CHAP. XII. In all fourteen verses. 8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look * This and the remaining chapters of Zechariah, though some of the most obscure in the whole Bible, nevertheless are in some places so illuminated by the Gospel history that their agreement with that history plainly proves them to have proceeded from Him who knows and governs all things; though they "shine" in such " a dark place," that we may compare them (as we might many places in the prophets) to those planets " in the firmament of "the heaven" which, though they "give light upon the earth" by reflecting it from the sun (as the prophets do from the gospel) yet tell us very little about themselves, except-" The hand that made us is divine." These bright spots therefore, as we may call them, are here introduced without any attempt to show their connexion with that obscurity which surrounds them; because the light which they reflect, and the confirmation which they bring to the great truth, that To Christ "give all the prophets witness," is sufficiently plain, whatever the context may be, aud this is the only purpose they are here designed to answer. upon me whom they have shepherd, and the sheep shall pierced, and they shall mourn be scattered: and I will turn for him, as one mourneth for mine hand upon the little ones. his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. CHAP. XIII. In all nine verses. IN that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 7 ¶ Awake, O sword, against ག my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the CHAP. XIV. In all twenty-one verses. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. NOW after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah.* ed him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 7 And there went up some. of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the por6 This Ezra went up from ters, and the Nethinims, unto Babylon; and he was a ready Jerusalem, in the seventh year scribe in the law of Moses, of Artaxerxes the king. which the LORD God of Israel 8 And he came to Jerusahad given and the king grant-lem in the fifth month, which * Ezra's genealogy is here carried up to Aaron: through twelve more intermediate generations, of which the two last are Phinehas and Eleazar. was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. 11 ¶ Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra, the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. 14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellers, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; 15 And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely of fered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, 16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem : 17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. 19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house. 21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily, 22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatsoever is command ed by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? 24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. CHAP. VIII. 15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents thee days. 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 25 And thou, Ezra, after 22 For I was ashamed to the wisdom of thy God, that is require of the king a band of in thine hand, set magistrates soldiers and horsemen to help and judges, which may judge us against the enemy in the all the people that are be- way because we had spoken yond the river, all such as to the king, saying, The hand know the laws of thy God; of our God is upon all them for and teach ye them that know good that seek him; but his them not. power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. 27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem: 23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. : 31 Then we departed. from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. 32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 28 And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all 33 Now on the fourth the king's mighty princes. And day was the silver and the gold. I was strengthened as the hand and the vessels weighed in the of the LORD my God was upon house of our God by the hand me, and I gathered together of Meremoth the son of Uriah out of Israel chief men to go up with me. the priest; and with him was Eleazar, the son of Phinehás: BBB and with them was Jozabad lands: yea, the hand of the the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah princes and rulers hath been the son of Binnui, Levites; chief in this tresspass. 34 By number and by weigh of every 3 And when I heard this one and all the thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my 35 Also the children of those beard, and sat down astonied. that had been carried away, 4 Then were assembled unwhich were come out of the to me every one that trembled captivity, offered burnt offer- at the words of the God of Isings unto the God of Israel, rael, because of the transgrestwelve bullocks for all Israel, sion of those that had been carninety and six rams, seventy ried away; and I sat astonied and seven lambs, twelve he until the evening sacrifice. goats, for a sin offering: all 5 And at the evening this was a burnt offering unto sacritice I arose up from my the LORD. 36 And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river and they furthered the people, and the house of God. CHAP. IX. heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, 6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. our NOW when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Is7 Since the days of our rael, and the priests, and the fathers have we been in a great Levites, have not separated trespass unto this day; and for themselves from the people of our iniquities have we, the land, doing according to kings, and our priests, been detheir abominations, even of the livered into the hand of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the kings of the lands, to the sword, Perizzites, the Jebusites, the to captivity, and to a spoil, and Ammonites, the Moabites, the to confusion of face, it is this Egyptians, and the Amorites. day. 2 For they have taken of 8 And now for a little space their daughters for themselves, grace hath been shewed from and for their sons: so that the the LORD our God, to leave us holy seed have mingled them- a remnant to escape, and to selves with the people of those give us a nail in his holy place, |