In this volume, therefore, I have included only those prophecies which most modern scholars believe to have been written before the year 400 B. C. They fall naturally into four groups : I. The prophecies of Isaiah, properly so called, which were composed between 740 and 700 B. C. These form a large part of chapters i-xxxix. II. Five anonymous prophecies written shortly before the fall of Babylon in 538 B.C. These are contained in chapters xiii, xiv, and xxi. III. The writings of the great exilic prophet who is commonly called Deutero-Isaiah, composed about These include almost the whole of 540 B. C. chapters xl-lv. IV. The series of prophecies, composed in the age of Ezra and Nehemiah (circa 450 B. C.), which are plausibly, though not with certainty, ascribed to a single author resident in Jerusalem. These are contained in chapters lvi-lxvi. Should any of my readers wish to inquire into the reasons for assigning the excluded passages to a late date, they will find an admirable summary of the evidence in Mr. Box's valuable edition of Isaiah. When A few words must be said about the new translation which I have ventured to include in this volume. lecturing for the first time upon the book of Isaiah, I found myself hampered at every turn by the lack of a suitable text, i. e. one which should exhibit the prophecies in the form of verse, freed from interpolations, and arranged in chronological order. At first I thought the need might be met by simply rearranging the Revised Version. But that proved to be insufficient, for several reasons. In order that the translation, though in prose, may bear somewhat of the aspect of poetry, the lines must have a kind of rhythm and must be approximately equal in length: some, therefore, of the sonorous periphrases which adorn the English Bible had to be replaced by simpler language. In other cases, where a literal translation of the Hebrew text conveys no sense to the English reader, the meaning has been expressed by a paraphrase. The largest changes, however, are due to the admitted corruptions, interpolations, and distortions, which mar the Hebrew text. The Revisers, bound by their instructions, gallantly attempted to translate the untranslatable: and consequently many passages in their version are quite unintelligible. In the thirty years which have passed since their work was finished a great advance has been made. A large number of emendations are generally accepted, and may be regarded as certain. Others, though only the conjectures of individual scholars, offer a probable and poetical sense in the place of confusion. For the purposes of this book I have thought it well to adopt many of the latter class as well as the former. Their sources and authors will be found by the curious in Mr. Box's edition: but the general reader will thank me for not distracting his attention by indicating all the emendations which have been adopted in the text. In the form of the translation I have largely followed the German of Duhm's great edition: but I owe much, also, to Dr. Cheyne's kind permission to borrow phrases from his own admirable version. A patchwork, which is designed rather to convey information than to please the ear, cannot be expected to satisfy readers who are familiar with the majestic music of our English Bible. It will serve its purpose if, without needless disturbance, it helps them to understand what they already love so well. Any value which the translation may possess is largely due to my friend Miss Emery, whose interest in collaboration and exactness in revision have been unfailing. For this help and for the very useful indexes, which are her work, I desire to express my sincere gratitude. THE COLLEGE, ELY, May 1, 1910. M. G. GLAZEBROOK. NOTE AS TO THE TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT. Long Hebrew lines cannot be got into one line of English print. In this translation, therefore, they are printed in two halves corresponding to the divisions of the Hebrew; but the second half does not begin with a capital letter. Words included in square brackets have been conjecturally supplied in the place of Hebrew words which have been lost. |