Pre He turned into fear unto me. pare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed: 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: and, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you. DEC. 4. The burden of Dumah. He ca to me out of Seir, Watchman, want of the night? Watchman, what the night? The watchman said. The morning cometh, and also the night if ye will enquire, enquire ye: retara, come. The burden upon Arabia. L the forest in Arabia shall ye lode, O ye travelling companies of Decanim. The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. For they fe from the swords, from the draw sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. For thus hath the Lord said unto m Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: and the residue of the number of archers, the night men of the children of Kedar, sha be diminished: for the LORD God Israel hath spoken it. TW of seen also the HE burden of the valley of vision. | day to the armour of the house of art wholly gone up to the housetops? Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. 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. 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. For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GoD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains. And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate. And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered to gether the waters of the lower poc And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have y broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the tw 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 And in that day did the Lord Gor of hosts call to weeping, and to mar ing, and to baldness, and to gir with sackcloth: and behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and kul sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die. And it was revealed in mine ears by the Los of hosts, Surely this iniquity sh not be purged from you till ye de, saith the Lord GoD of hosts. Thus saith the Lord GoD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, era unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast newed thee out a sepulchre here, as ae that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock? Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with I mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee. 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. And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: and I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy DEC. 5. government into his hand and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 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. 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. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. 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. Morning, ISAIAH XXIII. 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. Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. 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. As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth? DEC. 5. able of the earth. Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength. 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. And He said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest. Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian 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. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste. And it shall come to pass 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. Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou The LORD of hosts hath purposed mayest be remembered. And it shall it, to stain the pride of all glory, and come to pass after the end of seventy to bring into contempt all the honour-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. And her merchandise and her hire shall be holi DEC. 5. BE ness to the LORD: it shall not he treasured nor laid up; for he merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat su ciently, and for durable clothing. Evening, ISAIAH XXIV. EHOLD, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 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. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 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. The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in. There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction. 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 DEC. 5. when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their voice, they sha sing for the majesty of the Loan they shall cry aloud from the Wherefore glorify ye the Leap A the fires, even the name of the Lo God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From the uttermost part d the earth have we heard songs, mere glory to the righteous. But I sad My leanness, my leanness, woe me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the tre cherous dealers have dealt very tra cherously. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inha ant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, 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 take in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the found tions of the earth do shake. I earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth * moved exceedingly. The earth sa reel to and fro like a drunkard, shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD punish the host of the high ones the are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prsoners are gathered in the p and shall be shut up in the prison and after many days shall they visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun asham ed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jere salem, and before His ancients gloriously. A DEC. 6. Morning, ISAIAH XXV. LORD, Thou art my God; I hy name; for Thou hast done wonerful things; Thy counsels of old re faithfulness and truth. For Thou ast made of a city an heap; of a efenced city a ruin: a palace of trangers to be no city; it shall never e built. Therefore shall the strong eople glorify Thee, the city of the errible nations shall fear Thee. For Thou hast been a strength to the oor, a strength to the needy in his listress, a refuge from the storm, a hadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm gainst the wall. Thou shalt bring fown the noise of strangers, as the beat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And He will DEC. 6. DEC. 6. destroy in this mountain the face of the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GoD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under Him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. And He shall spread forth His hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and He shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall He bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. Ebening, ISAIAH XXVI. IN that day shall this song be sung a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfeet peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: for He bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, He layeth it low; He layeth it low, even to the ground; He bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. The way of the just is uprightness: Thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. Yea, in the way of Thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for Thee; the desire of our DEC. 6. soul is to Thy name, ad to the re have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early for when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. LORD, when Thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of Thine_enemies shall devour them. LORD, Thou wilt ordain peace for us: for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us. O LORD our God, other lords beside Thee have had dominion over us: but by Thee only will we make mention of Thy name. They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast Thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, Thou hast increased the nation: Thou art glorified: Thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. LORD, in trouble have they visited Thee, they poured out a prayer when Thy chastening was upon them. Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in Thy sight, O LORD. We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought DEC. 7. forth wind; we have not wro any deliverance in the earth; nell have the inhabitants of the war. fallen. Thy dead men shall live, tgether with my dead body shall th arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwel in dust: for Thy dew is as the c of herbs, and the earth shall cast ent the dead. Come, My people, entr thou into thy chambers, and shut the doors about thee: hide thyself as were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, be hold, the LORD cometh out of place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, shall no more cover her slain. Morning, ISAIAH XXVII. IN day LORD shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Fury is not in Me: who would set the briers and thorns against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me. He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. Hath He smitten him, as He smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by Him? In measure,when it shooteth forth, Thou wilt debate with it: He stayeth His rough wind in the day of the east wind. By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this 670 DEC. 7. is all the fruit to take away his altar as chalkstones that are beate" in sunder, the groves and images shal not stand up. Yet the defenced e* shall be desolate, and the habitati forsaken, and left like a wildernes there shall the calf feed, and ther shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof. When the beach thereof are withered, they shall b broken off: the women come, and them on fire: for it is a people no understanding: therefore He That made them will not have mercy them, and He That formed them shew them no favour. And it come to pass in that day, that t LORD shall beat off from the cha nel of the river unto the stream Egypt, and ye shall be gathered by one, O ye children of Israel. Ak it shall come to pass in that day, the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready perish in the land of Assyria, the outcasts in the land of Eg? and shall worship the LORD in th holy mount at Jerusalem. |