American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,When he separated the children of men,He set the bounds of the peoplesAccording to the number of the children of Israel.
I say then, Did God cast off his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
God did not cast off his people which he foreknew. Or know ye not what the scripture {1 Kings 19:10}saith of {Or, in…Compare Mark 12:26}Elijah? how he pleadeth with God against Israel:
Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
But what {1 Kings 19:18}saith the answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal.
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.
What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened:
according as it is written, {Isaiah 29:10; Deuteronomy 29:4.}God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day.
And David saith, {Psalm 69:22 f.}Let their table be made a snare, and a trap,And a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them:
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see,And bow thou down their back always.
I say then, Did they stumble that they might fall? God forbid: but by their {Or, trespass Compare chapter 5:15 ff.}fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.
Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
But I speak to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;
if by any means I may provoke to jealousy them that are my flesh, and may save some of them.
For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
And if the firstfruit is holy, so is the lump: and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with them {Many ancient authorities read of the root and of the fatness.}of the root of the fatness of the olive tree;
glory not over the branches: but if thou gloriest, it is not thou that bearest the root, but the root thee.
Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.
Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;
and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, {Isaiah 59:20 f.}There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer;He shall turn away {Greek: ungodlinesses.}ungodliness from Jacob:
{Isaiah 27:9}And this is {Greek: the covenant from me.}my covenant unto them,When I shall take away their sins.
As touching the {See chapter 10:15, 16 and marginal note on chapter 1:1}gospel, they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake.
For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of.
For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,
even so have these also now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy.
For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.
O the depth {Or, of the riches and the wisdom & c.}of the riches {Or, both of wisdom & c.}both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory {Greek: unto the ages.}for ever. Amen.
Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
Let Israel now say,That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
Let the house of Aaron now say,That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
Let them now that fear Jehovah say,That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
Out of my distress I called upon {Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah: {Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah answered me and set me in a large place.
Jehovah is on my side; I will not fear:What can man do unto me?
Jehovah is on my side among them that help me:Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
It is better to take refuge in JehovahThan to put confidence in man.
It is better to take refuge in JehovahThan to put confidence in princes.
All nations compassed me about:In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.
They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about:In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.
They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns:In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.
Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall;But Jehovah helped me.
{Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah is my strength and song;And he is become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous:The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly.
The right hand of Jehovah is exalted:The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly.
I shall not die, but live,And declare the works of {Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah.
{Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah hath chastened me sore;But he hath not given me over unto death.
Open to me the gates of righteousness:I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto {Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah.
This is the gate of Jehovah;The righteous shall enter into it.
I will give thanks unto thee; for thou hast answered me,And art become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejectedIs become the head of the corner.
This is {Hebrew: from Jehovah.}Jehovah's doing;It is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day which Jehovah hath made;We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Save now, we beseech thee, O Jehovah:O Jehovah, we beseech thee, send now prosperity.
Blessed be he that {Or, entereth}cometh in the name of Jehovah:We have blessed you out of the house of Jehovah.
Jehovah is God, and he hath given us light:Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto thee:Thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
They have {Or, corrupted themselves, they &c.}dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, {Or, but a blot upon them}it is their blemish;They are a perverse and crooked generation.
Do ye thus requite Jehovah,O foolish people and unwise?Is not he thy father that hath {Or, possessed Or, gotten}bought thee?He hath made thee, and established thee.
Remember the days of old,Consider the years of many generations:Ask thy father, and he will show thee;Thine elders, and they will tell thee.
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,When he separated the children of men,He set the bounds of the peoplesAccording to the number of the children of Israel.
For Jehovah's portion is his people;Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land,And in the waste howling wilderness;He compassed him about, he cared for him,He kept him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle that stirreth up her nest,That fluttereth over her young, {Or, Spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her pinions}He spread abroad his wings, he took them,He bare them on his pinions.
Jehovah alone did lead him,And there was no foreign god with him.
He made him ride on the high places of the earth,And he did eat the increase of the field;And he made him to suck honey out of the rock,And oil out of the flinty rock;
Butter of the herd, and milk of the flock,With fat of lambs,And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,With the {Hebrew: fat of kidneys of wheat.}finest of the wheat;And of the blood of the grape thou drankest wine.
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked:Thou art waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art become sleek;Then he forsook God who made him,And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
They moved him to jealousy with strange gods;With abominations provoked they him to anger.
They sacrificed unto demons, which were no God,To gods that they knew not,To new gods that came up of late,Which your fathers dreaded not.
Of the Rock that {Or, bare}begat thee thou art unmindful,And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth.
And Jehovah saw it, and abhorred them,Because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.
And he said, I will hide my face from them,I will see what their end shall be:For they are a very perverse generation,Children in whom is no faithfulness.
I said, I would scatter them afar,I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men;
I say then, Did God cast off his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
God did not cast off his people which he foreknew. Or know ye not what the scripture {1 Kings 19:10}saith of {Or, in…Compare Mark 12:26}Elijah? how he pleadeth with God against Israel:
Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
But what {1 Kings 19:18}saith the answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal.
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.
What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened:
according as it is written, {Isaiah 29:10; Deuteronomy 29:4.}God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day.
And David saith, {Psalm 69:22 f.}Let their table be made a snare, and a trap,And a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them:
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see,And bow thou down their back always.
I say then, Did they stumble that they might fall? God forbid: but by their {Or, trespass Compare chapter 5:15 ff.}fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.
Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
But I speak to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;
if by any means I may provoke to jealousy them that are my flesh, and may save some of them.
For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
And if the firstfruit is holy, so is the lump: and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with them {Many ancient authorities read of the root and of the fatness.}of the root of the fatness of the olive tree;
glory not over the branches: but if thou gloriest, it is not thou that bearest the root, but the root thee.
Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.
Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;
and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, {Isaiah 59:20 f.}There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer;He shall turn away {Greek: ungodlinesses.}ungodliness from Jacob:
{Isaiah 27:9}And this is {Greek: the covenant from me.}my covenant unto them,When I shall take away their sins.
As touching the {See chapter 10:15, 16 and marginal note on chapter 1:1}gospel, they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake.
For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of.
For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,
even so have these also now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy.
For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.
O the depth {Or, of the riches and the wisdom & c.}of the riches {Or, both of wisdom & c.}both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory {Greek: unto the ages.}for ever. Amen.
And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy {Greek: presence.}coming, and of {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.
But all these things are the beginning of travail.
Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many stumble, and shall {See chapter 10:4.}deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.
And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
And this {Or, these good tidings}gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole {Greek: inhabited earth.}world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was {Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.}spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in {Or, a holy place}the holy place (let him that readeth understand),
then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains:
let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house:
and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:
for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe {Or, him}it not.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Behold, I have told you beforehand.
If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe {Or, them}it not.
For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the {Or, vultures}eagles be gathered together.
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send forth his angels with {Or, a trumpet of great sound}a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;
even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that {Or, it}he is nigh, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, {Many authorities, some ancient, omit neither the Son.}neither the Son, but the Father only.
And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left:
two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
{Or, But this ye know}But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be {Greek: digged through.}broken through.
Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Who then is the faithful and wise {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
Blessed is that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
But if that evil {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
the lord of that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
and shall {Or, severely scourge him}cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.
For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in {Hebrew: the day of clouds and thick darkness.}the cloudy and dark day.
And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
I will feed them with good pasture; and upon the mountains of the height of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie down in a good fold; and on fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord Jehovah.
I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice.
And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the he-goats.
Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have fed upon the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the clear waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
And as for my sheep, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto them: Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
Because ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye {Hebrew: to the heart of.}comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her {Or, time of service}warfare is accomplished, that her {Or, punishment is accepted See Leviticus 26:43.}iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.
The voice of one {Or, that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way &c.}that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:
and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.
The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.
{Or, O Zion, that bringest good tidings}O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain; {Or, O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings}O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!
Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young.
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Who hath {Or, meted out}directed the Spirit of Jehovah, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: behold, {Or, the isles are as the fine dust that is lifted up}he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as {Or, as a thing of nought}less than nothing, and {Or, confusion}vanity.
To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
The image, a workman hath cast it, and the goldsmith overlayeth it with gold, and casteth for it silver chains.
He that is too impoverished for such an oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilful workman to {Or, prepare}set up a graven image, that shall not be moved.
Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not {Or, understood the foundations}understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as {Or, gauze}a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;
that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as {Or, confusion}vanity.
{Or, Scarce are they planted, scarce are they sown, scarce hath their stock taken root in the earth, when he bloweth upon them &c.}Yea, they have not been planted; yea, they have not been sown; yea, their stock hath not taken root in the earth: moreover he bloweth upon them, and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble.
To whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal to him? saith the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high, {Or, and see: who hath created these? he that &c.}and see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking.
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and the justice due to me is passed away from my God?
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? {Or, Jehovah is an everylasting God, the Creator…he fainteth not &c.}The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without {Or, obelisk}pillar, and without ephod or teraphim:
afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and shall come with fear unto Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter days.
{[Chapter 4:1 in Hebrew]}For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall {Or, return to}bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment upon them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations: and they have parted my land,
and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
Yea, and what are ye to me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? {Or, will ye repay a deed of mine, or will ye do aught unto me? swiftly &c.}will ye render me a recompense? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your {Or, deed}recompense upon your own head.
Forasmuch as ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly precious things,
and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem unto the sons of the Grecians, that ye may remove them far from their border;
behold, I will stir them up out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your {Or, deed}recompense upon your own head;
and I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the men of Sheba, to a nation far off: for Jehovah hath spoken it.
Proclaim ye this among the nations; {Hebrew: sanctify.}prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up.
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
{Or, Assemble yourselves}Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.
Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of {That is, Jehovah judgeth.}Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about.
Put ye in the sickle; for the {Or, vintage}harvest is ripe: come, {Or, get you down}tread ye; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel.
So shall ye know that I am Jehovah your God, dwelling in Zion my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water {That is, the valley of acacias.}the valley of Shittim.
Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
But Judah shall {Or, be inhabited}abide for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
And I will {Or, hold as innocent}cleanse their blood, that I have not cleansed: for Jehovah dwelleth in Zion.
And I will {Or, return to}bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith Jehovah thy God.
Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city!
She obeyed not the voice; she received not {Or, instruction}correction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God.
Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they {Or, gnaw not the bones on the morrow}leave nothing till the morrow.
Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; {Hebrew: morning by morning.}every morning doth he bring his justice to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
I have cut off nations; their {Or, corner towers}battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.
I said, Only fear thou me; receive {Or, instruction}correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, {Or, however I have punished her}according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my {Hebrew: judgement.}determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
For then will I turn to the peoples of a pure {Hebrew: lip.}language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one {Hebrew: shoulder.}consent.
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia {Or, shall they bring my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, for an offering unto me}my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
In that day shalt thou not be put to shame for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee {Or, them that exult in thy majesty}thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain.
But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah.
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not {Another reading is see.}fear evil any more.
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; {Or, and to Zion}O Zion, let not thy hands be slack.
Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will {Hebrew: be silent.}rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing.
{Or, They have been sorrowful for the solemn assembly which I took away from thee, for the lifting up of reproach against her}I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; to whom the burden upon {According to another reading, thee.}her was a reproach.
Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you in, and at that time I will gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I {Or, return to}bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith Jehovah.
even so have these also now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy.