The Hebrew Prophets

Fury is not in Me; Who giveth Me a brier--a thorn in battle? I step into it, I burn it at once.

Or--he doth take hold on My strength, He doth make peace with Me, Peace he doth make with Me.

Those coming in He causeth to take root, Jacob doth blossom, and flourished hath Israel, And they have filled the face of the world with increase.

As the smiting of his smiter hath He smitten him? As the slaying of his slain doth He slay?

In measure, in sending it forth, thou strivest with it, He hath taken away by His sharp wind, In the day of an east wind,

Therefore by this is the iniquity of Jacob covered, And this is all the fruit--To take away his sin, in His setting all the stones of an altar, As chalkstones beaten in pieces, They rise not--shrines and images.

For the fenced city is alone, A habitation cast out and forsaken as a wilderness, There doth the calf delight, And there it lieth down, And hath consumed its branches.

In the withering of its branch it is broken off, Women are coming in setting it on fire, For it is not a people of understanding, Therefore pity it not doth its Maker, And its Former doth not favour it.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, Beat out doth Jehovah from the branch of the river, Unto the stream of Egypt, And ye are gathered one by one, O sons of Israel.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, It is blown with a great trumpet, And come in have those perishing in the land of Asshur, And those cast out in the land of Egypt, And have bowed themselves to Jehovah, In the holy mount--in Jerusalem!

Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim. And the fading flower of the beauty of his glory, That is on the head of the fat valley of the broken down of wine.

Lo, a mighty and strong one is to the Lord, As a storm of hail--a destructive shower, As an inundation of mighty waters overflowing, He cast down to the earth with the hand.

By feet trodden down is the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,

And the fading flower of the beauty of his glory That is on the head of the fat valley, Hath been as its first-fruit before summer, That its beholder seeth, While it is yet in his hand he swalloweth it.

In that day is Jehovah of Hosts For a crown of beauty, and for a diadem of glory, To the remnant of His people.

And for a spirit of judgment To him who is sitting in the judgment, And for might to those turning back the battle to the gate.

And even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially.

For all tables have been full of vomit, Filth--without place!

By whom doth He teach knowledge? And by whom doth He cause to understand the report? The weaned from milk, the removed from breasts,

For rule is on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,

For by scorned lip, and by another tongue, Doth He speak unto this people.

Unto whom He hath said, `This is the rest, give ye rest to the weary, And this--the refreshing:' And they have not been willing to hear,

And to whom a word of Jehovah hath been, Rule on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there, So that they go and have stumbled backward, And been broken, and snared, and captured.

Therefore, hear a word of Jehovah, ye men of scorning, Ruling this people that is in Jerusalem.

Because ye have said: `We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a provision, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Doth not meet us, Though we have made a lie our refuge, And in falsehood have been hidden.'