all the vessels of flagons. "In that day," saith the Lord of Hosts, "shall the peg that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall: and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off." For the Lord hath spoken it. (Ch. xxii. 20-25.)

Isaiah to Egypt (710-705 B.C.).

Overthrow of Ethiopia declared.—In the year that the Tartan came against Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against it, and took it: at that same time the Lord spake by Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saying: "Go, and loose thy mantle from off thy loins, and put thy sandal from off thy foot." And he did so, and went about without mantle or sandal. Then the Lord said: "Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked about without mantle, and barefoot for three years,—it shall be a sign and omen upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia: for so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, young and old, stripped and barefoot, even with uncovered buttocks-the shame of Egypt. Then shall they (of Jerusalem) be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia on which they depended, and of Egypt, in which they gloried. And the inhabitant of the sea-coast shall say in that day: 'Behold! such is the power on which we depended, and whither we were going for help, to be delivered from the king of Assyria! How shall we escape?"" (Ch. xx. 1-6.)

An Alliance with Egypt condemned.

"Woe to the rebellious children," saith the Lord, "that take counsel, but not of Me, and that cover themselves with a covering, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin! That set out to go down to Egypt, and have not asked at My Mouth-to strengthen themselves in the strength of

the Pharaoh, and to trust in the shade of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of the Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shade of Egypt your confusion."

"They shall be wholly ashamed of a people that cannot profit them, nor be an help, nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach."

(For their rulers were at Zoan, and their ambassadors had come to Hanes.)

A Message concerning the Beasts going to the South. To the land of trouble and anguish-with its lions, vipers and serpents !

They carry their riches upon young asses--their treasures upon camels' backs.

To a people that cannot profit-(Egypt helps in vain, and to no purpose)

Therefore of her have I said "The braggart-that sitteth still."

The Prophet told to write his Testimony down.

6

Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on a roll that it may be known for the time to come for ever and ever: "This is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the teaching of the Lord. They say to the seers, 'See not!' and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right. Speak unto us smooth things! Prophesy deceitful things! Get you out of the way: turn aside out of the path! Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us!'

"Wherefore," thus saith the Holy One of Israel: "Because ye despise this Word, and trust in oppression, and perverseness, and depend thereon: therefore this iniquity of yours shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, a bulging out

in a high wall, the breaking of which cometh suddenly in a moment. He shall break. it as the breaking of the potter's vessel, that is broken in pieces. He shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the breaking of it a piece to carry fire from the hearth, or to take water in out of the well."

For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning to Me, and in rest shall ye be saved.

"In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." And ye would not. For ye said:

"No! but we will flee upon the horses (of Egypt)."

"Therefore, ye shall flee."

And ye said, "We will ride upon the swift."

"Therefore, shall they that pursue you be swift.

"One thousand of you shall flee at the rebuke of one: at

the rebuke of five shall ye flee.

"Till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain,

as an ensign on a hill.”

God's Argument with His People.

(Ch. xxx. 6-17.)

And yet the Lord will wait that He may be gracious unto you. He will be exalted that He may have mercy upon you! For the Lord is a God of wisdom. Blessed are all they that wait for Him!

Oh! thou people that dwellest in Zion, in Jerusalem, thou shalt weep no more! He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry. When He shall hear it, He will answer thee. And the Lord shall give thee adversity as bread, and affliction as water. And thy Teacher shall not be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy Teacher, and thine ears shall hear a Voice behind thee, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it," when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Then shalt thou defile also the

covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold-thou shalt cast them away as an unclean cloth-thou shalt say unto it, "Get thee hence." Then shall He give the rain to thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground with; and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be rich and plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. The oxen likewise, and the young asses, that plough the ground, shall eat savoury provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel, and with the fan. Then there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of water in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of His · people, and healeth the wound of their stroke.

(Ch. xxx. 17-26.

The Day of Divine Vengeance against Judah's Enemies. Behold! The Name of the Lord comes from afar !

With anger aflame, and thick smoke!

His lips-they're full of wrath: His tongue is a devouring fire; His breath is an overflowing stream-it reaches to the middle

of the neck,

It sifts the nations, with the sieve of destruction.

A bridle causing them to err shall be on the people's jaws.

Deliverance promised.

Ye shall have a song as in the night when a festival is kept and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a musical instrument to come into the Mountain of the Lord, to the Mighty One of Israel. And the Lord shall cause the Voice

of His glory to be heard, and shall show the coming down of His arm, with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with a crashing, and tempest, and hailstones. And through the Voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down. He shall smite him with a rod : and every blow of the staff of doom which the Lord shall lay upon him shall be with tabrets and harps (on your part)— in battles of the shaking of His Hand will He fight with him. For the funeral pyre is already ordained; for Moloch it is prepared. It hath been made deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood-the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, shall kindle upon it.

The Folly of Trust in Egypt.

(Ch. xxx. 27-33.)

Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help! that depend upon horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many, and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but do not look unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord! Yet He also is wise! He bringeth calamity, and calleth not back His Words! He will arise against the house of evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. Consider this. "The Egyptians are men, and not God! Their horses are flesh, and not spirit! stretch out His Hand, both he that helpeth shall fall and he that is helped shall fall-yea, they all shall fail together!" For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me:

When the Lord shall

1. "Like as when the lion and the young lion growleth over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them. So shall the Lord of Hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion, and for the Hill thereof."

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