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their cities; and the land was desolute, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.

And he usurped and took to himself their widowed palaces; and laid waste their populous cities, through his cruel extortions: yea, he made the whole land desolate; and, by his unmerciful exactions and cruel menaces, exhausted the fulness thereof.

XIX. 8. Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him : he was taken in their pit. Then the nations, being moved with his insolency, set against him on every side; and, both by force and policy, surprised him, and he was captived by them.

XIX. 10. Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by the reason of many

waters.

Thy mother is like a vine in the time of her first peaceable plantation; set in a moist and fruitful soil; and thereupon yielded abundance of branches, and those branches abundance of grapes.

XIX. 11. And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bear rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height by the multitude of her branches.

And she brought forth many and potent princes, which bore rule over my people; and she grew populous and mighty, famous and renowned amongst the nations about her.

XIX. 12. But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

But now, through her unanswerableness to God's proceedings with her and to her own good beginning, she is justly plucked up in fury, and cast down to the ground, and dried up, and withered, with the severe judgments of the Almighty: her princes and all those of her blood royal are consumed and utterly rooted out. XIX. 13. And now she is planted in the wilderness, &c.

And now she is carried away in a woeful captivity, to be planted in the barren wilderness of Babylon.

XIX. 14. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a scep tre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

And a destruction is risen from among themselves, even from the treachery of Zedekiah, which hath utterly consumed the remainders of her hopes; so that now, there is no more likelihood of any of the royal blood to be exalted to her government, &c.

XX. 4. Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thon judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers.

Wilt thou any more denounce and inculcate my despised judgments unto them? Or, wilt thou plead with me for them, any

more? No; rather lay before them the abominations of their fathers; and so leave them to their deserved punishments.

XX. 5. When I lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob.

When I solemnly swore by myself, for the confirmation of that covenant, which I made with the seed of Jacob.

XX. 7. Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes. Cast ye away, every one of you, those abominable idols, which your eyes have seen and affected.

XX. 12. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.

Moreover also, as I gave them, together with the rest, a royal law, which was written in the very heart of man; so I did peculiarly give them my sabbaths, as a special cognizance of my people, whereby they might be known to be severed from all others, and might have this bond of sanctifying my name above all other nations.

XX. 25. Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

Wherefore I did, in my just judgment, give them up to their own inventions, so as they made to themselves wicked laws, and perverted their ways before me;

XX. 26. And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb.

And I yielded them over to a pollution, with their own gifts and oblations, so as in those things, wherein they vainly hoped and pretended to please me, they foully defiled themselves, namely, in their superstitious and idolatrous lustrations, wherewith they wickedly thought to consecrate the fruit of their womb.

XX. 27. Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

Yet in this your fathers have shamefully reproached me, in that, being so graciously dealt with by me, yet they demeaned themselves wickedly and rebelliously against me.

XX. 28. For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering, &c.

For when I had brought them into the land of Canaan, which I had promised and swore to give unto them, they cast their eyes upon those hills and groves, wherein the heathen had wont to offer their idolatrous sacrifices; and there, contrary to my commandment, they made their sinful oblations, to provoke me to wrath against them.

XX. 29. Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go?

Notwithstanding that I dissuaded them from these idolatrous courses, and sharply reproved them; expostulating with them on the vanity and wickedness of these services of theirs; What mean you thus to frequent your forbidden altars? Do you not know, that I have confined my worship to one place! Why will ye thus wilfully transgress my law?

XX. 35. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.

And I will bring you into the desert land of your captivity under the heathen, and there will I argue this case with you; laying before you those offences, wherewith you have justly provoked me.

XX. 37. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

I will cause you to pass under the rod, both of my correction and my guidance; and will recall you to the memory and recognition of that bond of mutual covenant, which hath been made betwixt us.

XX. 39. As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols.

As for you, O ye house of Israel, thus saith the Lord; I will have none of your half-services: never hope to divide betwixt me and your idols; since ye will not be wholly mine, go ye, serve ye every one his idols.

XX. 40. For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and, &c.

But for you, that are the true spiritual seed of faithful Israel, ye shall all serve me in my holy Church; and I will both expect and graciously accept of those services and devotions, which ye shall offer unto me. So also verses 41 and 42.

XX. 46. Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

Son of man, turn thy face toward Jerusalem, which lieth southward from the land where thou art, and utter thy words towards that coast; and prophesy against the sinful land of Israel, which hath been as some wild forest in those southern parts;

XX. 47. And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree, &c.

And say to the land of Israel, Hear the word of the Lord, &c. I will bring a grievous destruction upon thee, by the hand of thy merciless enemies, which, like a furious and unquenchable fire, shall utterly consume thee. So verse 48.

XX. 49. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

Then said I, Ah, Lord God, this perverse people are apt to take exceptions against me; and now they quarrel me for the obscurity of my prophecies, and say, This man speaks riddles and parables we know not what he means.

XXI. 2. Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem.

Lo, then, without all parables, I say unto thee plainly, O thou son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem.

XXI. 4. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

I will make no spare at all; but will sweep away every living man in the common destruction, even the righteous and the wicked: the righteous will I remove to their advantage and glory; the wicked, to their utter confusion.

XXI. 5. That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more.

That all flesh may know it is my judgment, that is thus severely and unpartially executed upon Israel.

XXI. 6. Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.

Sigh thou therefore, O thou son of man, sigh so deeply and strongly, as to break thy girdle from thy loins; and, by this sighing of thine, intimate unto them that great sorrow, which is coming upon them.

XXI. 10. It contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.

This sharp sword is not for correction, or for the pruning of superfluities, which I am wont to practise upon my beloved children; but for an utter excision, both of stock and branches; aud will leave no way, either for the amendment or for the being of any in Israel.

XXI. 13. Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

Because it shall be a fiery trial indeed; and what if this sword scorn to rest in an affliction only of my people, but shall at once cut them off that they shall be no more? surely thus it shall do, saith the Lord God.

XXI. 17. I will cause my fury to rest. See chap. xvi. verse 42. XXI. 19, 20. Also thou son of man, appoint thee two ways that the sword of the king of Babylon may come both twain shall come forth out of one land and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. Appoint a way, that the sword my come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced.

Describe thou in a table a draught of two ways, by which the sword of the king of Babylon may come: let the ways run on together, as coming from one place; and then, when they come to the parting of them, Let one way lead to Rabbath the city of

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the Ammonites, and another to Jerusalem the chief and defenced city of Judah.

XXI. 21. For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination.

For the king of Babylon shall stand at the parting of two ways; and, being in a doubt whether way to take, shall use divinations for his direction.

XXI. 22. At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, &c.

The sorcerers and soothsayers shall agree upon his assaulting of Jerusalem; and shall thereupon give him advice, to prepare for that siege, to attempt the sacking and destruction thereof with all courage and violence.

XXI. 23. And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

But this prophecy of thine shall seem to them as a false prediction; even to them, which have dared to swear the certainty of the contrary success; but this great enemy will reckon with them, for all their former iniquity, and they shall be surprised with judgment.

XXI. 25, 26. And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.

And thou, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, Zedekiah, whose time of just punishment is now come, wherein thine iniquity shall be called to a full account and dispatch, Thus saith the Lord; Take away the kingdom from that treacherous prince : he shall not rule any more: let Jechoniah, who is now unregarded, be exalted; and let Zedekiah, who is now advanced, be brought low.

XXI. 27. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. I will utterly overturn, for ever, this kingdom of Judah, and Israel; and it shall never be erected any more, until the Messiah come whose right it is; and to him will I spiritually give it.

XXI. 28. And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; &c.

Thus saith the Lord concerning the Ammonites, and that their reproach which they have been ever apt to cast upon my people; even thus say, Even for you, O ye children of Ammon, is the sword also prepared.

XXI. 29. While they see vanity unto thee, while they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an

end.

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