The Hebrew Prophets

And Jehovah of Hosts is high in judgment, And the Holy God sanctified in righteousness,

And fed have lambs according to their leading, And waste places of the fat ones Do sojourners consume.

Woe to those drawing out iniquity with cords of vanity, And as with thick ropes of the cart--sin.

Who are saying, `Let Him hurry, Let Him hasten His work, that we may see, And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel Draw near and come, and we know.'

Woe to those saying to evil `good,' And to good `evil,' Putting darkness for light, and light for darkness, Putting bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.

Woe to the wise in their own eyes, And--before their own faces--intelligent!

Woe to the mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink.

Declaring righteous the wicked for a bribe, And the righteousness of the righteous They turn aside from him.

Therefore, as a tongue of fire devoureth stubble, And flaming hay falleth, Their root is as muck, And their flower as dust goeth up. Because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of Hosts, And the saying of the Holy One of Israel despised.

Therefore hath the anger of Jehovah burned among His people, And He stretcheth out His hand against it, And smiteth it, and the mountains tremble, And their carcase is as filth in the midst of the out-places. With all this His anger did not turn back, And still His hand is stretched out!

And He lifted up an ensign to nations afar off, And hissed to it from the end of the earth, And lo, with haste, swift it cometh.

There is none weary, nor stumbling in it, It doth not slumber, nor sleep, Nor opened hath been the girdle of its loins, Nor drawn away the latchet of its sandals.

Whose arrows are sharp, and all its bows bent, Hoofs of its horses as flint have been reckoned, And its wheels as a hurricane!

Its roaring is like a lioness, It roareth like young lions, And it howleth, and seizeth prey, And carrieth away safely, and there is none delivering.

And it howleth against it in that day as the howling of a sea, And it hath looked attentively to the land, And lo, darkness--distress, And light hath been darkened by its abundance!

In the year of the death of king Uzziah--I see the Lord, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train is filling the temple.

Seraphs are standing above it: six wings hath each one; with two each covereth its face, and with two each covereth its feet, and with two each flieth.

And this one hath called unto that, and hath said: `Holy, Holy, Holy, is Jehovah of Hosts, The fulness of all the earth is His glory.'

And the posts of the thresholds are moved by the voice of him who is calling, and the house is full of smoke.

And I say, `Woe to me, for I have been silent, For a man--unclean of lips am I, And in midst of a people unclean of lips I am dwelling, Because the King, Jehovah of Hosts, have my eyes seen.'

And flee unto me doth one of the seraphs, and in his hand a burning coal, (with tongs he hath taken it from off the altar,)

and he striketh against my mouth, and saith: `Lo, this hath stricken against thy lips, And turned aside is thine iniquity, And thy sin is covered.'

And I hear the voice of the Lord, saying: `Whom do I send? and who doth go for Us?' And I say, `Here am I, send me.'

And He saith, `Go, and thou hast said to this people, Hear ye--to hear, and ye do not understand, And see ye--to see, and ye do not know.

Declare fat the heart of this people, And its ears declare heavy, And its eyes declare dazzled, Lest it see with its eyes, And with its ears hear, and its heart consider, And it hath turned back, and hath health.'