HABAKKUK. About 600 B. C. E. I. The power and tyranny of the Chaldæans. 1. Shall the wicked prevail? THE prophecy which was revealed to the prophet Habakkuk. 2. How long, O LORD, do I cry, and thou dost not hear! How long do I complain to thee of violence, and thou dost not save! 3. Why dost thou suffer me to see iniquity, And why dost thou look upon wickedness? 4. Therefore the law faileth, And judgment is not pronounced according to truth; 5. Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We shall not die! Thou, O LORD, hast appointed them for judgment; 6. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, And canst not look on wickedness; Why then dost thou look on transgressors, And art silent, when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he? 7. And why makest thou men as the fishes of the sea As the reptiles that have no ruler? 8. They take up all of them with the hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their drag; 9. Therefore they sacrifice to their net, 10. Shall they therefore empty the net, And slay the nations continually without mercy? (Chap. I; 1-4, 12-17) II. The answer of God. The punishment of the wicked is appointed. The faith of the just. Woes uttered against oppression, extor 1. tion, double-dealing and the folly of idolatry. I WILL stand on my watch-tower, And set myself on the bulwark, And watch to see what he will say to me, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, 3. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, But it hasteneth to the end; it shall not deceive; For it shall surely come; it shall not long delay. 4. Behold, the soul of him that is puffed up shall not be at ease; But the just shall live by his faithfulness. 5. Behold, the man of wine is outrageous; 6. Shall not all of them utter a song against him, Yea, songs of reproach and derision concerning him? And say, Woe to him that heapeth up that which belongeth not to him! For how long a time? That ladeth himself with goods taken in pledge! 7. Shall not they suddenly rise up that will oppress thee, And awake, that will harrass thee? Yea, thou shalt be their booty. 8. Because thou hast plundered many kingdoms, All the residue of the nations shall plunder thee: For the blood of men, and for violence against the land, 9. Woe to him that procureth unjust gain for his house, That he may be delivered from the evil hand! 10. Thou hast devised shame for thine house; By destroying many nations, thou hast brought ruin upon thyself. 11. For the stone from the wall crieth out, 12. 13. Behold, it is determined by the LORD of hosts, That nations shall labor for the fire, And kingdoms weary themselves for naught. 14. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 15. Woe to him who giveth his neighbor drink, Who poureth out the strong wine, and maketh him drunken, 16. Thou shalt be filled with shame instead of glory; To thee shall come the cup in the right hand of the LORD, 17. For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee, 18. And the destruction of the beasts which made them afraid, What profiteth the graven image, When the maker hath graven it? Or the molten image, and the teacher of lies, When he maketh dumb idols? 19. Woe to him who saith to the wood, Awake! 20. But the LORD is in his holy temple; (Chap. II.) JEREMIAH, About 625-585, B. C. E. The call of Jeremiah to his office. 1 I. Expostulation with Israel on account of their ingratitude and disobedience. THE words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests, who dwelt in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin; to 2. whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his 3. reign; to whom it also came in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem into captivity in the fifth month 4. The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed thee, I knew thee; and before thou camest into the world, I chose thee; I appointed thee to be a prophet to the nations. 5. Then said I, Alas, O Lord Eternal! Behold, I am not able to speak; for I am a child. 6. go to But the LORD said to me, Say not, I am a child; but whomever I send thee, and speak whatever I command thee! 7. Be not afraid of them! For I am with thee to help thee, saith the LORD 8. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. 9. The LORD also said to me, Behold, I have put my words in thy 10. mouth. Behold, I have set thee this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root, out and to pull down, and to destroy, and to overthrow; and to build, and to plant. (Chap. I; 1-10-) 11. Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, And all the families of the house of Israel ! Thus saith the LORD: What fault did your fathers find in me, And walked after vanity, and practised folly? 12. They said not, Where is the LORD, Who brought us up from the land of Egypt, Through a land of drought and deathlike gloom, 13. I brought you to a land of fruitful fields, The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal, 15. Thy wickedness shall chasten thee, And thy transgressions reprove thee, And thou shalt know and see that it is an evil and bitter thing And that the fear of me was not with thee, Saith God, the LORD of hosts. (Chap. II; 4-8, 19.) 1. II. Reformation enjoined. Disobedience of the people denounced RETURN, O rebellious Israel, saith the LORD! I will not turn a frowning face upon you; For I am merciful, saith the LORD, I retain not anger forever. 2. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, That thou hast rebelled against the LORD thy God, And hast roved about to strangers under every green tree, And hast not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. (Chap. III: 12-13.) 3. If thou wilt return to me, O Israel, saith the LORD, Thou shalt return [to thy land]; If thou wilt put away thy abominations from my sight, 4. If thou wilt swear, as the LORD liveth! In truth, in justice, and in righteousness, Then shall the nations bless themselves by thee, 5. Thy way and thy doings have brought this upon thee; 6. It is bitter; it reacheth to thy heart. (Chap. IV; 1-2, 18.). Run ye through the streets of Jerusalem, [saith the LORD,] And see now, and know, and seek in her broad places, |