The Hebrew Prophets

Eggs of a viper they have hatched, And webs of a spider they weave, Whoso is eating their eggs doth die, And the crushed hatcheth a viper.

Their webs become not a garment, Nor do they cover themselves with their works, Their works are works of iniquity, And a deed of violence is in their hands.

Their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed innocent blood, Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Spoiling and destruction are in their highways.

A way of peace they have not known, And there is no judgment in their paths, Their paths they have made perverse for themselves, No treader in it hath known peace.

Therefore hath judgment been far from us, And righteousness reacheth us not, We wait for light, and lo, darkness, For brightness--in thick darkness we go,

We feel like the blind for the wall, Yea, as without eyes we feel, We have stumbled at noon as at twilight, In desolate places as the dead.

We make a noise as bears--all of us, And as doves we coo sorely; We wait for judgment, and there is none, For salvation--it hath been far from us.

For our transgressions have been multiplied before Thee, And our sins have testified against us, For our transgressions are with us, And our iniquities--we have known them.

Transgressing, and lying against Jehovah, And removing from after our God, Speaking oppression and apostasy, Conceiving and uttering from the heart Words of falsehood.

And removed backward is judgment, And righteousness afar off standeth, For truth hath been feeble in the street, And straightforwardness is not able to enter,

And the truth is lacking, And whoso is turning aside from evil, Is making himself a spoil. And Jehovah seeth, and it is evil in His eyes, That there is no judgment.

And He seeth that there is no man, And is astonished that there is no intercessor, And His own arm giveth salvation to Him, And His righteousness--it sustained Him.

And He putteth on righteousness as a breastplate, And an helmet of salvation on His head, And He putteth on garments of vengeance for clothing, And is covered, as with an upper-robe, with zeal.

According to deeds--so He repayeth. Fury to His adversaries, their deed to His enemies, To the isles their deed He repayeth.

And they fear from the west the name of Jehovah, And from the rising of the sun--His honour, When come in as a flood doth an adversary, The Spirit of Jehovah hath raised an ensign against him.

And come to Zion hath a redeemer, Even to captives of transgression in Jacob, An affirmation of Jehovah.

And I--this is My covenant with them, said Jehovah, My Spirit that is on thee, And My words that I have put in thy mouth, Depart not from thy mouth, And from the mouth of thy seed, And from the mouth of thy seed's seed, said Jehovah, From henceforth unto the age!

Arise, be bright, for come hath thy light, And the honour of Jehovah hath risen on thee.

For, lo, the darkness doth cover the earth, And thick darkness the peoples, And on thee rise doth Jehovah, And His honour on thee is seen.

And come have nations to thy light, And kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Lift up round about thine eyes and see, All of them have been gathered, they have come to thee, Thy sons from afar do come, And thy daughters on the side are supported.

Then thou seest, and hast become bright, And thine heart hath been afraid and enlarged, For turn unto thee doth the multitude of the sea, The forces of nations do come to thee.

A company of camels covereth thee, Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, All of them from Sheba do come, Gold and frankincense they bear, And of the praises of Jehovah they proclaim the tidings.

All the flock of Kedar are gathered to thee, The rams of Nebaioth do serve thee, They ascend for acceptance Mine altar, And the house of My beauty I beautify.

Who are these--as a thick cloud they fly, And as doves unto their windows?