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ing, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way

came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more 'dumb.

23 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

24 Son of man, they that inhabit those and live turn ye, turn ye from your evil wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, ways; for why will ye die, O house of Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: Israel?

12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The 'righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.

13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;

15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.

18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.

19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

20 Yet ye say, "the way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, "The city is smitten.

22 Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped

4 2 Sam. 14. 14. Chap. 18. 32. 92 Kings 25.

13 Chap. 7. 24, and 24. 21, and

but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?

abomination, and ye defile every one his 26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work neighbour's wife and shall ye possess the land?

27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

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28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the 13pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.

LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate 29 Then shall they know that I am the because of all their abominations which they have committed.

30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.

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31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

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32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

6 Chap. 18. 24.

11 Heb. to devour him.

5 Chap. 18. 31. 10 Chap. 24. 27. 30. 6, 7.

7 Heb. judgment and justice. 8 Chap. 18. 25. 12 Heb. desolation and desolation. 14 Heb. according to the coming of the people. 16 Heb. they make loves, o, jests. 15 Or, my people sit before thee. 17 Heb. a song of loves.

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3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye

1 A reproof of the shepherds. 7 God's judgment
against them. 11 His providence for his flock. 20 feed not the flock.
The kingdom of Christ.

AND the word of the LORD came unto me,
saying,

2 Son of man, prophesy against the 'shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

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4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with 'force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd and they became meat to all

9 Or, without a shepherd, and so verse 8.

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the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. 7 ¶ Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; 9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

10 Thus saith the Lord Gop; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between "cattle and cattle, between the rams and the 'he goats.

18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must

4 Heb. according to the seeking.

8 Isa. 11. 1. Jer. 23. 5.

tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

19 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your fect.

20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GoD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.

21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;

22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.

23 And I will set up one 'shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

29 And I will raise up for them a plant 'of renown, and they shall be no more 1oconsumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.

31 And ye my "flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

5 Heb. small cattle of lambs and kids. 9 Or, for renown.

6 Heb. great he-goats. 10 Heb. taken away.

7 Isa. 40. 11. John 10. 11. 11 John 10. 11.

Verse 25. They shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.-The image is here derived from the exigencies of pastoral life-when the people out with the flocks, are exposed to all the dangers that may be abroad, from the enemy in time of war, and at all times from depredators and beasts of prey. The promise that all this should cease, and that they might dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep securely in the woods, must be most suggestive of quiet and happy times to an Oriental imagination. Chandler has left a striking picture of the kind of life from which these images are chosen. 'About two in the morning, our whole attention was fixed by the barking of dogs, which, as we advanced, became exceedingly furious. Deceived by the light of the moon, we now fancied we could see a village; and were much mortified to find only a station of poor goatherds, without even a shed, and nothing for our horses to eat. They were lying,

wrapped in their thick capots or loose coats, by some glimmering embers, among the bushes in a dale, under a spreading tree by the fold. They received us hospitably, heaping on fresh fuel, and producing some curds and coarse bread, which they toasted for us on the coals. We made a scanty meal, sitting on the ground, lighted by the fire and by the moon; after which sleep suddenly overpowered me. On waking...I was much struck with the wild appearance of the spot. The tree was hung with rustic utensils; the she-goats in a pen, sneezed, and bleated, and rustled to and fro; the shrubs by which our horses stood, were leafless; and the earth bare; a black cauldron with milk was simmering over the fire; and a figure more than gaunt or savage, close by us, struggling on the ground with a kid, whose ears he had slit, and was endeavouring to cauterize with a red-hot iron.'-Travels, p. 157.

CHAPTER XXXV.

The judgment of mount Seir for their hatred of Israel. MOREOVER the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,

3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee 'most desolate.

4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

5 Because thou hast had a 'perpetual hatred, and hast "shed the blood of the children of Israel by the "force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:

6 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.

7 Thus will I make mount Seir "most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.

8 And I will fill his mountains with his slain men in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword.

1 Heb. desolation and desolation.

2 Or, hatred of old.

9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

10 Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there:

11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.

12 And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.

13 Thus with your mouth ye have 'boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.

14 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.

15 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

3 Heb. poured out the children. 5 Heb. desolation and desolation. 6 Psal. 83. 4, 12. 7 Or, though the LORD was there. 8 Heb, to devour.

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4 Heb. hands. 9 Heb. magnified.

dens; every nook that could furnish footing for a single plant was turned to account, proving that Strabo was not mistaken, in speaking of the horticultural advantages of this city and the inhabitants seem to have made the most of them. At present the barren state of the country, together with the desolate condition of the city, without a single human being living near it, seem strongly to verify the judgment pronounced against it.'

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CHAPTER XXXVI.

1 The land of Israel is comforted, both by the destruction of the heathen, who spitefully used it, 8 and by the blessings of God promised unto it. 16 Israel was rejected for their sin, 21 and shall be restored without their desert. 25 The blessings of Christ's king

dom.

ALSO, thou son of man, prophesy unto the 'mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:

2 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are our's in possession:

3 Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people:

4 Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the 'rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;

5 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. 6 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GoD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:

7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their

shame.

8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand

to come.

9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:

10 And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:

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13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations;

14 Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.

15 Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.

16 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed

woman.

18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:

19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.

21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified you before their eyes.

11 And I will multiply upon you man and in

1 Chap. 6. 2.

2 Heb. Because for because. 5 Or, cause to fall.

3 Or, ye are made to come upon the lip of the tongue. 6 Isa. 52. 5. Rom. 2. 24.

7 Or, your.

4 Or, bottoms, or, dales.

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