and discharge them from feeding my sheep: and these shepherds shall no longer feed them. I will rescue my sheep out of their mouth, that they may be no longer food for

11 them. For thus saith the Lord, Lord, Lo! I myself will seek

L2 my sheep and watch over them. As a shepherd searcheth for his flock when mist and murky air overspread his scattered sheep: so will I diligently seek my sheep, and bring them from every place, where they have been dispersed in the day of mist

13 and murky darkness. And I will lead them out from among the nations, and gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land, and feed them on the mountains of Israel, and in the vales and in all the habitable part of the land.

H I will feed them in good pasture. On the lofty mountain of Israel shall be their folds; there they shall lie down and rest there in luxurious ease, and be fed in a rich pasture on the moun-

IS tains of Israel. I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will give them repose, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

*6 Thus saith the Lord, Lord, I will seek the lost, and bring back the stray; and bind up the bruised and strengthen the weak: and I will watch the strong, and feed them with judg-

*7 ment. And as for you sheep, thus saith the Lord, Lord, Behold I will judge between sheep and sheep; rams and he goats. Was it not enough for you, that you fed in a rich pasture, but you must tread down the leavings of your pasture with your feet? Or that you have drunk of the standing water,

¹⁹ but you must trouble the residue with vour feet? So that mv sheep fed on the tramplings of your feet, and drank the \vater

20 which your feet had muddied. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Lord, Behold I will judge between the strong sheep and die

21 weak. You have pushed with your sides and your shoulders,

22 and have butted with your horns and bruised all the weak: but I will save my sheep and they shall no more be for a prey;

23 and I will judge between ram and ram. And I will set up over them one shepherd who shall feed them, even my servant Da-

24 vid, who shulj be their shepherd: and I the Lord will be their God; and David shall be chief among them. I the Lord have

25 spoken; and with this David I will make a covenant of peace, and remove the wild beasts entirely out of the land; so th?t

26 they may dwell in the desert and sleep in the woods. And I will place them around my mountain, and give them the rain:—

27 the rain of blessing: and the trees of the plain shall yield their fruit; and the earth shall yield its increase; and they shall dwell in their land securely; And know that I am the Lord, when I have broken their yoke: and I will rescue them out of the hand

28 of them who enslaved them, and they shall no more be a prey to the nations,-nor shall the wild beasts of the earth any more devour them, so they shall dwell secure and none shall make

29 them afraid. I will indeed raise up for them a plant of peace, and they shall no more be consumed with famine in the land;

30 nor shall they any more bear the revile of nations; and they shall know that 1 am the Lord their God, and that they are my people. O house of Israel, saith the Lord, Lord, you are my sheep, even the sheep of my flock, and I, the Lord, am your God, saith the Lord, Lord.

XXXV. XVIII. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against the mountain of Seir,

3 and prophesy against it and say to it, Thus saidi the Lord, Lord, Behold I am against thee, mountain of Seir; and I will stretch forth my hand against thee, and make thee a desert and

4 thou shall be desolate. And I will make a devastation among thy cities, and thou shalt be a desert and shall know that I am

5 the Lord. Because thou hast been a perpetual enemy and didst deceitfully lie in wail for the house of Israel—hast been a sword in the hand of enemies, in the time of revolt, in their last ex6 tremities; therefore as I live, saith the Lord, Lord, as thou

7 hast sinned unto blood, blood shall pursue thee. And I will make the mountain of Seir an entire desert; and I will destroy

8 from it men and cattle, and fill with the wounded thy hills and thy vallies: and in all thy plains, the victims of the sword shall fall

9 in thee. I will make thee a perpetual desolation, and thy cities shall no more be inhabited, and thou shall know that I am the

10 Lord. Because thou saidst, "The two nations and the two countries shall be mine, and I will possess them, though the

11 Lord is there." Therefore, as I live saith the Lord, I will deal with thee according to thine enmity, and be made known to thee, when I judge thee; and thou shalt know that I am the

L2 Lord. I have heard the sound of thy revilings; because thou saidst, "The waste mountains of Israel are given us to be de-

13 voured," and didst utter sjvelling words against me with thy

14 mouth: I heard them: therefore thus saith the Lord, to the joy

15 of the whole land I will make thee a desert. Thou mountain of Seir shalt be a desert; and all Idumea shall be destroyed; and thou shalt know that I the Lord am their God.

XXXVI. And thou son of man, prophesy concerning the mountains of Israel, and say to the mountains of Israel, Hear

2 a word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Lord; For as much as against you the enemy said, "Aha! these everlasting deserts

3 are become our possession;" therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord, Lord, For as much as you have been despised and hated by them around you, by reason of your being a possession for the relics of nations; and you are become a by-

4> word and scoff to the nations: therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear a word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord, to the mountains and the hills, and to the brooks and vallies, even to the waste and desolate places, and to the cities which have been utterly forsaken; as they are become a prey and a haunt for the

5 remnants of nations around; Therefore thus saith the Lord, Lord, In the fire of my wrath I have spoken against these remnants of nations and against all Idumea: Because they have with- joy distributed this land of mine among themselves for a possession, undervaluing lives that you might be a waste for prey;

*» therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills and^to the vales and forests, Thus saith the

7 Lord, Behold in my zeal and my wrath I have spoken; for as much as you have borne the reproach of the nations; therefore I will lift up my hand against the nations around you; they

8 shall bear their own dishonour: but your grapes and your fruits, O mountains of Israel, shall be eaten by my people. Be-

9 cause they have confident hopes of coming—because, lo! I am over you, and I will watch over you; therefore you shall

10 be cultivated and sown: and upon you I will multiply men, even the whole house of Israel; and the cities shall be rebuilt

11 and the wastes inhabited: and upon you I will multiply men and cattle, and cause you to be inhabited as in your former state. And I will deal kindly with you as I did in times of

12 old; and you shall know that I am the Lord. And I will cause men, my people Israel, to increase upon you; and they shall inherit you, and you shall be a possession for them, and shall no more be without a succession of children from them.

13 Thus saith the Lord, Lord, For as much as they said of thee, "Thou art a devourer of men, and art bereft of thy na-

14 tion," Therefore thou shalt no more devour men nor make thy

15 nation childless, saith the Lord, Lord. And the revile of nations shall no more be heard against you, nor shall you anymore bear the reproaches of peoples, saith the Lord, Lord.

16 Again a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man,

17 when the house of Israel dwelt in their land, they polluted it with their way and with their idols and with their impurities; and their way was in my view as the uncleanness of a woman in

18 a state of separation; therefore I poured out my wrath against

19 them, and scattered them through the nations, and dispersed them through the countries: according to their way and accord-

20 ing to their sin I judged them. And when they went to the nations, wherever they went they profaned my holy name, by saying that they were the people of the Lord and had come from

21 his land; and thatlhad spared them forthesakeof that holy name of mine, which they, the house of Israel, profaned among the

22 nations wherever they went. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, I deal thus with you, not for your sakes, O house of Israel, but only for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations wherever

23 you went. For 1 will hallow my great name which hath been profaned, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, when I am hallow-

24 ed by you before their eyes. When I take you from among the nations,, and gather you out of all the countries, and bring

25 you into your own land; then I will sprinkle upon you pure water, and you shall be cleansed from all your impurities and

26 from all your idols; and when I have cleansed you, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you: I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and give you a heart of

27 flesh: And I will put my spirit in you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and to keep my judgments and practise them.

28 And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers;

29 and you shall be my people and I will be your God. And I will save you from all your impurities. And I will call for corn

30 and multiply it: and no more send famine among you. And I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the products of the field; that you may no more bear the reproach of famine among the

31 nations. Then will you call to remembrance your evil ways, and your devices which were not good; and in their sight be

52 grieved for your iniquities and your abominations. It is not for your sakes that I do this, saith the Lord, Lord. This you must needs know. Blush and be ashamed for your ways, O house of Israel.

33 Thus saith Adonai the Lord, when I have cleansed you from all your iniquities, I will cause your cities to be rebuilded

34 and the desolate places shall be inhabited, and the land which was a waste shall be tilled. For as much as it was a waste in

35 the sight of all who passed by; therefore they will say, "This land which was a waste is become like a paradise, and the waste, ruined and demolished cities are become places of

36 strength;" and the nations which may be left around you shall know, that I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined cities, and planted the grounds which were a waste. I the Lord have spoken

37 and I will perform. Thus saith Adonai the Lord, Still that they

38 may do this, the house of Israel must seek me.—I will multiply them like a flock, the men like holy flocks, like the flocks of Jerusalem at her festivals. So shall the wasted cities be filled with flocks of men, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Vol. in, nr

XXXVII. Then the hand of the Lord came upon me. And the Lord led me out in spirit and set me in the midst of a plain

2 which was full of human bones. And he led me all around them. And lo! there was an immense quantity on the surface

3 of the plain, and they were very dry. And he said to me, Son of man, shall these bones revive ? Whereupon I said, Lord, Lord, thou knowest such things.

4 Then he said to me, Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them, Ye bones which are dry, hear a word of the

5 Lord, Thus saith the Lord to these bones, Behold I will

6 bring upon you a breath of life ; and upon you I will lay sinews ; and I will bring flesh on you and stretch skin over you, and put my breath in you and you shall live : and you shall know, that I am the Lord.

7 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and it came to pass that, when I had prophesied, behold there was a tremulous motion and it brought the bones together, every one to

8 its proper place. And I beheld and lo ! sinews and flesh were grown upon them, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, Prophesy to the wind. Prophesy, Son of man and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord, From the four winds, come and blow on these dead and let them live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath came int< them and they became alive and stood on their feet, an exceeding great multitude.

11 Then the Lord spoke to me saying, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Now they say, " Our bones are become dry. Our hope is gone. We are wasted to

12 a shadow." Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold I will open your graves; and bring you up out of your tombs and bring you into the land of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

13 When I have opened your graves that I may bring up m\ people out of the graves I will then put my breath in you and you shall live. And I will settle you in your own land; and you shall know that I am the Lord. I have spoken and I Will perform, saith the Lord.

f . i Then a won! of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, take thee a staff and write thereon, "Juda and the chil-

> dren of Israel who adhere to him" Then thou shalt take thee another staff and write thereon, " For Joseph the staff of Ephraim and all the children of Israel who adhere to him."

' Then thou shalt join them one to the other to be bound together into one staff for thee, and they shall be in thy hand.

\ And when the children of thy people say to thee, Why dost

1 thou not tell us, what thou meanest by these ? Then thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord, Behold I will take the tribe of Joseph which is administered by Ephraim and the tribes of Israel which adhere to him, and add them to the tribe of

3 Juda, and they shall be one sceptre in the hand of Juda. And while the staves on which thou hast written shall be in thy

L hand before them, thou shalt say to them, Thus saith th* Lord, Lord, Behold I will take the whole house of Israel from among the nations, whither they went; and I will gather them from all those around them, and bring them to the land of

2 Israel, and make them a nation in my land even on the mountains of Israel. And there shall be one chief over them. And they shall no more be two nations; nor shall they any more be split into two kingdoms, that they may no more be pol-

3 luted with their idols. And I will deliver them from all their iniquities and purify them from all their sins which they have committed. And they shall be my people, and I the Lord wUl

4 be their God. And my servant David shall be chief among them. He shall be singly the shepherd of all. Because they will walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and prac-

5 tise them, therefore they shall dwell in that land of theirs which I gave to my servant Jacob. Where their fathers dwelt there they shall dwell and my servant David shall be the only

6 chief forever. And I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will

7 place my sanctuary in the midst of them forever. And my habitation shall be among them j and I will be their God and

18 they shall be my people. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord who sanctifieth them, by my sanctuary being in the midst of them forever.

XXXVIII. XIX. AGAIN a word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, and the land of Magog, the prince of Ros, Mesoch and Thobel and pro- phesy against him and say to him,

3 Thus saith the Lord, Lord, Behold I am against thee,

4 prince of Ros, Mesoch and Thobel. And I will gather thee and all thine army, horses and horsemen all clad with coats of mail—a great assembly with shields and helmets and swords,

5 Persians and Ethiopians and Libyans, all armed with helmets

6 and shields ; Gomer and all those around him, the house of Thogarmar, from the extreme north, with all around him and

7 many nations with thee. Be prepared and make thyself ready, thou and thy multitude assembled with thee; for thou shalt be to

8 me for a vanguard. After many days he will be in a state of preparation, and in the last of years he will begin his march, and come into the land which is withdrawn from the sword—the land of them who have been collected from many nations, to the land of Israel, which had been made an entire desert.— When he from nations hath begun his march, they will be

9 all dwelling in peace. Then thou wilt come up like rain, and advance like a cloud to cover the land. When thou shalt be

10 with all thy bands around thee, and many nations with thee; (Thus saith the Lord, Lord,) In that day things will come into thy heart, and thou wilt form wicked devices and say,

11 ^4t I will go up against an abject land: I shall come upon them who are living at ease, and dwelling in peaceful security—all inhabiting a land in which there is not a walled town, and who

12 have neither bars nor gates ; to take prey and to gather their spoils, by turning my hand against this wasted country which is re-settled, and against a nation gathered together from many nations who have gotten wealth and inhabit the navel of the earth."

13 Saba and Daidan and the merchants of Carthage, and all their colonies, will say to thee, Thou art coming for prey, just to collect plunder and spoil: thou hast assembled thy troops to take silver and gold, to carry off cattle, to gather the

14 spoil. Therefore prophesy Son of man and say to Gog, Thus saith the Lord, At the time when my people Israel shall be

15 dwelling in peace, wilt thou not be roused ? Yes ; thou wilt

come from thy place, from the extremity of the north : thou and many nations with thee, all mounted on horses, a great

16 assembly, and a mighty army, will indeed come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land : in the latter days I will bring thee up against my land, that all the nations may know me when I am hallowed by thee in their sight.—

17 Thus saith the Lord, Lord, to Gog, Thou art he of whom I have spoken in former times, by the ministry of my servants the prophets of Israel, that in these days and years I would

18 bring thee up against them. But it shall come to pass on that day, on the day when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, my wrath shall come up, saith the Lord, Lord, and my

19 zeal. In the fire of mine indignation, I have spoken, there shall indeed be on that day a great shock in the land of Israel.

20 At the presence of the Lord, the fishes of the sea shall be shaken, and the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field, and all the reptiles which creep on the earth, and all the men on the face of the earth. And the mountains shall be rent to pieces, and the vallies shall sink down, and every wall shall fall to

21 the ground. And for all this indeed I will call up terror saith the Lord : every man's sword shall be against his brother.—

22 And I will execute judgment on him, with pestilence and blood and with tempests of rain and hailstones ; and I will rain down fire and brimstone on him, and on all with him, even on the many nations with him. And I shall be magni-

23 fied and hallowed and glorified; and made known in the sight of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

XXXIX. Thou therefore son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus saith the Lord, Lord, Behold I am against thee,

2 Gog, the prince of Ros, Mesoch and Thobel, and I will assemble thee and lead thee and cause thee to come from the forthest north, and bring thee up to the mountains of Israel;

3 and I will destroy thy bow from thy left hand and thine arrows from thy right; and overthrow thee on the mountains of Israel;

4 and thou and all who are around thee shall fall; and the nations with thee shall be given to multitudes of birds, to all the

5 feathered tribe, and to all the wild beasts of the field I have given thee to be devoured. On the open field thou shalt fall;

6 for I have spoken, saith the Lord. I will indeed send a fire against Gog and the isles shall be peaceably inhabited, and

7 they shall know that I am the Lord. And my holy name shall be known in the midst of my people Israel; and my name which is holy shall no more be profaned; and the nations shall

8 know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. Behold it is coming and thou shall know that it will be, saith the Lord,

9 Lord; this is the day of which I have spoken, when they who inhabit the cities of Israel shall come forth, and make fires with the arms—with the shields and spears, and with bows and ar- rows,and hand-staves and poles—even with these they shall make

10 fires seven years : so that they shall not have occasion to take wood from the plains, nor to cut timber from the forests; but shall burn the arms only. And they shall plunder their plunder-

11 ers; and spoil those who spoiled them, saith the Lord. And on that day I will give Grog a noted place—a burying place in Israel, the grave yard of strangers by the sea shore: and the slope of the valley shall be enclosed with a wall; and there Gog and all his multitude shall be buried; and it shall then be

12 called the grave yard of Gog. For the house of Israel will bury J3 them, that the land may be cleansed. During seven months the

people of the land will be employed in burying them; and it shall be to them a memorable epoch, " The day when he was

14 glorified" saith the Lord. Then they will send men every where to traverse the land, and bury them who are left on the face of the ground, in order to purify it after the seven months. And

15 they will make diligent search. And every one who traverseth the land, upon seeing a human bone, shall set up a mark near it;

16 till the buriers bury it at Gai, the grave yard of Gog: (for the name of that city shall be called Grave Yard) thus shall the land be cleansed. _; . ,

17 Thou, therefore, son of man, say, Thus saith the Lord, Say to every winged bird, and to all the wild beasts of the field, Assemble and come: assemble from all around to my sacrifice, to the great sacrifice which I have made for you on the mountains of Israel; and you shall eat flesh and drink

18 blood. You shall eat the flesh of giants and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. Rams and young bulls and he goats;

19 and all the bulls are well fatted. And you shall eat fat till you

are glutted, and drink blood to satiety, at my sacrifice which 1

0 have prepared for you. And you shall be filled at my table with horses and horsemen, and with giants and every great war-

1 rior, saith the Lord. I will indeed display my glory among you, and all the nations shall see my judgment which I have exe-

!2 cuted, and my hand which I have brought upon them. And the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God

!3 from this particular time and thence forward. And all the nations shall know, that the house of Israel were carried into captivity for their sins. Because they broke covenant with me therefore I turned away my face from them, and delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and they all fell by the

24 sword. According to their pollutions and according to their iniquities I dealt with them and turned away my face from

25 them. Therefore thus saith the Lord, I will now bring back the captivity of Jacob, and have compassion on the house of

26 Israel. And I will shew a zeal for my holy name, when they shall have suffered disgrace, for the rebellion of which they

27 were guilty, when they dwelt peaceably in their own land. And there shall be none to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from among the nations and gathered them from

28 the countries of the nations. So I shall be hallowed by them in the sight of the nations and they shall know that I the Lord am their God, when I manifest myself to them among the na-

29 tions. And I will no more turn away my face from them, for as much as I have poured out my wrath on the house of Israel, saith the Lord, Lord.

XL. XX. IN the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the first month, on the tenth day of the month; the fourteenth

2 year after the city was taken; on that day the hand of the Lord came upon me and in a vision of God brought me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on which there

3 was a building before me resembling a city. And he led me thither. And lo ! a man, whose appearance resembled that of sparkling brass; and in his hand a builder's line and a measur-

4 ing reed. And he stood at the gate. And the man whom I saw said to me, Son of man, Behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears, and lay up in thy heart all that I shew thee; for thou

art come hither that I may shew thee and that thou mayst pok out to the house of Israel all that thou seest.

5 Now behold there was a wall on the outside of the house

all around; and the man had in his hand a reed of six cubz long by the cubit and hand breadth, so he measured the outer

6 w;ill. The breadth equalled the reed and its height was equal to the reed. Then he went up by seven steps to the gate front-

7 ing the east and measured the ailam of the gate which was one reed broad; and the Thee was a reed long and a reed broad —and the ailam between the Theelath was six cubits. And tk

8 second Thee was a reed long and a reed broad and the ailam Wk five cubits; and the third Thee was a reed long and a red

9 broad. And the ailam of the gateway adjoining the ailam of th.-

10 gate was eight cubits, and the aileus were two cubits. And with regard to the aliems of the gate on the inside and the Thee's of the gate; the Thee's were opposite to those without; three on one side of the gate and three on the other, all of tbt

11 same measure on this side and on that. And the aiiams on bot sides were of the same measure. Then he measured the breadtf

12 of the door of the gateway ten cubits. But the breadth of the gateway was thirteen cubits comprehending a border of a cu bit on each side up to the face of the Thee's: and the Thee's o:

13 each side were six cubits. Then he measured the gate from the outer wall of one TJie'c to the outer wall of the other Thf.

14 twenty five cubits. This was gate upon gate. And the opec part of the ailam of the gate on the outside was twenty cubits,

15 the theims of the gate being round about; and including the vestibule of the gate on the outside and the vestibule of the

16 gate on the inside the extent was fifty cubits. And all around there were windows wide inwards and narrow outwards, for the theims and the inner aiiams of this gate of the court: .and on the windows for the aiiams on the inside and on the ailanis

17 there were palm trees on this side and that. Then he led me to the court within; and lo ! here were houses for those cm- ployed in the holy service and ranges of columns all around

18 the court; there were thirty houses in the peristyles or ranges of columns and the porticos were behind the gate; the lower row of columns being on a range with the gates.

19 Then he measured the breadth of this court from the inner vestibule of the outer gate to the outer vestibule of a gate

20 facing the east, one hundred cubits. Then he led me northward, and lo ! there was a gate to this outer court facing the north, and he measured it, both the length and the breadth;

21 and the Thees three on each side and the aileus and the ailam - mons and its palm trees. And the measures were the same as those of the gate facing the east. Its length was fifty cubits

22 and its breadth twenty five cubits. And its windows and the ailammons and its palm trees were the same as those of die eastern gate and the ascent to it was by seven steps. But the

23 ailammons were on the inside. And there was a gate to the inner court facing this northern gate in the same manner as the other did that to the east. And he measured the court from gate to gate, one hundred cubits.

24 Then he led me southward, and lo! there was a gate facing the south, and he measured it, and the Thees and the aileus and the ailammons : and the measures were the same as

25 those mentioned. And its windows and the ailammons around were the same as the windows of that other ailam. Its length

26 was fifty cubits and its breadth twenty five cubits. And it had seven steps and an ailammon on the inside. It had also

27 palm trees on each side over the aileus. And this gate was directly opposite to the south gate of the inner court; and he measured the court from gate to gate and the breadth on the south side was a hundred cubits.

28 Then he led me to the inner court of the gate facing the south, and he measured that gate, and its dimensions were the

29 same as those mentioned, and its Thees and its aileus and its ailammons were of the like dimensions. And there were win-

31 dows to it and to the ailammon round about. Its length was fifty cubits and the breadth of its ailam on the outer court was twenty five cubits, and there were palm trees over the aileus and it had eight steps.

32 Then he led me to the gate facing the east, and measured

33 it according to the same measures. And its Thees anditsaileus and its ailammons were of the measures above mentioned anc! it had windows and an ailammon round about. Its length was

34 fifty cubits and its breadth twenty five cubits. And its ailam-

VOL. III. S §

mon was on the inner court, and there were palm trees ovr the aileu on each side. And there were eight steps up to it.

35 Then he led me to the north gate and measured it accord

36 ing to the same measures. And it had its Thees and its aifcis and its ailammons and its windows around it, and an aihtt mon peculiar to it. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breacti

37 twenty five cubits. And its ailammons were on the outs court, and there were palm trees to the aileu, on each side and

38 eight steps up to it. Its houses for the priests, and its doorj and its ailammon were at the second gate. At this g

39 facing the north there was a common sewer, that they migtv.

40 there kill the sin offerings and the trespass offerings. And be hind the sewer of the burnt offerings there were at this gate facing the north, two tables facing the east. Also back of the second gate, and of the ailam of the gate were two tables or.

41 the east side. There were four on one side, and four on the other, back of this gate. Upon these Uiey slay the burnt offerings. And over against these eight tables for the burnt ofier-

42 ings, there were four tables of hewn stone for the whole burn; offerings. The breadth of these was a cubit and a half, and the length two cubits and half, and the height one cubit. On these are to be laid the instruments with which they kill tk

43 whole burnt offerings and the sacrifices. They have therefore each of them a border of a hand breadth hewn on the insicL all around; and over these tables there is a covering to defend them from the rain, and the heat of the sun.

44 Then he led me into the inner court; and lo! there wot two apartments on the inner court; one behind the north gate facing the south; and one behind the south gate facing tin

45 north. And he said to me, This apartment which faceth the south is for the priests, who keep the watch of the house,

46 and that apartment facing the north is for the priests who have the charge of the altar, namely the sons of Sadduk, the only

47 Levites who come near to the Lord to minister to him. Then he measured this court which was a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, being four square. And the altar was on one side in front of the house.

48 Then he led me to the ailam of the house and measured the ail of the ailam, five cubits the breadth on each side and

the width of the gateway was fourteen cubits ; and the cheeks of the door of the ailam Avere three cubits on the one side and

9 three cubits on the other. And the length of the ailam was twenty cubits and the breadth twelve cubits; and the ascent up to it was by ten steps. And there were pillars on the ailam, one on the one side and one on the other.

£LI. Then he led me into the temple, and having measured the

2 ailam to it, which was six cubits broad on each side, and the breadth of the gateway was ten cubits, and the cheeks of the gateway five cubits on the one side, and five on the other, he measured the length of the temple forty cubits, and the breadth

3 was twenty cubits. Now when he came to the inner apart- ment he measured the ail of the door two cubits, and the door six cubits, and the cheeks of the door seven cubits on each

4 side. And he measured the length of the doors forty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits, commensurate with the front

5 of the temple. And he said, This is the Holy of Holies. Then he measured the wall of the house, six cubits, and the breadth of the gallery four cubits all around. And the galleries were

'J three times thirty; one gallery over another twice. And there was a ledge in the wall of the house for the galleries all around to rest on, so as not to be fastened into the walls of the house,

~ and consequently this ledge of the house being added to the upper gallery, all around the width of the upper gallery was enlarged, by an additional breadth equal to this ledge as one ascended from the lowermost to the second story, and from

3 the second to the third story. And the thrael of the house —the top of the galleries around, including the ledges, was

9 a platform equal to the reed of six cubits. And the breadth of the wall on the out side of the gallery, was five cubits.—

10 And the vacancies between the galleries of the house, and the chambers, were in breadth twenty cubits, including the

11 circumambient wall around the house. And the doors of the chambers were on the vacancy on the one side of the house facing the north, and on the other side of the house facing the south. Now the vacancy for lighting the house was five cubits all around. And the partition wall in front of this vacancy Was towards the west, seventy cubits broad ; its thickness all around being five cubits ; and its length was ninety cubits.

13 And he measured over against the house a length of a hundred cubits. Now the vacancies and the partitions and their walls

14 were a hundred cubits. And the breadth in front of the house

15 including the vacancies on the sides was a hundred cubits. And he measured the length of the partition wall over against the vacancy behind the house, and the length of it including the vacancies on each side, was a hundred cubits.

16 Now the temple and the corners, and the outer ailam were arched; and the windows, the apertures for light through which they looked out from the three stories round about, were netted, and the parts adjoining were planked, both the floor and from the floor to the windows. And the windows in the three stories, had shutters which folded back, to give an opportunity

17 of looking out at them. And near to the inner, and quite to the

18 outer door, there were sculptured, on the whole wall round about, both within and without, cherubims and palm trees be-

19 tween cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces, a face of a man towards the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion towards the palm tree on the other side. The house was sculp-

20 tured all around. From the floor to the vaulted cieling there were

21 cherubim and palm trees sculptured. And the sanctuary and 2 the open temple were squares. In front of the Holies there

was an appearance like that of an altar of wood. The height of it was three cubits, and the length two cubits, and the breadth two cubits. And it had horns. And its base and its sides were of wood. And he said to me, This is the table which is in the

23 presence of the Lord. And the temple had two doors, and the

24 sanctuary had two doors. And these pairs of doors which folded

25 back had two leaves a piece. And on these there was sculpture. Even upon the doors of the temple there were cherubim and palm trees like the sculpture of the Holies. And there were

26 large beams on the front of the outer ailam, and windows narrow without and wide inwards.

XLII. Now when he had measured on this side and that to the cieling of the ailam and to the galleries adjoining the house, he then led me into the inner court on the east, conducting me 2 towards the north gate. And lo! there were five chambers adjoining the vacancy and the north partition wall, in length fronting

n

3 the north one hundred cubits and in breadth fifty cubits, sculptured in the same manner as the gates of the inner court and set off in the same manner as the peristyles of the outer court with

4 a triple range of piazzas in front of the house. And over against the chambers was a walk ten cubits broad and a hun-

5 dred cubits long and their doors were towards the north. And in like manner there were walks for the upper stories. For the upper piazza was taken from the building and out of that which was a piazza below was made, a platform. So there was a piazza and a platform; and this was the case with two of the

6 piazzas, for there were three one above another.—But they had not pillars like the pillars of the outer piazzas; therefore the upper chambers were straightened more than the middle

7 and the middle more than those on the ground. And they had light from without in the same manner as the chambers of the outer court, in front of these chambers on the north,

8 the extent being fifty cubits. For the chambers which looked into the outer court were fifty cubits deep and were the fore

9 front of these. The whole building was a hundred cubits long. Now there were doors of these chambers opening into an entry facing the east. So there was a passage through them from the outer court along this entry to the lighted walk at the head

10 of this passage. And with regard to those on the south in front of that vacancy and in front of that partition wall, both the

11 chambers and the walk before them were of the same measures as those of the chambers on the north. Their length was the same; and their breadth the same. And all their outlets and alf their windings were the same; and their lights and their

12 doors the same. And these chambers on the south had in like manner doors from the head of the walk into an entry which

13 was a reed broad and gave a passage to the east. And he said to me, these chambers on the north and those on the south which are in front of the vacancies, are the chambers of the sanctuary, in which the priests the sons of Sadduk, who come near to the Lord, are to eat the holy meats and where they are to lay up the most holy things, the sacrifice and the sin offerings and the trespass offerings. Because this is a holy place, none

14 but the priests are to go in there. That they who offer up the offerings may be continually holy, and that none may touch the garments in which they minister because they are holy, the priests must not go out from the sanctuary into the outer court. And when they are to mix with the people they must put on other garments.

15 Now when he had completed the measuring of the inner house, he then led me out by the way of the gate facing the east

16 and measured the plot of the house all around in order. Having taken a station behind the gate facing the east he measur-

17 ed five hundred cubits with the measuring reed. Then turning at the north he measured the north side five hundred cu-

18 bits with his measuring reed. Then turning at the west he measured the west side five hundred with his measuring reed;

19 then turning at the south he measured five hundred with his

20 measuring reed. The four sides of the height and breadth of this same reed. And he appointed this, namely, the surrounding parapet wall which was five hundred cubits on the east side and five hundred cubits broad to make a separation between the Holies and the vacant space before the wall, which was to be comprehended in the plot of the house.

XLIII. Then he brought me to the gate facing the east and

2 led me out, and lo! the glory of the God of Israel was coming

3 by the way of the cast; and the sound of his march was like the sound of redoubling multitudes and the earth glared with the splendour of the glory around. And the vision which I

. saw was like that which I beheld when I went to judge the city. And the appearance of the chariot which I saw was the

4 same as that which I saw at the river Chobar. So I fell on my face. And the glory of the Lord entered the house by the way

5 of the gate which faced the east. Then a spirit took me up and brought me to the inner court. And lo! the house was fill-

6 ed with the glory of the Lord. So I stopped. And lo! a voice from the house, of one speaking to me, and the man stood

7 near me. And he said to me, Son of man, Thou hast seen the place of my throne and the place of my footsteps, where my name should dwell in the midst of the house of Israel for- ever, that the house of Israel may no more profane my holy name; neither they nor their leaders, by their fornication and

8 by the murders of their leaders in the midst of them. By their joining my porch to their porches and their thresholds to my

thresholds they made my wall as it were common to me and them and profaned my holy name by their iniquities which they committed. Therefore I destroyed them with my wrath

9 and with slaughter. But now let them put away their fornication and the murders of their rulers far from me; and I will

O dwell in the midst of them forever. And thou son of man; shew the house of Israel this house and let them cease from

. 1 their sins. Point out the figure and arrangement of it; and let them receive their punishment for all that they have done. Delineate the house and its outlets and its whble figure and make known to them the ordinances thereof and all the rites thereof. And that they may keep my rules of rectitude

.2 and all my ordinances and practise them, thou shalt sketch out in their sight the draft of this house on the top of this mountain, all the boundaries of it round about being Holy of Holies.

13 Now these are the measures of the altar by the cubit of a cubit and a hand breadth—the curvature at the bottom a cubit, that is the breadth of a cubit; and the border upon the

14 edge of it round about, a span. And this is the height of the altar—from the lowest part of the beginning of its curvature to the great propitiatory from beneath, two cubits; and its breadth a cubit: and from the little propitiatory four cubits

15 and its breadth a cubit. Then the ariel four cubits and from

16 the ariel and upwards the horns one cubit. And the ariel is twelve cubits long by twelve broad, the four angles and sides

17 being equal. And the propitiatory is fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits broad, its four sides being equal. And the border encircling it all around is half a cubit; and the compass of it a cubit all around. And the steps up to it face the east.

18 Then he said to me, Son of man, Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, These are the ordinances of die altar on the day

19 when they make it, to offer thereon whole burnt offerings and to pour blood upon it. Thou shalt give a young bull from the herd for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites of the house of Sadduk who come near to me, saith the Lord God, to mi-

20 nister to me; and they shall take some of the blood thereof and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the altar, and on the base round about and make atonement

21 for it. Then they shall take the young bull for the sin offering and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the house

22 without the Holies. And on the second day they shall take two kids of the goats without blemish for a sin offering and make atonement for the altar as they did with the young bull.

23 And after finishing this atonement they shall offer a young bull from the herd without blemish, and a ram from the flock

24 without blemish. And you shall present them before the Lord; and the priests shall throw salt upon them, and cany them up

25 as whole burnt offerings for the Lord. For seven days thou shalt offer every day a kid for a sin offering and a young bull

26 from the herd and a ram from the flock. For seven days they shall offer these sacrifices without blemish, and make atonement for the altar and purify it and shall fill their, own. hands.

27 And from the eighth day and thenceforward the priests shall sacrifice upon the altar your whole burnt offerings and your offerings of thanksgiving and I will accept you, saith the Lord.

XLIV. Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate

2 of these holy places, facing the east, and it was shut. And the Lord said to me, This gate shall be kept shut. It shall not be opened, nor shall any pass through it. Because the Lord Gcd

3 of Israel will enter in at it, therefore it shall be kept shut. Consequently, when the ruler himself shall sit thereto eat bread before the Lord, he shall come in by the way of the ailam cf this gate and by that way he shall go out.

4 Then he brought me in by the way of the north gate over against the house, and I beheld and lo ! the house of the Lord

5 was filled with glory and I fell on my face. And the Lord said to me, Son of man, Lay up in thy heart and see with thine eyes and hear with thine ears, all that I say to thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord and all the custom? thereof; and thou shalt attend diligently to the way of enteric; into the house and to all the ways out of it in all these holy

6 places. And thou shalt say to this provoking house, to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, Let it suffice you.

7 O house of Israel, for all your iniquities, that you have introduced strangers, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcibed in flesh, to be present in these holy places of mine and to. profane them when you were offering loaves, flesh meat aitf

\

I

Ch. XLIV. EZEKIEL.

8 blood. You indeed broke my covenant by all your iniquities and you appointed them to keep the watches in my holy places.

9 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, No stranger, uncircum- cised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into my holy places. Among all the sons of other families which are comprehended in the house of Israel none but the Levites only

10 shall enter. Such of these as were drawn away from me when Israel strayed from me after their own desires shall indeed bear their iniquity and be ministering servants in my sanctuary.

11 They shall be porters at the gates of the house and ministering servants for- the house. They shall kill the sacrifices and the whole burnt offerings for the people and they shall stand

12 before the people to wait upon them. Because they waited on them before their idols, and this brought on Israel the punish-

13 mentof rebellion ; therefore I have lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord God, that they shall not come near me to minister to me as priests, nor approach the holy things of the children of Israel, nor to my Holy of Holies ; but shall bear their dishonour for the error of which they have been guilty.

14 And they shall be compelled to keep the watches of the house, to perform all the services of the house and all the services required of them by the priests, the Levites, the sons of Sad-'

15 duk. These kept the watches of my sanctuary when the house of Israel strayed from me. These shall approach me to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer unto me

16 sacrifice, suet and blood, saith the Lord God. These shall enter into my sanctuary; and these shall come to my table to mi-

17 nister to me. And they shall keep my watches. And when they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall be dressed in linen robes and shall not wear woollens, while they are of-

18 ficiating within the gate of the inner court. And they shall have linen mitres on their heads, and linen drawers about their

19 loins. And they shall not be tightly girded. And when they are going out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their linen robes in which they minister arid lay them up in the chambers of the sanctuary and put on other robes. For with

20 those robes of theirs they must not hallow the people. Moreover they shall not shave their heads, nor pull put their hair by

21 the roots. They shall keep their heads covered. And none of

VOL. III. V't

the priests shall drink wine when they go into the inner court

22 Moreover they shall not take to wife a widow, nor one who hath been divorced ; but only a virgin of the race of Israel. However, if there be a widow of a priest, they may take her.

23 And they shall teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, and cause them to distinguish

24 between clean and unclean. And they shall attend at trials for blood to pronounce sentence. They shall acquit according to my statutes, and condemn according to my judgments. And they shall keep all my rites and mine ordinances at all my fes-

25 tivals and shall hallow my sabbaths. And they shall not go in where there is a person dead, to defile themselves. Only for a father or for a mother, or for a son or for a daughter, or for a brother or for a sister that hath not been married, shall a priest

26 defile himself. And after he is purified thou shalt reckon for

27 him seven days. And on the day when they go into the inner court to officiate in the sanctuary they shall offer an atonement,

28 saith the Lord God. Now with regard to their inheritance I will be their inheritance, therefore no possession shall be given them among the sons of Israel.

29 Because I am their possession, therefore they shall eat the sacrifices and the sin offerings and the offerings for inadver-

30 tencies. Moreover every dedication in Israel shall be for them.—All the first fruits and all the firstlings and all oblations. Of all your first fruits a part shall be for the priests, therefore you shall give your first fruits to the priest that your

31 blessings may rest on your houses. But whatever hath died of itself and whatever hath been torn by wild beasts, whether it be of fowls or of cattle, the priests shall not eat.

XLV. Moreover when you parcel out the land for possessions, you shall set apart for the Lord an oblation from the land, a holy portion twenty five thousand cubits in length and twenty

2 thousand cubits in breadth. It shall be holy in all its borders round about. And out of this shall be the holy portions, five hundred cubits by five hundred cubits, a square all around, and

3 a vacancy of fifty cubits all around it. Out of the measurement, when thou shalt measure oft" a length of twenty five thousand and a breadth of twenty thousand, part shall be for the Holy ot Holies and part shall be for the priests who minister in the

4 sanctuary. There shall be both for them who draw near to minister to the Lord, and there shall be for the others, a place

5 for houses set apart in their holy portions. The length of twenty five thousand and the breadth of twenty thousand shall be for the Levites who serve in the house. They shall have for

6 a possession cities to dwell in. And for the possession of the city thou shall give five thousand in breadth and twenty five thousand in length. This, in the same manner as that set apart for the sanctuary, shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

7 And on each side of these there shall be allotted for the ruler, adjoining the holy oblation and the possession of the city, the tracts in front of the holy oblation and the possession of the city, both westward and eastward; and the length shall be like one of the portions from the boundaries on the sea.to the east- ₍

8 em border of the land. And this shall be his possession in Israel. And the rulers of Israel shall no more oppress my people and the house of Israel shall possess the land according to their tribes.

9 Thus saith the. Lord God, let this suffice you; O princes of Israel. Put an end to injustice and misery. Execute judg-

10 ment and justice. Remove oppression from my people, saith the Lord God. Let your weights and measures be just. Let

11 your chenix be the just part of the measure; and let the che- nix uniformly contain the tenth of a gomar. Let a chenix and

12 a tenth of a gomar, as it respecteth a gomar, be equal. And the weights shall be twenty oboli, five shekels, fifteen shekels* And fifty shekels shall be your mna.

13 _% Now this shall be the oblation which you shall set apart, a

14 sixth of a measure from the gomar of wheat and the sixth of the same ephah from the core of barley. And the ordinance of oil shall be one cotula of oil from ten cotulas; for the ten cotu-

5 las are a gomar. And a sheep from the ftock, from every ten, shall be an oblation from all the families of Israel for sacrifices and for whole burnt offerings and for offerings of thanksgiving to make atonement for you, saith the Lord God. And all the people shall give this oblation to the ruler of Israel; and by the ruler shall be given the whole burnt offerings and the sacrifices and the libations at the festivals and at the new moons and on the sabbaths. At all the festivals of the house of Israel he

shall make the sin offerings and the sacrifices and the whole burnt offerings and the offerings of thanksgiving to make atonement for the house of Israel.

18 Thus saith the Lord God, In the first month on the first day of the month, you shall take from the herd a young bull

19 without blemish, to make atonement for the sanctuary. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the atonement and put it on the door posts of the house and on the four corners of the temple and on the altar and on the posts of the gate of the

20 inner court. And in like manner thou shalt do in the seventh month. On the first of that month thou shalt receive a portion from every individual and you shall make atonement for the

21 house. And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of this

22 month, shall be your paschal festival. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. And on that day the ruler shall offer, for himself and his house and for all the people of the land, a young

23 bull for a sin offering. And during the seven days of the festival he shall offer as whole burnt offerings to the Lord, seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, every day during the seven days; and for a sin offering, a kid of the goats

24 every day with a sacrifice. And thou shalt prepare a cake for the bull and cakes for the rams, with a hin of oil to the cake.

25 And in the seventh month, on the fifteenth of the month, at that festival thou shalt do in like manner, during seven days, as well in regard to the sin offerings as to the whole burnt offerings and the cakes and the oil.

XLVI. Thus saith the Lord God, The gate of the inner court which faceth the east, shall be kept shut the six working days. On the day of the sabbaths it must be opened and on the day

2 of the new moon it shall be opened. And the ruler shall go in by the way of the ailam of the gate on the inside and shall stand in the porch of the gate. And the priests shall prepare his whole burnt offerings and his offerings of thanksgiving; and he shall make his adoration in the porch of the gate and go out.

3 But the gate shall not be shut till evening. And the people of the land shall make their adorations on a range with die porch of this gate, both on the sabbath days and at die new moons,

4 before the Lord. And on the sabbath days the ruler shall offer to the Lord, for whole burnt offerings, six lambs without blcm

Kb and a ram without blemish and a libation and cake for the

5 ram; and for the lambs, a sacrifice, a free will offering with a hin of oil to every cake; and on the day of the new moon a

6 young bull without blemish and six lambs and a ram which

7 shall be without blemish; and there shall be a cake for the. ram and a cake for the young bull with a libation, and for the

8 lambs a voluntary gift and a hin of oil to every cake. And when the ruler cometh in he shall come in by the way of the ailam

9 of the gate, but he shall go out by the %vay of the gate. And when the people of the land come in before the Lord at the festivals, he who cometh in at the north gate to worship, shall go out at the south gate: and he who cometh in at the south gate shall go out at the north gate. He shall not turn back to the gate at which he entered, but shall go out straight

0 forward. And if the ruler is in the midst of them when they come in, he shall come in with them, and when they go out he

1 shall go out. Both at the festivals and at the general assemblies there shall be a libation and cake for the young bull and a cake for the ram; and for the lambs a voluntary gift with a

2 hin of oil for every cake. And if the ruler shall make a voluntary whole burnt offering of thanksgiving to the Lord, he may cause to be opened for himself the gate facing the east and make his whole burnt offering and his offerings of thanksgiving in the same manner as he doth on the day of the sabbaths. Then he shall go out, and after he is gone out he shall cause

3 the gates to be shut.—Moreover he shall every day prepare a lamb of the first year without blemish for a whole burnt offer-

4 ing to the Lord. In the morning he shall prepare it; and every morning he shall prepare the libation for it, the sixth of the measure and the third of an hin of oil to mix up the offering of

5 fine flour for the Lord. This is a standing order, you shall offer the lamb and its libation. And you shall offer the oil every morning. It is a continual whole burnt offering.

6 Thus saith the Lord God, If the ruler make a gift to one of his sons out of his inheritance, his sons shall hold it as an

7 hereditary possession ; but if he make a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of jubilee, and shall then

8 revert to the ruler. None but his sons shall have an hereditary right. The ruler must not take any part of the people's inheritance by oppression. Out of his own possessions he shall give an inheritance to his sons, that my people may not be driven every one from his possession.

19 Then he led me to the entrance of the passage behind the gate, leading to the chambers of the priests facing the

20 north. And lo! here was a place set apart. And he said to me, This is the place where the priests are to boil the trespass offerings, and the sin offerings and where they are to bake all the offerings of flour, that they may not carry them out into the outer court, for fear of hallowing the people.

21 Then he led me to the outer court and conducted me round the four sides of the court. And lo! a court at the four cor-

22 ners of this court. At every corner a court; a court with four sides; and the little court of this court was forty cubits

23 long and thirty cubits broad. The four were of the same measure ; and in them were chambers around the four. And un-

24 der these chambers round about were kitchens. And he said to me, These arc the houses of the cooks, where they who minister in the house are to boil the sacrifices of the people.

XLVII. Then he brought me to the vestibule of the house, and lo! water gushed out from under the porch eastward; for the front of the house faced the east; and the water ran down

2 from the right corner, from the south, by the altar. And he led me out by the way of the north gate, and conducted me round on the outside to the gate facing the east; and lo! the water flowed down from the right corner, as a man cometh

3 out. And having a measure in his hand, he measured a thou- sand with the measure, and waded across a purling stream.

4 Then he measured a thousand with the measure, and waded through water up to the thighs. Then he measured a thou-

5 sand and waded through water up to the loins. Then he measured a thousand and could not cross it; for it was swelled

6 to an impassable torrent. And he said to me, Hast thou seen, Son of man ? Then he led and brought me back along the

7 border of the river. And on my return, behold there were on the bank of the river, trees in great abundance on both

8 sides. And he said to me, This water which is flowing out to the eastern part of Galilee, hath indeed gone down to Ara-

%

bia, and hath come to the sea to the water of the outlet, and it 9 will heal the waters; so that every of the animals which breed in all the places whithersoever the stream cometh, shall live, and there shall be fish there in great abundance. Because this water is come there and healeth, therefore they shall live.—

10 Every thing to which the stream cometh shall live. And fishermen shall there take a stand, from Engadin to Enagallim. There shall be a place for drying nets. The nets shall be of a peculiar kind; and the fishes thereof shall be like the fishes

11 of the great sea; a very great multitude. But when it is forced from its channel and when it is turned from its course, and when it is caused to swell immoderately, the waters will not

12 heal. They are turned into salt. And along the river there shall spring up on both banks, all sorts of trees fit for food. Their leaves shall never fade; nor shall their fruit ever fail. They shall always be in the act of producing fresh fruit, because the waters which nourish them flow down from the sanctuary. And their fruit shall be for food, and their leaves for medicine.

13 Thus saiththe Lord God, These are the boundaries of the land, which you shall inherit. It is an allotted portion for the

14 twelve tribes of Israel. And you shall inherit it, one as well as another. It is that for which I lifted up my hand that I would

15 give it to their fathers; therefore this land shall fall to you for an inheritance, and these are the boundaries of the land—on the north from the great sea which cometh down and the bay

16 of Emaseldam, Maabtheras, Ebrameliam between the borders of Damascus and the borders of Emathei, the court of

1" Saunan, which are above the borders of Auranitis, these are the borders from the sea; from the court of Ainan the borders of

18 Damascus. These are the northern boundaries. And with regard to the borders on the east between Loranitis and between Damascus and between Galaditis and the land of Israel, the Jordan is the boundary to the sea which is eastward in front

19 of Phoenicon. These are the eastern boundaries. And on the south the boundaries are from Thaiman and Phoenicon to the water of Marimoth Kadem, thence to the great sea. This is

20 the southern boundary. Thence a part of the great sea is the boundary to over against the bay of Emath even to the en-

trance thereof. These are the boundaries to the sea of Emath. "21 And you shall measure out this land for them to the tribes c-

22 Israel. You shall parcel it out by lot among you and the proselytes who dwell among you. Whoever have begotten sons among you shall be yours as natives among the children o; israpl. With you they shall enjoy an inheritance among tk

23 tribes of Israel, but they shall be classed in the tribe of proselytes among the proselytes who are with you. There you shall give them an inheritance, saith the Lord God.

XLVIII. Now these are the names of the tribes beginning northward along the bay to the harbour of Emath, the coir of Ailam, the border of Damascus northward, along part ct Emath Aula; and they shall have from their eastern boundary

2 to the sea one portion for Dan. And bordering on Dan from

3 the eastern boundary to the sea a portion for Aser. And bordering on Aser from the eastern boundary to the sea a por-

4 tion for Nephthaleim; and bordering on Nephthaleim frojn the

5 eastern boundary to the sea, a portion for Manasses; and bordering on Manasses from the eastern boundary to the sea, i

6 portion for Ephraim; and bordering on Ephraim from the

7 eastern boundary to the sea, a portion for Reuben; and bordering on Reuben from the eastern boundary to the sea, a por-

8 tion for Juda; and bordering on Juda from the eastern boundary shall be the dedicated portion twenty five thousand cubits broad and the length like one of the portions from the eastern boundary to the sea, so the sanctuary shall be in the midst ol

9 them. The oblation which you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty five thousand cubits long and twenty fivf

10 thousand broad. Out of these there shall be for the priest the holy dedication, on the north side twenty five thousand and on the west side ten thousand and on the south side twenty five thousand. And the mountain of the Holies shall be if.

11 the midst of it. To the priests, the consecrated sons of Sad duk, who keep the watches of the house, who were not Ice

12 astray in the apostasy of the children of Israel, as the Levius were, even to them this dedicated portion is given out of the dedicated portions of the land, as a Holy of Holies, apart from the Levites : and to the Levites shall be given, adjoin-

13 ing the borders of the priests, a portion twenty five thousand

cubits long and ten thousand broad; the whole being twenty

14 five thousand in length and twenty thousand in breadth. No part of this shall be sold ; nor shall it be parcelled out; nor shall the first fruits of this land be set apart; for it is dedicated

15 to the Lord. And with regard to the overplus twenty five thousand in length and five thousand broad, out of it there shall be a plot for the city, for building and for the open walk around

16 it. Now the city shall be in the middle of it, and these shall be its dimensions—on the north, four thousand five hundred cubits; and on the south, four thousand five hundred; and on the east, four thousand five hundred; and on the west, four

17 thousand five hundred. And the open walk for the city shall be on the north, two hundred and fifty, and on the south, two hundred and fifty, and on the east, two hundred and fifty, and

18 on the west, two hundred and fifty. And the residue of the length ' adjoining the holy dedication, ten thousand on the east and ten

thousand on the west side shall be dedicated portions, and they who occupy the city shall have the products thereof for

19 bread. It may be worked by any out of all the tribes of Israel

20 who occupy the city. The whole oblation twenty five thousand by twenty five thousand shall be a square. From it you shall set apart the oblation for the sanctuary bordering on the

21 possession of the city. And the residue on the one side and the other shall be for the ruler, bordering on the holy dedications and along the possession of the city for twenty five thousand in length, and thence to the eastern boundary and westward by twenty five thousand to the western boundary. Adjoining these portions of the ruler shall be the holy oblation. And the dedication appropriate to the house shall be in the middle of

22 it and taken from the Levites, and shall border on the possession of the city which is in the middle between the ruler's portions. And it shall be between the borders of Juda and the

23 borders of Benjamin and the portions of the ruler. And with respect to the rest of the tribes, there shall be from the eastern

24 boundary to the sea, a portion for Benjamin : and bordering on Benjamin from the eastern boundary to the sea, a portion

25 for Symeon : and bordering on Symeon, from the eastern

26 boundary to the sea, a portion for Issachar : and bordering on Issachar from the eastern boundary to the sea, a portion for

Vol. in. uu

27 Zabulon: and bordering upon Zabulon from the eastern boundary to the sea, a portion for Gad : and the borders of

28 Gad shall be from the eastern boundary and on the- south - along by the border of Thaiman and the water of Baremoth

29 Kades included in his possession, to the great sea. This is the land which you shall parcel out by lot among the tribes of Israel: and these are their portions, saith the Lord God.

30 Moreover these shall be the streets of the city, those 81 running northward four thousand five hundred cubits; and the

gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel, three gates facing the north, one gate Reuben, one gate Juda and

32 one gate Levi; and those running eastward four thousand five hundred cubits, with three gates, one gate Joseph and one

33 gate Benjamin and one gate Dan : and those running southward, four thousand five hundred cubits with three gates, one

34 gate Symeon and one gate Issachar and one gate Zabulon; and those running westward four thousand five hundred cubits with three gates, one gate Gad, and one gate Aser and one gate Nephthaleim. The circumference eighteen thousand. And the name of the city from the day it is built shall be th? name it now hath.