Therefore the inhabitants of the land are burned-few men

are left!

The wine-fruit mourneth! The vine fadeth! The merry

hearted sigh!

The mirth of timbrels ceaseth! The noise of joy endeth! The joy of the harp ceaseth!

They shall not drink wine with a song! Strong drink shall be bitter to those who drink it.

Broken down is the city-a chaos! Every house is shut up —no man cometh in!

In the country-a crying for wine; all joy is darkened, the land's mirth is gone!

In the city there is left desolation! The gate is smitten with (Ch. xxiv. 1-12.)

destruction!

The Promise for the Remnant.

When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the grape gleanings, when the vintage is done. These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout: for the majesty of the Lord they shall cry aloud from the sea-"O glorify ye the Lord in the rising of the sun,-the name of the Lord God of Israel in the coasts of the sea."

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even "Glory to the Righteous."

But I said:

For me is wasting away, wasting away! Woe is me! Oppressors are dealing in treachery: oppressors deal very treacherously!

Fear, the pit, the snare are on thee, O inhabitant of the land.

He who fleeth from the report of the fear, falleth into the

pit;

He that cometh up from the pit is taken in the snare !

The windows of heaven are open! Earth's foundations do

shake!

The earth is all broken down-it is clean dissolved.

The earth is moved exceedingly! It staggers

Like a drunken man! As a hammock it swings to and fro ! Its evil lies heavy on it: it falls: it rises again no more!

The Divine Vindication.

But it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall judge the host of the high ones in high places, even the kings of the world on the earth, and they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, and shut up in the prison: and after many days shall they be punished. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun shall be ashamed for the Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and in the presence of His Elders in glory. (Ch. xxiv. 13-23.)

A Hymn of sublime confidence in Jehovah.

O Lord, my God! I will exalt Thee: I will praise Thy

Name!

Thou hast done wonderfully! Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth!

Thou hast made of a city—a heap of a defenced city—a

ruin!

A palace of strangers-to be no city; it shall never be built. The strong shall glorify Thee: the city of terrible nations shall fear Thee!

Thou hast been a strength to the poor-a strength to the needy in distress.

G

A refuge from storm! A shade from heat! The blast of the terrible ones was like a storm against the wall. Thou hast brought down the noise of strangers, as heat on a parched place.

As heat with the shadow of a cloud-the branch of the

terrible is laid low.

In this Mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all His

people a feast of fat things,

A feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow

wines on the lees well refined.

In this Mountain He shall destroy the covering of the people, And the web which is woven over all the nations.

He shall swallow up death for ever: the Lord God shall wipe tears from every face.

His people's reproach-He shall remove it from off all the land!

The Lord hath spoken.

In that day shall it be said:

Lo! This is our God!

We have waited for Him:

He will save us! This is the Lord!

We have waited for Him! We will be glad :

We will rejoice in His salvation.

The Doom of Moab.

(Ch. xxv. 1-9.)

For in this Mountain shall the Hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden down in his place, even as straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill: and he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of it, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim, but he shall lay low his pride together with the skill of his hands. And the fortress of the high fort of his walls shall He lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. (Ch. xxv. 10-12.)

Judah's Song of Triumph.

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah:Ours is a strong city! For walls and outworks is salvation appointed!

Open ye the gates! Let a righteous nation that keepeth faith, enter in !

A purpose firmly fixed Thou dost keep-Peace,

Perfect peace to those whose trust is in Thee!

In the Lord, trust for ever! Jah the Lord is an abiding Rock!

The high ones, He bringeth them down:

The lofty city, He layeth it low, He layeth it low with the ground:

He bringeth it even to the dust, it is trodden down

By the foot of the poor, under the steps of the weak.

The way of the just-'tis a right way. Thou directest his path aright.

Yea, in the way of Thy judgments, O Lord, we have waited for Thee.

The desire of our soul is to Thy Name: and for Thy remembrance!

With my soul have I desired Thee by night: my spirit seeks Thee in the morning,

For when Thy judgments are on the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Let favour be shewed to the wicked-he learneth not

righteousness,

In a land of uprightness he deals unjustly—he beholds not the majesty of the Lord.

O Lord, Thy Hand has been lifted up-they do not see it. They shall see, and be ashamed. Thy zeal for the people— Yea, Thy fire shall devour Thine enemies?

Lord! Thou wilt ordain peace for us! Thou hast wrought all our works for us!

O Lord our God! Other lords beside Thee have had

dominion over us.

Only through Thy help can we praise Thy Name.

The dead do not live!

again!

The deceased-they rise not

Thou hast visited, and destroyed them: Thou hast made

all their memory to perish.

Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord! Thou hast

increased the nation!

Thou art glorified! Thou hast enlarged all the bounds of the land!

Lord! in trouble they looked to Thee: they prayed when Thy chastening was on them.

Like as a woman with child, drawing near the time of her

delivery;

She is in pain-she crieth out in her pangs: so have we been before Thee, O Lord.

We have been with child: we have been in pain: we brought forth as it were wind.

We wrought no deliverance in the land; neither have men been born.

Thy dead shall live! My dead bodies shall arise!

Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust!

Thy dew is a dew of lights! The earth shall cast forth

the dead!

An Exhortation to Prayer and Trust.

(Ch. xxvi. 1.19.)

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little mo