Chapter 18

second prophecy.—chap. xli.

The God of the World’s History, and of Prophecy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

third prophecy.—chaps. xlii. 1–xliii. 18.

The Mediator of Israel and Saviour of the Gentiles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fourth prophecy.—chap. xliii. 14.–xliv. 5.

Avenging and Deliverance; and Outpouring of the Spirit.

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

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

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

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

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

fifth prophecy.—chap. xliv. 6–23.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

sixth prophecy.—chaps. xliv. 24–xlv.

Cyrus, the Anointed of Jehovah, and Deliverer of Israel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

seventh prophecy.—chap. xlvi.

Fall of the Gods of Babel.

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

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

6. They who pour gold out of the bag, and weigh silver with the balance, hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, that they may bow down, yes, throw themselves down. 7. They lift it up, carry it away on their shoulder, and set it down in its place! there it is; from its place it does not move; men also cry to it, but it does not answer; it saves no man out of distress.

8. Remember this, and become firm; take it to heart, ye rebellious ones! 9. Remember the beginning from the olden time, that I am God, and none else: Deity, and absolutely none like me, 10. proclaiming the issue from the beginning, and from ancient times what has not yet taken place, saying, My counsel shall stand, and all My good pleasure I carry out, 11. calling[2] a bird of prey from the east, the man of My counsel from a distant land: not only have I spoken, I also bring it; I have purposed it, I will also execute it.

12. Hearken to Me, ye strong-hearted, that are far from righteousness. 13. I have brought My righteousness near; it is not far off, and My salvation tarrieth not: and I give salvation in Zion, My glory to Israel.

eighth prophecy.—chap. xlvii.

Fall of Babel, the Capital of the Empire of the World.

1. Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin-daughter Babel; sit on the ground without a throne,[1] O Chaldean’s daughter! For men no longer call thee delicate and voluptuous. 2. Take the mill, and grind meal; throw back thy train, uncover thy thigh, wade through streams. 3. Let thy nakedness be uncovered, even let thy shame be seen; I shall take vengeance, and[2] not spare men. 4. Our Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts is His name, Holy One of Israel.

5. Sit silent, and creep into the darkness, O Chaldean’s daughter! for men no longer call thee lady of kingdoms. 6. I was wroth with My people; I polluted mine inheritance, and gave them into thy hand: thou hast shown them no mercy; upon old men thou laidst thy yoke very heavily. 7. And thou saidst, I shall be lady for ever; so that thou didst not take these things to heart; thou didst not consider the latter end thereof.

8. And now hear this, thou voluptuous one, she who sitteth so securely, who sayeth in her heart, I am it, and none else; I shall not sit a widow, nor experience bereavement of children. 9. And these two come upon thee suddenly in one day: bereavement of children and widowhood; they come upon thee in fullest measure, in spite of the multitude of thy sorceries, in spite of the great abundance of thy witchcrafts. 10. Thou trustedst in thy wickedness, and saidst, No one seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, they led thee astray; so that thou saidst in thy heart, I am it, and none else. 11. And misfortune cometh upon thee, which[3] thou understandest not how to charm away: and destruction will fall upon thee, which thou canst not atone for; for there will come suddenly upon thee ruin which thou suspectest not.

12. Come near, then, with thy enchantments, and with the multitude of thy witchcrafts, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth: perhaps thou canst profit, perhaps thou canst inspire terror. 13. Thou art wearied through the multitude of thy consultations;[4] let the dissectors of the heavens come near, then, and save thee, the star-gazers, they who with every new moon bring things to light that will come upon thee. 14. Behold, they have become like stubble: fire has consumed them; there is not a red-hot coal to warm themselves, a hearth-fire to sit before. 15. So[5] it is with thy people, for whom thou hast laboured: thy partners in trade from thy youth, they wander away every one in his own direction; no one who brings salvation to thee.

ninth prophecy.—chap. xlviii.

Deliverance from Babylon.

1. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have flowed out of the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of Jehovah, and extol the God of Israel, not in truth, and not in righteousness! 2. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel, Jehovah of hosts His name.

3. The first I long ago proclaimed, and it has gone forth out of My mouth, and I caused it to be heard. I carried it out suddenly, and it came to pass. 4. Because I knew that thou art hard, and thy neck an iron clasp, and thy brow brass; 5. I proclaimed it to thee long ago; before it came to pass I caused thee to hear it, that thou mightest not say, My idol has done it, and my graven image and molten image commanded it. 6. Thou hast heard it, look then at it all; and ye, must ye not confess it? I give thee new things to hear from this time forth, and hidden things, and what thou didst not know. 7. It is created now, and not long ago; and thou hast not heard it before; that thou mightest not say, Behold, I knew it. 8. Thou hast neither heard it, nor known it, nor did thine ear open itself to it long ago; for I knew thou art altogether faithless, and thou art called rebellious from the womb. 9. For My name’s sake I lengthen out My wrath, and for My praise I hold back towards thee, that I may not cut thee off. 10. Behold, I have refined thee, and not in the manner of silver; I have proved thee in the furnace of affliction. 11. For Mine own sake, for Mine own sake I accomplish it (for how[1] it is profaned!) and My glory I give not to another.

12. Hearken to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called! I am it; I first, also I last. 13. My hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: I call to them, and they stand there together. 14. All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear: Who among you hath proclaimed this? He who Jehovah loveth will accomplish His will upon Babel, and His arm upon the Chaldeans. 15. I, I have spoken, have also called him, have brought him here, and his way prospers. 16. Come ye near to Me! Hear ye this! I have not spoken in secret; from the beginning from the time that it takes place, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent Me and His Spirit.

17. Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I, Jehovah thy God, am He that teacheth thee to do that which profiteth, and leadest thee by the way that thou shouldest go. 18. Oh[2] that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! then thy peace becomes like the river, and thy righteousness like waves of the sea; 19. and thy seed like the sand, and the children of thy body like the grains thereof; its name will not be cut off nor destroyed away from My countenance.

20. Go out of Babel, flee from Chaldea with voice of shouting: declare ye, preach ye this, carry it out to the end of the earth! Say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob His servant. 21. And they thirsted not: He led them through dry places; He caused water to trickle out of rocks for them; He split rocks, and waters gushed out. 22. There is no peace, saith Jehovah, for the wicked.

 

PART II.

first prophecy.—chap. xlix.

Self-Attestation of the Servant of Jehovah. The Despondency of Zion Reproved.

1. Listen, O isles, unto Me; and hearken, ye nations afar off: Jehovah hath called Me from the womb; from My mother’s lap hath He remembered My name. 2. And He made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand hath He hid Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He concealed Me. 3. And He said to Me, Thou art My servant, O Israel, Thou in Whom I glorify Myself.

4. And I, I said, I have wearied Myself in vain, and thrown away My strength for nothing and to no purpose; yet My right[1] is with Jehovah, and My reward with My God.

5. And now, saith Jehovah, that formed Me from the womb to be His servant, to bring back Jacob to Him, and that Israel[2] may be gathered together to Him; and I am honoured in the eyes of Jehovah, and My God has become My strength. 6. He saith, It is only a small thing that Thou becomest My servant, to set up the tribes of Jacob, and to bring back the preserved of Israel: I have set Thee for the light of the Gentiles, to become My salvation to the end of the earth.

7. Thus saith Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, to him of contemptible soul, to the abhorrence of the people, to the servant of tyrants: Kings shall see and arise; princes, and prostrate themselves for the sake of Jehovah, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, that He hath chosen Thee. 8. Thus saith Jehovah, In[3] a time of favour I have heard Thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped Thee: and I form Thee, and set Thee for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to apportion again desolate inheritances, 9. saying to prisoners: Go ye out; to those who are in darkness, Come ye to the light.

They shall feed by the ways, and[4] there is pasture for them upon all field-hills. 10. They shall not hunger nor thirst, and the mirage and sun shall not blind them: for He that hath mercy on them shall lead them, and guide them by bubbling water-springs. 11. And I make all My mountains ways, and My roads are exalted. 12. Behold these, they come from afar; and behold these from the north and from the sea; and these from the land of the Sinese. 13. Sing, O heavens, and shout, O earth; and break out into singing, ye mountains! for Jehovah hath comforted His people, and He hath compassion upon His afflicted ones.

14. Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me. 15. Does a woman forget her sucking child, so as not to have compassion upon the child of her womb? Even though mothers should forget, I will not forget thee. 16. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls stand continually before Me.

17. Thy children make haste, thy destroyers and masters draw out from thee. 18. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see; all these assemble themselves together, and come to thee. As truly as I live, saith Jehovah, thou wilt put them all on like jewellery, and gird them about thee like a bride. 19. For thy ruins and thy waste places and thy land full of ruin,--yea, now thou wilt be too narrow for the inhabitants, and thy devourers are far away. 20. Thy[5] children, that were formerly taken from thee, shall say in thine ears, The space is too narrow for me; give way for me, that I may have room. 21. And thou wilt say in thy heart, Who hath borne me these, seeing I am robbed of children, and barren, banished, and thrust away; and these, who hath brought them up? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?

22. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lift up My hand to nations, and set up My standard to peoples: and they bring thy sons in their bosom; and thy daughters, upon shoulders are they carried. 23. And kings become thy foster-fathers, and their princesses thy nurses: they bow down their face to thee to the earth, and they lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt learn that I am Jehovah, He whose hoping ones are not put to shame.

24. Can the booty indeed be wrested from a giant, or will the captive[6] host of the righteous escape? 25. Yea, thus saith Jehovah, Even the captive hosts of a giant are wrested from him, and the booty of a tyrant escapes! and I[7] will make war upon him that warreth with thee, and I will bring salvation to thy children. 26. And[8] I feed them that pain thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as if with new wine; all flesh shall see that I Jehovah am thy Saviour, and that thy Redeemer is the Mighty One of Jacob.

second prophecy.—chap. l.

Israel’s Self-rejection; and the Steadfastness of the Servant of Jehovah.

1. Thus saith Jehovah, Where is your mother’s bill of divorce, with which I put her away? Or where is one of My creditors, to whom I sold you? Behold,[1] for your iniquities are ye sold, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

2. Why did I come, and there was no one there? Why did I call, and there was no one who answered? Is My hand too short to redeem? Or is there no strength in Me to deliver? Behold, through My threatening I dry up the sea; turn streams into a plain: their fish rot because there is no water, and die for thirst. 3. I clothe the heavens in mourning, and make sackcloth their covering.

4. The Lord Jehovah hath given Me a disciple’s tongue, that I may know how to set up the wearied with words: He wakeneth every morning; wakeneth Mine ear to attend in a disciple’s manner. 5. The Lord Jehovah hath opened Mine ear; and I, I was not rebellious, and did not turn back. 6. I offered My back to smiters, and My cheeks to them that pluck off the hair; I hid not My face from shame and spitting. 7. But the Lord Jehovah will help Me; therefore have I not suffered Myself to be overcome by mockery: therefore did I make My face like the flint, and knew that I should not be put to shame. 8. He is near that justifieth Me; who will contend with Me? We will draw near together! Let him draw near to Me! 9. Behold, the Lord Jehovah will help Me; who is he that could condemn Me? Behold, they shall all fall to pieces like a garment; the moth shall eat them up.

10. Who among you is fearing Jehovah, hearkening to the voice of His servant? He that walketh in darkness, and without a ray of light, let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and stay himself upon his God. 11. Behold,[2] all ye that kindle fire, that equip yourself with burning darts: away into the glow of your own fire, and into the burning darts that ye have kindled! This comes to you from My hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

third prophecy.—chap. li.

The Bursting Forth of Salvation, and Turning Away of the Cup of Wrath.

1. Hearken to me, ye that are in pursuit of righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah. Look up to the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hollow of the pit whence ye are dug. 2. Look who bare you, that he was one when I called him, and blessed him, and multiplied him. 3. For Jehovah hath comforted Zion, comforted all her ruins, and turned her desert like Eden, and her steppe as the garden of God; joy and gladness are found in her, thanksgiving and sounding music.

4. Hearken unto Me, My people, and give ear unto Me, O My congregation! for instruction will go forth from Me, and I make a place for My right, to be a light of the nations. 5. My salvation is near, My salvation is drawn out, and My arms will judge nations: the hoping of the islands looks to Me, and for Mine arm is their waiting. 6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens will pass away like smoke, and the earth fall to pieces like a garment, and[1] its inhabitants die out like a nonentity; and My salvation will last for ever, and My righteousness does not go to ruin.

7. Hearken unto Me, ye that know about righteousness, thou people with My law in the heart; fear ye not the reproach of mortals, and be ye not alarmed at their revilings. 8. For the moth will devour them like a garment, and the worm devour them like woollen cloth; and My righteousness shall stand for ever, and My salvation to distant generations.

9. Awake, awake, clothe thyself in might, O arm of Jehovah; awake, as in the days of ancient time, the ages of the olden world! Was it not Thou that didst split Rahab in pieces, and pierced the dragon? 10. Was it not Thou that didst dry up the sea, the waters of the great billow; that didst turn the depths of the sea into a way for the redeemed to pass through? 11. And[2] the emancipated of Jehovah will return, and come to Zion with shouting, and everlasting joy upon their head; they grasp at gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing flees away.

12. I, I am your comforter: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man who will die, and of a son of man who is made a blade of grass; 13. that thou shouldest forget Jehovah thy Creator, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth; that thou shouldest be afraid continually all the day of the fury of the tormentor, as he aims to destroy? and where is the fury of the tormentor left? 14. He[3] that is bowed down is quickly set loose, and does not die to the grave, and his bread does not fail him; 15. as truly as I Jehovah am thy God, who frighteneth up the sea, so that its waves roar; Jehovah of hosts is His name. 16. And I put My words into thy mouth, and in the shadow of My hand have I covered thee, to plant heavens, and to found on earth, and to say to Zion, Thou art My people.

17. Wake thyself up, stand up, O Jerusalem; thou that hast drunk out of the hand of Jehovah the goblet of His fury; the goblet-cup of reeling hast thou drunk, sipped out. 18. There was none who guided her of all the children she had brought forth; and none who took her by the hand of all the children she had brought up. 19. There were two things that happened to thee; who should console thee?[4] Desolation, and ruin, and famine, and the sword: how should I comfort thee? 20. Thy children were benighted, lay at the corners of all the streets like a snared antelope: as those who were full of the fury of Jehovah, the rebuke of thy God. 21. Therefore hearken to this, O wretched and drunken, but not with wine: 22. Thus saith thy Lord, Jehovah, and thy God that defendeth His people, Behold, I take out of thy hand the goblet-cup of My fury: thou shalt not continue to drink it any more. 23. And I put it into the hand of thy tormentors; who said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over; and thou madest thy back like the ground, and like a public way for those who go over it.

fourth prophecy.—chap. lii. 1–12.

Jerusalem Exchanges Servitude for Dominion, and Imprisonment for Liberty.

1. Awake, awake; clothe thyself in thy might, O Zion; clothe thyself in thy state dresses, O Jerusalem, thou holy city; for henceforth there shall no more enter into thee one uncircumcised and unclean! 2. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the dust, arise, sit down, O Jerusalem: loose[1] thyself from the chains of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion!

3. For thus saith Jehovah, Ye have been sold for nothing, and ye shall not be redeemed with silver. 4. For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, My people went down to Egypt in the beginning to dwell there as guests; and Asshur has oppressed it for nothing. 5. And now, what have I to do here? saith Jehovah; for My people are taken away for nothing; their oppressors shriek, saith Jehovah, and My name is continually blasphemed all the day. 6. Therefore My people shall learn My name; therefore, in that day, that I am He who saith, Here am I.

7. How lovely[2] upon the mountains are the feet of them that bring good tidings, that publish peace, that bring tidings of good, that publish salvation, that say unto Zion, Thy God reigneth royally! 8. Hark, thy watchers! They lift up the voice together; they rejoice: for they see eye to eye, how[3] Jehovah bringeth Zion home. 9. Break out into exultation, sing together, ye ruins of Jerusalem: for Jehovah hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10. Jehovah hath made bare His holy arm before the eyes of all nations, and all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God.

11. Go ye forth, go ye forth, go out from thence, lay hold of no unclean thing; go ye out from the midst of her, cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah. 12. For ye shall not go out in confusion, and ye shall not go forth in flight: for Jehovah goeth before you, and the God of Israel is your rear-guard.

fifth prophecy.—chap. lii. 13–liii.

Golgotha and Sheblemini (= Sit Thou at my right hand), or, the Exaltation of the Servant of Jehovah out of Deep Degradation.

13. Behold, My Servant shall act wisely; He will come forth and arise, and be very high. 14. Just as many were astonished at Thee: so disfigured, His appearance was not human, and form not like that of the children of men: 15. so will He make many nations to tremble: kings will shut their mouths at Him! for[4] they see what has not been told them, and discover what they have not heard.

LIII.—1. Who hath believed our preaching; and the arm of Jehovah, over whom has it been revealed?

2. And He sprang up like a layer-shoot before Him, and like a root-sprout out of dry ground: He had no form, and no beauty; and we looked, and there was no look, such that we could have found pleasure in Him. 3. He was despised and forsaken by men; a man of griefs, and well acquainted with disease; and like one from whom men hide their face: despised, and we esteemed Him not.

4. Verily He hath borne our diseases and our pains! He hath laden them upon Himself; but we regarded Him as one stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5. Whereas He was pierced for our sins, bruised for our iniquities! the punishment was laid on Him for our peace; and through His stripes we were healed. 6. All we like sheep went astray; we had turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

7. He[1] was ill-treated; whilst He suffered willingly, and opened not His mouth, like the sheep that is led to the slaughter-bench, and like a lamb that is dumb before its shearers, and opened not His mouth. 8. He[2] has been taken away from prison and judgment; and of His generation who considered: “He was snatched away out of the land of the living; for the wickedness of my people punishment fell on Him”? 9. And they assigned Him His grave with sinners, and with a rich man in His martyrdom, because He had done no wrong, and there was no deceit in His mouth.

10. And it pleased Jehovah to bruise Him, to afflict Him with disease; if His soul would pay a trespass-offering, He should see posterity, should live long days, and the purpose of Jehovah should prosper through His hand. 11. Because of the travail of His soul, He will see, and be refreshed; through His knowledge will He procure justice, My Righteous Servant, for the many, and will take their iniquities upon Himself. 12. Therefore I give Him a portion among the great, and with strong ones will He divide the spoil; because He has poured out His soul into death: and He let Himself be reckoned among transgressors; whilst He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

sixth prophecy.—chap liv.

The Glory of Jerusalem, the Church of the Servants of Jehovah.

1. Exult, O barren one, thou that didst not bear; break forth into exulting, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for there are more children of the solitary one than children of the married wife, saith Jehovah. 2. Enlarge the space of thy tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of thy habitations; forbid not! lengthen thy cords, and fasten thy plugs. 3. For thou wilt break forth on the right and on the left; and thy seed will take possession of nations, and they will people desolate cities.

4. Fear not, for thou wilt not be put to shame; and bid defiance to reproach, for thou wilt not blush: no, thou wilt not blush: no, thou wilt forget the shame of thy youth, and wilt no more remember the reproach of thy widowhood. 5. For thy husband is thy Creator; Jehovah of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; God of the whole earth is He called. 6. For Jehovah calleth thee as a wife forsaken and burdened with sorrow, and as a wife of youth,[1] when once she is despised, saith thy God.

7. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, and with great mercy will I gather thee. 8. In an effusion of anger I hid my face from thee for a moment, and with everlasting grace I have compassion upon thee, saith Jehovah thy Redeemer. 9. For it is now as at the waters of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah should not overflow the earth any more; so have I sworn not to be wroth with thee, and not to threaten thee. 10. For the mountains may depart, and the hills may shake; my grace will not depart from thee, and my covenant of peace will not shake, saith Jehovah who hath compassion on thee. 11. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, not comforted, behold I lay the stone in stibium,[2] [i.e., antimony], and lay thy foundations with sapphires; 12. and make thy minarets of ruby, and thy gates into carbuncles, and all thy boundary into jewels.

13. And all thy children will be the learned of Jehovah; and great the peace of thy children. 14. Through righteousness wilt thou be fortified: be far from anxiety, for thou hast nothing to fear; and from terror, for it will not come near thee. 15. Behold, men crowd together in crowds; My will is not there. Who crowd together against thee?—he shall fall by thee.

16.[3] Behold, I have created the smith who bloweth the coal-fire, and brings to the light a weapon according to his trade; and I[4] have created the destroyer to destroy. 17. Every weapon formed against thee has no success, and every tongue that cometh before the judgment with thee thou wilt condemn. This is the inheritance of the servants of Jehovah; and their righteousness from Me, saith Jehovah.

seventh prophecy.—chap. lv.

Come and Take the Sure Salvation of Jehovah.

1. Alas, all ye thirsty ones, come ye to the water; and ye that have no silver, come ye, buy and eat! Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without payment! 2. Wherefore do ye weigh silver for that which is not bread, and the result of your labour for that which satisfieth not? Oh, hearken ye to Me, and eat the good, and let your soul delight itself in fat.

3. Incline your ear, and come to Me! hear, and let your soul revive; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the true mercies of David. 4. Behold, I have set him as a witness[1] for nations, a prince and commander of nations. 5. Behold, thou wilt call a mass of people that thou knowest not; and a mass of people that knoweth thee not will hasten to thee, for the sake of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel that He hath made thee glorious.

6. Seek ye Jehovah while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return to Jehovah, and He will have compassion upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 8. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith Jehovah: 9. as heaven is high above the earth; so high are My ways above your ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts. 10. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, till it has moistened the earth, and fertilised it, and made it green, and offered seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11. so will My word be which goeth forth out of My mouth: it will not return to Me fruitless, till it has accomplished that which I willed, and prosperously carried out that for which I sent it. 12. For ye will go out with joy, and be led forth[2] in peace: the mountains and the hills will break out before you into shouting, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13. Instead of the thorn will cypresses shoot up, and instead of the fleabane[3] will myrtles spring up: and it will be to Jehovah for a name, for an everlasting memorial that will not be swept away.

eighth prophecy.—chap. lvi. 1–8.

Sabbatical Admonitions, and Consolations for Proselytes and Eunuchs.

1. Thus saith Jehovah, Keep ye right, and do righteousness; for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to reveal itself. 2. Blessed is the mortal that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth fast hold thereon; who keepeth the Sabbath, that he doth not desecrate it, and keepeth his hand from doing any kind of evil.

3. And let not the foreigner, who hath joined himself to Jehovah, speak thus: Assuredly Jehovah will cut me off from His people; and let not the eunuch say, I am only a dry tree. 4. For thus saith Jehovah to the eunuchs, Those who keep My Sabbaths, and decide for that in which I take pleasure, and take fast hold of My covenant, 5. I give to them in My house and within My walls a memorial[1] and a name better than sons and daughters; I give such a man an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 6. And the foreigners, who have joined themselves to Jehovah, to serve Him, and to love the name of Jehovah, to be His servants, whoever keepeth the Sabbath from desecrating it, and those who hold fast to My covenant; 7. I bring them to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their whole-offerings and their slain-offerings are well-pleasing upon Mine altar; for My house, a house of prayer shall it be called for all nations. 8. Word of the Lord, Jehovah: gathering the outcasts of Israel, I will also gather beyond itself to its gathered ones.

ninth prophecy.—chap. lvi. 9–lvii. 21.

Neglect of Duty by the Leaders of Israel; and Errors of the People.

9. All ye beasts of the field, come near! To devour, all ye beasts of the forest! 10. His watchmen are blind; they (are) all ignorant,[2] they (are) all dumb dogs that cannot bark; raving, lying down, loving to slumber. 11. And the dogs are mightily greedy, they know no satiety; and such are shepherds! They know no understanding; they have all turned to their own ways, every one for his own gain throughout his border.

12. Come here, I will fetch wine, and let us drink meth; and to-morrow shall be like to-day, great, excessively abundant.

LVII.—1. The righteous perisheth, and no man taketh it to heart; and pious[1] men are swept away,[2] without any one considering that the righteous is swept away from misfortune.[3] 2. He entereth into peace: they rest upon their beds, whoever has walked straight before him.

3. And ye, draw near hither, children of the sorceress, seed of the adulterer, and of her that committed whoredom! 4. Over whom do ye make yourselves merry? Over whom do ye open the mouth wide, and put the tongue out long? Are ye not the brood of apostasy, seed of lying? 5. Ye that inflame yourselves by the terabinths, under every green tree, ye slayers of children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks. 6. By the smooth ones of the brook was thy portion; they, they were thy lot: thou also pourest out libations to them, thou laidst meat-offerings upon them. Shall I be contented with this?[4] 7. Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set up thy bed; thou also ascendest thither to offer slain offerings. 8. And behind the door and the post thou didst place thy[5] reminder: for thou uncoveredst away from me, and ascendest; thou madest thy bed broad, and didst stipulate for thyself what they had to do: thou lovedst their lying with thee; thou sawest their manhood.[6]

9. And thou wentest to the king with oil, and didst measure copiously thy spices, and didst send thy messengers to a great distance, and didst deeply abase thyself, even to Hades. 10. Thou didst become wary of the greatness of thy way; yet thou saidst not, It is unattainable:[7] thou obtainedst the reward of thy strength: therefore thou wast not pained.[8]

11. And of whom hast thou been afraid, and (whom) didst thou fear, that thou becamest a liar, and didst not continue mindful of Me, and didst not take it to heart?

Am I not silent, and that for a long time, whereas thou wast not afraid of Me? 12. I, I will proclaim thy righteousness; and thy works, they will not profit thee. 13. When thou criest, let thy heaps of idols[9] save thee: but a wind carries them all away; a breath takes them off; and whoever putteth trust in Me will inherit the land, and take possession of My holy mountain.

14. And He saith, Heap up, heap up, prepare a way, take away every obstruction from the way of My people. 15. For thus saith the High and Lofty One, the eternally dwelling One, He whose name is Holy One; I dwell on high and in the holy place, and with the contrite one and him that is of a humbled spirit, to revive the spirit of humbled ones, and to revive the heart of contrite ones. 16. For I do not contend for ever, and I am not angry for ever: for the spirit would pine away before me, and the souls of men which I have created. 17. And because of the iniquity of its selfishness,[10] I was wroth, and smote it; hiding Myself away in the way of its own heart. 18. I have seen its ways and will heal it; and will lead it, and afford consolations to it, and to its mourning ones.

19. Creating fruit of the lips; Jehovah saith, “Peace, peace to those that are far off, and to those that are near; and I heal it.” 20. But the wicked are like the sea that is cast up; for it cannot rest; and its waters cast out slime and mud. 21. There is no peace, saith my God, for the wicked.

 

PART III.

first prophecy.—chap. lviii.

The False Worship and the True.

1. Cry with full throat, hold not back; lift up thy voice like a bugle, and proclaim to My people their apostasy, and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2. And they seek Me[1] day by day, and desire to learn My ways, like a nation which has done righteousness; they desire the drawing near of Elohim.

3. Wherefore do we fast and Thou seest not, afflict our soul and Thou regardest not? Behold, on the day of your fasting ye carry on your business, and ye oppress all your labourers. 4. Behold, ye fast with strife and quarrelling, and with smiting of the fist maliciously closed: ye do not fast now to make your voice audible on high.[2]

5. Can such things as these pass for a fast that I have pleasure in, as a day for a man to afflict his soul? To bow down his head like a bulrush, and spread sackcloth and ashes under him—dost thou call this a fast and an acceptable day for Jehovah? 6. Is not this a fast that I have pleasure in: to loose coils of wickedness, to untie the bands[3] of the yoke, and for sending away the oppressed as free, and that ye break every kind of yoke? 7. Is it not this, to break thy bread to the hungry, and to take the poor and houseless to thy home;[4] when thou seest a naked man that thou clothest him, and dost not deny thyself before thine own flesh?

8. Then will thy light break forth as the morning dawn, and thy healing will sprout up speedily, and thy righteousness will go before thee, the glory of Jehovah will follow thee. 9. Then will thou call, and Jehovah will answer; then wilt beseech, and He will say, Here am I.

If thou put away from the midst of thee the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking of evil, 10. and offerest up thy gluttony to the hungry;[5] and satisfiest the soul that is bowed down: thy light will stream out in the darkness, and thy darkness become like the brightness of noon-day. 11. And Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in droughts, and refresh thy bones; and thou wilt become like a well-watered garden, and like a fountain, whose waters never deceive.[6] 12. And thy people[7] will build ruins of the olden time, foundations of earlier generations wilt thou erect; and men will call thee Repairer of breaches, Restorer of habitable streets.

13. If thou hold back thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy business on my holy day, and callest the Sabbath a delight, the holy of Jehovah, reverend, and honourest it, not doing thine own ways, not pursuing thy business and speaking words:[8] 14. then wilt thou have delight in Jehovah, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the land, and make thee enjoy the inheritance of Jacob thy forefather, for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

second prophecy.—chap. lix.

The Existing Wall of Partition Broken Down at Last.

1. Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not too short to help, nor His ear too heavy to hear; 2. but your iniquities have become a party-wall between you and your God and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. 3. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips speak lies, your tongue murmurs wickedness.

4. No one speaks with justice, and no one pleads with faithfulness; men trust in vanity, and speak with deception;[1] they conceive trouble, and bring forth ruin. 5. They hatch basilisks’ eggs, and weave spiders’ webs. He that eateth of their eggs must die; and if one is trodden upon, it splits into an adder. 6. Their webs do not suffice for clothing,[2] and men cannot cover themselves with their works: their works are works of ruin, and the practice of injustice is in their hands. 7. Their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness; wasting and destruction are in their paths. 8. The way of peace they know not, and there is no right in their roads: they make their paths crooked: every one who treads upon them knows no peace.

9. Therefore right remains far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold darkness; for brightness—we walk in thick darkness. 10. We grope along the wall like the blind, and like eyeless men we grope: we stumble in the light of noon-day as in the darkness, and among the living like the dead.[3] 11. We roar all like bears, and moan deeply like doves; we hope for right, and it cometh not; for salvation—it remaineth far from us.

12. For our transgressions are many before Thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are known to us, and our evil deeds well known: 13. apostasy and denial of Jehovah, and turning back from following our God, oppressive and false speaking,[4] conceiving and giving out from the heart words of falsehood. 14. And right is forced back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the market-place,[5] and honesty finds no admission. 15. And truth became missing, and he who avoids evil is outlawed.

And Jehovah saw it, and it was displeasing in His eyes, that there was no right. 16. And He saw that there was not a man anywhere, and was astonished that there was nowhere an intercessor: then His arm brought Him help and His righteousness became His stay. 17. And He put on righteousness as a coat of mail, and the helmet of salvation upon His head; and put on garments of vengeance as armour, and clothed Himself in zeal as in a cloak. 18. According to the deeds, accordingly He will repay; burning wrath to His adversaries, punishment to His foes; the islands He will repay with chastisement.[6]

19. And they will fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun: for He will come like a stream dammed up, which a tempest of Jehovah drives away.[7] 20. And a Redeemer comes from Zion, and for those who turn from apostasy in Jacob, saith Jehovah.

21. And I, this is My covenant with them, saith Jehovah: My Spirit which is upon thee, and My word which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, and out of the mouth of thy seed, and out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever.

third prophecy.—chap. lx.

The Glory of the Jerusalem of the Last Days.

1. Arise, grow light: for thy light cometh, and the glory of Jehovah riseth upon thee. 2. For, behold, the darkness covereth the earth, and deep darkness the nations; and Jehovah riseth over thee, and His glory becomes visible over thee. 3. And nations walk to thy light, and kings to the shining of thy rays.

4. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all crowd together, they come to thee: thy sons come from afar, and thy daughters are carried hither upon arms. 5. Then wilt thou see and shine,[1] and thine heart will tremble and expand; for the abundance of the nations cometh to thee. 6. A swarm of camels will cover thee, the foals of Midian and Ephah; they come all together from Saba; fully make known the praises of Jehovah. 7. All the flocks of Kedar gather together unto thee, the rams of Nabaioth will serve thee; they will come up with acceptance upon Mine altar, and I will adorn the house of My adorning. 8. Who are these who fly hither as a cloud, and like the doves to their windows? 9. Yea, the islands wait for Me; and the ships of Tarshish come first, to bring thy children from far, their silver and their gold with them, to the name of thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He hath ornamented thee.

10. And the sons of strangers build thy walls, and their kings serve thee; for in My wrath I have smitten thee, and in My favour I have had mercy upon thee. 11. And thy gates remain open continually day and night, they shall not be shut, to bring into thee the possessions of the nations, and their kings in triumph.[2] 12. For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve thee will perish, and the nations be certainly laid waste. 13. The glory of Lebanon will come to thee, cypresses, plane-trees, and sherbin-trees, all together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary, and to make the place of My feet glorious. 14. The children also of thy tormentors come bending unto thee, and all thy despisers stretch themselves at the soles of thy feet, and call thee City of Jehovah, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15. Whereas thou wast forsaken and hated, and no one walked through thee, I make thee now into eternal splendour, a rapture from generation to generation. 16. And thou suckest the milk of nations, and the breast of kings thou wilt suck, and learn that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17. For copper I bring gold, and for iron I bring silver, and for wood copper, and for stones iron, and to make peace thy magistracy, and righteousness thy bailiffs.[3] 18. Injustice is no more seen in thy land, wasting and destruction in thy borders; and thou callest salvation thy walls, and renown thy gates.

19. The sun will be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness will the moon shine upon thee: Jehovah will be to thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20. Thy sun will no more go down and thy moon will not be withdrawn: for Jehovah will be to thee an everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning will be finished. 21. And thy people, they are all righteous; they possess the land for a sprout of My plantations, a work of My hands for glorification. 22. The smallest one will become thousands, and the meanest one a powerful nation.

I, Jehovah, will hasten it in His time.

fourth prophecy.—chap. lxi.

The Glory of the Office is Committed to the Servant of Jehovah.

1. The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is over me, because Jehovah hath anointed me to bring glad tidings to sufferers;[1] hath sent me to bind up broken-hearted ones, to proclaim liberty to those led captive, and emancipation to the fettered; 2. to proclaim a year of grace from Jehovah, and a day of vengeance from our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3. to put upon the mourners of Zion, to give them a head-dress[2] for ashes, oil of joy for mourning, a wrapper of renown for an expiring spirit, that they may be called terebinths of righteousness, a planting of Jehovah for glorification.

4. And they will build up wastes of the olden time, raise up desolations of the forefathers, and renew desolate cities, desolations of former generations. 5. And strangers stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners become your ploughmen and vinedressers. 6. But ye will be called priests of Jehovah; Servants of our God, will men say to you: ye will eat the riches of the nations, and pride yourselves in their glory.

7. Instead of shame ye shall have double, and (instead) of insult they rejoice at their portion: thus in their land[3] they will possess double; everlasting joy will they have. 8. For I, Jehovah, love right, hate robbery in wickedness;[4] and give them their reward in faithfulness, and conclude an everlasting covenant with them. 9. And their family will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the nations: all who see them will recognise them, for they are a family that Jehovah hath blessed.

10. Joyfully I rejoice in Jehovah; my soul shall be joyful in my God, that He hath given me garments of salvation to put on, hath wrapped me in the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom who wears the turban like a priest, and as a bride who puts on her jewellery. 11. For like the land which brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden which causes the things sown in it to sprout up; so the Lord Jehovah bringeth righteousness to sprouting and renown before all nations.

fifth prophecy.—chap. lxii.

The Gradual Extension of the Glory of Jerusalem.

1. For Zion’s sake I shall not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I shall not rest, till her righteousness breaks forth like morning brightness, and her salvation like a blazing torch. 2. And nations will see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and men will call thee by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will determine. 3. And thou wilt be an adorning coronet in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the lap[1] of thy God. 4. Men will no more call thee “Forsaken One;” and thy land they will not more call “Desert;” but men will name thee “My delight in her,” and thy home “Married one:” for Jehovah hath delight in thee, and thy land is married. 5. For the young man marrieth the maiden, thy children will marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth in the bride, thy God will rejoice in thee.

6. Upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, have I stationed watchmen; all the day and all the night continually they are not silent. O ye who remember Jehovah,[2] leave yourselves not rest! 7. And give Him no rest, till He raise up, and till He set Jerusalem for a praise in the earth.

8. Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand, and by His powerful arm, Surely I no more give thy corn for food to thine enemies; and foreigners will not drink thy must, for which thou hast laboured hard. 9. No, they that gather it in shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that store it, shall drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.

10. Go forth, go forth through the gates, clear the way of the people. Cast up, Cast up the road, clean it of stones; lift up a banner above the nations![3] 11. Behold, Jehovah hath caused tidings to sound to the end of the earth. Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompence before Him. 12. And men will call them the holy people, the redeemed of Jehovah; and men will call thee, Striven after, A city that will not be forsaken.[4]

sixth prophecy.—chap. lxiii. 1–6.

Judgment upon Edom, and upon the Whole World That is Hostile to the Church.

1. Who is this that cometh from Edom, in deep red clothes from Bozrah? This, glorious in His apparel, bending to and fro in the fulness of His strength?[1]

I am He that speaketh in righteousness, mighty to aid.

2. Whence the red in Thine apparel, and Thy clothes like those of a wine-presser?

3. I have trodden the wine-trough alone, and of the nations no one was with Me: and I trode them in My wrath, and trampled them down in My fury; and their life-sap spirted upon My clothes, and all My raiment was stained. 4. For a day of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redemption was come. 5. And I looked round, and there was no helper; and I wondered there was no supporter: then Mine own arm helped Me; and My fury, it became My support. 6. And I trode down nations in My wrath, and made them drunk in My fury, and made their life-blood run down to the earth.

the three closing prophecies.

first closing prophecy.—chap. lxiii. 7–lxiv.

Thanksgiving, Confession, and Supplication of the Church of the Captivity.

7. I will celebrate the mercies of Jehovah, the praises of Jehovah,[2] as is seemly for all that Jehovah hath shown us, and the great goodness towards the house of Israel, which He hath shown them according to His pity, and the riches of His mercies. 8. He said, They are my people, children who will not lie;[3] and He became their Saviour. 9. In all their affliction, He was afflicted,[4] and the Angel of His face brought them salvation. In His love and in His pity He redeemed them, and lifted them up, and bare them all the days of the olden time.

10. But they resisted and vexed His Holy Spirit: then He turned to be their enemy; He made war upon them. 11. Then His people remembered the days of the olden time, of Moses: Where is He who brought them up out of the see with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put the Spirit of His holiness in the midst of them; 12. who caused the arm of His majesty to go at the right of Moses; who split the waters before them, to make Himself an everlasting name; 13. who caused them to pass through abysses of the deep, like the horse upon the plain, without their stumbling? 14. Like the cattle which goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah brought them to rest: thus hast Thou led Thy people, to make Thyself a majestic name.

15. Look from heaven and see, from the habitation of Thy holiness and majesty! Where is Thy zeal and Thy display of might? The pressure of Thy bowels and Thy compassions are restrained towards me. 16. For Thou art our Father; for Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel knoweth us not.[5] Thou, O Jehovah, art our Father; our Redeemer is from olden time Thy name. 17. O Jehovah, why leadest Thou us astray from Thy ways, hardenest our heart, so as not to fear Thee? Return for Thy servants’ sake, the tribes of Thine inheritance. 18. For a little time Thy holy people was in possession. Our adversaries have trodden down Thy sanctuary. 19. We have become such as He who is from everlasting has not ruled over, upon whom Thy name was not called. LXIV.—1. O that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, come down, the mountains would shake before Thy countenance;—2. (wouldst come down) as fire kindles brushwood, fire causes water to boil; to make known Thy name to Thine adversaries, that the heathen may tremble before Thy face! 3. When Thou doest terrible things which we hoped not for; wouldst come down, (and) mountains shake before Thy countenance![1]

4. For from olden times men have not heard, nor perceived, nor hath an eye seen, a God beside Thee, who acted on behalf of him that waiteth for Him. 5. Thou didst meet him that rejoiceth to work righteousness, when they remembered Thee in Thy ways.

Behold, Thou, Thou art enraged, and we stood as sinners there; already have we been long in this state, and shall we be saved?[2] 6. We became like the unclean thing, and all our virtues like a garment soiled with blood; and we all faded away together like the leaves; and our iniquities, like the storm, they carried us away. 7. And there was no one who called upon Thy name, who aroused himself to lay firm hold of Thee: for Thou hadst hidden Thy face from us, and didst melt us into the hand of our transgressions.[3]

8. And now, O Jehovah, Thou art our Father: we are the clay, and Thou our Maker;[4] and we are all the work of Thy hand. 9. Be not extremely angry, O Jehovah, and remember not the transgression for ever! Behold, consider, we beseech Thee, we are Thy people.

10. The cities of Thy holiness have become a pasture-ground; Zion has become a pasture-ground, Jerusalem a desert. 11. The house of our holiness and of our adorning, where our fathers praised Thee, is given up to the fire, and everything that was our delight given up to devastation. 12. Wilt Thou restrain Thyself in spite of this, O Jehovah, be silent, and leave us to suffer the utmost?

second closing prophecy.—chap. lxv.

Jehovah’s Answer to the Church’s Prayer.

1. I was discernible to those who did not inquire, discoverable by those who did not seek Me.[1] I said, “Here am I, Here am I,” to a nation where My name was not called. 2. I spread out My hands all the day to a refractory people, who walked in the way that was not good, after their own thoughts. 3. The people that continually provoketh Me by defying Me to My face, sacrificing in the gardens, and burning incense upon the tiles; 4. who sit in the graves, and spend the night in closed places; to eat the flesh of swine, and broken pieces of abominations is in their dishes; 5. who say, Stop! come not too near Me; for I am holy to thee; they are a smoke in My nose, a fire blazing continually.

6. Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silence without having recompensed, and I will recompense into their bosom. 7. Your offences, and the offences of your fathers together, saith Jehovah, that they have burned incense upon the mountains, and insulted Me upon the hills, and I measure their reward first of all into their bosom.

8. Thus saith Jehovah, As when the must is found in the cluster, men say, Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing within it, so will I do for the sake of My servants, that I may not destroy the whole. 9. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and an heir of My mountains out of Judah, and My chosen ones shall inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there. 10. And the plain of Sharon becomes a meadow for flocks, and the valley of Achor a resting-place for oxen, for My people that asketh for Me.

11. And ye, who are enemies to Jehovah, O ye that are unmindful of My holy mountain, who prepare a table for Gad, and fill up mixed drink for the goddess of destiny,--12. I have destined you to the sword, and ye will bow down to the slaughter, because I have called, and ye have not replied, I have spoken, and ye have not heard; and ye did evil in Mine eyes, and ye chose that which I did not like.

13. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah: Behold My servants will eat, but ye will hunger; behold My servants will drink, but ye will thirst; behold My servants will rejoice, but ye will be put to shame; 14. behold My servants will exult for delight of heart, but ye will cry for anguish of heart, and ye will lament for brokenness of spirit. 15. And ye will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones, and the Lord, Jehovah, will slay thee; by His servants He will call by another name, 16. so that whosoever blesseth himself in them and will bless himself by the God of truthfulness,[2] and whosoever sweareth in the land will swear by the God of truthfulness,[3] because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they have vanished from Mine eyes.

17. For behold I create a new heaven and a new earth; and men will not remember the first, nor do they come to any one’s mind. 18. No, be ye joyful and exult for ever at that which I create; for behold I turn Jerusalem into exulting, and her people into joy. 19. And I shall exult over Jerusalem, and be joyous over My people, and the voice of weeping and screaming will be heard in her no more. 20. And there shall be no more come thence a suckling of a few days, and an old man who has not lived out all his days; for the youth in it will die as one a hundred years old, and the sinner be smitten with a curse as one a hundred years old.[4]

21. And they will build houses and inhabit them, and plant vineyards and enjoy the fruit thereof. 22. They will not build and another inhabit, nor plant and another enjoy; for like the days of trees are the days of My people, and My chosen ones will consume the work of their hands. 23. They will not weary themselves in vain, nor bring forth for sudden disaster; for they are a family of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring are left to them.

24. And it will come to pass: before they call, I will answer; they are still speaking, and I already hear. 25. Wolf and lamb then feed together, and the lion eats chopped straw like the ox, and the serpent—dust is its bread. They will neither do harm nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith Jehovah.

third closing prophecy.—chap. lxvi.

Exclusion of Scorners from the Coming Salvation.

1. Thus saith Jehovah: The heaven is My throne, and the earth My footstool. What kind of house is it that ye would build Me, and what kind of place for My rest? 2. My hand hath made all these things; then all these things arose, saith Jehovah; and at such persons do I look, at the miserable and broken-hearted, and him that trembleth at My word.[1] 3. He that slaughtereth the ox is the slayer of a man; he that sacrificeth the sheep is a strangler of dogs; he that offereth a meat offering, it is swine’s blood; he that causeth incense to rise up in smoke, blesseth idols. As they have chosen their ways, and their soul cherisheth pleasure in their abominations; 4. so will I choose their ill-treatments,[2] and bring their terrors upon them, because I called and no one replied, I spake and they did not hear, and they did evil in Mine eyes, and chose that in which I took no pleasure.

5. Hear ye the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at His word: your brethren that hate you, that thrust you from them for My name’s sake, say, “Let Jehovah get honour, that we may see your joy;” they will be put to shame.

6. Sound of tumult from the city! Sound from the temple! Sound of Jehovah, who repays His enemies with punishment.

7. Before she travailed she brought forth; before pains came upon her, she was delivered of a boy. 8. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen anything like it? Are men delivered of a land in one day? Or is a nation begotten at once? For Zion hath travailed, yea, hath brought forth her children. 9. Should I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah; or should I, who cause to bring forth, shut up? saith thy God.

10. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and exult over her, all ye that love her; be ye delightfully glad with her, all ye that mourn over her, 11. that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breast of her consolations, that ye may sip and delight yourselves in the abundance of her glory. 12. For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I guide peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like an overflowing stream, that ye may suck; ye shall be borne upon arms, and fondled upon knees. 13. Like a man whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14. And ye will see, and your heart will be joyful, and your bones will flourish like young herbage; and thus does the hand of Jehovah make itself known to His servants, and fiercely does He treat His enemies. 15. For behold Jehovah, in the fire will He come, and His chariots are like the whirlwind, to pay out His wrath in burning of fire. 16. For in the midst of fire Jehovah holds judgment, and in the midst of His sword with all flesh; and great will be the multitude pierced through by Jehovah. 17. They that consecrate themselves and purify themselves for the gardens behind one in the midst, who eat swine’s flesh and abomination and the field mouse—they all come to an end together, saith Jehovah. 18. And I, their works and their thoughts—it comes to pass that all nations and tongues are gathered together, that they come and see My glory.[3]

19. And I set a sign upon them, and send away those that have escaped from them to the Gentiles, to Tarshish, Phûl and Lûd, to the stretchers of the bow, Tubal and Javan—the distant islands that have not heard My fame and have not seen My glory, and they will proclaim My glory among the Gentiles. 20. And they will bring your brethren out of all heathen nations, a sacrifice for Jehovah, upon horses and upon chariots, and upon litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to My holy mountain, to Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring the meat-offering in a clean vessel to the house of Jehovah. 21. And I will also add some of them to the priests, to the Levites, saith Jehovah. 22. For as the new heaven and the new earth, which I am about to make, continue before Me, saith Jehovah, so will your family and your name continue. 23. And it will come to pass, from new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh will come, to worship before Me, saith Jehovah. 24. And they go out and look at the corpses of the men that have rebelled against Me, for their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and they become an abomination to all flesh.

 

Calkins.[1]

chaps. lii. 13–liii.

i.

13. Behold my Servant shall prosper,
      He shall rise up, and be extolled, and stand triumphantly exalted.
14. Even as many were shocked at Him
      (His countenance was so marred as to be no more that of a man,
      His form no more that of sons of men!)
15. So shall He sprinkle many nations.
      The kings shall shut their mouths before Him;
      For what had not been told them they shall see,
      And what they never heard they shall consider.

ii.

  1. Who hath believed our report?
      And to whom is Jehovah’s arm revealed?
  2. For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
      And as a sprout out of dry ground.
      He hath no form nor comeliness that we should look up to Him,
      No beauty that we should take pleasure in Him.
  3. He is despised and rejected of men,
      A man of sorrows, well acquainted with sickness;
      And like one hiding his face before us,
      He was despised and we esteemed Him not.
  4. And yet it was our own sickness that He bore,
      And our sorrows that He loaded upon Himself.
      But we supposed He was punished,
      Smitten of God and tormented!
  5. Oh, no! He was wounded for our transgressions,
      Bruised for our iniquities,
      Chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
      And with His stripes we are made whole.
  6. All we like sheep have gone astray,
      We have turned every one to his own way,
      And Jehovah made the guilt of us all to meet upon Him.
  7. He was oppressed, and yet He humbled Himself,
      And He opened not His mouth, like a lamb that is brought to the slaughter,
      And as a sheep is dumb before her shearers,
      So He opened not His mouth.
  8. He was dragged to punishment by violence, and yet by process of law;
      And who of the men of His generation took it to heart,
      That He was cut off from the land of the living,
      That the stroke for my people’s transgression fell upon Him!
  9. They appointed Him His grave with criminals
      (Still He was with a rich man in His death!).
      Although He had done no wrong,
      Neither was any deceit in His mouth.
10. And yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise Him;
      He laid sickness upon Him.
      But when He has made over His soul as a sin-offering,
      He shall see offspring; He shall prolong His days,
      And the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in His hands!

iii.

11. Free from the travail of His soul,
      He shall see and be satisfied.
      By His knowledge shall my righteous Servant make many righteous,
      Because He shall bear their iniquities.
12. Therefore will I give Him the great as a portion,
      And He shall distribute the strong as spoil.
      For He hath poured out His soul unto death,
      And He was numbered with transgressors,
      While He was bearing the sin of many
      And was making intercession for the transgressors.