LESSON LXII.

THE REIGN OF MENAHEM.

B.C. 771.—2 KINGS xv. 16—25; HOSEA xi. 1—10.

Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it.

In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah * king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land.

And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.

In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room.

+ When Israel was a child, then I loved him,
And called my son out of Egypt.

As they called them, so they went from them :

They sacrificed unto Baalim,‡ and burned incense to graven images.

I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms;

But they knew not that I healed them.

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love :

And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws,

And I laid meat unto them.

He shall not return into the land of Egypt,

But the Assyrian shall be his king,

Because they refused to return.

* Uzziah.

↑ Not for the little ones.

! Many gods.

LXIII.]

ISAIAH'S SONG OF THE VINEYARD.

And the sword shall abide on his cities,

And shall consume his branches, and devour them,
Because of their own counsels.

And my people are bent to backsliding from me:
Though they called them to the most High,

None at all would exalt him.

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ?

How shall I deliver thee, Israel?

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How shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ?
Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger,

I will not return to destroy Ephraim,

For I am God, and not man;

The Holy One in the midst of thee:
And I will not enter into the city.
They shall walk after the LORD:
He shall roar like a lion:

When he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.

LESSON LXIII.

ISAIAH'S SONG OF THE VINEYARD, AND JOTHAM'S reign.

B.C. 758.—IS. v. I—7; 2 CHRON. xxvi. 23, xxvii. 1—6.

Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard.

My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof,

And planted it with the choicest vine,

And built a tower in the midst of it,

And also made a winepress therein :

And he looked that it should bring forth grapes,

And it brought forth wild grapes.

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah,

Judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not
done in it?

Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes,
Brought it forth wild grapes?

And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard:

I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up,

And break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down :
And I will lay it waste :

It shall not be pruned, nor digged;

But there shall come up briers and thorns :

I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah his pleasant plant:

And he looked for judgment, but behold oppression;

For righteousness, but behold a cry.

So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper; and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly.

He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel* he built much.

Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.

He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year, and the third.

So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

LESSON LXIV.

THE VISION OF ISAIAH.

B.C. 758.-ISAIAH vi.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

And one cried unto another, and said,

Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts :

The whole earth is full of his glory.

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal† in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar :

* The lofty place.

↑ Burning wood ember.

LXV.]

THE RELEASE OF THE CAPTIVES.

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And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Also I heard the voice of the LORD, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people,

Hear ye indeed, but understand not;
And see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Make the heart of this people fat,
And make their ears heavy,

And shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with
their ears,

And understand with their heart, and convert,* and be healed.

Then said I, Lord, how long?

And he answered,

Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant,

And the houses without man,

And the land be utterly desolate,

And the LORD have removed men far away,

And there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten : +

As a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them,

When they cast their leaves :

So the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

LESSON LXV.*

THE RELEASE OF THE CAPTIVES.

B.C. 742.-2 KINGS xv. 37, 38; 2 CHRON. xxviii. 1—15.

In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.

And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem : but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:

For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.

Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

* Change.

+ Consumed.

G 2

1 A sort of oak.

He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.

For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king.

And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.

And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bond-men and bond-women unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God?

Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you. Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,

And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation.

*

And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria.

* Mentioned in lists.