The Bible Part 143

18:1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: 18:2 That sendeth amba.s.sadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! 18:3 All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

18:4 For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

18:5 For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

18:6 They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.

18:7 In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.

19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

19:2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

19:3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

19:4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.

19:5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

19:6 And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.

19:7 The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

19:8 The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

19:9 Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.

19:10 And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.

19:11 Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? 19:12 Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.

19:13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.

19:14 The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

19:15 Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

19:16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.

19:17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.

19:18 In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.

19:19 In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.

19:20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

19:21 And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it.

19:22 And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

19:23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to a.s.syria, and the a.s.syrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into a.s.syria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the a.s.syrians.

19:24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with a.s.syria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: 19:25 Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and a.s.syria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

20:1 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of a.s.syria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it; 20:2 At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

20:3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia; 20:4 So shall the king of a.s.syria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their b.u.t.tocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

20:5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.

20:6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of a.s.syria: and how shall we escape? 21:1 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pa.s.s through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

21:2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.

21:3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.

21:4 My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

21:5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

21:6 For thus hath the LORD said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

21:7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of hors.e.m.e.n, a chariot of a.s.ses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed: 21:8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights: 21:9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of hors.e.m.e.n.

And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her G.o.ds he hath broken unto the ground.

21:10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the G.o.d of Israel, have I declared unto you.

21:11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? 21:12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.

21:13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.

21:14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.

21:15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

21:16 For thus hath the LORD said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: 21:17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD G.o.d of Israel hath spoken it.

22:1 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? 22:2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

22:3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

22:4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

22:5 For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord G.o.d of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

22:6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and hors.e.m.e.n, and Kir uncovered the shield.

22:7 And it shall come to pa.s.s, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the hors.e.m.e.n shall set themselves in array at the gate.

22:8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

22:9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

22:10 And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

22:11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

22:12 And in that day did the Lord G.o.d of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 22:13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

22:14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord G.o.d of hosts.

22:15 Thus saith the Lord G.o.d of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, 22:16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock? 22:17 Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

22:18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.

22:19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

22:20 And it shall come to pa.s.s in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 22:21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

22:23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.

22:24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quant.i.ty, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

22:25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

23:1 The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

23:2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pa.s.s over the sea, have replenished.

23:3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

23:4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.

23:5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

23:6 Pa.s.s ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

23:7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

23:8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth? 23:9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

23:10 Pa.s.s through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.

23:11 He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

23:12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pa.s.s over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.

23:13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the a.s.syrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.

23:14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.

23:15 And it shall come to pa.s.s in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.

23:16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

23:17 And it shall come to pa.s.s after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

23:18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

24:1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

24:2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.

24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.

24:4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

24:6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

24:7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

24:8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

24:9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

24:10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

24:11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

24:12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

24:13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.

24:14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

24:15 Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD G.o.d of Israel in the isles of the sea.

24:16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

24:17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

24:18 And it shall come to pa.s.s, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.