but are cut off, "all the sinners of my people," with awful judgments. 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, &c. Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; 22. And I will judge between cattle and cattle and I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd, and I, Jehovah, will be their Elohim, and my servant, David, prince in the midst of them. I, Jehovah, have spoken; 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: and I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; there shall be showers of blessing: and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am Jehovah. When I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hands of those that served themselves of them; and they shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the beasts of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid: and I will establish them a plantation renowned, and they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the reproach of the nations any more. Thus shall they know that I, Jehovah, their Elohim, am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord Jehovah; and ye, my flock, the flock of my pasture, are' men, and I am your Elohim, saith the Lord Jehovah. The thirty-sixth chapter contains a remarkable illustration of that part of the ancient prediction contained in "the song of remembrance of Moses," that God, in the last days, would not only "have mercy on his people," but" on his land," and that the country, now desolate, shall be turned into a fruitful field, to be made the happy residence of his people. "Also, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high-places are ours in possession. Therefore, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of the talkers, and are an infamy of the people: Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah; thus saith the Lord Jehovah 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 nations round about; therefore, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land unto their possession, with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds to cast it out for a prey. Prophesy, therefore, concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, and to the rivers, and the valleys, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the nations. Therefore, thus saith the Lord Jehovah I have lifted up mine hand; surely the nations that are about thee, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: 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. And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit; and I : will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah; yea, I will make men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because they say unto you, Thou land, devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; therefore, thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord Jehovah. Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the nations any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shalt thou cause the nations to fall any more, saith the Lord Jehovah. 16. " Moreover, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and their doings; their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. There fore, 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 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. And when they entered into the nations whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said of them, These are the people of Jehovah, that are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the nations whither ye went: and I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them, and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you; a new heart also will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your Elohim. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses; and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the nations. Then shall ye remember your own evil doings, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord Jehovah, be it known to you; be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities, I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it laid desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, and desolate, and ruined cities are become fenced and inhabited. Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Jehovah, build the ruined places, and plant that which was desolate I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; I will yet for this seek after the house of Israel, to do it for them; and I will increase them with men like a flock, as the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men and they shall know that I am Jehovah.” The thirty-seventh chapter contains another remarkable prediction of the restoration of Israel, and of the eternal felicity that follows. Their forlorn and hopeless state is symbolized by a quantity of the bones of the dead, that cover a valley spread in vision before the prophet's eyes. The instruction is:-The same Power that can raise the dead, can restore the nation of Israel; and, notwithstanding the seeming impossibility, will do it. "The hand of Jehovah was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of Jehovah, and set me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord Jehovah, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy unto these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live and I will lay sinews upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath into you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. "So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied there was a noise, and, behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind,—or " to the Spirit or breath,"-prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, or to the Spirit or breath,-Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon the slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army." The interpretation of this vision follows, and it will need no other elucidation : |