1.

OBADIAH,

About 585., B. C. E.

The destruction of Edom announced, on account of his unbrotherly conduct against Judah.

THE prophecy of Obadiah.

Thus saith the LORD Eternal concerning Edom. We have heard a message from the LORD,

And an ambassador hath been sent among the nations
"Arise ye, and let us rise up against her to war."
2. Behold, I will make thee small among the nations;
Thou shalt be greatly despised.

3. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee,
Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high, who sayest in thine heart,
"Who shall bring me down to the ground?"

4. Though thou lift thyself up as the eagle,

And though thou set thy nest among the stars,
Thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

5. For slaughter and for oppression of thy brother Jacob shalli shame cover thee,

And thou shalt be destroyed forever.

6. In the day when thou stoodest over against him,

In the day when strangers carried away captive his forces,
And when foreigners entered his gates,

And when they cast lots upon Jerusalem,

Thou also wast as one of them.

7. But thou shouldst not have looked with delight on theday of thy brother in the day of his calamity;

Nor shouldst thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction,

Nor have spoken haughtily in the day of his distress.

8. Thou shouldst not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity,

Nor have looked with delight on their affliction in the day of their calamity,

Nor have laid hand on their substance in the day of their calamity,

9. Nor have stood in the cross-way to cut off their fugitives, Nor have delivered up those that remained in the day of distress !! 10. For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations: As thou hast done, so shall it be done to thee; Thy dealing shall return upon thine own head.

(Chap. I; 1-4, 10-15.),

EZEKIEL,

594-572, B. C. E.

I.

The call of Ezekiel to the prophetic office. Responsibility of the preacher of repentance.

1.

2.

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month, in the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldaeans, by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. (Chap. 1; 1-3.)

And the word of the LORD came to me, and said: Son of man, I have set thee as a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from 3. me! When I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die! and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, so that he may live, that wicked man shall die for his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand. 4. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, and from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but 5. thou hast delivered thy soul. Again when a righteous man turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, and he shall die because thou hast not given warning, he will die for his sin; and his righteousness which he hath done will not be remembered; but his blood 6. will I require at thy hand. Yet if thou warn the righteous man. that he sin not, and the righteous man doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he hath received warning; and thou hast delivered thy soul. (Chap. III, 17-21.) 7. Thou, therefore, O son of man, say to the house of Israel : Rightly do ye say, "Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and through them we pine away. How then can we live? 8. Say to them, As I live, saith the Lord Eternal, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways! for why will ye die, O'house of Israel? (Chap. XXXIIIX; 10-11.) As for thee, O son of man, the sons of thy people speak concerning thee by the walls, and in the doors of houses; and speak

9.

one to another, every man to his neighbor, saying, “Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that goeth from the LORD.” 10. And they come to thee, as the people assembleth, and they sit before thee, as my people, and they hear thy words, but will not do them; for with their mouth they do what is lovely, but their 11. heart goeth after gain. And behold, thou art to them a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear thy words, but do them not. 12. But when this cometh to pass, (and behold, it shall come to pass,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. (Chap. XXXIII; 30-33.

II.

1.

Against unjust and oppressive rulers, the faithless shepherds.

THUS saithe Lord Eternal: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed 2. the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, 3. ye kill that which is fatted; but ye feed not the flock. The weak do ye not strengthen, and the sick do ye not heal and the wounded do ye not bind up; ye bring not back that which hath been driven away, neither seek ye that which hath been lost; but with force and with cruelty do ye rule them. Therefore 4. are they scattered abroad, because there is no shepherd, and they are food to all the beasts of the field, or are scattered 5. abroad. My sheep wander through all the mountains, and upon every high hill; yea, over the whole face of the land is my flock scattered, and none careth for them, or seeketh them. 6. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As 7. I live, saith the Lord Eternal, surely, because my flock is become a prey, and my flock is become meat to all the beasts of the field because there is no shepherd, and because my shepherds search not for my flock, and feed themselves, and feed not my 8. flock,-therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD. 9. Thus saith the Lord Eternal: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their 10. mouth, and they shall not be meat for them. For thus saith

the LORD: Behold I, even I, will seek my flock, and look after 11. them; as a shepherd looketh after his flock in the day when he

is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I look after my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they 12. have been scattered in the day of clouds and darkness. I will

feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the 13. Lord Eternal. I will seek that which was lost, and bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong will I destroy; I will feed them as they deserve. And I will make them, and the places round about my hill, a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; showers 14. rich in blessings shall there be. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit and the earth shall yield her increase; and they shall be secure in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall break the bands of their yoke and deliver them out 15. of the hand of them that made them servants. And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell in security, and none 16. shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plantation for my glory; and they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, neither shall they bear the reproach of the nations any more. Then shall they know, that I, the LORD, their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord Eternal.

17.

(Chap. XXXIV; 1-3, 16, 27-30.)

III.

The restoration of the Jewish people represented by the vision of a resurrection of dry bones. Promises of moral regeneration and felicity.

1.

THE hand of the LORD was upon me, and he carried me out in the spirit of LORD, and set me in the midst of a valley, which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about; 2. and behold, there were very many upon the surface of the valley, and lo, they were very dry.

3. And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live?

4. And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest! Then he said to me, Prophesy to these dry bones, and say to them, O ye 5. dry brones, hear the word of God!

Thus saith the Lord

cause breath to enter

Eternal to these bones: Behold, I will 6. into you, and ye shall live; and I will lay sinews upon you, and

will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath into you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am God.

7. So I prophesied, as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, a voice was heard, and behold, a shaking, and the bones came 8. together, bone to its bone. And when I looked, behold, there were inews upon them, and the flesh grew, and the skin covered 9. them above; but there was no breath in them. Then said he to me, Prophesy, to breath, prophesy, O son of man, and say to breath, Thus saith the Lord Eternal: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may 10. live! So I prophesied, as he commanded me; and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great host.

11.

And he said to me, Son of man, these bones denote the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, "Our bones are dried, and 12. our hope is lost, and we are cut off." Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O 13. my people, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and cause 14. you to come up out of your graves, O my people, and put my breath within you, and ye live, and I place you in your own land; then shall ye know that I, the LORD, have spoken it, and done it, saith the LORD. (Ch. XXXVII; 1-14.) 15. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Not for your own sakes do I this, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have polluted among the nations whither 16. ye are gone. And I will sanctify my great name, which hath been polluted among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am LORD, when I shall be sanctified in regard to you, before their eyes, 17. saith the Lord Eternal. For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all countries, and bring you into 18. your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and

ye shall be clean. From all your uncleanliness and from all 19. your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take out of your body the heart of stone, and I will give you a heart of 20. flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my commandments and 21. do them. And shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

ye

(Ch XXXVI; 22-29.)