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sion, and the plummet-stone of emptiness. They shall 12 call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. And 1s thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be a habitation of jackals, and a courtyard for ostriches. The desert- 14 beasts shall also meet with the howling beasts, and the satyr shall cry to his mate; the night-bird also_shall settle there, and find for herself a place of rest. shall the arrow-snake make her nest, and lay eggs, and hatch, and cherish them under her shadow; there shall the vultures also be gathered together, every one with her mate. Seek ye out of the book of Jehovah [Isaiah 16 xiii.], and read. No one of these shall be lacking, no one shall want her mate; for my mouth hath commanded it. And his spirit it hath gathered them; and 17 he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by measuring-line; they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell

therein.

The desert and the land of drought shall be glad for 1 them; and the barren valley shall rejoice, and blossom as the crocus. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice 2 even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of Jehovah, and the excellence of our God.

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble 3 knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, fear not; behold, your God.' Vengeance will come, even God's recompense; he will come and will save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the

14 The desert-beasts.] chap. xiii. 21, 22.

This passage is copied from

16 The book of Jehovah.] This name is given to some book which has already received within its pages chap.

xiii.

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dumb sing; for in the desert shall waters break out, 7and streams in the barren valley. And the heated sands shall become a pool, and the thirsty lands shall become springs of water; in the habitation where the jackals lay, shall be a place for the sweet cane and the paperreed.

And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called 'The way of holiness.' The unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those [the Israelites]. The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not go astray 9 therein. No lion shall be there, nor ravenous beast shall go up thereon; none shall be found there; but the 10 redeemed ones shall walk there. And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; and sorrow and sighing shall flee

-away.

XXI.

THE BURDEN OF THE DESERT BY THE [PERSIAN] SEA. As a whirlwind in the south, when passing through, 2 cometh from the desert, from the terrible land; so a grievous vision was declared to me, 'the robber robbeth, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam [or Persia]; 'besiege, O Media; all the sighing about it have I made

Xxxv.7 The sweet cane and the paper reed.] Instead of worthless rushes, these valuable plants shall grow in the marshes.

8 A highway shall be there.] A way for the captives returning from Babylon to Jerusalem.

No. 23. [Chap. xxi.]

THE FALL OF BABYLON; THE JEWS ARE HOPEFUL. 1 The desert by the Sea.] On the west side of the head of the Persian Gulf, where the writer was dwelling, waiting with anxiety to hear of the success of the Persian army against Babylon.

2 Go up, O Elam.] The province of Elam, having revolted from Babylon, is united with Persia and Media in the attack upon Babylon.

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'to cease.' Thereupon my loins were filled with pain; pangs took hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth; I was bowed down, and I could not hear it; I was dismayed, and I could not see it. My heart panted, terrors affrighted me; the night of my pleasures was turned into fear unto me.

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The table is prepared, the watch is in the watch-tower 5 [at Borsippa], they eat and drink. Arise, ye princes, and grease the shield. For thus hath the Lord said to 6 me, 'Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.' And he saw a couple of horse-men riding, one riding on an ass, and one riding on a camel; and he hearkened diligently with much heed. And he cried out like a lion; My lord [Nabonned], I stand continually upon 'the watch-tower in the daytime, and I am set in my 'ward every night. And, behold, here come men riding, a couple of horsemen.' And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods are broken to the ground.' O my crushed one, and child of my threshing floor; that which I have heard from Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared to you.

THE BURDEN OF DUMAH.

One calleth to me out of Seir, 'Watchman, what of the

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My loins were filled with pain.] This is said ironically, on the joyful news of Babylon being conquered by Cyrus.

5 The table is prepared.] Nabonned, king of Babylon, was feasting at Borsippa, some miles to the south of Babylon, whither he had fled when his capital was besieged, and where he was waiting to hear the news. See Berosus in Josephus, Apion i. 20.

A couple of horsemen.] Messengers who bring to the king the news that his capital has been taken.

11 The burden of Dumah.] In the desert of Arabia, between the Persian Gulf and Judea, joining to the Desert by the Sea of verse 1.

One calleth to me out of Seir.] The writer was a scout. He had gone forward on behalf of his friends, who were

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night? Watchman, what of the night?' The watchman said, “The morning cometh on, but however it is night. If ye will inquire, inquire ye; return and come again.'

THE BURDEN UPON ARABIA.

In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling 14 companies of Dedanites. The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to meet him that was thirsty, 15 they hastened with their bread to him that fled. For they fled from desolation, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

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For thus hath the Lord said to me, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of 17 Kedar shall fail. And the residue of the number of archers, the warriors of the children of Kedar, shall be -diminished; for Jehovah the God of Israel hath spoken it.

XXIV.

1 BEHOLD, Jehovah emptieth the land [of Judah], and maketh it waste, and hath turned it upside down, and 2 scattered abroad its inhabitants. And it shall be, as

refugees in Edom, and were waiting for such news as he could learn of the success of the Persians.

What of the night?] Figurative for What news? 12 The morning cometh on.] Hope is dawning that the Persians may be successful and Babylon conquered.

14 Tema brought water.] The Arabs received in a friendly manner the Jews who fled from Nebuchadnezzar's troops.

16 Within a year.] These last verses, 16 and 17, may be a separate prophecy relating to some different event; or, possibly, the Persian armies, after the conquest of Babylon, may have oppressed that country on the east of Judea.

No. 24. [Chap. xxiv.-xxvii.]

BABYLON IS DESTROYED; ISRAEL AND JUDAH WILL BE

RESTORED.

1 Jehovah emptieth the land.] The chief men have been carried captive to Babylon.

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with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land 3 shall be utterly emptied, and utterly plundered; for Jehovah hath spoken this word. The land mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the highest people of the land do languish. The 5 land also is defiled under its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws. They have changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the self-curse devoured the land, and 6 they that dwell therein are punished. Therefore the inhabitants of the land are burned, and few men are left. 7 The grape juice mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted do sigh. The mirth of timbrels hath 8 ceased, the noise of them that rejoice hath ended, the mirth of the harp hath ceased. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. The city is broken down as a thing of1o nought; every house is shut up, that no man may come in. There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is 11 darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. In the city is 12 left desolation, and the gate is smitten unto ruin.

For thus it shall be in the midst of the land among 13 the peoples, as at the shaking of an olive tree, and as at the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done; they shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the 14 majesty of Jehovah, they shall cry aloud from the West. Therefore glorify ye Jehovah in the East, and the name of Jehovah the God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

5 Transgressed the laws.] The Jews devoutly considered every misfortune as a deserved punishment.

6 The self-curse devoured the land.] The curse upon themselves, accompanied by an oath; probably that in Deut. xxviii.

13 As at the shaking of an olive tree.] Probably the unexpected destruction of Babylon.

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