A. C. 710 to 699. 8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. h Gen, ix. 11. 9 For this is as the waters of h Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. il Chron. xxix. 2. k John vi. 45. 1 John vil. 37. 10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. i 11 ¶O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. 12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. k 13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror: for it shall not come near thee. 15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. 16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 ¶ No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD, SECTION XXVI. The fulness and Excellence of the Blessings of the Gospel. ISAIAH LV. 1 The prophet, with the promises of Christ, calleth to faith, 6 and to repentance. 8 The happy success of them that believe. 1 Ho, 'every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. * Heb. weigh, 2 Wherefore do ye * spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. to 699. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your A.C 710 soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the "sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. 6¶ Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: m Acts xiii. 34. * Heb. the man of ini quity. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will + Heb. he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater : 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. multiply to pardon. 12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall" break forth before n ch. xxxv. 1. you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. ISAIAH LVI. VER. 1-9. 1 The prophet exhorteth to sanctification. 3 He promiseth it shall be general, without respect of persons. 1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do ‡ Or, equity. justice for my salvation is near to come, and my righteous ness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. A.C. 710 to 699 o ch. ii. 2. p Matt. xxi. 13. Mark xi. 17. Luke xix. 46. 3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; my 5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for P mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 8 The LORD God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel * Hcb. to his saith, Yet will I gather others to him, * beside those that are gathered unto him. gathered. + Or, dream ing in their ing, or, talk sleep. + Heb. strong of appetite. Heb. know SECTION XXVII. Prediction of the Calamities which should befall Judea for its ISAIAH LVI, VER. 9, TO THE END. 9 All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. 10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; † sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which § can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand : not to be satis- they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from fied. his quarter. 12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. ISAIAH LVII. 1 The blessed death of the righteous. 3 God reproveth the Jews for their whorish idolatry. 13 He giveth evangelical promises to the penitent. 1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that 3¶ But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore. A.C. 710 to 699. Heb. men of * P. xii. 1. evil. + Or, go in Or, before him. 4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye peace. not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, 5 Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green | Or, among tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks? r 6 Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these? 7 Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed : even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. the oaks. r2 Kings xvi. 4. 8 Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedstor, hewed their bed + where thou sawest it. it for thyself larger than + Or, thou 9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and theirs didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers providest far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell. room. + Or, thou respectedst the 10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet king. saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the § life of thine hand: therefore thou wast not grieved. 11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not? 12 I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee. 13¶ When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain; S Or, living. lxii, 10. 14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the s ch. xl. 3. & way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people. 15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. A.C. 710 to 699. 16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. 17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and Heb. turn- smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on * frowardly in the way of his heart. ing away. t ch. xlviii. 22. + Heb. with the throat. Or, things wherewith ye grieve others. Heb. griefs. Or, ye fast not as this day. u Zech. vii. 5. x Lev. xvi. 29. * Or, to afflict his soul for a day. + Heb. the 18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. 19 I create the fruit of his lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him. 20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. ISAIAH LVIII. 1 The prophet, being sent to reprove hypocrisy, 3 expresseth a counterfeit fast and a true. 8 He declareth what promises are due unto godliness, 13 and to the keeping of the sabbath. 1 Cry + aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways; as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. 3¶ Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: || ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is it "such a fast that I have chosen? ** a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bundles of the bands of wickedness, to undo + the heavy burdens, and Heb. broken, to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7. y Ezek. xviii. 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that Or, afflicted, thou bring the poor that are § cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? |