and punish the men that are settled on their lees; that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil. 13. Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation for they have built houses, but they shall not inhabit them; and they have planted vineyards, but shall not drink the wine thereof.

14. The great day of the Lord is near; it is near, and hasteth greatly: the voice of the day of the Lord is bitter: there the mighty one roareth aloud. 15. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16. A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities and against the high towers. 17. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the earth..

ii. 1. Gather yourselves together, yéa, gather together, O ́nation not desired. 2. Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon

you.

you. 3. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. 4. For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation -5.-O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. -7. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening for the Lord their God shall visit them, and bring back their captivity *-9. As I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah:-the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them †-11. The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place; all the isles of the nations. Çuthim also, ye shall be slain by my sword.

12. Ye

*Their captivity.] A noun of number, meaning, as elsewhere, the multitude of their captives.

+ The remnant of my people shall possess them.] Though Mr. Lowth refers this passage primarily to the conquests of the Mqcabees, he allows that "this and the seventh verse will receivo "their utmost completion at the general restoration of the "Jewish nation. Those, that then escape and return from "their several dispersions, are elsewhere called by the name of "the residue and the remnant. Compare chap. iii. 13. and “Micah. iv. 7.” Mr. Lowth in loç.

13. And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria: and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. 14. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations; both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in her upper lintels; their voice sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar-work. 15. This is the exulting city, that dwelt in confident security; that said in her heart, I am she, and there is none beside me. How is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! Every one, that passeth by her, shall hiss and wag his hand. iii. 1. Woe to her that swelleth with pride, and yet is polluted! woe to the city of the dove! 2. She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God. 3. Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the evening, they finish not until the morning. 4. Her prophets are licentiously extravagant, hypocritical men her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. 5. The just Lord is in the midst of her; he will not do iniquity morning by morning will he bring his judgment to light; he will not fail: but the unjust knoweth no shame. 6. I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate: I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none

inhabitant. 7. I said, surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; and her dwellingplace shall not entirely be cut off, inasmuch as I have visited her. Yet they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

8. Therefore wait ye for me*, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations †, to assemble unto me the kingdoms, to pour upon them my indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

9. But then will I turn unto the peoples a pure religious confession, that they may all call upon

the

* Therefore wait ye for me.] "I exhort the godly among you to expect the fulfilling of the promises I have made of "restoring the Jewish nation to my wonted favour, in the latter ages of the world: in order to which great crisis, I will execute remarkable judgments upon the unbelievers and dis"obedient." Mr. Lowth in loc.

"This may

My determination is to gather the nations.] "perhaps be meant of the same general summons which Joel "speaks of, when the nations shall be gathered into the valley "of Jehoshaphat" (Mr. Lowth in loc.). Mr. Lowth, as we have already seen, rightly refers the general summons, mentioned by Joel, to the last ages and the era of the restoration of the Jews.

I will turn unto the peoples a pure religious confession.] "I will turn them from their idolatry and other wickedness to 66 glorify me with one mind and one mouth. The same thing

"is

the name of the Lord, that they may serve him with one consent.

10. My worshippers, beyond the rivers of Cush*, shall conduct, as an offering to me, the daughter of my dispersion t. 11. In that day thou shalt not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then will I take away out of the midst of thee them that exult in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain. 12. I will also leave in the midst of thee a humble and poor people; and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. 13. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity t, nor speak lyes; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth for they shall feed, and lie down; and

"is expressed by speaking the language of Canaan (Isaiah xix. 18.). This is a blessing reserved for the latter ages, after "the conversion of the Jews and the Gentiles, when there shall "be one Lord, and his name one. Zech. xiv. 9." Mr. Lowth in loc.

* My worshippers beyond the rivers of Cush.] This passage plainly relates to the same people as that described in Isaiah xviii. 1,7. I have adopted Bp. Horsley's translation of it, which I am persuaded is the true one (See his letter on Isaiah xviii. p. 102, 103.). Mr. Lowth justly refers this passage to the restoration of the Jews, though he retains the common translation.

+ Dispersion.] A noun of number, meaning the dispersed.

The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity.] "The remnant "of Israel shall be holy, the rebels being purged out of them. "See Ezek. xx. 38." Mr. Lowth in loc.

none