21. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, Until he maintain my cause, and execute judgment for me; (Chap. VII; 1-9.) 1. III. Glorious future promised. All nations will acknowledge God as their judge and will no more make war upon each other. The reign of universal peace. The essence of religion. The forgiving God. BUT it shall come to pass in the last days, That the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established at the head of the mountains, And exalted above the hills; and the nations shall flow to it. 2. And many nations shall go, saying, 66 Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob, That he may teach us his ways, And that we may walk in his paths!" And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3. He shall be a judge of many nations, And an umpire of many kingdoms afar off. Nation shall not lift up the sword against nation, 4. But they shall sit every one under his vine, And under his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid; 5. Though all the nations walk every one in the name of its God, Yet will we walk in the name of the LORD our God forever 6. and ever. Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, And bow myself before the most high God? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, With calves of a year old? (Chap. IV; 1-5.) 7. Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, Or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for the sin of my soul, hild for my transgression? 8 9. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; What doth the LORD require of thee, But to do justly, and to love virtue, And to walk humbly before thy God? (Chap. VI: 6-8.) Who is a God like thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by transgression, In the remnant of his inheritance? He retaineth not his anger forever, 10. He will again have compassion on us, He will blot out our iniquities; Yea, thou will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 11. Thou will show faithfulness to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, Which thou swarest to our fathers from the days of old. (Chap. VII: 18-20.) ISAIAH OF JERUSALEM. About 750-700, B. C. E. I. Remonstrance against the depravity of the times. 1. THE visions of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, 2. Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD speaketh: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against me. 3. The ox knoweth his owner, And the ass his master's crib; But Israel doth not know; my people do not consider.” 4. Ah, sinful nation! a people laden with iniquity! A race of evil-doers! degenerate children! They have forsaken the LORD; They have despised the Holy One of Israel; 5. What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? saith the LORD; I am satiated with burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; 6. In the blood of bullocks and of lambs and of goats I have no delight. 7. When ye come to appear before me, Who hath required this of you, to tread my courts? 8. Bring no more false oblations! Incense is an abomination to me, The New-moon also, and the Sabbath, and the calling of the assembly; Iniquity and festivals I cannot endure. 9. Your new moons and your feasts my soul hateth; They are a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them, 10. When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine Yea, when ye multiply prayers, I will not hear; Your hands are full of blood! 11. Wash you; make you clean; Put away your evil doings from before mine eyes; 12. Cease to do evil; learn to do well; Seek justice; relieve the oppressed; Defend the fatherless; plead for the widow ! 13. How is the faithful city become corrupt, She that was full of equity! Once justice dwelt in her, but now murderers! eyes from you; 14. Thy silver is become dross; thy wine is adulterated with water. And the cause of the widow cometh not before them. 15. Wherefore, thus saith the Eternal, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: Ha! I will ease me of mine adversaries, And avenge me of mine enemies. 16. And I will again turn my hand toward thee, And wholly purge away thy dross, and take away all thy alloy. 17. And I will restore thy judges, as at the first, And thy counsellors, as at the beginning. Then shalt thou be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. 18. Through justice shall Zion be delivered, And her reformed ones through righteousness. (Chap. I; 1-4, 11-17, 21-27.) II. Promises of a glorious future for Israel The nations will acknowl- 1. of David, will govern the people through justice and equity, IT shall come to pass in the last days, That the mountain of the house of LORD shall be established at the head of the mountains, And exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow unto it. 2. And many kingdoms shall go, and shall say, . Come, let us go to the mountain of LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob, That he may teach us his ways, And that we may walk in his paths! For from Zion shall go forth a law, And the word of LORD from Jerusalem, 3. He shall be a judge of the nations. And an umpire of many kingdoms; And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, And their spears into pruning-hooks; Nations shall not lift up the sword against nation, 4. O house of Jacob, come ye, And let us walk in the light of the LORD. Chapt. II, 1-5. 5. The people that walk in darkness behold a great light; They who dwell in the land of death-like shade, Upon them a light shineth. 6. Thou enlargest the nation; thou increasest their joy ; They rejoice before thee with the joy of harvest, With the joy of those who divide the spoil. 7. For thou breakest their heavy yoke, . And the rod that smote their backs, And the scourge of the taskmaster, as in the day of Midian. 8. For every warrior's weapon in battle-storm, 9. And the war-garment rolled in blood, Shall be burned; yea, it shall be food for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, And the government shall be his shoulders, upon And he shall be called wonderful, counsellor, mighty potentate, 10. His dominion shall be great, And peace without end shall be upon the throne of David and his kingdom. To fix and establish it through justice and equity, henceforth and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Chap. IX; 2-2. The same subject continued. III. Under the government of a righteous prince from the house of David, Israel will enjoy the fruits of peace; wickedness shall cease; the jealousies between the brother kingdoms shall disappear; the knowl edge of God will be universal. 1. THEN shall spring forth a shoot from the stem of Jesse, And a sprout grow up from his roots. 2. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of the knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. 4. But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, 6. Then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb, And the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf, and the young lion, and the fatling shall be together, 7. The cow and the bear shall feed together, And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8. The suckling shall play upon the hole of the asp, And the new-weaned child lay his hand on the hiding place of the basilisk. 9. They shall not hurt, nor destroy in all my holy mountain; For the land shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD,As the waters cover the depths of the sea. |
