Annotations on the Bible Volume 2
2 Hear ye, O mountains , the LORD'S controversy , and ye strong foundations of the earth : for the LORD hath a controversy with his people , and he will plead with Israel .
3 O my people , what have I done unto thee ? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me .
4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt , and redeemed thee out of the house of servants , and I sent before thee Moses , Aaron , and Miriam .
5 O my people remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted , and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal , that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD .
6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD , and bow myself before the high God ? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old ?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams ? or with ten thousands of rivers of oil ? shall I give my first born for my transgression , the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul s ?
8 He hath shown thee , O man, what is good : and what doth the LORD require of thee , but to do justly , and to love mercy , and to walk humbly with thy God .
9 The LORD'S voice crieth unto the city , and the man of wisdom shall see thy name ; hear ye the rod , and who hath appointed it.
10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked , and the scant measure that is abominable ?
11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances , and with the bag of deceitful weights .
12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence , and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies , and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth .
13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate , because of thy sins .
14 Thou shalt eat but not be satisfied , and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee , and thou shalt take hold , but shalt not deliver : and that which thou deliverest , will I give up to the sword .
15 Thou shalt sow , but thou shalt not reap : thou shalt tread the olives , but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil ; and sweet wine , but shalt not drink wine .
16 For the statutes of Omri are kept , and all the works of the house of Ahab , and ye walk in their counsels , that I should make thee a desolation , and the inhabitants thereof an hissing : therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people .
CHAP. VII.
1 WO is me , for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits , as the grape-gleanings of the vintage : there is no cluster to eat : my soul desired the f •• st ripe fruit ,
2 The good man is perished out of the earth : and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood , they hunt every man his brother with a net .
3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly , the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward : and the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire : so they wrap it up.
4 The best of them is as a briar : the most upright is sharper then a thornhedge : the day of thy watchmen , and thy visitation cometh ; now shall be their perplexity .
5 Trust ye not in a Friend , put not confidence in a guide : keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom .
6 For the son dishonoreth the father , the daughter riseth up against her mother , the daughter in law against her mother in law ; a man's enemies are the men of his own house .
7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD : I will wait for the God of my salvation : my God will hear me .
8 Rejoice not against me , O mine enemy : when I fall , I shall arise ; when I sit in darkness the LORD shall be a light unto me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD , because I have sinned against him until he plead my cause , and execute judgment for me : he will bring me forth to the light , and I shall behold his righteousness .
10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me , Where is the LORD thy God ? mine eyes shall behold her : now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets .
11 In the day that thy walls are to be built , in that day shall the decree be far removed .
12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria , and from the fortified cities , and from the fortress even to the river , and from sea to sea , and from mountain to mountain .
13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate , because of them that dwell therein : for the fruit of their doings .
14 Feed thy people with thy rod , the flock of thine heritage , which dwell solitarily in the wood , in the midst of Carmel : let them feed in Bashan and Gilead , as in the days of old .
15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvelous things .
16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might y: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf .
17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent , they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth : they shall be afraid of the LORD our God , and shall fear because of thee .
18 Who is a God like unto thee , that pardoneth iniquity , and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage ? he retaineth not his anger forever , because he delighteth in mercy .
19 He will turn again , he will have compassion upon us : he will subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea .
20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob , and the mercy to Abraham , which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old .
NAHUM.
THe Prophet Nahum is one of those Prophets whose Family and Country is concealed, and it would be more labor then profit to spend time on the enquiry after the one or other, he is styled the Elkoshite, and possibly born and bred in Elkosh a Town of Galilee, an obscure place of which perhaps we had heard no more, had it not been written that this man was born there, to allude to that of the Psalmist, Psal. 87.5. The time of his appearing in public to discharge his Prophetick Office is much more material, being a key to the whole Prophesy; now it is certain that Nahum was a Prophet in Office, whilst the Kingdom of Assyria was not only standing but whilst it was standing in its glory, and entire strength, whilst it was dangerous and terrible to its neighbors, It is to me evident, that Nahum prophesied before the destruction of Sennacherib 's Army, for he foretelleth the death of Sennacherib, chap. 1.14. it is certain also he appeared after Hoshea and the ten Tribes were carried Captives by Shalmaneser. This was either in Anno Mundi 3229. as Helvicus, or 3283. as Arch Bishop Usher, and Doctor Lightfoot in the ninth year of Hoshea which was the sixth of Hezekiah, 2 King. 18.10. and some few years before the death of Shalmaneser, whose Son Sennacherib succeeded, and invaded Egypt and Judah, in the 14 th. year of Hezekiah, eight years after Samaria was taken and the ten Tribes were captivated, within which time and probably toward the fifth of those eight Nahum is sent a Prophet to quiet, support and encourage Hezekiah and his Subjects against all the threats and power of the Assyrian Tyrant, who threatened to destroy Judah and Jerusalem, from accomplishing whereof the Tyrant shall be so far that God will turn it to his ruin and here as a very fit season the Prophet declareth the final and utter ruin of the Assyrian Empire and its capital City Nineveh as a just revenge for all their oppressions of their neighbors, but especially in revenge of their reiterated violence against Israel and Judah, on account of which good tidings the Prophet hath his name Nachum, which in the Hebrew is from a word signifying to comfort. And also to repent, indeed Repentance is preparatory to comfort, and though his preaching against Nineveh be the comfort of Jerusalem, no doubt he called Jerusalem to Repent, which is probably collected from chap. 1. ver. 15. Keep thy solemn feasts, O Judah, perform thy vows. This whole Prophesy except the 15 th. verse of this chapter is directed against Nineveh head City of the Assyrian Kingdom, and against the whole Kingdom, which with all sorts of Men and Women in it are threatened with very sore and heavy judgments, with final Desolation, or Captivity for their sins; all which was fulfilled by the Lord using the Babylonian, and Median power to overthrow this power of Assyria, and particularly by the joint Forces of Nabopollaser and Astyages as is by the most Learned Arch-Bishop Usher observed, in the Anno Mundi 3378. Yet others tell us the final ruin of the Assyrian Kingdom foretold by Nahum came much sooner, and that in the death of Esarhaddon, or Assaradinus the Assyrian Monarchs did expire. But though I determine not the number of years during which this threatened Monarchy did stand, yet be they fewer or more, Nahum 's Prophesy was fulfilled in the destruction of Nineveh, and the subversion of the Assyrian Monarchy, and the Jews were no more infested by the Assyrian though they were by the Babylonish Kingdom; the things then spoken of by Nahum do in the Letter and Historical part of them concern the times between the 12 th. or 14. of Hezekiah, and the ends of the Assyrian Monarchy. And a skillful observer of the Histories of those times would be best able to interpret this Prophet, nor shall any do it tolerably well without recourse to those Histories which though not cited here at large (which brief Annotations admit not) yet have not been quite neglected, and what errors in applying the Histories and computation of times, are here committed. All will candidly excuse who know the obscurity and uncertainty of those times.
CHAP. I.
1 THE burden of Nineveh , The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite .
2 God is jealous , and the LORD revengeth , the LORD revengeth , and is furious , the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and hereserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger , and great in power , and will not at all acquit the wicked : the LORD hath his way▪ in the whirlwind , and in the storm , and the clouds are the dust of his feet .
4 He rebuketh the sea , and maketh it dry , and drieth up all the rivers : Bashan languisheth , and Carmel , and the flower of Lebanon languisheth .
5 The mountains quake at him , and the hills melt , and the earth is burnt at his presence, yea the world , and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation ? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire , and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The LORD is good , a strong hold in the day of trouble , and he knoweth them that trust in him .
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof , and darkness shall pursue his enemies .
9 What do ye imagine against the LORD ? he will make an utter end : affliction shall not rise up the second time .
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry .
11 There is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the LORD : a wicked counselor .
12 Thus saith the LORD , Though they be quiet , and likewise many , yet thus shall they be cut down , when he shall pass through: Though I have afflicted thee , I will afflict thee no more .
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee , and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee , that no more of thy name be sown : out of the house of thy God's will I cut off the graven image , and the molten image : I will make thy grave , for thou art vile .
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings , that publisheth peace : O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts , perform thy vows : for the wicked shall no more pass through thee, he is utterly cut off e.
CHAP. II.
1 HE that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face : keep the munition , watch the way , make thy loins strong , fortify thy power mightily.
2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob , as the excellency of Israel : for the emptiers have emptied them out , and marred their vine-branches .
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red , the valiant men are in scarlet : the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation , and the 〈◊〉 , sha •• be terribly shaken .
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets , they shall justle one against another in the broad ways , they shall seem like torches , they shall run like the lightnings .
5 He shall recount his worthies ; they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defense shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened , and the palace shall be dissolved .
7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive , she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her, as with the voice of doves , tabering upon their breasts .
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water, , yet they shall flee away, Stand, stand , shall they cry ; but none shall look back h.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store , and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty and void , and wast , and the heart melteth , and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins , and the faces of them all gather blackness .
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions , and the feeding place of the young lions ? where the lion, even the old lion walked , and the lions whelp, and none made them afraid.
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps , and strangled for his lionesses , and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravine .
13 Behold I am against thee , saith the LORD of hosts , and I will burn her chariots in the smoke , and the sword shall devour thy young lions , and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard .
CHAP. III.
1 WO to the bloody city, it is all full of lies and robbery , the prey departeth not .
2 The noise of a whip , and the noise of the rattling of the wheels , and of the pransing horses , and of the jumpings chariots.
3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword , and the glittering spear, and there is a multitude of slain , and a great number of carcasses ; and there is no end of their corpses : they stumble upon their corpses.
4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts , that selleth nations through her whoredoms , and families through her witchcrafts.
5 Behold I am against these aith the LORD of hosts, and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will show the nations thy nakedness , and the kingdoms thy shame.
6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile , and will set thee as a gazing-stock .
7 And it shall come to pass that all they that look upon thee▪ shall flee from thee, and say Nineveh is laid waste , who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
8 Art thou better then populous No, that was scituate among the rivers , that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea , and her wall was from the sea.
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength , and it was infinite , Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet she was carried away , she went into captivity ; her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honorable men ; and all her great men were bound in chains .
11 Thou also shalt be drunken , thou shalt be hid ; thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
12 All thy strong holds shall be like figtrees with the first ripe figs : if they be shaken , they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold thy people in the midst of thee are women : the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies , the fire shall devour thy bars .
14 Draw thee waters for the siege , fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar , make strong the brick-kill .
15 There shall the fire devour thee: the sword shall cut thee off: it shall eat thee up like the canker worm : make thyself many as the canker worm, make thyself many as the locusts.
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker worm spoileth and fleeth away.
17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day , but when the sun ariseth they flee away , and their place is not known where they were.
18 Thy shepherds slumber , O king of Assyria : thy nobles shall dwell in the dust : thy people is scattered upon the mountains , and no man gathereth them.
19 There is no healing of thy bruise : thy wound is grievous : all that hear the brute of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually .
CHAP. I.
1 THE burden of Nineveh , The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite .
2 God is jealous , and the LORD revengeth , the LORD revengeth , and is furious , the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and hereserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger , and great in power , and will not at all acquit the wicked : the LORD hath his way▪ in the whirlwind , and in the storm , and the clouds are the dust of his feet .
4 He rebuketh the sea , and maketh it dry , and drieth up all the rivers : Bashan languisheth , and Carmel , and the flower of Lebanon languisheth .
5 The mountains quake at him , and the hills melt , and the earth is burnt at his presence, yea the world , and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation ? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire , and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The LORD is good , a strong hold in the day of trouble , and he knoweth them that trust in him .
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof , and darkness shall pursue his enemies .
9 What do ye imagine against the LORD ? he will make an utter end : affliction shall not rise up the second time .
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry .
11 There is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the LORD : a wicked counselor .
12 Thus saith the LORD , Though they be quiet , and likewise many , yet thus shall they be cut down , when he shall pass through: Though I have afflicted thee , I will afflict thee no more .
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee , and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee , that no more of thy name be sown : out of the house of thy God's will I cut off the graven image , and the molten image : I will make thy grave , for thou art vile .
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings , that publisheth peace : O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts , perform thy vows : for the wicked shall no more pass through thee, he is utterly cut off e.
CHAP. II.
1 HE that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face : keep the munition , watch the way , make thy loins strong , fortify thy power mightily.
2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob , as the excellency of Israel : for the emptiers have emptied them out , and marred their vine-branches .
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red , the valiant men are in scarlet : the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation , and the 〈◊〉 , sha •• be terribly shaken .
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets , they shall justle one against another in the broad ways , they shall seem like torches , they shall run like the lightnings .
5 He shall recount his worthies ; they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defense shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened , and the palace shall be dissolved .
7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive , she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her, as with the voice of doves , tabering upon their breasts .
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water, , yet they shall flee away, Stand, stand , shall they cry ; but none shall look back h.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store , and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty and void , and wast , and the heart melteth , and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins , and the faces of them all gather blackness .
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions , and the feeding place of the young lions ? where the lion, even the old lion walked , and the lions whelp, and none made them afraid.
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps , and strangled for his lionesses , and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravine .
13 Behold I am against thee , saith the LORD of hosts , and I will burn her chariots in the smoke , and the sword shall devour thy young lions , and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard .
CHAP. III.
1 WO to the bloody city, it is all full of lies and robbery , the prey departeth not .
2 The noise of a whip , and the noise of the rattling of the wheels , and of the pransing horses , and of the jumpings chariots.
3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword , and the glittering spear, and there is a multitude of slain , and a great number of carcasses ; and there is no end of their corpses : they stumble upon their corpses.
4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts , that selleth nations through her whoredoms , and families through her witchcrafts.
5 Behold I am against these aith the LORD of hosts, and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will show the nations thy nakedness , and the kingdoms thy shame.
6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile , and will set thee as a gazing-stock .
7 And it shall come to pass that all they that look upon thee▪ shall flee from thee, and say Nineveh is laid waste , who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
8 Art thou better then populous No, that was scituate among the rivers , that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea , and her wall was from the sea.
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength , and it was infinite , Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet she was carried away , she went into captivity ; her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honorable men ; and all her great men were bound in chains .
11 Thou also shalt be drunken , thou shalt be hid ; thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
12 All thy strong holds shall be like figtrees with the first ripe figs : if they be shaken , they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold thy people in the midst of thee are women : the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies , the fire shall devour thy bars .
14 Draw thee waters for the siege , fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar , make strong the brick-kill .
15 There shall the fire devour thee: the sword shall cut thee off: it shall eat thee up like the canker worm : make thyself many as the canker worm, make thyself many as the locusts.
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker worm spoileth and fleeth away.
17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day , but when the sun ariseth they flee away , and their place is not known where they were.
18 Thy shepherds slumber , O king of Assyria : thy nobles shall dwell in the dust : thy people is scattered upon the mountains , and no man gathereth them.
19 There is no healing of thy bruise : thy wound is grievous : all that hear the brute of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually .
HABAKKUK
THE Prophesy of Habakkuk seems to be an exact stating of that perplexed case, touching the seeming unequalness of the Proceedings of God, in the Government of the World, in which the good suffer Evil, and the Evil rejoice in Prosperity; the more righteous are afflicted, and the more unrighteous prosper; nay, th • worst domineer over the best, among men. This case baffled the wise among Philosophers, and it much troubled David and Jeremiah, Psal. 73.2, 3. &c. Jer. 12.1, 2. and hath ever been matter of some wonder to the best and wisest of men, as here 'twas to Habakkuk, who lived in the times of great impieties against God, and of great injustice amongst Men. 'It is most probable He lived and Prophesied in the days of Manasseh, when the wicked devoured the man that was more righteous then himself, and this is the subject of his complaint, chap. 1. ver. 1.2, 3, 4. Those grievous sins which then abounded, he declareth shall be punished by the Chaldeans, at which he again wondereth; it grieveth him to see in Judah, the best afflicted by the worst; and it is as much grief to him to foresee the wicked Nation of the Chaldeans, prosper in the ruins of a more righteous Nation, from the 5th. to the 11th. ver. of the first Chapter, which God commandeth him to foretell. On this He proposeth the case expressly, from ver. 12. to the end of the Chapter, and which God resolveth for him in the second Chapter, where the sins of Judah, and the sins of the Chaldeans are enumerated, and at once both are threatened with punishment, when the Chaldeans have punished Judah 's sins, the Medes and Persians shall punish the same sins in the Chaldeans ; In all which the unspotted Righteousness, and the admirable wisdom of God is seen, in the Government of his Church chastised for her sins against God, and in his Government of the World, sinning highly against God, and with greater wickedness acting the same, or worse things then those, for which by their means God had before punished his Church. In fine, the Prophet with steady Faith, and fervent Prayer, addresseth to God, and in most elegant manner recounting God's Mercy and Faithfulness to his people, chap. 3. leaves it both a Foundation to our hope, and Pattern for our practice. He doth resolve as we should, to wait for, rejoice in, and submit to the Lord, in greatest distresses, and darkness of Providence. An excellent subject for our meditations at this day, as well as in the days of our Prophet, whose name seems to imply his wrestlings with these difficulties, or his laying hold, embracing of God; our safest course in such circumstances, being to adhere to God. We can but guess at the time of his Prophesying, and that we think is rather in the time of Manasseh, then of Hezekiah, or Josiah, though possibly he might live and be a Prophet in the first part of Josiah 's Reign: What Tribe, or what Family he was of, we pretend not to tell you, since we cannot pretend to know; but we are sure he was not the pretended Messenger that carried a mess of Broth out of Judea into Babylon, for Daniel 's Dinner; and we think it a wonder, any thinking man should now believe it, as it would at that day have been i • really done.
CHAP. I.
1 THE burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see .
2 O LORD , how long shall I cry , and thou wilt not hear ! even cry out unto thee of violence , and thou wilt not save ?
3 Why dost thou show me iniquity , and cause me to behold grievance ? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention .
4 Therefore the law is slacked . and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous: therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
5 Behold ye among the heathen , and regard , and wonder marvelously : for I will work a work in your days , which ye will not believe , though it be told you .
6 For lo , I raise up the Chaldeans , that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful : their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter then the leopards , and are more fierce then the evening wolves : and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far , they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
9 They shall come all o for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east-wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand .
10 And they shall scoff at the kings , and the princes shall be a scorn unto them : they shall deride every strong hold, for they shall heap dust and take it .
11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over , and offend c, imputing this his power unto his god .
12 Art thou not from everlasting , O LORD my God , mine holy one? we shall not die : O LORD thou hast ordained them for judgment , and O mighty God y, thou hast established them for correction .
13 Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil , and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously , and holdest thy tongue , when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous then he?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea ? as the creeping things that have no ruler over them.
15 They take up all of them with the angle : they catch them in their net , and gather them in their drag ; therefore they rejoice and are glad .
16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net , and burn incense to their drag : because by them their portion is fat , and their meat plenteous .
17 Shall they therefore empty their net , and not spare continually to slay the nations ?
CHAP. II.
1 I Will stand upon my watch , and set me upon the tower , and will watch to see what he will say unto me , and what I shall answer when I am reproved .
2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision , and make it plain upon tables , that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time , but at the end it shall speak , and not lie : though it tarry , wait for it, because it will surely come , it will not tarry .
4 Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith .
5 Yea also because he transgresseth by wine , he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home , who enlargeth his desire as hell , and is as death , and cannot be satisfied , but gathereth unto him all nations , and heapeth unto him all people.
6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him , and a taunting proverb against him? and say: Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his: how long ? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay ?
7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them t ?
8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee because of men's blood , and for the violence of the land , of the city , and all that dwell therein.
9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house , that he may set his nest on high , that he may be delivered from the power of evil o.
10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul .
11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood , and stablisheth a city by iniquity .
13 Behold , is it not of the LORD of hosts , that the people shall labor in the very fire , and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD , as the waters cover the sea.
15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink : that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness .
16 Thou art • illed with shame for glory : drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered : the cup of the LORD'S right hand , shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be upon thy glory.
17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee l, and the spoil of beasts , which made them afraid, because of 〈◊〉 blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city and of all that dwell therein.
18 What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it: the molten image and a teacher of lies t, that the maker of his work trusteth therein to make him dumb idols?
19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood Awake ; to the dumb stone, Arise , it shall teach: Behold , it is laid over with gold, and silver. and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
20 But the LORD is in his holy temple let all the earth keep silence before him p.
CHAP. III.
1 A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Sigionoth .
2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech , and was afraid , O LORD revive thy work in the midst of the years , in the midst of the years make known , in wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman , and the holy one from mount Paran , Selah , His glory covered the heavens , and the earth was full of his praise .
4 And his brightness was as the light , he had horns coming out of his hand , and there was the hiding of his power .
5 Before him went the pestilence , and burning coals went forth at his feet .
6 He stood and measured the earth : he beheld , and drove asunder the nations , and the everlasting mountains were scattered , the perpetual hills did bow : his ways are everlasting .
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction , and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble .
8 Was the LORD displeased against the rivers ? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea , that thou didst ride upon thine horses , and thy chariots of salvation?
9 Thy bow was made quite naked , according to the oaths of the tribes , even thy word . Selah . Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers .
10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled : the overflowing of the water passed by : the deep uttered his voice , and lift up his hands on high .
11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation : at the light of thine arrows they went , and at the shining of thy glittering spear.
12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation ; thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.
13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people , even for salvation with thine anointed , thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked , by discovering the foundation unto the • eck. S • lah .
14 Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages : they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly .
15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses o through the heap p of great waters .
16 When I heard , my belly trembled : my lips quivered at the voice : rottenness entered into my bones , and I trembled in myself , that I might rest in the day of trouble : when he cometh up unto the people , he will invade them with his troops .
17 Although the fig-tree shall not blossom , neither shall fruit be in the vines , the labor of the olive shall fail ? and the fields shall yield no meat , the flock shall be cut off from the fold , and there shall be no heard in the stall.
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD : I will joy in the God of my salvation .
19 The Lord GOD is my strength , and he will make my feet like hinds feet , and he will make me to walk upon mine high places . To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
CHAP. I.
1 THE burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see .
2 O LORD , how long shall I cry , and thou wilt not hear ! even cry out unto thee of violence , and thou wilt not save ?
3 Why dost thou show me iniquity , and cause me to behold grievance ? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention .
4 Therefore the law is slacked . and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous: therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
5 Behold ye among the heathen , and regard , and wonder marvelously : for I will work a work in your days , which ye will not believe , though it be told you .
6 For lo , I raise up the Chaldeans , that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful : their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter then the leopards , and are more fierce then the evening wolves : and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far , they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
9 They shall come all o for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east-wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand .
10 And they shall scoff at the kings , and the princes shall be a scorn unto them : they shall deride every strong hold, for they shall heap dust and take it .
11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over , and offend c, imputing this his power unto his god .
12 Art thou not from everlasting , O LORD my God , mine holy one? we shall not die : O LORD thou hast ordained them for judgment , and O mighty God y, thou hast established them for correction .
13 Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil , and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously , and holdest thy tongue , when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous then he?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea ? as the creeping things that have no ruler over them.
15 They take up all of them with the angle : they catch them in their net , and gather them in their drag ; therefore they rejoice and are glad .
16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net , and burn incense to their drag : because by them their portion is fat , and their meat plenteous .
17 Shall they therefore empty their net , and not spare continually to slay the nations ?
CHAP. II.
1 I Will stand upon my watch , and set me upon the tower , and will watch to see what he will say unto me , and what I shall answer when I am reproved .
2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision , and make it plain upon tables , that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time , but at the end it shall speak , and not lie : though it tarry , wait for it, because it will surely come , it will not tarry .
4 Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith .
5 Yea also because he transgresseth by wine , he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home , who enlargeth his desire as hell , and is as death , and cannot be satisfied , but gathereth unto him all nations , and heapeth unto him all people.
6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him , and a taunting proverb against him? and say: Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his: how long ? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay ?
7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them t ?
8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee because of men's blood , and for the violence of the land , of the city , and all that dwell therein.
9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house , that he may set his nest on high , that he may be delivered from the power of evil o.
10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul .
11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood , and stablisheth a city by iniquity .
13 Behold , is it not of the LORD of hosts , that the people shall labor in the very fire , and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD , as the waters cover the sea.
15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink : that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness .
16 Thou art • illed with shame for glory : drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered : the cup of the LORD'S right hand , shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be upon thy glory.
17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee l, and the spoil of beasts , which made them afraid, because of 〈◊〉 blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city and of all that dwell therein.
18 What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it: the molten image and a teacher of lies t, that the maker of his work trusteth therein to make him dumb idols?
19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood Awake ; to the dumb stone, Arise , it shall teach: Behold , it is laid over with gold, and silver. and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
20 But the LORD is in his holy temple let all the earth keep silence before him p.
CHAP. III.
1 A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Sigionoth .
2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech , and was afraid , O LORD revive thy work in the midst of the years , in the midst of the years make known , in wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman , and the holy one from mount Paran , Selah , His glory covered the heavens , and the earth was full of his praise .
4 And his brightness was as the light , he had horns coming out of his hand , and there was the hiding of his power .
5 Before him went the pestilence , and burning coals went forth at his feet .
6 He stood and measured the earth : he beheld , and drove asunder the nations , and the everlasting mountains were scattered , the perpetual hills did bow : his ways are everlasting .
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction , and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble .
8 Was the LORD displeased against the rivers ? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea , that thou didst ride upon thine horses , and thy chariots of salvation?
9 Thy bow was made quite naked , according to the oaths of the tribes , even thy word . Selah . Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers .
10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled : the overflowing of the water passed by : the deep uttered his voice , and lift up his hands on high .
11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation : at the light of thine arrows they went , and at the shining of thy glittering spear.
12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation ; thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.
13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people , even for salvation with thine anointed , thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked , by discovering the foundation unto the • eck. S • lah .
14 Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages : they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly .
15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses o through the heap p of great waters .
16 When I heard , my belly trembled : my lips quivered at the voice : rottenness entered into my bones , and I trembled in myself , that I might rest in the day of trouble : when he cometh up unto the people , he will invade them with his troops .
17 Although the fig-tree shall not blossom , neither shall fruit be in the vines , the labor of the olive shall fail ? and the fields shall yield no meat , the flock shall be cut off from the fold , and there shall be no heard in the stall.
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD : I will joy in the God of my salvation .
19 The Lord GOD is my strength , and he will make my feet like hinds feet , and he will make me to walk upon mine high places . To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
ZEPHANIAH.
THis Prophet by somewhat larger account of his pedigree gives us ground to guess of what family he might be, the last named may possibly be the Good King Hezekiah ; the Names are the same in chap. 1. ver. 1. and 2 Kings 18.1. by his freedom with Princes, and the Kings Children reproving them, ver. 8. and threatening them with the loftiness of his style, may fairly be admitted a conjecture at somewhat more than ordinary in his descent, but whether of Royal Blood or no, he came with a Divine Warrant, and with a Prophetick Spirit, sharply reproving all ranks of men for their sins, of which in particular, Idolatry, Apostasy, and neglect to inquire for the true Religion, and the true God, and the sinful fashions of great ones in their habits, and the violent oppression of the great ones are named chap. 1.5, 6, 8, 9. which sins, and many others which then abounded amongst them, are threatened with severe punishments, and with utter desolation, which had already befallen some of the neighbouring Nations named, and proposed as Examples to the Jews, to move them to consider, repent, amend, and prevent the threatened judgments, which unless they repent, will come suddenly. The Prophet therefore affectionately exhorteth, and presseth them to Repentance, chap. 2. by Examples of those he mentioneth, whose Impenitence added to their sins, ruined them. By promises, and encouragements to expect mercy upon their hearkening to his Council, foretells the coming of the Messiah, the calling of the Gentiles, the preserving of a Remnant of them amidst all the troubles, and wasting Iudgments that should follow them, and a return out of Captivity, with the re-establishing them as the Church and People of God, which promise closeth his Prophesy, and for which he calls on them to be thankful to, and rejoice in their God, who in the midst of their sins, and his wrath for those sins, yet remembered his own Mercies and Covenant for them.
CHAP. I.
1 THE word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi , the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah▪
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land , saith the LORD .
3 I will consume man and beast : I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked , and I will cut off man from off the land saith the LORD.
4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah , and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem , and I will cut off the remnant of Baal z from this place , and the names of the Chemarims with the priests .
5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the house tops , and them that worship, and that swear by the LORD , and that swear by Malcham .
6 And them that are turned back from the LORD, and those that have not sought the LORD, nor inquired for him.
7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD : for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice , he hath bid his guests .
8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice , that I will punish the princes , and the kings children , and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold which fill their Masters houses with violence and deceit .
And it shall come to pass in that day saith the LORD , that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate , and an howling from the second , and a great crashing from the hills .
11 Howl ye inhabitants of Maktesh , for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
12 And it shall come to pass at that time , that I will search Jerusalem with candles , and punish the men that are settled on their lees : that say in their heart , the LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil .
13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty , and their houses a desolation : they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them , and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near , and hasteth greatly : even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly n.
15 That day is a day of wrath , a day of trouble and distress , a day of wastness and desolation , a day of darkness and gloominess , a day of clouds, and thick darkness .
16 A day of the trumpet , and alarm against the senced cities , and against the high towers .
17 And I will bring distress upon men , that they shall walk like blind men , because they have sinned against e the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust , and their flesh as the dung .
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORDs wrath , but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy ; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell o in the land p.
CHAP. II.
1 GAther yourselves together , yea, gather together , O nation not desired .
2 Before the decree bring forth , before the day pass as the chaff : before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORDs anger come upon you.
3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth , which have wrought his judgment , seek righteousness , seek meekness : it may be , ye shall be hid in the day of the LORDs Anger.
4 For Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon a desolation : they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day , and Ekron shall be rooted up .
5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the seacoasts ; the nation of the Cherethites : the word of the LORD is against you: O Canaan : the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant .
6 And the sea-coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds , and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah , they shall feed thereupon, in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity .
8 I have heard the reproach of Moab , and the revilings of the children of Ammon whereby they have reproached my people , and magnified themselves against their border .
9 Therefore as I live saith the LORD of hosts the God of Israel , Surely Moab shall be as Sodom , and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles , and salt-pits , and a perpetual desolation , the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them .
10 This shall they have for their pride because they have reproached , and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts .
11 The LORD will be terrible unto them : for he will famish all the gods of the earth , and men shall worship him , everyone from his place , even all the isles of the heathen .
12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain i by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north , and destroy Assyria , and will make Nineveh a desolation and dry like a wilderness .
14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her , all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it: their voice shall sing in the windows , desolation shall be in the thresholds : for he shall uncover the cedar work.
15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly , that said in her heart : I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation , a place for beasts to lie down in! everyone that passeth by her, shall hiss and wag his hand .
CHAP. III.
1 WO to her that is filthy , and polluted , to the oppressing city.
2 She obeyed not the voice : The received not correction : she trusted not in the LORD : she drew not near to her God .
3 Her princes within her are roaring Lions , her judges are evening wolves , they gnaw not the bones till the morrow .
4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons : her priests have polluted the sanctuary ; they have done violence to the law.
5 The just LORD is in the midst thereof : he will not do iniquity : every morning doth he bring his judgment to light , he faileth not , but the unjust knoweth no shame.
6 I have cut off the nations : their towers are desolate , I made their streets waste , that none passeth by : their cities are destroyed , so that there is no man , that there is none inhabitant.
7 I said , Surely thou wilt fear me : thou wilt receive instruction , so their dwelling should not be cut off , howsoever I punished them : but they rose early and corrupted all their doings .
8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey : for my determination is to gather the nations , that I may assemble the kingdoms , to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger : for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy .
9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the LORD , to serve him with one consent .
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia , my suppliants , even the daughter of my dispersed shall bring mine offering .
11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings , wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride , and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mount .
12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD .
13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity , nor speak lies : neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed , and lie down, and none shall make them afraid .
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion, shout O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy : the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee , thou shalt not see evil anymore .
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem Fear thou not: and to Zion y, Let not thine hands be slack .
17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty : he will save , he will rejoice over thee with joy : he will rest in his love , he will joy over thee with singing .
18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly , who are of thee , to whom the reproach of it was a burden .
19 Behold at that time I will undo all that afflict thee, and I will save her that halteth , and gather her that was driven out , and I will get them praise, and fame , in every land where they have been put to shame .
20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, faith the LORD.