If ye can find a single man, if there be one that doeth justice,
That seeketh uprightness, and I will forgive her.

7. Yea, though they say, "As the LORD liveth!"

8.

9.

Yet do they swear falsely.

Are not thine eyes upon the truth, O LORD,

Thou hast smitten them, but they have not grieved;

Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction;

They have made their faces harder than a rock;

They have refused to return.

Then I said, These are only the

poor;

They are the foolish, because they know not the way of the
LORD, the law of their God.

10. I will get me to the great ones, and I will speak to them;
For they know the way of the LORD, the law of their God.
But these also have together broken the yoke ;

They have burst the bands.

11. Astonishing and horrible is that which is done in this land; 12. The prophets prophesy falsely,

And the priests rule under their guidance,

And my people love to have it so.

But what will ye do in the end of it?

(Chap. V; 1-5,30-31.)

13. From the least of them even to the greatest,

Every one is greedy of gain; prophet and priest alike,
Every one of them practiseth deceit.

14. They heal the wound of my people slightly,

Saying, Peace! peace! when there is no peace.

15. Are they ashamed that they have done abominable things? Nay, they are not at all ashamed; they know not how to blush; Therefore shall they fall with them that fall;

16.

At the time when I punish them,

They shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

Thus saith the LORD: Stand ye upon the ways and look;
And ask for the old paths, "Where is the good way?"
Walk ye in it, and ye shall find for yourselves rest.

17. But they say, We will not walk in it.

18. I have also set watchmen over you, [saying,]

Hearken to the sound of the trumpet!

But they say, We will not hearken.

19. Therefore hear, O ye nations,

And know, ye assembled multitude, what shall come upon them! 20. Hear thou, O earth! behold, I bring evil upon this people, The fruit of their devices;

Because they have not hearkened to my words,

And have even rejected my law.

(Chap. II; 13-20.)

III.

The practice of virtue, not the possession of the Temple nor the sacrifices, will be the protection of the people.

1.

HEAR the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, Who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD! 2. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings,

And I will suffer you to dwell in this place! 3. Trust ye not in lying words, when they say,

"The temple of the LORD. the temple of the LORD
The temple of the LORD are these."

4. Yet if ye will thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, And dispense justice between man and man,

5. If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, And shed not innocent blood in this place,

And go not after other gods to your own hurt,

6. Then will I cause you to dwell in this place,

In the land which I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
7. Behold, ye trust in lying words without profit.
8. Will ye steal, and murder, and commit adultery,
And swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal,
And go after strange gods, which ye know not,
9. And then come and stand before me in this house,

Which is called by my name, and say, "We are delivered!"
Whilst ye practise all these abominations.

10. Is this house, which is called by my name,

Become a den for robbers in your eyes?

11. Behold, I myself have seen it, saith the LORD. 12. But do they vex me, saith the LORD?

13.

Do they not rather vex themselves, to the confusion of their own faces?

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel :

Add your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices, and eat ye the flesh. 14. For I spake not to your fathers, nor commanded them Concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices,

At the time when I brought them out of the land of Egypt ; 15. But this command gave I to them:

"Hearken," said I," to my voice, and I will be your God,
And ye shall be my people.

And walk ye in all the ways which I command you,

That it may go well with you."

16. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear,

But walked in the devices and obstinacy of their evil heart,
Turning their backs and not their faces toward me.

17. From the day when your fathers came forth from the land of Egypt, even to this day,

18. I have also sent to you all my servants, the prophets,

Daily rising early and sending.

19. But they have not hearkened to me,

Nor have they inclined their ear;

But they have hardened their neck,

And acted more wickedly than their fathers.

20. And when thou shalt speak all these things to them,

They will not hearken to thee;

And when thou shalt call to them,

They will make thee no answer.

21. Therefore shalt thou say to them,

This is the nation that hearkeneth not to the voice of the LORD

their God,

And taketh no correction;

Truth hath failed, and is cut off from their mouth.

(Chap. VII; 1-11, 19, 21-28.)

1.

IV.

Complaint of hypocrisy and lying. Truth is wisdom, the practice of righteousness is the knowledge of God's law.

THOU shalt also say to them, Thus saith the LORD

Doth a man fall, and not rise again?

Doth one turn aside from the way, and not return,

Why then hath this people,

Why hath Jerusalem, completely revolted?

They hold fast deceit; they refuse to return.

2. I have listened and heard, but they speak not aright;

No one repenteth of his wickedness,

Saying, "What have I done?"

Every one runneth at full speed in his rebellion.

As a horse rusheth to the battle.

3. Even the stork in the heavens knoweth her times,

And the turtle-dove and the swallow and the crane observe the

season of their coming,

But my people regard not the laws of the LORD.

4. How is it that ye say, "We are wise,
We possess the law of the LORD?"
Behold, the false pen of the scribes
Hath turned it into falsehood.
5. The wise men shall be confounded;
They shall be dismayed and ensnared;
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD,
And what wisdom is there in them?

(Chap. VIII; 4-9.)

6. They bend their tongues, like their bows, for lies,
And not by truth do they grow mighty in the earth;
They proceed from wickedness to wickedness,
And have no regard to me, saith the LORD

7. Be on your guard each one against his neighbor,
And trust ye not in any brother;

For every brother will supplant, and every neighbor will slander. 8. They deceive every one his neighbor,

And do not speak the truth;

They have accustomed their tongues to speak lies;

They weary themselves in doing iniquity.

9. Thy habitation is in the midst of deceit,

Through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

10. Thus saith the LORD:

Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Nor let the mighty glory in his might.
Nor let the rich glory in his riches!

11. But let him that glorieth glory in this,

1.

That he hath regard to me, and knoweth me,

(Chap. IX; 3-6.)

That I am the LORD, who exercise loving-kindness,

Justice, and righteousness upon the earth;

For in these do I delight, saith the LORD (Chap. X; 23-24,).

V.

The folly of idolatry, The LORD is the living God.

1

HEAR ye the word which the LORD speaketh to you, O house of Israel!

2. Thus saith the LORD:

Conform ye not to the way of the heathen,

And be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens,
Because the heathen are dismayed at them!

3. The customs of the nations are vanity..

For a tree of the wood is cut down,

It is wrought by the hands of the artificer with the axe,

44

4. It is decked with silver and gold,

And with nails and with hammers is it fastened,

That it may not totter.

5. They are like a turned palm-tree pillar, and cannot speak
They must be borne by men, for they cannot walk.

Be not afraid of them, for they cannot hurt,

Nor is it in their power to do good.

6. There is none like thee, O LORD!

Thou art great,

And great is thy name by mighty deeds.
7. Who shall not fear thee, O king of nations,
For to thee doth it belong!

For among all the wise men of the nations,

And in all their kingdoms, there is none like thee.
8. They are all brutish and without understanding;
A doctrine of vanities is the stock.

9. But the LORD is the true God,

10.

He is the living God, and an everlasting king;
At his wrath the earth trembleth,

And the nations are not able to abide his indignation.
He made the earth by his power;

He established the world by his wisdom,

And by his understanding he spread out the heavens.

11. When he uttereth his voice there is an abundance of water in

the heavens;

He causeth clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth;

He maketh lightnings with rain;

He bringeth the wind from his storehouses.

12. Brutish is every one who hath not this knowledge;
By his image is every founder put to shame,

For his molten-work is deceit; there is no breath in it.
They are vanity, deceptive work.

13. Not like them is He who is the portion of Jacob;
He is the former of all things,

And Israel is his allotted inheritance;

The LORD of hosts is his name.

VI.

(Chap. X; 1-8, 10, 12-16)

The prophet's trials; his despair, and divine consolations.

1. I KNOW, LORD, that the way of a man is not within his power, That it is not within the power of a man that walketh to estab

lish his steps.

2. Chasten me, O LORD, but in measure;

Not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing!

(Chap. X, 23-24.