4 it, i. e. the people. 8 days of battle they dashed the mother to the ground upon the children, 15 thus will I do to you, O house of Israel, because of the unrighteousness of your sins. 20. 11. set up pillars. They have divided | people, and all thy strong places shall their hearts; now shall they be utterly be ruined: as prince Solomon departed destroyed: he shall dig down their out of the house of Jeroboam, in the altars, their pillars shall mourn. 3 Because now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord; and what should a king do for us, speaking false professions as his words? he will make a covenant: judgment shall spring up as a weed on the soil of the field. 5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall dwell near the calf of the house of On; for the people of it mourned for it: and as they provoked him, they shall rejoice at his glory, because he has departed from them. Gr. him, or, 6And having bound it for the Assyrians, they carried it away as presents to king Jarim: Ephraim shall receive a gift, and + Lit. in. Israel shall be ashamed of his counsel. 7 Samaria has cast off her king as a twig on the surface of the water. And the altars of On, the sins of Israel, shall be taken away: thorns and thistles shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us. 9 From the time the hills existed Israel has sinned: there they stood: war waged against the children of iniquity 10 to chastise them shall not overtake them on the hill, the nations shall be gathered against them, when they are chastened for their two sins. Ephraim is a heifer taught to love victory; but I will come upon the fairest part of her neck: I will mount Ephraim; I will pass over Juda in silence; Jacob shall prevail against him. 12 Sow to yourselves for righteousness, gather in for the fruit of life: light ye for yourselves the light of knowledge; seek the Lord till the fruits of righteousness come upon you. 13 Wherefore have ye passed over ungodliness in silence, and reaped the sins of it? ye have eaten false fruit; for thou hast trusted in thy sins, in the abundance of thy power. 14 Therefore shall destruction rise up among thy 11 the sword. 11. Early in the morning were they cast off, the king of Israel has been cast off: for Israel is a child, and I loved him, and out of Matt. 2. 15. Egypt have I called his children. As I called them, so they departed from my presence: they sacrificed to Baalim, and burnt incense to graven images. 3 Yet I bound the feet of + See Prov. Ephraim, I took him on my arm; but they knew not that I healed them. 4 When men were destroyed, I drew them with the bands of my love: and I will be to them as a man smiting another on his check: and I will have respect to him, I will prevail with him. 5 Ephraim dwelt in Egypt; and as for the Assyrian, he was his king, because he would not return. 6 And in his cities he prevailed not with + Or, fell by the sword, and he ceased it. was weak. to war with his hands: and they shall eat of the fruit of their own devices: and his people shall cleave fondly to their habitation; but God Heb. shall be angry with his pre- confounded cious things, and shall not with at all exalt him. How shall I deal with thee, Ephraim? how shall I protect thee, Israel? what shall I do with thee? I will make thee as Adama, and as Seboim; my heart is turned at once, my repentance is sc. myself. powerfully excited. I will not act according to the fury of my wrath, I will not abandon Ephraim to be utterly destroyed: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One within thee: and I will not enter into the city. 10 I will go after the Lord: he shall utter his voice as a lion: for he shall roar, and the children of the waters shall be + 8 9 + frequently + Or, shall I, &c. + Or, in the same person, 3 There chimney. 12. But Ephraim is an evil spirit, 13. According to the word of Ephrahe has chased the east wind all the im he adopted ordinances for himself day: he has multiplied empty and vain in Israel; and he established them for things, and made a covenant with the Baal, and died. And now they have Assyrians, and oil has gone in the way sinned increasingly, and have made for of traffic into Egypt. And the Lord themselves a molten image of their has a controversy with Juda, in order silver, according to the fashion of idols, to punish Jacob: according to his ways the work of artificers accomplished for and according to his practices will he them: they say, Sacrifice men, for the recompense him. He took his brother calves have come to an end. by the heel in the womb, and in his fore shall they be as a morning cloud, labours he had power with God. And and as the early dew that passes away, he prevailed with the angel and was as chaff blown away from the threshstrong: they wept, and entreated me: ing-floor, and as a vapour Alexr. smoke they found me in the house of On, from tears. 4 But I am out of the and there a word was spoken to them. the Lord thy God that 5 But the Lord God Almighty shall be establishes the heaven, and creates the his memorial. Thou therefore shalt earth, whose hands have framed return to thy God: keep thou mercy the whole host of heaven: but I and judgment, and draw nigh to thy showed them not to thee that thou God continually. As for Chanaan, shouldest go after them: and I brought in his hand is a balance of unright- thee up out of the land of Egypt, and eousness: he has loved to tyrannise. thou shalt know no god but me; and 8 And Ephraim said, Nevertheless I am there is no Saviour besides me. I rich, I have found refreshment to my-tended thee as a shepherd in the wilderself. None of his labours shall be ness, in an uninhabited land. Accordfound available to him, by reason of ing to their pastures, so they were comthe sins which he has committed. pletely filled; and their hearts were "But I the Lord thy God brought exalted; therefore they forgot me. thee up out of the land of Egypt: And I will be to them as a panther, I will yet cause thee to dwell in taber- and as a leopard. I will meet them nacles, according to the days of the by the way of the Assyrians, as a shefeast. 10 And I will speak to the pro- bear excited, and I will +Gr. perplexed. phets, and I have multiplied visions, rend the caul of their heart, and and by the means of the prophets I the lions' whelps of the thicket + See Heb. was represented. 11 If Ga- shall devour them there; the wild laad exists not, then the chiefs in beasts of the field shall rend them Gr. xera Galaad when they sacrificed in pieces. testudines. were false, and their altars O Israel, who will aid thee in thy were as heaps on the ground of the destruction? 10 Where is this thy king? + 6 12 festly. let him even save thee in all thy cities: | and turn to the Lord your God: speak let him judge thee, of whom thou to him, that ye may not receive the saidst, Give me a king and a prince. reward of unrighteousness, but that "And I gave thee a king in mine ye may receive good things: and we anger, and kept him back in my wrath. will render in return the fruit of our Ephraim has framed a conspiracy lips. Assur shall never save us; we will Or, bundle of unrighteousness, his sin not mount on horseback; we will no of iniquity. is hidden. 13 Pains as of a longer say to the works of our hands, woman in travail shall come upon him: Our gods. He who is in thee shall pity he is thy wise son, because he shall not the orphan. I will restore their dwellstay in the destruction of thy children. ings, I will love them 'truly: Gr. mani14 I will deliver them out of the power 5 for he has turned away my of Hades, and will redeem them from wrath from him. I will be as dew to + Or, cause. death: where is thy penalty, Israel: he shall bloom as the lily, and +1 Cor. 15. 55. O death? O Hades, where is cast forth his roots as Libanus. 7 His thy sting? comfort is hidden from branches shall spread, and he shall be mine eyes. 15 Forasmuch as he will as a fruitful olive, and his smell shall cause a division among his be as the smell of Libanus. They brethren, the Lord shall shall return, and dwell under his bring upon him an east wind from the shadow: they shall live and be satisdesert and shall dry up his veins, and fied with corn, and he shall flower as a quite drain his fountains: he shall dry up vine: his memorial shall be to Ephrahis land, and spoil all his precious vessels. im as the wine of Libanus. 9 What has he to do any more with idols? I have afflicted him, and I will strengthen him: I am as a leafy juniper tree. From me is thy fruit found. 10 Who is wise, and will understand these things? or prudent, and will know them? for the ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous shall walk in them: but the ungodly shall fall therein. + Heb. be fruitful per haps for TE 14. Samaria shall be utterly destroyed; for she has resisted her God: they shall fall by the sword, and their sucklings shall be dashed against the ground, and their women with child shall be ripped up. 2 Return, O Israel, to the Lord thy God; for the people have fallen through thine iniquities. Take with you words, 883 8 JOEL. to assign the of the Greek names here. + Gr. their. See note on CHAPTER I. VERSES 1-20. count of the wheat and barley; for graced. 1. THE word of the Lord which sumed: mourn your property on accame to Joel the son of Bathuel. 2 Hear these words, ye elders and hearken, all ye that inhabit the land. + Gr. if. Have such things happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell your children concerning them, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. The leavings of the caterpillar has the locust eaten, and the leavings of the locust has the It is difficult palmerworm eaten, and exact meaning the leavings of the palmerworm has the *cankerworm caten. Awake, ye drunk- 14 Sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn Isaiah, 66. 5. ards, from + your wine, service, gather the elders and all the and weep: mourn, all ye that drink inhabitants of the land into the house wine to drunkenness: for joy and of your God, and cry earnestly to the gladness are removed from your mouth. Lord, 15 Alas, alas, alas for the day! For a strong and innumerable nation for the day of the Lord is nigh, and it is come up against my land, their teeth will come as trouble upon trouble. are lion's teeth, and their back teeth 16 Your meat has been destroyed before those of a lion's whelp. He has your eyes, joy and gladness from out ruined my vine, and utterly broken of the house of your God. 17 The my fig-trees: he has utterly searched heifers have started at their mangers, my vine, and cast it down; he has the treasures are abolished, the wine+Gr. whitened, peeled its branches. La-presses are broken down; for the corn Gen. 30. 37. ment to me more than a is withered. 18 What shall we store virgin girded with sackcloth for the up for ourselves? the herds of cattle ti.. one who husband of her youth. a virgin. The meat-offering and drink-offering are removed from the house of the Lord: mourn, ye priests that serve at the altar of the Lord. 10 For the plains languish: let the land mourn, for the corn languishes; the wine is dried up, the oil becomes 11 the husbandmen are married her as scarce; have mourned, because they had no pasture; and the flocks of sheep have been utterly destroyed. 19 To thee, O Lord, will I cry: for fire has devoured the fair places of the wilderness, and a flame has burnt up all the trees of the field. 20 And the cattle Gr. issues. of the field have looked up Ezek. 47. 4. con- to thee: for the fountains of waters See 2 Ki. 22. 16. have been dried up, and fire has devoured the fair places of the wilder ness. + Gr. age. like it, and after it there shall not be again even to the years of many gene+ Gr. it. sc. rations. Before them is the people. a consuming fire, and behind them is a flame kindled: the land before them is as a paradise of delight, and behind them a desolate plain; and + Lit. to him. there shall none of them escape. 4 Their appearance sc. the people. 5 t his host: for his camp is very great: for the execution of his + Gr. works. words is mighty: for the day + Gr. suffici of the Lord is great, very ent for it? glorious, and who shall be able to resist it? 12 Now therefore, says the Lord your God, turn to me with all 1. 14. 2. Sound the trumpet in Sion, make a proclamation in my holy mountain, and let all the inhabitants of the land be confounded: for the day of the your heart, Lord is near; for a day of darkness and with fasting, and with weeping, and gloominess is near, a day of cloud and with lamentation: 13 and rend and mist: a numerous and strong peo-your hearts, and not your garments, ple shall be spread upon the mountains and turn to the Lord your God: for as the morning; there has not been he is merciful and compassionate, longfrom the beginning one suffering, and plenteous in mercy, and repents of evils. 14 Who knows if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat-offering and a drink-offering to the Lord your God? 15 Sound the trumpet in Sion, sanctify a fast, proclaim a *solemn service: 16gather the people, +See chap. sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the infants is as the appearance of horses; and as at the breast: let the bridegroom go horsemen, so shall they pursue. As forth of his chamber, and the bride the sound of chariots on the tops of out of her closet. 17 Between the wall mountains shall they leap, and as the and the foot of the altar let + Gr. feet. sound of a flame of fire devouring the priests that minister to the Lord stubble, and as a numerous and strong weep, and say, Spare thy people, O people setting themselves in array for Lord, and give not thine heritage to battle. Before them shall the people reproach, that the heathen should rule be crushed: every face shall be as the over them, lest they should say among + Or, pot. blackness of a + caldron. the heathen, Where is their God? As warriors shall they run, and as 18 But the Lord was jealous of his land, men of war shall they mount on the and spared his people. 19 And the walls; and each shall move in his Lord answered and said to his people, right path, and they shall not turn Behold, I will send you corn, and aside from their tracks: and not one wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied shall stand aloof from his brother: they with them: and I will no longer make shall go on weighed down with their you a reproach among the Gentiles. arms, and they fall upon their weapons, 20 And I will chase away from you the yet shall they in nowise be destroyed. northern adversary, and will drive They shall seize upon the city, and him away into a dry land, Gr. Cause to run upon the walls, and go up upon and I will sink his face in disappear. the houses, and enter in through the the former sea, and his back windows as thieves. 10 Before them parts in the latter sea, and his the earth shall be confounded, and the ill savour shall come up, fied his works. sky shall be shaken: the sun and the and his 'stink shall come up, because moon shall be darkened and the stars he has wrought great things. shall withdraw their light. "And the Lord shall utter his voice before + Gr. corrup tion. + See Job 6.7. + Gr. magni 21 Be of good courage, O land; rejoice and be glad: for the Lord has |