The parable of BEFORE CHRIST cir. 591 Heb. embroidering. b2 Kings 24. 12. 8 Heb. put it in a field of seed. Deut. 8.7, 8,9. d Is. 44. 4. • ver. 14. f ver. 15. 4 Heb. Aeld. 82 Kings 25.7. h ch. 19. 12. Hos. 18.15. 1 ch. 2.5. & 12.9. k ver. 3. EZEKIEL, XVIII. had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar : 4 He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. 5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. 6 And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. 7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. 8 It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord Gon; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. 10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. 11 ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12 Say now to i the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them 12 Kings 24. with him to Babylon; 2 Kings 24. 11-16. 17. 13 'And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, "and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: 14 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. 15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, P that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such two eagles and a vine. things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? 16 As I live, saith the Lord Gon, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 8 BEFORE CHRIST cir. 594, Jer. 32. 5. & 52. 11. & 34. 3. ch. 12. 13. 17 Neither shall Pharaoh with Jer. 37.7. his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to ch.4.2. cut off many persons: t Jer. 52. 4. 18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done 1 Chr. 29. all these things, he shall not escape. u 19 Therefore thus saith the Lord Gon; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. bond and i 24. Lam. 5. 6. 22 T Thus saith the Lord Gon; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: 23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. I. 11. 1. Zech.8.8. Jer. 23. 5. 16.53.2. P.2.6. d Is. 2. 2,3. ch. 20. 40. Mic. 4.1. See Dan. 4. 12. ch. 31. 6. The equity of BEFOLLE CHRIST 594. . Jer. 31. 29. Lam. 5.7. tver. 20. Rom. 6. 23. EZEKIEL, XVIII. proverb concerning the land of Israel, 3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 5 But if a man be just, and do Heb.judg-that which is lawful and right, ment and justice. • ch. 22. 9. 41ev. 18.20. Lev. 18. 19. & 20. 10. & 20. 18. 8 Ex. 22. 26. 6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the Deut. 15. hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; Is. 58. 7. 36. Lev. 25. 36, 87. 8 He that hath not given forth Ex. 22. 25. upon 'usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and Deut. 23. 19. man, 9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely 1 ch. 20. 11.live, saith the Lord Gon. Amos 5. 4. Or,breaker up of an house. Gen. 9.6. Ex. 21. 12. Num.35.31. 4 Or, that doeth to his sides any of brother be these. ■ ch. 8. 6, 17. 10 ¶ If he beget a son that is a robber, ma shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, God's dealings. hath given his bread to the hungry, 17 That hath taken off his hand 18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. 19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. 20The soul that sinneth, it shall die. "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: "the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he ch. 33. 16. hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 a Have I any pleasure at all that 11 And that doeth not any of those the wicked should die? saith the duties, but even hath eaten upon the Lord Gon: and not that he should mountains, and defiled his neigh-return from his ways, and live? bour's wife, 12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath "committed abomination, 13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall sureLev. 20.9, ly die; his blood shall be upon him. 14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, 24 But when the righteous 25 Yet ye say, Lamentation for the princes, BEFORE CHRIST 594. 8 ver. 14. hver. 25. 1 ch. 7. 8. & 83.20. EZEKIEL, XIX. that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? 30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Gon. *Repent, and turn yourselves from 3 Or, others. all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Matt. 8. 2. Rev. 2. 5. 1 Eph. 4. 22, 23. m 31 'Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have Jer. 32. 39. transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? ch. 11. 19. & 36. 26. Lam.3.33. ver. 23. ch. 33. 11. 2 Pet. 3. 9. 8 Or, others. 594. ach. 26. 17. & 27.2. b ver. 6. 2 Kings 23. 31, 32. • 2 Kinga 23. 33. 2 Chr. 36. 4. Jer. 22. 11, 12. d 2 Kings 23. 34. • Jer. 22. 13-17. f ver. 3. 4 Or, their widows. 82 Kings 24.2. hver. 4. 12 Chr. 36.6. Jer. 22. 18. 6 Or, in books. 32 For "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Gon: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. CHAPTER XIX. VA lamentation for the princes of Israel, under the parable of lions whelps taken in a pit, 10 and for Jerusalem, under the parable of a wasted vine. MOREOVER take thou up a Israel, lamentation for the princes of 2 And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. 3 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the devoured men. prey; it 4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. 5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. 6And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. 7 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. 88Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit. 12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her ch. 17. 10. strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. 13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. 14 PAnd 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 sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. AN ND it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that a certain ch. 8. 1. of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me. 2 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, 3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you. 4 Wilt thou 3judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? a cause them to know the abominations of their fathers: 5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Gon; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God; The story of boa BEFORE CHRIST cir. 593. ch. 18. 81. m Lev. 17.7. 12 Chr. 15.8. & 18. 3. Deut. 29. 16, 17, 18. Josh. 24. 14. n ch. 7. 8. ver. 13, 21. • See Ex. 32. 12. &c. Num. 14. 13, Deut. 9. 28. ch.36.21,22. ver. P Ex. 18.18. q Deut. 4. 8. Neh. 9. 13, 14. Ps. 147. 19, 20. EZEKIEL, XX. k 7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with m the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will "pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. 10 Wherefore IP caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. 11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, 'which if a man do, he shall even Heb. made live in them. y Num. 14. 20. & 26. 65. Ps. 106. 23. ■ ver. 9, 22. ■ Num. 14. 28. Ps. 95. 11. & 100. 28. b ver. 6. ⚫ ver. 18, 24. d Num. 15. 39. PB. 78. 37. Amos 5.25, 26. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they "despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. Σ 2 14 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out. 15 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; 16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither Acts7.42,43. did I make an end of them in the wilderness. Israel's rebellions. 27 ¶ Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Gon; Yet in this your fathers have 'blasphemed Rom. 2. 24. me, in that they have committed a trespass against me. 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: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings. God promiseth to gather BEFORE CHRIST cir. 593. ✓ ver. 26. - ver. 8. a ch. 11. 5. mine up try for the which I lifted y hand to give it to your fathers. 31 For when ye offer your gifts, when make your sons to pass ye through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you. Honami 32 And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone. 33 As I live, saith the Lord God, b Jer. 21.5. surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: Jer. 2.9,35. ch. 17. 20. d See Num. 28, 29. 14.21,22,23, • Lev. 27.32. Jer. 33. 13. 2 Or, a delivering. fch. 34. 17, 20. 83. 34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. bat ter 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. с 36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord Gon. 37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 38 And I will purge out from Matt. 25.32, among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where 8 Jer. 44. 14. they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: "and ye b ch. 6. 7. & 15. 7. & 23.49. 1 Judg. 10. 14. Ps. 81. 12. Amos 4. 4. Is. 1. 13. ch. 23.38,39. 1 Is. 2. 2, 3. ch. 17. 23. Mic. 4. 1. m 15. 56.7. Zech. 8. 20, & 60.7. &c. Mal. 8. 4. Rom. 12. 1. 8 Or, chief. 4 Heb. over, 38, 44. ch. 36. 23. P ch. 11. 17. & 34. 13. shall know that I am the LORD. 39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. 40 For 'in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord Gon, 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 the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you with your "sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. 43 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. 244 And shall know that I am ye BEFORE CHRIST cir. 593. ch. 16. 61. Lev. 26.39. Hos. 5. 15. ch. 6. 9. • ver. 38. ch. 24. 24. the LORD, when I have wrought with you 'for my name's sake, not accord-ch. 36. 22. ing to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God. 45 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 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; 47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord Gon; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. 48 And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched. 49 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables? |