221.52 
 
 B47 
 1906 
 
LIBRARY OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
 .221 .52 
 B47 
 1906 
 
^be nDo&ern IReaber's Bible 
 
 Select Masterpieces 
 
THE MODERN READER'S BIBLE 
 
 A SERIES OF WORKS FROM THE SACRED SCRIPTURES PRESENTED 
 IN MODERN LITERARY FORM 
 
 SELECT MASTERPIECES 
 
 OF 
 
 BIBLICAL LITERATURE 
 
 EDITEDy WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES 
 BY 
 
 KICHARD G. MOULTON, M.A. (Camb.), Ph.D. (Penn.) 
 Professor of Literature in English in the 
 University of Chicago 
 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 
 LONDON : MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 
 1906 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
Copyright, 1897, 
 By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. 
 
 Set up and electrotyped September, 1897. Reprinted Decembei^ 
 1897; August, 1898; February, 1899; August, igoo ; July, 1901; 
 April, November, 1902* December, 1903 ; January, 1905 ; January, 
 X906. 
 
0 ^) I c::^) 
 
 ]^O0^ JjSfTRODUCTION 
 
 That which we call ' The Bible ' has the outward appear- 
 ance of a book : in reality it is — what the word ' bible ' 
 implies in the original Greek — a whole library. More 
 than fifty books, the production of a large number of dif- 
 ferent authors, representing periods of time extending over 
 many centuries, are all comprehended between the covers 
 of a single volume. There is no greater monument of 
 the power of printing to diffuse thought than this fact, 
 that the whole classic literature of one of the world's 
 greatest peoples can be carried about in the hand or the 
 pocket. 
 
 But there is another side to the matter. A high price 
 has been paid for this feat of manufacturing a portable 
 literature : no less a price than the effacement from the 
 books of the Bible of their whole literary structure. 
 Where the literature is dramatic, there are (except in one 
 book) no names of speakers nor divisions of speeches ; 
 there are no titles to essays or poems, nor anything to 
 mark where one poem or discourse ends and another 
 begins ; not only is there nothing to reflect finer rhythmic 
 distinctions in poetry, but (in King James's version) there 
 is not even a distinction made between poetry and prose. 
 
-58 Introduction 
 
 It is as if the whole were printed < solid,' like a newspa- 
 per without the newspaper headings. The most familiar 
 English literature treated in this fashion would lose a great 
 part of its literary interest ; the writings of the Hebrews 
 suffer still more through our unfamiliarity with many of the 
 literary forms in which they are cast. Even this statement 
 does not fully represent the injury done to the literature 
 of the Bible by the traditional shape in which it is pre- 
 sented to us. Between the Biblical writers and our own 
 times have intervened ages in which all interest in literary 
 beauty was lost, and philosophic activity took the form of 
 protracted discussions of brief sayings or ^exts.' Accord- 
 ingly this solidified matter of Hebrew literature has been 
 divided up into single sentences or * verses,' numbered 
 mechanically one, two, three, etc., and thus the original 
 literary form has still further been obscured. It is not 
 surprising that to most readers the Bible has become, not 
 a literature, but simply a storehouse of pious ' texts.' 
 
 If the sacred Scriptures then are to be appreciated as 
 literature, it is necessary to restore their literary form and 
 structure. To do this, with all the assistance that the 
 modern printed page gives to the reader, is the aim of 
 the * Modern Reader's Bible.' The present volume is 
 intended as an introduction to the series, and, it is hoped, 
 to the literary study of the Bible in general, by Select Mas- 
 terpieces, illustrating the different types of literature rep- 
 resented in Scripture. 
 
 vi 
 
Introduction 
 
 It is natural to enquire, What are the leading literary 
 forms under which the sacred writings may be classified? 
 
 A large proportion of the Bible is History : the History 
 of the People of Israel as presented by themselves. How 
 Israel is chosen from all the nations to be the special 
 people of Jehovah ; how the invisible Jehovah is at first 
 their only ruler ; how gradually the spirit of assimilation 
 to surrounding nations leads to a demand for visible kings. 
 Just as this tendency to secular kingship becomes strong, 
 there comes into prominence an order of * prophets ' : the 
 word signifies ^ interpreters,' and the prophets are accepted 
 as the interpreters of Jehovah's will to Israel. Under such 
 rule as that of David, the man after God's own heart, the 
 work of the prophets may fall into the background ; but 
 where, as usually happened, the secular government tends 
 to ungodliness, the order of prophets stands forth as an 
 organised opposition. On lines like these the historic 
 narrative of the Bible pursues its course; and with the 
 thread of narrative are interwoven legal and statistical 
 documents which give it support. The History Series of 
 the Modern Reader's Bible presents the sacred narrative 
 divided according to its logical divisions. Genesis is occu- 
 pied with the formation of the chosen nation, from the 
 first beginnings of things to the development of the de- 
 scendants of Abraham as a patriarchal family. The Exo- 
 dus narrates the migration of the fully formed nation to 
 the land of promise; this is the period of constitutional 
 vii 
 
-^6 Introduction 
 
 development, and in this part of the history we find 
 massed together the whole of the constitutional lore of 
 Israel. The group of books constituting The Judges 
 volume represents a period of transition : the ^judges ' of 
 Israel correspond to the ^heroes' of other peoples, and 
 amid a succession of these judges the incidents of Israel's 
 history reveal the efforts of the people of Jehovah towards 
 a secular government. The Kiitgs takes up the history of 
 the nation from the establishment of the dynasty of David, 
 and covers the struggle between the prophetic and the 
 secular parties until the time of the fall and captivity. 
 Upon the return of the remnant from Babylon all opposi- 
 tion to the theocracy has ceased; to the prophets have 
 succeeded the ' scribes,' or interpreters of the written law, 
 and The Chronicles is the ecclesiastical history, not of a 
 Hebrew nation, but of a Jewish church. 
 
 From History we must, in literary analysis, distinguish 
 Story: the one is founded on the sense of record and 
 scientific explanation of events, the other appeals to the 
 imagination and the emotions. The Story literature of 
 most peoples is ^ fiction,' in the sense that its matter is 
 invented solely for literary purposes. The stories of the 
 Bible are part of the sacred history, differing only in the 
 mode in which the matter is presented ; and a long series 
 of these stories is scattered through the historical books, 
 with nothing to distinguish them, in the ordinary versions, 
 from the historic context. In the volumes of this series 
 viii 
 
Introduction 8*^ 
 
 the distinction is made by titles ; the reader can thus, with- 
 out difficulty, bring to each of these varieties of literature 
 the kind of attention it requires ; it is further possible, and 
 highly desirable, for him to make a separate study of Script- 
 ural Story. History it is not easy to illustrate by selec- 
 tions ; but the stories of the sacred books are represented 
 in the present volume by typical specimens. 
 
 One book th^t has a place in the historic sequence of 
 the Bible introduces us in reality to a different class of 
 literature — Oratory. Deuteronomy is made up of the 
 Orations (and Songs) of Moses, constituting his Farewell 
 to the People of Israel. It is oratory in the fullest sense 
 of the term, representing the words as they may be sup- 
 posed to come direct from the speaker. For the most part 
 however the sacred literature of oratory is of a different 
 kind ; not exact reports of spoken words, but the substance, 
 it may be, of several similar speeches worked up afresh into 
 a form of written discourse. In this wider sense, the ora- 
 torical literature of the Bible is of considerable extent ; it 
 includes the prophetic discourses, and reflects the fervid 
 contests over first principles of righteousness which con- 
 stituted the main life of Israel. The principal varieties 
 of Biblical oratory are illustrated in this volume. 
 
 Philosophy has an important place in Scripture. The 
 word however is not there used to describe a division of 
 literature, but the sacred philosophy is called ' wisdom,' — 
 n term suggestive of its close application to matters of 
 ix 
 
^ Introduction 
 
 human life and duty. This Wisdom literature started 
 from the ^proverbs' — simple thoughts conveyed in a 
 couplet or triplet of verse, which were collected together 
 by King Solomon and other of the wise men of Israel. 
 From these proverbs the form of wisdom enlarged to verse 
 epigrams and sonnets, or prose maxims and essays, until 
 we find books of wisdom comprehending complete systems 
 of thought. To catch the development of this Wisdom 
 literature, it is necessary to take in two books of ^The 
 Apocrypha'; a portion of sacred Scripture which in the 
 Jast century used to be bound up with Bibles, standing in 
 its historical position between the Old and New Testa- 
 ments, though now it is usually separated. In theology, 
 which is concerned with questions of authority, the dis- 
 tinction between the Bible and the Apocrypha is funda-> 
 mental : the one is accepted as authoritative in matters of 
 faith, whereas the Apocryphal books are merely recom- 
 mended for devout reading. But in literary study the dis- 
 tinction disappears ; and two books of the Apocrypha are 
 of the highest literary importance, — Ecclesiasticus and The 
 Wisdom of Solo7non. The Wisdom series of the Modern 
 Reader's Bible arranges the representative books of Bibli- 
 cal philosophy in the order of its logical development. 
 The Proverbs is a Miscellany of Sayings and Poems, em- 
 bodying isolated observations of life. Ecclesiasticus is a 
 Miscellany including longer compositions, but still embody- 
 ing only isolated observations of life. In Ecclesiastes we 
 
 X 
 
Introduction 
 
 find a connected series of writings, in which attempt is 
 made to solve the mystery of the universe : but the attempt 
 breaks down in despair* The Wisdoin of Solomon renews 
 the attempt in the light of an immortal life beyond the 
 grave, and despair yields to serenity of spirit. The four 
 books thus reflect a philosophical advance. In The Book 
 of Job — one of the world's literary marvels — men's vary- 
 ing attitudes towards the mystery of life are represented 
 in various speakers, and drawn together into a unity by 
 the movement of a dramatic plot. Such is the wisdom of 
 the sacred Scriptures viewed as a whole ; in the present 
 volume it is only possible to illustrate the different forms, 
 whether of poetry or of prose, in which Biblical philosophy 
 is conveyed. 
 
 Biblical Lyrics may be mentioned next. Originally, all 
 poetry was spoken with musical accompaniment ; when 
 this primitive literature began to divide up into specialised 
 forms, Lyric was the literary form which retained most of 
 the spirit of music. It includes Songs and Odes, in which 
 the very structure of the poem is determined by the mode 
 of its performance ; Psalms and Lamentations ; the Tra- 
 ditional Poetry scattered through the historical books ; 
 again, considerable portions of prophetic literature are 
 found to take a lyric form. Even in the ordinary versions 
 the Psalms and Lamentations retain something of their 
 poetic structure ; the less obvious features of lyric rhythm 
 will be illustrated in the selections admitted into this volume, 
 xi 
 
Introduction 
 
 Of the fundamental divisions of literature there yet 
 remains one — the Drama. The relation of this to the 
 Bible is interesting. It is impossible to read the script- 
 ures of the Old Testament without feeling that the genius 
 of the Hebrew people is strongly dramatic. Yet the natu- 
 ral instrument for the expression of dramatic creations — 
 the theatre — is not a Hebrew institution. Accordingly 
 the dramatic instinct, denied its readiest outlet, is found to 
 leaven all other literary forms. We have already noticed 
 dramatic wisdom in Job, Dramatic lyrics are found, not 
 only in some of the psalms, but on a larger scale in the 
 love songs of Solomon.* But there is a more important 
 type of dramatic literature in the sacred Scriptures. The 
 prophets of Israel were not only statesmen and preachers, 
 they were also poets, and from them has come down to us 
 a form of spiritual drama to which may be given the name 
 ^ Rhapsody.' 
 
 These spiritual dramas of the prophets are occupied 
 with that fundamental topic of Hebrew thought which is 
 expressed by the word ^judgment' : the eternal contest 
 between good and evil, and the Divine overthrow of 
 wrong. They are dramas which no actual theatre could 
 ever express, for their action covers all space and all time. 
 Their personages include not only the prophet and the 
 
 * This Lyric Idyl of 'Solomon's Song,' together with some narrated 
 stories of the same idyllic spirit, are united in a single volume of this series 
 under the name of Biblical Idyls. 
 
 xii 
 
Introductioa 
 
 nation of Israel, but also God himself and the celestial 
 hosts. The working of events towards the judgment is 
 brought out before us with the general impression of 
 dramatic movement ; but the means by which this move- 
 ment is realised go beyond the machinery of drama : not 
 only dialogue and monologue, but song and even discourse 
 are made to bear their part in the total effect. The grand 
 example of rhapsody which covers the latter part of our 
 BaoJt of Isaiah can be represented in the present volume 
 only by its prelude and one of its seven acts or * visions.^ 
 But some of the shorter, and hardly less splendid, rhap- 
 sodies are given in full ; and the selections further illus- 
 trate how a prophecy may set out as a simple discourse, 
 and suddenly rise to the level of rhapsodic presentation. 
 
 I believe few people realise what an immense addition 
 has been made to the literary patrimony of the English 
 reader by the Revised Version of the Bible, and such 
 other presentations of the sacred Scriptures as this Re- 
 vised Version has made possible. The language of Bibli- 
 cal writers, and the sentences of which their writings are 
 made up, have long been familiar through the earlier ver- 
 sions ; the Revisers, by the attention they have given to 
 connectedness of thought, have carried forward translated 
 language into translated literature. It is thus open to a 
 person of average culture to add to his other mental 
 possessions the whole expression of itself which a great 
 people has made in poetry and prose throughout all the 
 xiii 
 
Introduction 
 
 periods of its development. With the exception of hu- 
 morous writing, which is foreign to the genius of the 
 ancient Hebrews, the whole range of literary production is 
 here illustrated ; and varieties of literary form are presented 
 to which classic Greek or modern European writers furnish 
 no parallel. It is a literature numbering among its authors 
 some who — by critics entirely outside the ranks of theolo- 
 gians — have been classed with the greatest names in the 
 world^s roll of honour. More than this, the English reader 
 who gives attention to the literary side of the Bible is study- 
 ing what is to him ancestral literature. The Hebrew 
 writers of the Old Testament, and their followers the 
 Christian Hebrews of the New Testament, have been the 
 inspiration of those who have inspired our own writers : 
 their style has largely leavened the style of modern Eng- 
 lish, their thought has become so closely interwoven with 
 English thought of the last three centuries that it is im- 
 possible to sever the two. And, if the question be of 
 what is higher than literary impressions, no reader need 
 fear that the more sacred uses of the Bible will be imper- 
 illed by his reading, not with the spirit only, but with the 
 understanding also. 
 
 In this, as in the other volumes of this series, the text of 
 the Selections is that of the Revised Version, the marginal 
 alternatives being often substituted for the readings in the 
 xiv 
 
Introduction 
 
 text. For the use of this Revised Version I express my 
 obligation to the University Presses of Oxford and Cam- 
 bridge. A Reference Table at the end connects the Selec- 
 tions with the volumes of the Modern Reader's Bible from 
 which they are taken, and with the chapters and verses of 
 the ordinary versions. 
 
 XV 
 
< 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 STORIES 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I Joseph and his Brethren ..... 5 
 II The Witness of Balaam to Israel .... 32 
 
 III The Crowning of Abimelech 43 
 
 IV Samson's Wedding F'east 49 
 
 V The Expedition against Elisha . . . .53 
 
 VI The Dream of the Tree cut down • • . . 55 
 VII Belshazzar's Feast 60 
 
 ORATORY 
 
 I The Oration of Moses at the Rehearsal of the 
 
 Blessing and the Curse 67 
 
 II A Discourse on Immortality and the Covenant with 
 Death 
 
 III Isaiah : The Great Arraignment .... 84 
 
 IV Isaiah : The Covenant with Death .... 87 
 
 V Isaiah: The Utter Destruction and the Great 
 
 Restoration 90 
 
 VI Ezekiel: The Sword of the Lord . ... 93 
 xvii 
 
Contents 
 
 PAGE 
 
 VII Ezekiel : Wreck of the Goodly Ship Tyre . .98 
 VIII Prophetic Sentences (from Jeremiah) . . .101 
 
 WISDOM 
 
 Wisdom Brevities 107 
 
 Essays 11 2-1 24 
 
 i Wisdom's Way with her Children . . .112 
 
 ii Prosperity and Adversity are from the Lord . . 113 
 
 iii Against Gossip 114 
 
 iv On the Tongue 115 
 
 V Choice of Company 116 
 
 vi The Wisdom of Business and the Wisdom of 
 
 Leisure 120 
 
 vii Life as a Joy shadowed by the Judgment (with a 
 
 Sonnet: The Coming of the Evil Days) . .123 
 Sonnets 125-138 
 
 i The Sluggard 125 
 
 ii The Mourning for the Fool . . » . .126 
 
 iii The Two Paths .126 
 
 iv The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize 127 
 
 V Watchfulness of Lips and Heart . . . .129 
 
 vi Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord . . .130 
 
 vii Wisdom and the Strange Woman . . .132 
 
Contents 
 
 LYRICS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I An Elegy of a Broken Heart 141 
 
 II The Creator's Joy in his Creation . . , .143 
 
 III Song of Moses and Miriam 149 
 
 IV Deborah's Song . . , . , , .152 
 V David's Lament 1^8 
 
 VI David's Song of Victory 160 
 
 VII The Bride's Reminiscences : a Lyric Idyl . .165 
 VIII Jeremiah : The Battle of Carchemish . . .168 
 IX A Song of Zion Redeemed (from the Isaiahan 
 
 Rhapsody) 1 70 
 
 X Isaiah: Doom of Babylon 175 
 
 XI Nahum: Doom of Nineveh . . . . .182 
 
 RHAPSODY 
 
 I Jeremiah: Rhapsody of the Drought . , .193 
 II Habakkuk : Rhapsody of the Chaldeans . , 200 
 
 III Joel : Rhapsody of the Locust Plague . . . 209 
 
 IV Jeremiah : The Hurt of the Daughter of my People 
 
 (A Rhapsodic Discourse) 222 
 
 xix 
 
Contents 
 
 PAGE 
 
 V Micah : The Lord's Controversy before the Moun- 
 tains (A Dramatic Morceau) .... 226 
 VI Prelude to the Rhapsody of Zion Redeemed . . 228 
 VII Zion Awakened (Vision III of the Rhapsody of 
 
 Zion Redeemed) . . . . . .231 
 
 X3L 
 
Masterpieces 
 
 OF 
 
 Biblical Literature 
 
Stories 
 
/ 
 
 JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN 
 
 And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, 
 in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of 
 Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding 
 the flock with his brethren ; and he was a lad with the 
 sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's 
 wives : and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto 
 their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his 
 children, because he was the son of his old age : and he 
 made him a coat of many colours. And his brethren saw 
 that their father loved him more than all his brethren; 
 and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto 
 him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his 
 brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he 
 said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have 
 dreamed : for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, 
 and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright ; and, be- 
 hold, your sheaves came round about, and made obeisance 
 to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou 
 indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion 
 over us ? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, 
 and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, 
 5 
 
Stories 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have 
 dreamed yet a dream ; and, behold, the sun and the moon 
 and eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it 
 to his father, and to his brethren ; and his father rebuked 
 him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast 
 dreamed ? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren in- 
 deed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 
 And his brethren envied him ; but his father kept the say- 
 ing in mind. 
 
 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in She- 
 chem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren 
 feed the flock in Shechem ? come, and I will send thee unto 
 them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to 
 him. Go now, see whether it be well with thy brethren, 
 and well with the flock ; and bring me word again. So he . 
 sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to She- 
 chem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he 
 was wandering in a field : and the man asked him, say- 
 ing. What seekest thou ? And he said, I seek my brethren : 
 tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the flock. 
 And the man said, They are departed hence : for I heard 
 them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after 
 his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And they saw 
 him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they 
 conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to 
 another. Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now there- 
 fore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, 
 6 
 
Biblical Literature Stories 
 
 and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him : and 
 we shall see what will become of his dreams. And Reu- 
 ben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand ; and 
 said, Let us not take his life. And Reuben said unto 
 them, Shed no blood ; cast him into this pit that is in the 
 wilderness, but lay no hand upon him : that he might de- 
 liver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 
 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his 
 brethren, that they stript Joseph of his coat, the coat of 
 many colours that was on him ; and they took him, and 
 cast him into the pit : and the pit was empty, there was 
 no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and 
 they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a travel- 
 ling company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their 
 camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to 
 carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, 
 What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his 
 blood ? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let 
 not our hand be upon him ; for he is our brother, our flesh. 
 And his brethren hearkened unto him. And there passed 
 by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted 
 up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmael- 
 ites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph 
 into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the pit ; and, be- 
 hold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 
 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is 
 not; and I, whither shall I go? And they took Joseph's 
 7 
 
Stories Masterpieces of 
 
 coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the 
 blood ; and they sent the coat of many colours, and they 
 brought it to their father ; and said, This have we found : 
 know now whether it be thy son's coat or not. And he 
 knew it, and said, It is my son's coat ; an evil beast hath 
 devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. 
 And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his 
 loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his 
 sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him ; but he 
 refused to be comforted ; and he said. For I will go down 
 to the grave to my son mourning. And his father wept 
 for him. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto 
 Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard. 
 
 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt ; and Potiphar, 
 an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyp- 
 tian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, which 
 had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with 
 Joseph and he was a prosperous man ; and he was in the 
 house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw 
 that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all 
 that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found 
 grace in his sight, and he ministered unto him : and he 
 made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he 
 put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that 
 he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he 
 had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for 
 Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon 
 8 
 
Biblical Literature 8«- 
 
 Stories 
 
 all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he 
 left all that he had in Joseph's hand ; and he knew not 
 aught that was with him, save the bread which he did 
 eat. 
 
 And Joseph was comely and well favoured. And it 
 came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast 
 her eyes upon Joseph ; and she said, Lie with me. But 
 he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my 
 master knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he 
 hath put all that he hath into my hand; there is none 
 greater in this house than I ; neither hath he kept back, 
 any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife; 
 how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against 
 God? And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day 
 by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or 
 to be with her. And it came to pass about this time, that 
 he went into the house to do his work ; and there was none 
 of the men of the house there within. And she caught him 
 by his garment, saying, Lie with me : and he left his gar- 
 ment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. And it came 
 to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her 
 hand, and was fled forth, that she called unto the men 
 of her house, and spake unto them, saying. See, he hath 
 brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us ; he came in 
 unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice : and 
 it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice 
 and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled, and 
 
Stories 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 got him out. And she laid up his garment by her, until 
 his master came home. And she spake unto him accord- 
 ing to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which 
 thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 
 and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that 
 he left his garment by me, and fled out. And it came to 
 pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which 
 she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy 
 servant to me ; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's 
 master took him, and put him into the prison, the place 
 where the king's prisoners were bound : and he was there 
 in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed 
 kindness unto him, and gave him favour in the sight of the 
 keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison com- 
 mitted to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the 
 prison ; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of 
 it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that 
 was under his hand, because the Lord was with him ; and 
 that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper. 
 
 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler 
 of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the 
 king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against his two 
 officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the 
 chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the 
 house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place 
 where Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard 
 charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them ; 
 
 lO 
 
Biblical Literature S^- 
 
 Stories 
 
 and they continued a season in ward. And they dreamed 
 a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, 
 each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the 
 butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were 
 bound in the prison. And Joseph came in unto them 
 in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they were 
 sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with 
 him in ward in his master's house, saying. Wherefore 
 look ye so sadly today ? And they said unto him. We 
 have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can in- 
 terpret it. And Joseph said unto them. Do not inter- 
 pretations belong to God ? tell it me, I pray you. And 
 the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him. 
 In my dream, behold, a vine was before me ; and in the 
 vine were three branches : and it was as though it budded, 
 and its blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof 
 brought forth ripe grapes: and Pharaoh's cup was in my 
 hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into 
 Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. 
 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it.* 
 the three branches are three days ; within yet three days 
 shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto 
 thine office: and thou shalt give Pharaoh's cup into his 
 hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. 
 But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well 
 with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and 
 make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of 
 II 
 
Stories 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 this house: for indeed I was stolen away out of the land 
 of the Hebrews : and here also have I done nothing that 
 they should put me into the dungeon. When the chief 
 baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto 
 Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, three baskets 
 of white bread were on my head : and in the uppermost 
 basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh ; 
 and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my 
 head. And Joseph answered and said, This is the inter- 
 pretation thereof: the three baskets are three days ; within 
 yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, 
 and shall hang thee on a tree ; and the birds shall eat thy 
 flesh from off thee. And it came to pass the third day, 
 which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto 
 all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief 
 butler and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 
 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again ; 
 and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand : but he hanged 
 the chief baker : as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet 
 did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him. 
 
 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that 
 Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. 
 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, 
 well favoured and fatfieshed ; and they fed in the reed- 
 grass. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them 
 out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed ; and stood 
 by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And the 
 1st 
 
Biblical Literature 8«- 
 
 Stories 
 
 ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well 
 favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept 
 and dreamed a second time ; and, behold, seven ears of 
 corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, 
 seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up 
 after them. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven 
 rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it 
 was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning that 
 his spirit was troubled ; and he sent and called for all the 
 magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and 
 Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that 
 could interpret them unto Pharaoh. Then spake the chief 
 butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this 
 day ; Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in 
 ward in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the 
 chief baker : and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and 
 he ; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation 
 of his dream. And there was with us there a young man, 
 an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard ; and we 
 told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each 
 man according to his dream he did interpret. And it 
 came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was ; me he 
 restored unto mine office, and him he hanged. 
 
 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought 
 him hastily out of the dungeon : and he shaved himself, 
 and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. 
 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a drearo, 
 13 
 
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 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 and there is none that can interpret it : and I have heard 
 say of thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst 
 interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is 
 not in me : God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. 
 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I 
 stood upon the brink of the river : and, behold, there came 
 up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured ; 
 and they fed in the reed-grass : and, behold, seven other 
 kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and 
 leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt 
 for badness : and the lean and ill favoured kine did eat up 
 the first seven fat kine : and when they had eaten them up, 
 it could not be known that they had eaten them ; but they 
 were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. 
 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up 
 upon one stalk, full and good: and, behold, seven ears, 
 withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up 
 after them : and the thin ears swallowed up the seven 
 good ears : and I told it unto the magicians ; but there 
 was none that could declare it to me. And Joseph said 
 unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one : what God 
 is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh. The seven 
 good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are 
 seven years: the dream is one. And the seven lean 
 and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven 
 years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east 
 wind; they shall be seven years of famine. That is the 
 ^4 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 thing which I spake unto Pharaoh : what God is about 
 to do he hath shewed unto Pharaoh. Behold, there 
 come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land 
 'of Egypt : and there shall arise after them seven years of 
 famine ; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of 
 Egypt ; and the famine shall consume the land ; and the 
 plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that 
 famine which followeth ; for it shall be very grievous. 
 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, 
 it is because the thing is established by God, and God will 
 shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look 
 out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of 
 Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint over- 
 seers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land 
 of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them 
 gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay 
 up corn under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, 
 and let them keep it. And the food shall be for a store to 
 the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be 
 in the land of Egypt ; that the land perish not through the 
 famine. 
 
 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in 
 the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his 
 servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom 
 the spirit of God is ? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, For- 
 asmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so 
 discreet and wise as thou : thou shalt be over my house, 
 IS 
 
Stories 
 
 -59 Masterpieces of 
 
 and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled : 
 only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And 
 Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the 
 land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from 
 his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him 
 in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his 
 neck; and he made him to ride in the second chariot 
 which he had ; and they cried before him, Bow the knee : 
 and he set him over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh 
 said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no 
 man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt. 
 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah ; and 
 he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera 
 priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 
 
 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before 
 Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the 
 presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of 
 Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years the earth 
 brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the 
 food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, 
 and laid up the food in the cities : the food of the field, 
 which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. 
 And Joseph laid up corn as the sand of the sea, very much, 
 until he left numbering ; for it was without number. 
 
 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of 
 famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera 
 priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name 
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Biblical Literature 8«*- 
 
 Stories 
 
 of the first born < Manasseh ' : For, said he, God hath < made 
 me forget ' all my toil, and all my father's house. And the 
 name of the second called he * Ephraim ' : For God hath 
 made me ^ fruitful ' in the land of my affliction. 
 
 And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of 
 Egypt, came to an end. And the seven years of famine 
 began to come, according as Joseph had said : and there 
 was famine in all lands ; but in all the land of Egypt there 
 was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, 
 the people cried to Pharaoh for bread : and Pharaoh said 
 unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph ; what he saith to 
 you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth : 
 and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the 
 Egyptians ; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt. 
 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy 
 corn ; because the famine was sore in all the earth. 
 
 Now Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, and Jacob 
 said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 
 And he said. Behold, I have heard that there is corn in 
 Egypt • get you down thither, and buy for us from thence ; 
 that we may live, and not die. And Joseph's ten brethren 
 went down to buy corn from Egypt. But Benjamin, 
 Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren ; for he 
 said, Lest perad venture mischief befall him. And the 
 sons of Israel came to buy among those that came : for 
 the famine was in the land of Canaan. And Joseph was 
 the governor over the land ; he it was that sold to all the 
 c 17 
 
. . -»8 Masterpieces of 
 Stones -— £ 
 
 people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and 
 bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the 
 earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, 
 but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly 
 with them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? 
 And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 
 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not 
 him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he 
 dreamed of them, and said unto them. Ye are spies; to 
 see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And they 
 said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy ser- 
 vants come. We are all one man's sons; we are true 
 men, thy servants are no spies. And he said unto them, 
 Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 
 And they said. We thy servants are twelve brethren, the 
 sons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and, behold, the 
 youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. And 
 Joseph said unto them. That is it that I spake unto you, 
 saying, Ye are spies: hereby ye shall be proved: by the 
 life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your 
 youngest brother come hither. Send one of you, and let 
 him fetch your brother, and ye shall be bound, that your 
 words may be proved, whether there be truth in you : or 
 else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he 
 put them all together into ward three days. 
 
 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and 
 Uve; for I fear God: if ye be true men, let one of your 
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Biblical Literature 8^ 
 
 Stories 
 
 brethren be bound in your prison house ; but go ye, carry 
 corn for the famine of your houses : and bring your young- 
 est brother unto me ; so shall your words be verified, and 
 ye shall not die. And they did so. And they said one to 
 another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in 
 that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, 
 and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come 
 upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying. Spake I 
 not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child ; and ye 
 would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is re- 
 quired. And they knew not that Joseph understood them ; 
 for there was an interpreter between them. And he turned 
 himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to 
 them, and spake to them, and took Simeon from among 
 them, and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph com- 
 manded to fill their vessels with corn, and to restore every 
 man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for 
 the way : and thus was it done unto them. And they laded 
 their asses with their corn, and departed thence. And as 
 one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in 
 the lodging place, he espied his money ; and, behold, it was 
 in the mouth of his sack. And he said unto his brethren. 
 My money is restored ; and, lo, it is even in my sack : and 
 their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to 
 another, saying, What is this that God hath done unto us? 
 
 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of 
 Canaan, and told him all that had befallen them: saying, 
 
 19 
 
Stories 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 The man, the lord of the land, spake roughly with us, and 
 took us for spies of the country. And we said unto him, 
 We are true men ; we are no spies : we be twelve brethren, 
 sons of our father ; one is not, and the youngest is this 
 day with our father in the land of Canaan. And the man, 
 the lord of the land, said unto us, Hereby shall I know 
 that ye are true men ; leave one of your brethren with me, 
 and take corn for the famine of your houses, and go your 
 way: and bring your youngest brother unto me: then 
 shall I know that ye are no spies,^but that ye are true men : 
 so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in 
 the land. And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, 
 that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack : 
 and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, 
 they were afraid. And Jacob their father said unto them. 
 Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and 
 Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away : all these 
 things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his 
 father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to 
 thee : deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to 
 thee again. And he said. My son shall not go down with 
 you ; for his brother is dead, and he only is left : if mis- 
 chief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall 
 ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 
 
 And the famine was sore in the land. And it came to . 
 pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had 
 brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go 
 20 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto him, 
 saying. The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying. Ye 
 shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. If 
 thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and 
 buy thee food : but if thou wilt not send him, we will not 
 go down ; for the man said unto us. Ye shall not see my 
 face, except your brother be with you. And Israel said. 
 Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man 
 whether ye had yet a brother? And they said, The man 
 asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our 
 kindred, saying. Is your father yet alive? have ye another 
 brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these 
 words : could we in any wise know that he would say, 
 Bring your brother down? And Judah said unto Israel 
 his father. Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go ; 
 that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also 
 our little ones. I will be surety for him ; of my hand shalt 
 thou require him : if I bring him not unto thee, and set 
 him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever : for 
 except we had lingered, surely we had now returned a 
 second time. And their father Israel said unto them. If it 
 be so now, do this ; take of the choice fruits of the land in 
 your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little 
 balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and 
 almonds : and take double money in your hand ; and the 
 money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry 
 again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 
 
 21 
 
Stories 
 
 -38 Masterpieces of 
 
 take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man : 
 and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that 
 he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. 
 And if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. 
 
 And the men took that present, and they took double 
 money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and 
 went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. And when 
 Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of 
 his house. Bring the men into the house, and slay, and 
 make ready; for the men shall dine with me at noon. 
 And the man did as Joseph bade ; and the man brought 
 the men into Joseph's house. And the men were afraid, 
 because they were brought into Joseph's house ; and they 
 said. Because of the money that was returned in our sacks 
 at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek 
 occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for 
 bondmen, and our asses. And they came near to the 
 steward of Joseph's house, and they spake unto him at the 
 door of the house, and said. Oh my lord, we came indeed 
 down at the first time to buy food : and it came to pass, 
 when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our 
 sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth 
 of his sack, our money in full weight : and we have brought 
 it again in our hand. And other money have we brought 
 down in our hand to buy food : we know not who put our 
 money in our sacks. And he said, Peace be to you, fear 
 not : your God, and the God of your father, hath given 
 
 22 
 
Biblical Literature S^- 
 
 Stories 
 
 you treasure in your sacks : I had your money. And he 
 brought Sifneon out unto them. And the man brought 
 the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and 
 they washed their feet ; and he gave their asses provender. 
 
 And they made ready the present against Joseph came 
 at noon : for they heard that they should eat bread there. 
 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the pres- 
 ent which was in their hand into the house, and bowed 
 down themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them 
 of their welfare, and said. Is your father well, the old man 
 of whom ye spake ? Is he yet alive ? And they said, Thy 
 servant our father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed 
 the head, and made obeisance. And he lifted up his eyes, 
 and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and said. 
 Is this your youngest brother, of whom ye spake unto me? 
 And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And 
 Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his 
 brother : and he sought where to weep ; and he entered 
 into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his 
 face, and came out ; and he refrained himself, and said, 
 Set on bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for 
 them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat 
 with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might 
 not eat bread with the Hebrews ; for that is an abomina- 
 tion unto the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the 
 firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest 
 according to his youth : and the men marvelled one with 
 23 
 
Stories 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 another. And he took and sent messes unto them from 
 before him : but Benjamin's mess was five times so much 
 as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with 
 him. 
 
 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, 
 Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, 
 and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. And put 
 my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the young- 
 est, and his corn money. And he did according to the 
 word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning 
 was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 
 And when they were gone out of the city, and were not 
 yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after 
 the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto 
 them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? Is not 
 this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed 
 divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. And he over- 
 took them, and he spake unto them these words. And 
 they said unto him. Wherefore speaketh my lord such 
 words as these ? God forbid that thy servants should do 
 such a thing. Behold, the money, which we found in our 
 sacks* mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land 
 of Canaan : how then should we steal out of thy lord's 
 house silver or gold ? With whomsoever of thy servants 
 it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's bond- 
 men. And he said, Now also let it be according unto 
 your words : he with whom it is found shall be my bond- 
 24 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 man; and ye shall be blameless. Then they hasted, and 
 took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened 
 every man his sack. And he searched, and began at the 
 eldest, and left at the youngest : and the cup was found in 
 Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded 
 every man his ass, and returned to the city. 
 
 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house ; 
 and he was yet there: and they fell before him on the 
 ground. And Joseph said unto them. What deed is this 
 that ye have done ? know ye not that such a man as I can 
 indeed divine? And Judah said. What shall we say unto 
 my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear our- 
 selves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants : 
 behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he also in 
 whose hand the cup is found. And he said, God forbid 
 that I should do so: the man in whose hand the cup is 
 found, he shall be my bondman ; but as for you, get you up 
 in peace unto your father. 
 
 Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, 
 let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, 
 and let not thine anger burn against thy servant : for thou 
 art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying. 
 Have ye a father, or a brother? And we said unto my 
 lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old 
 age, a little one ; and his brother is dead, and he alone is 
 left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou 
 saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I 
 S5 
 
Stories 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, 
 The lad cannot leave his father : for if he should leave his 
 father, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy 
 servants. Except your youngest brother come down with 
 you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came to pass 
 when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him 
 the words of my lord. And our father said, Go again, buy 
 us a little food. And we said, We cannot go down : if our 
 youngest brother be with us, then will we go down : for we 
 may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother 
 be with us. And thy servant my father said unto us. Ye 
 know that my wife bare me two sons : and the one went 
 out from me, and I said. Surely he is torn in pieces ; and I 
 have not seen him since : and if he take this one also from 
 me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray 
 hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore when I 
 come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us ; 
 seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life ; it shall 
 come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, 
 that he will die : and thy servants shall bring down the 
 gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the 
 grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto 
 my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then shall 
 I bear the blame to my father for ever. Now therefore, 
 let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a 
 bondman to my lord ; and let the lad go up with his breth- 
 ren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be 
 26 
 
Biblical Literature B*- 
 
 Stories 
 
 not with me? lest I see the evil that shall come on my 
 father. 
 
 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them 
 that stood by him ; and he cried, Cause every man to go 
 out from me. And there stood no man with him, while 
 Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he 
 wept aloud: and the Egyptians heard, and the house of 
 Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am 
 Joseph ; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could 
 not answer him ; for they were troubled at his presence. 
 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I 
 pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am 
 Joseph your brother whom ye sold into Egypt. And now 
 be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me 
 hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 
 For these two years hath the famine been in the land : and 
 there are yet five years in the which there shall be neither 
 plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to pre- 
 serve you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by 
 a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me 
 hither, but God : and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, 
 and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of 
 Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto 
 him. Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of 
 all Egypt : come down unto me, tarry not : and thou shalt 
 dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto 
 me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, 
 
 27 
 
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 Masterpieces of 
 
 and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast : and 
 there will I nourish thee ; for there are yet five years of 
 famine ; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, 
 and all that thou hast. And, behold, your eyes see, and 
 the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that 
 speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my 
 glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen ; and ye shall 
 haste and bring down my father hither. And he fell upon 
 his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin 
 wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brethren, and 
 wept upon them : and after that his brethren talked with 
 him. 
 
 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, say- 
 ing, Joseph's brethren are come : and it pleased Pharaoh 
 well, and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, 
 Say unto thy brethren. This do ye ; lade your beasts, and 
 go, get you unto the land of Canaan ; and take your father 
 and your households, and come unto me : and I will give 
 you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat 
 of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye ; take 
 you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, 
 and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Also 
 regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt 
 is yours. And the sons of Israel did so : and Joseph gave 
 them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, 
 and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he 
 gave each man changes of raiment ; but to Benjamin he 
 28 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of 
 raiment. And to his father he sent after this manner ; ten 
 asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she- 
 asses, laden with corn and bread and victual for his father 
 by the way. So he sent his brethren away, and they de- 
 parted : and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by 
 the way. 
 
 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land 
 of Canaan unto Jacob their father. And they told him, 
 saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land 
 of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he believed them 
 not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he 
 had said unto them : and when he saw the wagons which 
 Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their 
 father revived : and Israel said, It is enough ; Joseph my 
 son is yet alive : I will go and see him before I die. 
 
 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and 
 came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God 
 of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the 
 visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he 
 said. Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of 
 thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will 
 there make of thee a great nation : I will go down with 
 thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up 
 again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. 
 And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of 
 Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, 
 29 
 
„ . ^ Masterpiec es of 
 Stories ■ — 
 
 and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent 
 to carry him. And they took their cattle, and their goods, 
 which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came 
 into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: his sons, 
 and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons 
 daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into 
 
 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to shew 
 the way before him unto Goshen ; and they came into 
 the land of Goshen. And Joseph made ready his chariot, 
 and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he 
 presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept 
 on his neck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph, 
 Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art 
 yet alive. And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unta 
 his father's house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will 
 say unto him. My brethren, and my father's house, whicn 
 were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; and the 
 men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle ; 
 and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and 
 all that they have. And it shall come to pass, when 
 Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say. What is your occu- 
 pation? that ye shall say. Thy servants have been keepers 
 of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our 
 fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for 
 every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 
 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My 
 30 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, 
 and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan ; 
 and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. And from 
 among his brethren he took five men, and presented them 
 unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto his brethren. 
 What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, 
 Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers. 
 And they said unto Pharaoh, To sojourn in the land are 
 we come ; for there is no pasture for thy servants' flocks ; 
 for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan : now, there- 
 fore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of 
 Goshen. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy 
 father and thy brethren are come unto thee : the land of 
 Egypt is before thee ; in the best of the land make thy 
 father and thy brethren to dwell : in the land of Goshen 
 let them dwell : and if thou knowest any able men among 
 them, then make them rulers over my cattle. And Joseph 
 brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh : 
 and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto 
 Jacob, How many are the days of the years of thy life? 
 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of 
 my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years : few and 
 evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they 
 have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of 
 my fathers in the days of their pilgrimao^e. And Jacob 
 blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of 
 Pharaoh. And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, 
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 and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the 
 best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had 
 commanded. And Joseph nourished his father, and his 
 brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, accord- 
 ing to their families. 
 
 // 
 
 THE WITNESS OF BALAAM TO ISRAEL 
 
 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done 
 to the Amorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, 
 because they were many : and Moab was distressed because 
 of the children of Israel. And Moab said unto the elders 
 of Midian, Now shall this multitude lick up all that is 
 round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. 
 And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that 
 time. And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of 
 Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the 
 children of his people, to call him, saying. Behold, there is 
 a people come out from Egypt : behold, they cover the 
 face of the earth, and they abide over against me : come 
 now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people ; foT they 
 are too mighty for me : peradventure I shall prevail, that 
 we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the 
 land : for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, 
 and he whom thou cursest is cursed. And the elders of 
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 Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards 
 of divination in their hand ; and they came unto Balaam, 
 and spake unto him the words of Balak. And he said unto 
 them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word 
 again, as the Lord shall speak unto me : and the princes 
 of Moab abode with Balaam. And God came unto 
 Balaam, and said. What men are these with thee ? And 
 Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of 
 Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, Behold, the people that 
 is come out of Egypt, it covereth the face of the earth : 
 now, come curse me them ; peradventure I shall be able 
 to fight against them, and shall drive them out. And God 
 said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them ; thou 
 shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. And 
 Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes 
 of Balak, Get you into your land : for the Lord refuseth to 
 give me leave to go with you. 
 
 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto 
 Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. And 
 Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable 
 than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him. 
 Thus saith Balak, the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I 
 pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me ; for I will 
 promote thee unto very great honour, and whatsoever 
 thou sayest unto me I will do : come therefore, I pray 
 thee, curse me this people. And Balaam ansv/ered and 
 said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give 
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 me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond 
 the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now 
 therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that 
 I may know what the Lord will speak unto me more. And 
 God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him. If the 
 men be come to call thee, rise up, go with them ; but only 
 the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do. 
 
 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his 
 ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God's 
 anger was kindled because he went : and the angel of the 
 Lord placed himself in the way for an adversary against 
 him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two 
 servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of 
 the Lord standing in the way, with his sword drawn in 
 his hand : and the ass turned aside out of the way, and 
 went into the field : and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her 
 into the way. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a 
 hollow way between the vineyards, a fence being on this 
 side, and a fence on that side. And the ass saw the 
 angel of the Lord, and she thrust herself unto the wall, 
 and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote 
 her again. And the angel of the Lord went further, 
 and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn 
 either to the right hand or to the left. And the ass saw 
 the angel of the Lord, and she lay down under Balaam ; 
 and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass 
 with his stalf. And the Lord opened the mouth of the 
 34 
 
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 ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto 
 thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times ? And 
 Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me : 
 I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now I had 
 killed thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I 
 thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy life long 
 unto this day ? was I ever wont to do so unto thee ? And 
 he said. Nay. Then the Lord opened the eyes of 
 Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the 
 way, with his sword drawn in his hand : and he bowed his 
 head, and fell on his face. And the angel of the Lord 
 said unto him. Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass 
 these three times ? behold, I am come forth for an adver- 
 sary, because thy way is perverse before me : and the ass 
 saw me, and turned aside before me these three times : 
 unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had 
 even slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said 
 unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned ; for I knew not 
 that thou stoodest in the way against me : now therefore, if 
 it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel 
 of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men : but only 
 the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt 
 speak. 
 
 So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. And when 
 Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet 
 him unto the city of Moab, which is on the border of 
 Arnon, which is in the utmost part of the border. And 
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 Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto 
 thee to call thee? wherefore earnest thou not unto me? am 
 I not able indeed to promote thee to honour? And 
 Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee : have I 
 now any power at all to speak anything? the word that 
 God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. 
 
 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto 
 Kiriath-huzoth. And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, 
 and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 
 And it came to pass in the morning, that Balak took 
 Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, 
 and he saw from thence the utmost part of the people. 
 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, 
 and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. And 
 Balak did as Balaam had spoken ; and Balak and Balaam 
 offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. And Balaam 
 said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will 
 go ; peradventure the Lord will come to meet me : and 
 whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went 
 to a bare height. And God met Balaam: and he said 
 unto him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have 
 offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. And the 
 Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto 
 Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto 
 him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, he, and all 
 the princes of Moab. And he took up his parable, and 
 said: 
 
 3^ 
 
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 From Aram hath Balak brought me, 
 
 The king of Moab from the mountains of the East : 
 Come, curse me Jacob, 
 
 And come, defy Israel. 
 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? 
 
 And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? 
 For from the top of the rocks I see him. 
 
 And from the hills I behold him : 
 Lo, it is a people that dwell alone, 
 
 And shall not be reckoned among the nations. 
 Who can count the dust of Jacob, 
 
 Or number the fourth part of Israel? 
 Let me die the death of the righteous, 
 
 And let my last end be like his ! 
 
 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto 
 me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou 
 hast blessed them altogether. And he answered and said, 
 Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord putteth 
 in my mouth ? 
 
 And Balak said unto him. Come, I pray thee, with me 
 unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them ; 
 thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not 
 see them all : and curse me them from thence. And he took 
 him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built 
 seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every 
 altar. And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt 
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 Masterpieces of 
 
 offering, while I meet the Lord yonder. And the Lord 
 met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return 
 unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak. And he came to 
 him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, and the 
 princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, 
 What hath the Lord spoken? And he took up his 
 parable, and said : 
 
 Rise up, Balak, and hear ; 
 
 Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor : 
 God is not a man, that he should lie ; 
 
 Neither the son of man, that he should repent : 
 Hath he said, and shall he not do it? 
 
 Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it 
 good? 
 
 Behold, I have received commandment to bless : 
 And he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it. 
 
 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, 
 
 Neither hath he seen perverseness jn Israel: 
 
 The Lord his God is with him, 
 
 And the shout of a king is among them. 
 
 God bringeth them forth out of Egypt ; 
 
 He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox. 
 
 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, 
 
 Neither is there any divination against Israel : 
 Now shall it be said of Jacob and (A Israel, What 
 hath God wrought ! 
 
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 Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, 
 And as a lion doth he lift himself up : 
 
 He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, 
 And drink the blood of the slain. 
 
 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, 
 nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered and said 
 unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying. All that the Lord 
 speaketh, that I must do ? 
 
 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come now, I will take thee 
 unto another place ; peradventure it will please God that 
 thou mayest curse me them from thence. And Balak took 
 Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the 
 desert. And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven 
 altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 
 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bul- 
 lock and a ram on every altar. And when Balaam saw 
 that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at 
 the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his 
 face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his 
 eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes ; 
 and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up 
 his parable, and said : 
 
 Balaam the son of Beor saith, 
 
 And the man whose eye is opened saith : 
 He saith, which heareth the words of God, . 
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 Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, 
 
 Falling down, and having his eyes open : 
 
 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, 
 
 Thy tabernacles, O Israel! 
 As valleys are they spread forth. 
 
 As gardens by the river side. 
 As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted, 
 
 As cedar trees beside the waters. 
 Water shall flow from his buckets, 
 
 And his seed shall be in many waters. 
 And his king shall be higher than Agag, 
 
 And his kingdom shall be exalted. 
 God bringeth him forth out of Egypt ; 
 
 He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox : 
 He shall eat up the nations his adversaries. 
 
 And shall break their bones in pieces, 
 
 And smite them through with his arrows. 
 He couched, he lay down as a lion, . 
 
 And as a lioness ; who shall rouse him up ? 
 Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, 
 
 And cursed be every one that curseth thee. 
 
 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he 
 smote his hands together : and Balak said unto Balaam, I 
 called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast 
 altogether blessed thera these three times. Therefore 
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 now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee 
 unto great honour ; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back 
 from honour. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not 
 also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying. 
 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I 
 cannot go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good 
 or bad of mine own mind ; what the Lord speaketh, that 
 will I speak? And now, behold, I go unto my people: 
 come, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do 
 to thy people in the latter days. And he took up his para- 
 ble, and said : 
 
 Balaam the son of Beor saith, 
 
 And the man whose eye is opened saith : 
 He saith, which heareth the words of God, 
 
 And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, 
 Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, 
 
 Falling down, and having his eyes open : 
 
 I see him, but not now : 
 
 I behold him, but not nigh : 
 There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, 
 
 And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, 
 And shall smite through the corners of Moab, 
 
 And break down all the sons of tumult. 
 And Edom shall be a possession, 
 
 Seir also shall be a possession, which were his enemies ; 
 While Israel doeth valiantly. 
 
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 And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, 
 
 And shall destroy the remnant from the city. 
 
 And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and 
 said : 
 
 Amalek was the first of the nations ; 
 
 But his latter end shall come to destruction. 
 
 And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and 
 said : 
 
 Strong is thy dwelling place, 
 
 And thy nest is set in the rock. 
 Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted. 
 
 Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. 
 
 And he took up his parable, and said : 
 
 Alas, who shall live when God doeth this ? 
 
 But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, 
 And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, 
 
 And he also shall come to destruction. 
 
 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place : 
 and Balak also went his way. 
 
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 /// 
 
 THE CROWNING OF ABIMELECH 
 
 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his 
 own house. And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of 
 his body begotten : for he had many wives. And his con- 
 cubine that was in Sechem, she also bare him a son, and 
 he called his name Abimelech. And Gideon the son of 
 Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the 
 sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 
 
 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that 
 the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring 
 after the Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. And 
 the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their 
 God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their 
 enemies on every side : neither shewed they kindness to 
 the house of Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, according to all 
 the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel. 
 
 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem 
 unto his mother's brethren, and spake with them, and with 
 all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying. 
 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, 
 Whether is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, 
 which are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or 
 that one rule over you? remember also that I am your 
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 bone and your flesh. And his mothers brethren spake 
 of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these 
 words : and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech ; for 
 they said, He is our brother. And they gave him three- 
 score and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal- 
 berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, 
 which followed him. And he went unto his father^s house 
 at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, 
 being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone : but 
 Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he 
 hid himself. 
 
 And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves 
 together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made 
 Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in 
 Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham, he went and 
 stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, 
 and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men 
 of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees 
 went forth on a time to anoint a king over them ; and they 
 said unto the olive tree. Reign thou over us. But the olive 
 tree said unto them. Should I leave my fatness, wherewith 
 by me they honour God and man, and go to wave to and 
 fro over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, 
 Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto 
 them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and 
 go to wave to and fro over the trees? And the trees said 
 unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the 
 44 
 
Biblical Literature B*- 
 
 Stones 
 
 vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheer- 
 eth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the 
 trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come 
 thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the 
 trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come 
 and put your trust in my shadow : and if not, let lire come 
 out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. 
 Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that 
 ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well 
 with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him 
 according to the deserving of his hands ; — for my father 
 fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you 
 out of the hand of Midian : and ye are risen up against 
 my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, three- 
 score and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made 
 Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men 
 of Shechem, because he is your brother ; — if ye then have 
 dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house 
 this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also 
 rejoice in you : but if not, let fire come out from Abime- 
 lech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of 
 Millo ; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, 
 and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. And 
 Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt 
 there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. 
 
 And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. And 
 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men 
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 of Shechem ; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously 
 with Abimelech : that the violence done to the threescore 
 and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood 
 might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew 
 them, and upon the men of Shechem, which strengthened 
 his hands to slay his brethren. And the men of Shechem 
 set liers in wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and 
 they robbed all that came along that way by them : and it 
 was told Abimelech. 
 
 And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and 
 went over to Shechem : and the men of Shechem put their 
 trust in him. And they went out into the field, and gath- 
 ered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and held festi- 
 val, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and 
 drink, and cursed Abimelech. And Gaal the son of Ebed 
 said. Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we 
 should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and 
 Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father 
 of Shechem ; but why should we serve him? And would 
 to God this people were under my hand ! then would I 
 remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase 
 thine army, and come out. And when Zebul the ruler of 
 the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his 
 anger was kindled. And he sent messengers unto Abime- 
 lech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his 
 brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they con- 
 strain the city to take part against thee. Now therefore, 
 46 
 
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 up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie 
 in wait in the field : and it shall be, that in the morning, 
 as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon 
 the city : and, behold, when he and the people that is with 
 him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them 
 as thou shalt find occasion. 
 
 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were 
 with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in 
 four companies. And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and 
 stood in the entering of the gate of the city : and Abime- 
 lech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the 
 ambushment. And when Gaal saw the people, he said to 
 Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the tops of 
 the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the 
 shadow of the mountains as if they were men. And Gaal 
 spake again and said, See, there come people down by the 
 middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way 
 of the oak of Meonenim. Then said Zebul unto him. 
 Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Who is Abime- 
 lech, that we should serve him ? is not this the people that 
 thou hast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with 
 them. And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, 
 and fought with Abimelech. And Abimelech chased him, 
 and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even 
 unto the entering of the gate. And Abimelech dwelt at 
 Arumah : and Zebul drave out Gaal and his brethren, that 
 they should not dwell in Shechem. And it came to pass 
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 on the morrow, that the people went out into the field ; 
 and they told Abimelech. And he took the people, and 
 divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the 
 field; and he looked, and, behold, the people came forth 
 out of the city ; and he rose up against them, and smote 
 them. And Abimelech, and the companies that were with 
 him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate 
 of the city : and the two companies rushed upon all that 
 were in the field, and smote them. And Abimelech fought 
 against the city all that day; and he took the city, and 
 slew the people that was therein : and he beat down the 
 city, and sowed it with salt. 
 
 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard 
 thereof, they entered into the hold of the house of El- 
 berith. And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the 
 tower of Shechem were gathered together. And Abime- 
 lech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people 
 that were with him ; and Abimelech took an ax in his 
 hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it 
 up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said unto the 
 people that were with him. What ye have seen me do, 
 make haste, and do as I have done. And all the people 
 likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed 
 Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold 
 on fire upon them ; so that all the men of the tower of 
 Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women. 
 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against 
 48 
 
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 Stories 
 
 Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong tower within 
 the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all 
 they of the city, and shut themselves in, and gat them up 
 to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the 
 tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door 
 of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman 
 cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech's head, and brake 
 his skull. Then he called hastily unto the young man his 
 armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and kill 
 me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his 
 young man thrust him through, and he died. And when 
 the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they de- 
 parted every man unto his place. Thus God requited the 
 wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in 
 slaying his seventy brethren : and all the wickedness of the 
 men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads : and 
 upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. 
 
 IV 
 
 SAMSON'S WEDDING FEAST 
 
 And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman 
 in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. And he 
 came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I 
 have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the 
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 Philistines : now therefore get her for me to wife. Then 
 his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never 
 a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among 
 all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncir- 
 cumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, 
 Get her for me ; for she pleaseth me well. But his father 
 and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord ; for he 
 sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that 
 time the Philistines had rule over Israel. Then went 
 Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, 
 and came to the vineyards of Timnah : and, behold, a 
 young lion roared against him. And the spirit of the 
 Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he 
 would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand : 
 but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. 
 And he went down and talked with the woman ; and she 
 pleased Samson well. And after a while he returned to 
 take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the 
 lion : and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body 
 of the lion, and honey. And he took it into his hands, 
 and went on, eating as he went, and he came to his father 
 and mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat : but 
 he told them not that he had taken the honey out of 
 the body of the lion. And his father went down unto the 
 woman : and Samson made there a feast : for so used the 
 young men to do. And it came to pass, when they saw 
 him^ that they brought thirty companions to be with him. 
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 And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth a 
 riddle unto you : if ye can declare it me within the seven 
 days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty 
 linen garments and thirty changes of raiment : but if ye 
 cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty hnen 
 garments and thirty changes of raiment. And they said 
 unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. And 
 he said unto them, 
 
 Out of the eater came forth meat, 
 
 And out of the strong came forth sweetness. 
 
 And they could not in three days declare the riddle. And 
 it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto 
 Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare 
 unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house 
 with fire : have ye called us to impoverish us ? is it not so ? 
 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said. Thou dost 
 but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a 
 riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it 
 me. And he said unto her. Behold, I have not told it my 
 father nor my mother, and shall I tell thee? And she 
 wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted : 
 and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, 
 because she pressed him sore : and she told the riddle to 
 the children of her people. And the men of the city said 
 unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down : 
 51 
 
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 AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
Stories 
 
 ■->8 Masterpieces of 
 
 What is sweeter than honey? 
 And what is stronger than a lion? 
 
 And he said unto them : 
 
 If ye had not plowed with my heifer, 
 Ye had not found out my riddle. 
 
 And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and 
 he went down to Ashkelon, and smote thirty men of them, 
 and took their spoil, and gave the changes of raiment 
 unto them that declared the riddle. And his anger was 
 kindled, and he went up to his father's house. But Sam- 
 son's wife was given to his companion, whom he had 
 used as his friend. 
 
 But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheat 
 harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid ; and he 
 said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her 
 father would not suffer him to go in. And her father said, 
 I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her ; there- 
 fore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger 
 sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of 
 her. And Samson said unto them, This time shall I be 
 blameless in regard of the Philistines, when I do them a 
 mischief. And Samson went and caught three hundred 
 foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put 
 a firebrand in the midst between every two tails. And 
 52 
 
Biblical Literature S*- 
 
 Stones 
 
 when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into 
 the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both 
 the shocks and the standing corn, and also the oliveyards. 
 Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And 
 they said, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because 
 he hath taken his wife, and given her to his companion. 
 And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father 
 with fire. And Samson said unto them, If ye do after this 
 manner, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I 
 will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh with a 
 great slaughter : and he went down and dwelt in the cleft 
 of the rock of Etam. 
 
 V 
 
 THE EXPEDITION' AGAINST ELISHA 
 
 Now the king of Syria warred against Israel : and he 
 took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a 
 place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto 
 the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such 
 a place ; for thither the Syrians are coming down. And 
 the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God 
 told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, 
 not once nor twice. And the heart of the king of Syria 
 was sore troubled for this thing ; and he called his ser- 
 vants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of 
 53 
 
Stories 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, 
 Nay, my lord, O king : but Elisha, the prophet that is in 
 Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speak- 
 est in thy bedchamber. And he said. Go and see where 
 he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, 
 saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither 
 horses, and chariots, and a great host : and they came by 
 night, and compassed the city about. And when the ser- 
 vant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, 
 behold, an host with horses and chariots was round about 
 the city. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! 
 how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they 
 that be with us are more than they that be with them. And 
 Elisha prayed, and said. Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, 
 that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the 
 young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was 
 full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 
 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the 
 Lord, and said. Smite this people, I pray thee, with blind- 
 ness. And he smote them with blindness according to the 
 word of Elisha. And Elisha said unto them. This is not 
 the way, neither is this the city : follow me, and I will bring 
 you to the man whom ye seek. And he led them to Sama- 
 ria. And it came to pass, when they were come into Sa- 
 maria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, 
 that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and 
 they saw ; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 
 54 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw 
 them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 
 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them : wouldest 
 thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy 
 sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, 
 that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And 
 he prepared great provision for them : and when they had 
 eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to 
 their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into 
 the land of Israel. 
 
 THE DREAM OF THE TREE CUT DOWN 
 
 ' Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all the peoples, nations, 
 and languages, that dwell in all the earth : peace be multi- 
 plied unto you. It hath seemed good unto me to shew 
 the signs and wonders that the Most High God hath 
 wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how 
 mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting 
 kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to genera- 
 tion. 
 
 < I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flour- 
 ishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me 
 afraid ; and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of 
 my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree to 
 55 
 
Stories 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they 
 might make known unto me the interpretation of the 
 dream. Then came in the magicians, the enchanters, the 
 Chaldeans, and the soothsayers : and I told the dream 
 before them ; but they did not make known unto me the 
 interpretation thereof. But at the last Daniel came in 
 before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to 
 the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy 
 gods : and I told the dream before him, saying, O Bel- 
 teshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that 
 the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troub- 
 leth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, 
 and the interpretation thereof. 
 
 * Thus were the visions of my head upon my bed : I saw, 
 and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height 
 thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and 
 the height thereof reached unto heaven and the sight 
 thereof to the end of all the earth. The leaves thereof 
 were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat 
 for all : the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and 
 the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the branches thereof, and 
 all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions of my head 
 upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came 
 down from heaven. He cried aloud, and said thus : " Hew 
 down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, 
 and scatter his fruit : let the beasts get away from under it, 
 and the fowls from his branches. Nevertheless leave the 
 56 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron 
 and brass, in the tender grass of the field ; and let it be 
 wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with 
 the beasts in the grass of the earth: let his heart be 
 changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto 
 him; and let seven times pass over him. The sentence 
 is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the 
 word of the holy ones : to the intent that the living may 
 know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, 
 and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it 
 the lowest of men." This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar 
 have seen; and thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the inter- 
 pretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom 
 are not able to make known unto me the interpretation ; 
 but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. 
 
 'Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was aston- 
 ied for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king 
 answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the 
 interpretation, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and 
 said. My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and 
 the interpretation thereof to thine adversaries. The tree 
 that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose 
 height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to 
 all the earth ; whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof 
 much, and in it was meat for all ; under which the beasts 
 of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches, the fowls of 
 the heaven had their habitation ; it is thou, O king, that 
 57 
 
Stories 
 
 -58 Masterpieces of 
 
 art grown and become strong : for thy greatness is grown, 
 and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end 
 of the earth. And whereas the king saw a watcher and 
 an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying. Hew 
 down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the 
 stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band 
 of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field ; and let 
 it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be 
 with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him ; 
 this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of 
 the Most High, which is come upon my lord the king: 
 that thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall 
 be with the beasts of the field, and thou shalt be made to 
 eat grass as oxen, and shalt be wet with the dew of heaven, 
 and seven times shall pass over thee ; till thou know that 
 the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth 
 it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded 
 to leave the stump of the tree roots ; thy kingdom shall be 
 sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the 
 heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be 
 acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteous- 
 ness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercv to the poor ; 
 if there may be a lengthening of thy tranquillitv. 
 
 ^ All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the 
 end of twelve months he was walking in the roval palace 
 of Babylon. The king spake and said. Is not this great 
 Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place, 
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Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 by the might of my power and for the glory of my maj- 
 esty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell 
 a voice from heaven, saying: "O king Nebuchadnezzar, 
 to thee it is spoken : the kingdom is departed from thee. 
 And thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling 
 shall be with the beasts of the field ; thou shalt be made 
 to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee ; 
 until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom 
 of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." The same 
 hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar : and he 
 was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his 
 body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair was 
 grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. 
 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up 
 mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned 
 unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and 
 honoured him that liveth for ever ; for his dominion is an 
 everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to 
 generation : and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed 
 as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the 
 army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth : 
 and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest 
 thou? At the same time mine understanding returned 
 unto me ; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty 
 and brightness returned unto me ; and my counsellors and 
 my lords sought unto me ; and I was established in my 
 kingdom, and excellent greatness was added unto me. 
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Stories 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 < Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the 
 King of heaven ; for all his works are truth, and his ways 
 judgement : and those that walk in pride he is able to 
 abase.' 
 
 vir 
 
 BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST 
 
 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of 
 his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Bel- 
 shazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring 
 the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his 
 father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusa- 
 lem ; that the king and his lords, his wives and his con- . 
 cubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the 
 golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the 
 house of God which was at Jerusalem ; and the king and 
 his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank in them. 
 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of 
 silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same 
 hour came forth the fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over 
 against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the 
 king's palace : and the king saw the part of the hand that 
 wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed in him, 
 and his thoughts troubled him ; and the joints of hfs loins 
 were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. 
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Biblical Literature 
 
 Stories 
 
 The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chal- 
 deans, and the soothsayers. The king spake and said to 
 the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writ- 
 ing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be 
 clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his 
 neck, and shall rule as one of three in the kingdom. Then 
 came in all the king's wise men : but they could not read the 
 writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation. 
 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his counte- 
 nance was changed in him, and his lords were perplexed. 
 
 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and 
 his lords came into the banquet house : the queen spake 
 and said: O king, Hve for ever; let not thy thoughts 
 trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed : there 
 is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy 
 gods ; and in the days of thy father light and understand . 
 ing and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in 
 him : and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, 
 I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians, 
 enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers ; forasmuch as an 
 excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, inter- 
 preting of dreams, and shewing of dark sentences, and 
 dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom 
 the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, 
 and he will shew the interpretation. 
 
 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The 
 king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, 
 6i 
 
Stories 
 
 ->9 Masterpieces of 
 
 which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom 
 the king my father brought out of Judah ? I have heard 
 of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that 
 light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in 
 thee. And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been 
 brought in before me, that they should read this writing, 
 and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but 
 they could not shew the interpretation of the thing. But 
 I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, 
 and dissolve doubts : now if thou canst read the writing, 
 and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou 
 shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold 
 about thy neck, and shalt rule as one of three in the king- 
 dom. Then Daniel answered and said before the king: 
 Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another ; 
 nevertheless I will read the writing unto the king, and 
 make known to him the interpretation. O thou king, the 
 Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the 
 kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty: and 
 because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, 
 nations, and languages trembled and feared before him : 
 whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept 
 alive ; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he 
 would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, 
 and his spirit was hardened that he dealt proudly, he was 
 deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory 
 from him : and he was driven from the sons of men ; and 
 ^3 
 
Biblical Literature 8«*- Stories 
 
 his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was 
 with the wild asses ; he was fed with grass like oxen, and 
 his body was wet with the dew of heaven : until he knew 
 that the ?»/Iost High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and 
 that he setteth up over it whomsoever he will. And thou 
 his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, 
 though thou knewest all this : but hast lifted up thyself 
 against the Lord of heaven ; and they have brought the 
 vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, 
 thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them ; 
 and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, 
 iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know : 
 and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are 
 all thy ways, hast thou not glorified : then was the part of 
 the hand sent from before him, and this writing was 
 inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed * : 
 
 
 
 
 IE a 
 
 ■ £ 
 
 
 m 
 
 S S, 
 
 m 
 
 % I 
 
 
 ■ m N 
 
 This is the interpretation of the thing 
 
 [♦Daniel reads down, up, down: instead of across.] 
 
 63 
 
^ Masterpieces of Biblical Literature 
 
 God hath numbered thy kingdom : 
 And brought it to an end ! 
 
 Thou art weighed in the balances : 
 And art found wanting! 
 
 Thy kingdom is divided : 
 
 And given to the Medes and Persians! 
 
 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel 
 with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and 
 made proclamation concerning him, that he should rule as 
 one of three in the kingdom. In that night Belshazzar the 
 Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede received 
 the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. 
 64 
 
Oratory 
 
THE OR A TION OF MOSES 
 
 AT THE REHEARSAL OF THE BLESSING AND 
 THE CURSE 
 
 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken dili- 
 gently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to 
 do all his commandments which I command thee this day, 
 that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the 
 nations of the earth : and all these blessings shall come 
 upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto 
 the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in 
 the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed 
 shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, 
 and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and 
 the young of thy flock. Blessed shall be thy basket and 
 thy kneadingtrough. Blessed shalt thou be when thou 
 comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 
 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against 
 thee to be smitten before thee : they shall come out against 
 thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. The 
 Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, 
 and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto ; and he shall 
 67 
 
Oratory 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth 
 thee. The Lord shall establish thee for an holy people 
 unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee ; if thou shalt 
 keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk 
 in his ways. And all the peoples of the earth shall see 
 that thou art called by the name of the Lord ; and they 
 shall be afraid of thee. And the Lord shall make thee 
 plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the 
 fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the 
 land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give 
 thee. The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasury 
 the heaven to give the rain of thy land in its season, and 
 to bless all the work of thine hand : and thou shalt lend 
 unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the 
 Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail ; and 
 thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath ; 
 if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the Lord 
 thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and 
 to do them ; and shalt not turn aside from any of the words 
 which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to 
 the left, to go after other gods to serve them. 
 
 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto 
 the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his 
 commandments and his statutes which I command thee 
 this day ; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and 
 overtake thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and 
 cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy 
 68 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Oratory 
 
 basket and thy kneadingtrough. Cursed shall be the fruit 
 of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, the increase of 
 thy kine, and the young of thy flock. Cursed shalt thou 
 be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when 
 thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, 
 discomfiture, and rebuke, in all that thou puttest thine 
 hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until 
 thou perish quickly; because of the evil of thy doings, 
 whereby thou hast forsaken me. The Lord shall make 
 the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed 
 thee from off the land, whither thou goest in to possess it. 
 The Lord shall smite thee with consumption, and with 
 fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and v/ith 
 the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew ; and they 
 shall pursue thee until thou perish. And thy heaven that 
 is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under 
 thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of thy 
 land powder and dust : from heaven shall it come down 
 upon thee, until thou be destroyed. The Lord shall cause 
 thee to be smitten before thine enemies : thou shalt go out 
 one way against them, and shalt flee seven ways before 
 them : and thou shalt be tossed to and fro among all the 
 kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcase shall be meat 
 unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, 
 and there shall be none to fray them away. The Lord 
 shall smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with the 
 emerods, and with the scurvy, and with the itch, whereof 
 69 
 
Oratory 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee 
 with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment 
 of heart : and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind 
 gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy 
 ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled 
 alway, and there shall be none to save thee. Thou shalt 
 betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her : thou 
 shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein : thou 
 shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not use the fruit thereof. 
 Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt 
 not eat thereof : thine ass shalt be violently taken away 
 from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee : 
 thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou 
 shalt have none to save thee. Thy sons and thy daugh- 
 ters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes 
 shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day : and 
 there shall be nought in the power of thine hand. The 
 fruit of thy ground, and all thy labours, shall a nation 
 which thou knowest not eat up ; and thou shalt be only 
 oppressed and crushed alway : so that thou shalt be mad 
 for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. The 
 Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with 
 a sore boil, whereof thou canst not be healed, from the 
 sole of thy foot unto the crown of thy head. The Lord 
 shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over 
 thee, unto a nation which thou hast not known, thou nor 
 thy fathers ; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood 
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Biblical Literature 
 
 Oratory 
 
 and stone. And thou shalt become an astonishment, a 
 proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples whither the 
 Lord shall lead thee away. Thou shalt carry much seed 
 out into the field, and shalt gather little in ; for the locust 
 shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress 
 them, but thou shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather 
 the grapes ; for the worm shall eat them. Thou shalt have 
 olive trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not 
 anoint thyself with the oil : for thine olive shall cast its 
 fruit. Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but they 
 shall not be thine ; for they shall go into captivity. All 
 thy trees and the fruit of thy ground shall the locust pos- 
 sess. The stranger that is in the midst of thee shall 
 mount up above thee higher and higher ; and thou shalt 
 come down lower and lower. He shall lend to thee, and 
 thou shalt not lend to him : he shall be the head, and thou 
 shalt be the tail. 
 
 And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall 
 pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; 
 because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord 
 thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes 
 which he commanded thee : and they shall be upon thee 
 for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. 
 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyful- 
 ness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abun- 
 dance of all things: therefore shalt thou serve thine 
 enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in 
 71 
 
Oratory 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want 
 of all things : and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy 
 neck, until he have destroyed thee. The Lord shall 
 bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the 
 earth, as the eagle flieth ; a nation whose tongue thou 
 shalt not understand ; a nation of fierce countenance, 
 which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew 
 favour to the young: and he shall eat the fruit of thy 
 cattle, and the fruit of thy ground, until thou be destroyed : 
 which also shall not leave thee corn, wine, or oil, the in- 
 crease of thy kine, or the young of thy flock, until he have 
 caused thee to perish. And he shall besiege thee in all 
 thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, 
 wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land : and he 
 shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land," 
 which the Lord thy God hath given thee. And thou 
 shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons 
 and of thy daughters which the Lord thy God hath given 
 thee ; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine 
 enemies shall straiten thee. The man that is tender 
 among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward 
 his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward 
 the remnant of his children which he hath remaining : so 
 that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his 
 children whom he shall eat, because he hath nothing left, 
 him ; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine 
 enemy shall straiten thee in all thy gates. The tender 
 72 
 
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 Oratory 
 
 and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure 
 to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness 
 and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband 
 of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daugh- 
 ter; and toward her young one that cometh out from 
 between her feet, and toward her children which she 
 shall bear ; for she shall eat them for want of all things 
 secretly: in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith 
 thine enemy shall straiten thee in thy gates. 
 
 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law 
 that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this 
 glorious and fearful name, the lord thy god ; then the 
 Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues 
 of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, 
 and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. And he will 
 bring upon thee again all the diseases of Egypt, which 
 thou wast afraid of ; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also 
 every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in 
 the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee 
 until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in num- 
 ber, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude ; 
 because thou didst not hearken unto the voice of the Lord 
 thy God. And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord 
 rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you ; so 
 the Lord will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and 
 to destroy you ; and ye shall be plucked from off the land 
 whither thou goest in to possess it. And the Lord shall 
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 scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the 
 earth even unto the other end of the earth ; and there thou 
 shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou 
 nor thy fathers, even wood and stone. And among these 
 nations shalt thou find no ease, and there shall be no rest 
 for the sole of thy foot : but the Lord shall give thee there 
 a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and pining of soul : 
 and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou 
 shalt fear night and day, and shalt have none assurance 
 of thy life : in the morning thou shalt say, Would God it 
 were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were 
 morning ! for the fear of thine heart which thou shalt fear, 
 and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. And 
 the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by' 
 the way whereof I said unto thee. Thou shalt see it no 
 more again : and there ye shall sell yourselves unto your 
 enemies for bondmen and for bondwomen : and no man 
 shall buy you. 
 
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 // 
 
 A DISCOURSE ON 
 
 IMMORTALITY AND THE COVENANT WITH 
 DEATH 
 
 Court not death in the error of your life ; 
 Neither draw upon yourselves destruction by the 
 works of your hands\ 
 
 Because God made not death : neither delighteth he 
 when the living perish. For he created all things that 
 they might have being ; and the generative powers of the 
 world are healthsome, and there is no poison of destruc- 
 tion in them, nor hath Hades royal dominion upon earth : 
 for righteousness is immortal. But ungodly men by their 
 hands and their words called death unto them ; deeming 
 him a friend they consumed away, and they made a 
 covenant with him because they are worthy to be of his 
 portion. 
 
 For they said within themselves, reasoning not aright: 
 " Short and sorrowful is our life ; and there is no healing 
 "when a man cometh to his end, and none was ever known 
 "that gave release from Hades. Because by mere chance 
 " were we born, and hereafter we shall be as though we 
 "had never been; because the breath in our nostrils is 
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 Masterpieces of 
 
 "smoke, and while our heart beateth reason is a spark, 
 " which being extinguished, the body shall be turned into 
 " ashes, and the spirit shall be dispersed as thin air. And 
 <*our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall 
 remember our works ; and our life shall pass away as the 
 "traces of a cloud, and shall be scattered as is a mist, 
 "when it is chased by the beams of the sun, and over- 
 " come by the heat thereof. For our allotted time is the 
 " passing of a shadow, and our end retreateth not ; be- 
 " cause it is fast sealed, and none turneth it back. Come 
 "therefore and let us enjoy the good things that now are ; 
 " and let us use the creation with all our soul as youth's 
 "possession. Let us fill ourselves with costly wine and 
 " perfumes, and let no flower of spring pass us by ; let ,us 
 " crown ourselves with rosebuds before they be withered ; 
 " let none of us go without his share in our proud revelry ; 
 " everywhere let us leave tokens of our mirth : because 
 "this is our portion, and our lot is this. Let us oppress 
 "the righteous poor: let us not spare the widow, nor 
 "reverence the hairs of the old man gray for length of 
 " years, but let our strength be to us a law of righteous- 
 " ness ; for that which is weak is found to be of no service. 
 "But let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he 
 " is of disservice to us, and is contrary to our works, and 
 "upbraideth us with sins against the law, and layeth to 
 " our charge sins against our discipline. He professeth to 
 " have knowledge of God, and nameth himself servant of 
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 "the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts. 
 " He is grievous unto us even to behold, because his life is 
 unlike other men's, and his paths are of strange fashion. 
 " We were accounted of him as base metal, and he ab- 
 "staineth from our ways as from uncleannesses. The 
 "latter end of the righteous he calleth happy; and he 
 " vaunteth that God is his father. Let us see if his words 
 " be true, and let us try what shall befall in the ending of 
 " his life : for if the righteous man is God's son, he will 
 " uphold him, and he will deliver him out of the hand of 
 " his adversaries. With outrage and torture let us put him 
 " to the test, that we may learn his gentleness, and may 
 " prove his patience under wrong. Let us condemn him 
 " to a shameful death ; for he shall be visited according to 
 " his words." 
 
 Thus reasoned they, and they were led astray. For their 
 wickedness blinded them ; and they knew not the mysteries 
 of God, neither hoped they for wages of holiness, nor did 
 they judge that there is a prize for blameless souls. Be- 
 cause God created man for incorruption, and made him an 
 image of his own proper being ; but by the envy of the 
 devil death entered into the world, and they that are of his 
 portion make trial thereof. 
 
 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, 
 and no torment shall touch them. In the eyes of the 
 foolish they seemed to have died; and their departure 
 was accounted to be their hurt, and their journeying away 
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 from us to be their ruin : but they are in peace. For even 
 if in the sight of men they be punished, their hope is full 
 of immortality ; and having borne a little chastening, they 
 shall receive great good. Because God made trial of them, 
 and found them worthy of himself; as gold in the furnace 
 he proved them, and as a whole burnt offering he accepted 
 them. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine 
 forth, and as sparks among stubble they shall run to and 
 fro. They shall judge nations, and have dominion over 
 peoples ; and the Lord shall reign over them for evermore. 
 They that trust on him shall understand truth, and the 
 faithful shall abide with him in love : because grace and 
 mercy are to his chosen. 
 
 But the ungodly shall be requited even as they reasoned, 
 they which lightly regarded the righteous man, and re- 
 volted from the Lord : for he that setteth at nought wisdom 
 and discipline is miserable. And void is their hope and 
 their toils unprofitable, and useless are their works. Their 
 wives are foolish, and wicked are their children ; accursed 
 is their begetting.* For good labours have fruit of great 
 renown; and the root of understanding cannot fail. But 
 children of adulterers shall not come to maturity, and the 
 
 * Because happy is the barren that is undefiled, she who hath not con- 
 ceived in transgression; she shall have fruit when God visiteth souls. And 
 happy is the eunuch which hath wrought no lawless deed with his hands, nor 
 imagined wicked things against the Lord; for there shall be given him for 
 his faithfulness a peculiar favour, and a lot in the sanctuary of the Lord more 
 delightsome than wife or children. 
 
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 seed of an unlawful bed shall vanish away. For if they 
 live long they shall be held in no account, and at the last 
 their old age shall be without honour ; and if they die 
 quickly they shall have no hope, nor in the day of deci- 
 sion shall they have consolation. For the end of an un- 
 righteous generation is alway grievous. Better than this is 
 childlessness with virtue. For in the memory of virtue is 
 immortality, because it is recognised both before God and 
 before men ; when it is present men imitate it, and they 
 long after it when it is departed ; and throughout all time 
 it marcheth crowned in triumph, victorious in the strife for 
 the prizes that are undefiled. But the multiplying brood 
 of the ungodly shall be of no profit, and with bastard slips 
 they shall not strike deep root, nor shall they establish a 
 sure hold. For even if these put forth boughs and flourish 
 for a season, yet, standing unsure, they shall be shaken by 
 the wind, and by the violence of winds they shall be rooted 
 out. Their branches shall be broken off before they come 
 to maturity ; and their fruit shall be useless, never ripe to 
 eat, and fit for nothing. For children unlawfully begotten 
 are witnesses of wickedness against parents when God 
 searcheth them out. 
 
 But a righteous man, though he die before his time, shall 
 be at rest. For honourable old age is not that which 
 standeth in length of time, nor is its measure given by 
 number of years : but understanding is gray hairs unto men, 
 and an unspotted life is ripe old age. Being found well 
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 pleasing unto God he was beloved of him, and while living 
 among sinners he was translated. He was caught away 
 lest wickedness should change his understanding, or guile 
 deceive his soul ; for the bewitching of naughtiness be- 
 dimmeth the things which are good, and the giddy whirl 
 of desire perverteth an innocent mind. Being made per- 
 fect in a little while he fulfilled long years : for his soul was 
 pleasing unto the Lord ; therefore hasted he out of the 
 midst of wickedness. 
 
 But as for the peoples, seeing and understanding not, 
 neither laying this to heart, that grace and mercy are with 
 his chosen, and that he visiteth his holy ones : * they shall 
 see, and they shall despise ; but them the Lord shall laugh 
 to scorn. And after this they shall become a dishonoured 
 carcase, and a reproach among the dead for ever. Because 
 he shall dash them speechless to the ground, and shall 
 shake them from the foundations, and they shall lie utterly 
 waste, and they shall be in anguish, and their memory shall 
 perish. They shall come, when their sins are reckoned 
 up, with coward fear ; and their lawless deeds shall convict 
 them to their face. Then shall the righteous man stand 
 in great boldness before the face of them that afflicted him, 
 and them that make his labours of no account. When they 
 
 ♦ But a righteous man that is dead shall condemn the ungodly that are 
 living, and youth that is quickly perfected the many years of an unrighteous 
 man's old age; for the ungodly shall see a wise man's end, and shall not 
 understand what the Lord purposed concerning him, and for what he safely 
 kept him. 
 
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 Oratory 
 
 see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall 
 be amazed at the marvel of God^s salvation. 
 
 They shall say within themselves, repenting, and for 
 distress of spirit shall they groan : " This was he whom 
 "aforetime we had in derision, and made a parable of 
 " reproach ; we fools accounted his life madness and his 
 " end without honour. How was he numbered among sons 
 " of God ? and how is his lot among saints ? Verily we 
 "went astray from the way of truth; and the light of 
 " righteousness shined not for us, and the sun rose not for 
 " us. We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and de- 
 " struction, and we journeyed through trackless deserts ; 
 " but the way of the Lord we knew not. What did our 
 "arrogancy profit us ? and what good have riches and 
 "vaunting brought us ? Those things all passed away as 
 "a shadow, and as a message that runneth by ; as a ship 
 "passing through the billowy water, whereof, when it is 
 " gone by, there is no trace to be found, neither pathway 
 " of its keel in the billows ; or as when a bird flieth through 
 " the air, no token of her passage is found, but the light 
 "wind, lashed with the stroke of her pinions, and rent 
 "asunder with the violent rush of the moving wings, is 
 " passed through, and afterwards no sign of her coming is 
 " found therein ; or as when an arrow is shot at a mark, 
 " the air disparted closeth up again immediately, so that 
 " men know not where it passed through : so we also, as 
 " soon as we were born, ceased to be ; and of virtue we 
 G 8i 
 
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 Masterpieces of 
 
 "had no sign to shew, but in our wickedness we were 
 " utterly consumed." 
 
 Because the hope of the ungodly man is as chaff carried 
 by the wind, and as foam vanishing before a tempest; 
 and is scattered as smoke is scattered by the wind ; and 
 passeth by as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth but 
 a day. But the righteous live for ever, and in the Lord is 
 their reward, and the care for them with the Most High. 
 Therefore shall they receive the crown of royal dignity and 
 the diadem of beauty from the Lord's hand ; because with 
 his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall 
 he shield them. He shall take his jealousy as complete 
 armour, and shall make the whole creation his weapons for 
 vengeance on his enemies ; he shall put on righteousness 
 as a breastplate, and shall array himself with judgement 
 unfeigned as with a helmet : he shall take holiness as an 
 invincible shield, and he shall sharpen stern wrath for a 
 sword. And the world shall go forth with him to fight 
 against his insensate foes. Shafts of lightning shall fly 
 with true aim, and from the clouds, as from a well-drawn 
 bow, shall they leap to the mark ; and as from an engine 
 of war shall be hurled hailstones full of wrath ; the water 
 of the sea shall be angered against them, and rivers shall 
 sternly overwhelm them ; a mighty blast shall encounter 
 them, and as a tempest shall it winnow them away. And 
 so shall lawlessness make all the land desolate, and their 
 evil-doiug shall overturn the thrones of princes. 
 
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 Oratory 
 
 Hear therefore, ye kings, and understand; learn, ye 
 judges of the ends of the earth ; give ear, ye that have 
 dominion over much people, and make your boast in mul- 
 titudes of nations. Because your dominion was given you 
 from the Lord, and your sovereignty from the Most High, 
 who shall search out your works, and shall make inquisi- 
 tion of your counsels ; because being officers of his king- 
 dom ye did not judge aright, neither kept ye law, nor 
 walked after the counsel of God. Awfully and swiftly 
 shall he come upon you, because a stern judgement be- 
 falleth them that be in high place : for the man of low 
 estate may be pardoned in mercy, but mighty men shall 
 be searched out mightily. For the Sovereign Lord of all 
 will not refrain himself for any man's person, neither will 
 he reverence greatness, because it is he that made both 
 small and great. And alike he taketh thought for all ; but 
 strict is the scrutiny that cometh upon the powerful. Unto 
 you, therefore, O princes, are my words, that ye may learn 
 wisdom and fall not from the right way. For they that 
 have kept holily the things that are holy shall themselves 
 be hallowed ; and they that have been taught them shall 
 find what to answer. Set your desire therefore on my 
 words; long for them, and ye shall be trained by their 
 discipline. 
 
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 /// 
 
 ISAIAH'S DISCOURSE 
 THE GREAT ARRAIGNMENT 
 
 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord 
 hath spoken : I have nourished and brought up children, 
 and they have rebelled against me. 
 
 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's 
 crib : but Israel doth not know, my people doth not con- 
 sider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a 
 seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly : they have 
 forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of 
 Israel, they are estranged and gone backward. Why will 
 ye be still stricken, that ye revolt more and more? The 
 whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the 
 sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness 
 in it ; but wounds, and bruises, and festering sores : they 
 have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified 
 with oil. Your country is desolate ; your cities are burned 
 with fire ; your land, strangers devour it in your presence, 
 and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the 
 daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a lodge 
 in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the 
 Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we 
 should have been as Sodom, we should have been like 
 unto Gomorrah. 
 
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 Oratory 
 
 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom ; give 
 ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To 
 what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me ? 
 saith the Lord : I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, 
 and the fat of fed beasts ; and I delight not in the blood 
 of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to 
 appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, 
 to trample my courts ? Bring no more vain oblations ; in- 
 cense is an abomination unto me ; new moon and sabbath, 
 the calling of assemblies, — I cannot away with iniquity 
 and the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your ap- 
 pointed feasts my soul hateth : they are a trouble unto 
 me ; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth 
 your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you : yea, when ye 
 make many prayers, I will not hear : your hands are full 
 of blood. 
 
 Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your 
 doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil : learn to 
 do well ; seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, judge the 
 fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us 
 reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as 
 scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they 
 be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be will- 
 ing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land : but 
 if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword : 
 for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. 
 
 How is the faithful city become an harlot ! she that was 
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 full of judgement ! righteousness lodged in her, but now 
 murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed 
 with water. Thy princes are rebellious, and companions 
 of thieves ; every one loveth gifts, and foUoweth after 
 rewards : they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the 
 cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the 
 Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, 
 I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of 
 mine enemies : and I will turn my hand upon thee, and 
 throughly purge away thy dross, and will take away all 
 thy alloy: and I will restore thy judges as at the first, 
 and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou 
 shalt be called The city of righteousness, the faithful city. 
 Zion shall be redeemed with judgement, and her converts 
 with righteousness. But the destruction of the trans- 
 gressors and the sinners shall be together, and they that 
 forsake the Lord shall be consumed. For they shall be 
 ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall 
 be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For 
 3'e shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden 
 that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and 
 his work as a spark ; and they shall both burn together, 
 and none shall quench them. 
 
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 IV 
 
 ISAIAH'S DISCOURSE 
 THE COVENANT WITH DEATH 
 
 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, 
 and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is 
 on the head of the fat valley of them that are overcome 
 with wine ! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong 
 one ; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest 
 of mighty waters overflowing, shall he cast down to the 
 earth with the hand. The crown of pride of the drunkards 
 of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot : and the fading 
 flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the 
 fat valley, shall be as the firstripe fig before the summer ; 
 which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet 
 in his hand he eateth it up. 
 
 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of 
 glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his 
 people : and for a spirit of judgement to him that sitteth in 
 judgement, and for strength to them that turn back the 
 battle at the gate. 
 
 But these also have erred through wine, and through 
 strong drink are gone astray ; the priest and the prophet 
 have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of 
 wine, they are gone astray through strong drink ; they err 
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 in vision, they stumble in judgement. For all tables are 
 full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. — 
 
 * Whom will he teach knowledge ? and whom will he make 
 
 * to understand the message ? them that are weaned from 
 
 < the milk, and drawn from the breasts ? For it is precept 
 ^upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line 
 
 < upon line ; here a little, there a little.' — Nay, but by men 
 of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to 
 this people : to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest 
 to him that is weary ; and this is the refreshing : yet they 
 would not hear. Therefore shall the word of the Lord be 
 unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept ; 
 line upon line, line upon line ; here a little, there a little ; 
 that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and 
 snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, 
 ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem : 
 Because ye have said. We have made a covenant with 
 death, and with hell are we at agreement ; when the over- 
 flowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto 
 us ; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood 
 have we hid ourselves : therefore thus saith the Lord God, 
 Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, 
 a precious corner stone of sure foundation : he that be- 
 lie veth shall not make haste. And I will make judgement 
 the line, and righteousness the plummet : and the hail shall 
 sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow 
 the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be 
 
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 Oratory 
 
 disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand ; 
 when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye 
 shall be trodden down by it. As often as it passeth through, 
 it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass 
 through, by day and by night : and it shall be nought but 
 terror to understand the message. For the bed is shorter 
 than that a man can stretch himself on it ; and the cover- 
 ing narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. For the 
 Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth 
 as in the valley of Gibeon ; that he may do his work, his 
 strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act. 
 Now therefore be ye not scorners, lest your bands be made 
 strong : for a consummation, and that determined, have I 
 heard from the Lord, the Lord of hosts, upon the whole 
 earth . 
 
 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear 
 my speech. Doth the plowman plow continually to sow? 
 doth he continually open and break the clods of his ground ? 
 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not 
 cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and put in 
 the wheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place 
 and the spelt in the border thereof ? For his God doth 
 instruct him aright, and doth teach him. For the fitches 
 are not threshed with a sharp threshing instrument, neither 
 is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin ; but the 
 fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a 
 rod. Is bread corn crushed? Nay, he will not ever be 
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 threshing it, and driving his cart wheels and his horses 
 over it; he doth not crush it. This also cometh forth 
 from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, 
 and excellent in wisdom. 
 
 V 
 
 ISAIAH'S DISCOURSE 
 
 THE UTTER DESTRUCTION- AND THE GREAT 
 RESTORATION 
 
 I 
 
 Come near, ye nations, to hear ; and hearken, ye peoples : 
 let the earth hear, and the fulness thereof ; the world, and 
 all things that come forth of it. For the Lord hath in- 
 dignation against all the nations, and fury against all their 
 host : he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered 
 them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, 
 and the stink of their carcases shall come up, and the 
 mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the 
 host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall 
 be rolled together as a scroll : and all their host shall fade 
 away, as the leaf fadeth from off the vine, and as a fading 
 leaf from the fig tree. For my sword hath drunk its fill in 
 heaven : behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon 
 the people of my curse, to judgement. The sword of the 
 Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, with 
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 the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys 
 of rams : for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a 
 great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild-oxen 
 shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the 
 bulls; and their land shall be drunken with blood, and 
 their dust made fat with fatness. For it is the day of the 
 Lord's vengeance, the year of recompence in the con- 
 troversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned 
 into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the 
 land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be 
 quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up 
 for ever : from generation to generation it shall lie waste ; 
 none shall pass through it for ever and ever. But the 
 pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl 
 and the raven shall dwell therein : and he shall stretch 
 over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of empti- 
 ness. They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, 
 but none shall be there; and all her princes shall be 
 nothing. And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles 
 and thistles in the fortresses thereof : and it shall be an 
 habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches. And the wild 
 beasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, and the 
 satyr shall cry to his fellow ; yea, the night-monster shall 
 settle there, and shall find her a place of rest. There shall 
 the arrowsnake make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and 
 gather under her shadow: yea, there shall the kites be 
 gathered, every one with her mate, 
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 Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read : 
 
 No one of these shall be missing, 
 
 None shall want her mate : 
 For my mouth it hath commanded. 
 
 And his spirit it hath gathered them. 
 
 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath 
 divided it unto them by line : they shall possess it for ever, 
 from generation to generation shall they dwell therein. 
 
 2 
 
 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad; 
 and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It 
 shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and 
 singing ; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the 
 excellency of Carmel and Sharon : they shall see the glory 
 of the Lord, the excellency of our God. 
 
 Strengthen ye the weak hands, 
 And confirm the feeble knees ; 
 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear 
 not : 
 
 Behold, your God will come with vengeance. 
 With the recompence of God he will come and save 
 you. 
 
 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears 
 of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame 
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 man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall 
 sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and 
 streams in the desert. And the glowing sand shall be- 
 come a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water : in 
 the habitation of jackals, where they lay, shall be grass 
 with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, 
 and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness ; the 
 unclean shall not pass over it ; but it shall be for those : 
 the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein. No 
 lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up 
 thereon, they shall not be found there ; but the redeemed 
 shall walk there : and the ransomed of the Lord shall 
 return, and come with singing unto Zion ; and everlasting 
 joy shall be upon their heads : they shall obtain gladness 
 and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 
 
 VI 
 
 EZEKIELS DISCOURSE 
 THE SWORD OF THE LORD 
 1 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son 
 of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word 
 toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of 
 Israel ; and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord ; 
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 Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword 
 out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous 
 and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee 
 the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go 
 forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south 
 to the north : and all flesh shall know that I the Lord 
 have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath ; it shall not 
 return any more. Sigh therefore, thou son of man ; with 
 the breaking of thy loins and with bitterness shalt thou 
 sigh before their eyes. And it shall be, when they say 
 unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt say, 
 Because of the tidings, for it cometh: and every heart 
 shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit 
 shaU faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, 
 it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the Lord God. 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. Son 
 of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord : Say, 
 
 A sword, 
 
 A sword. 
 It is sharpened, 
 
 And also furbished : 
 It is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; 
 
 It is furbished that it may be as lightning 
 
Biblical Literature Oratory 
 
 ^ Shall we then make mirth? The Rod of my son, it 
 contemneth every tree.' 
 
 And it is given to be furbished 
 
 That it may be handled : 
 The sword, it is sharpened, yea it is furbished, 
 
 To give it into the hand of the slayer. 
 
 Cry and howl, son of man: for it is upon my people, it 
 IS upon all the princes of Israel : they are delivered over 
 to the sword with my people: smite therefore upon thy 
 thigh. For there is a trial; and what if even the Rod 
 that contemneth shall be no more ? saith the Lord God 
 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine 
 hands together. 
 
 And let the sword be doubled the third time ; 
 The sword of the deadly wounded : 
 It is the sword of the great one that is deadly 
 wounded 
 
 Which compasseth them about. 
 
 I have set the point of the sword against all their 
 gates, 
 
 That their heart may melt, 
 And their stumblings be multiplied ; 
 Ah ! it is made as lightning ! 
 
 95 
 
Masterpiec es of 
 Oratory ^ 
 
 It is pointed for slaughter- 
 Gather thee together, go to the right ; 
 Set thyself in array, go to the left— 
 
 Whithersoever thy face is set. 
 
 I will also smite mine hands together, and I vrUl satisfy 
 my fury : I the Loro have spoken it. 
 
 3 
 
 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, 
 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways that the 
 sword of the king of Babylon may come ; they twam shaU 
 ZL forth out of one land : and mark out a place, rn^k 
 it out at the head of the way to the city^ Thou sha^t 
 appoint a way, for the sword to come to Rabbah of the 
 children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the de- 
 fenced For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of 
 the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: 
 he shook the arrows to and fro, he consulted the teraphim, 
 ll looked in the liver. In his right hand was the dmna 
 tion for Jerusalem, to set battenng rams, to open the 
 mouth iJ the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shout- 
 in., to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up 
 :;o;nts, to build forts. And it shall be unto them as a 
 vain divination in their sight, which have sworn oaths 
 unto them: but he bringeth iniquity to.^^'^^-^ra^, ^^^^^^ 
 they may be taken. Therefor^ thus saith the Lord God . 
 96 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Oratory 
 
 Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in 
 that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your 
 doings your sins do appear ; because that ye are come to 
 remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. And thou, 
 O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose 
 day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end ; thus 
 saith the Lord God : Remove the mitre, and take off the 
 crown : this shall be no more the same ; exalt that which 
 is low, and abase that which is high. I will overturn, 
 overturn, overturn it : this also shall be no more, imtil he 
 come whose right it is ; and I will give it him. 
 
 4 
 
 And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say. Thus saith 
 the Lord God concerning the children of Ammon, and 
 concerning their reproach ; and say thou : 
 
 * A sword, a sword is drawn, 
 
 * For the slaughter it is furbished : 
 
 * To cause it to devour, 
 
 * That it may be as lightning : ' 
 
 whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine lies 
 unto thee, to lay thee upon the necks of the wicked that 
 are deadly wounded, whose day is come, in the time of the 
 punishment of the end. (Cause it to return into its sheath.) 
 In the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy 
 H 97 
 
Oratory 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 birth, will I judge thee. And I will pour out mine indigna- 
 tion upon thee ; I will blow upon thee v/ith the fire of my 
 wrath: and I will deliver thee into the hand of brutish 
 men, skilful to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire ; 
 thy blood shall be in the midst of the land ; thou shalt be 
 no more remembered : for I the Lord have spoken it. 
 
 VH 
 
 EZE KIEL'S DISCOURSE 
 WRECK OF THE GOODLY SHIP TYRE 
 
 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, And , 
 thou, son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre ; and 
 say unto Tyre, O thou that dwellest at the entry of the sea, 
 which art the merchant of the peoples unto many isles ; 
 thus saith the Lord God : Thou, O Tyre, hast said, I am 
 perfect in beauty. Thy borders are in the heart of the 
 seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. They have 
 made all thy planks of fir trees from Senir: they have 
 taken cedars from Lebanon to make a mast for thee. Of 
 the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars ; they have 
 made thy benches of ivory inlaid in boxwood, from the 
 isles of Kittim. Of fine linen with broidered work from 
 Egypt was thy sail, that it might be to thee for an ensign ; 
 blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thine awning* 
 98 
 
Biblical 
 
 Literature 
 
 Oratory 
 
 The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy rowers : thy 
 wise men, O Tyre, were in thee, they were thy pilots. The 
 ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee 
 thy calkers : all the ships of the sea with their mariners were 
 in thee to occupy thy merchandise. Persia and Lud and 
 Put were in thine army, thy men of war : they hanged the 
 shield and helmet in thee ; they set forth thy comeHness. 
 The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls 
 round about, and the Gammadim were in thy towers : they 
 hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they 
 have perfected thy beauty. Tarshish was thy merchant by 
 reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches ; with silver, 
 iron, tin, and lead, they traded for thy wares. Javan, 
 Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy traffickers: they 
 traded the persons of men and vessels of brass for thy 
 merchandise. They of the house of Togarmah traded for 
 thy wares with horses and war-horses and mules. The 
 men of Dedan were thy traffickers : many isles were the 
 mart of thine hand : they brought thee in exchange horns 
 of ivory and ebony. Syria was thy merchant by reason 
 of the multitude of thy handyworks : they traded for thy 
 wares with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine 
 linen, and coral, and rubies. Judah, and the land of 
 Israel, they were thy traffickers : they traded for thy mer- 
 chandise wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and 
 oil, and balm. Damascus was thy merchant for the mul- 
 titude of thy handyworks, by reason of the multitude of all 
 99 
 
Oratory 
 
 -e8 Masterpieces of 
 
 kinds of riches ; with the wine of Helbon, and white wool. 
 Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for thy wares : bright 
 iron, cassia, and calamus, were among thy merchandise. 
 Dedan was thy trafficker in precious cloths for riding. 
 Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they were the mer- 
 chants of thy hand; in lambs, and rams, and goats, in 
 these were they thy merchants. The traffickers of Sheba 
 and Raamah, they were thy traffickers : they traded for 
 thy wares with chief of all spices, and with all precious 
 stones, and gold. Haran and Canneh and Eden, the 
 traffickers of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, were thy traf- 
 fickers. These were thy traffickers in choice wares, in 
 wrappings of blue and broidered work, and in chests of 
 rich apparel, bound with cords and made of cedar, among - 
 thy merchandise. The ships of Tarshish were thy cara- 
 vans for thy merchandise: and thou wast replenished, 
 and made very glorious in the heart of the seas. 
 
 Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters : the east 
 wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas. Thy riches, 
 and thy wares, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, 
 thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all 
 thy men of war, that are in thee, with all thy company 
 which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of 
 the seas in the day of thy ruin. At the sound of the cry. 
 of thy pilots the suburbs shall shake. And all that handle 
 the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall 
 come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the 
 
 lOO 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Oratory 
 
 land, and shall cause their voice to be heard over thee, 
 and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their 
 heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes : and 
 they shall make themselves bald for thee, and gird them 
 with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee in bitterness 
 of soul with bitter mourning. And in their wailing they 
 shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, 
 saying, * Who is there like Tyre, like her that is brought to 
 silence in the midst of the sea When thy wares went 
 forth out of the seas, thou filledst many peoples; thou 
 didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of 
 thy riches and of thy merchandise. In the time that thou 
 wast broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy 
 merchandise and all thy company did fall in the midst of 
 thee. All the inhabitants of the isles are astonished at 
 thee, and their kings are horribly afraid, they are troubled 
 in their countenance. The merchants among the peoples 
 hiss at thee ; thou art become a terror, and thou shalt 
 never be any more. 
 
 VHI 
 
 PROPHETIC SENTENCES 
 
 Thus saith the Lord : Let not the wise man glory in his 
 wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let 
 not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that 
 
 lOZ 
 
Oratory 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth 
 me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, 
 judgement, and righteousness, in the earth : for in these 
 things I delight, saith the Lord. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 There is none like unto thee, O Lord ; thou art great, 
 and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear 
 thee, O King of the nations ? for to thee doth it appertain : 
 forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and 
 in all their royal estate, there is none like unto thee, but 
 they are together brutish and foolish. 
 
 * * 
 
 Thus saith the Lord : Cursed is the man that trusteth 
 in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart de- 
 parteth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in 
 the desert, and shall not see when good cometh ; but shall 
 inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land 
 and not inhabited. 
 
 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose 
 hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by 
 the waters, and that spreadeth out his roots by the river, 
 and shall not fear when heat cometh, but his leaf shall be 
 green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, 
 neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 
 
 * ♦ 
 
 4t 
 102 
 
Biblical Literature S^- 
 
 Oratory 
 
 The N'ew Covenant 
 
 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make 
 a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the 
 house of Judah: not according to the covenant that 1 
 made with their fathers in the day that I took them by 
 the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt ; which 
 my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto 
 them, saith the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will 
 make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the 
 Lord; I will put my law in their inward parts, and in 
 their heart will I write it ; and I will be their God, and 
 they shall be my people : and they shall teach no more 
 every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, say- 
 ing, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from 
 the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the 
 Lord : for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will 
 I remember no more. 
 
 103 
 
Wisdom 
 
WISDOM BREVITIES 
 
 The liberal soul shall be made fat : 
 
 And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. 
 
 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean : 
 
 But much increase is by the strength of the ox. 
 
 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty ; 
 And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. 
 
 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: 
 
 But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. 
 
 The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels. 
 
 And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 107 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Boast not thyself of tomorrow ; 
 
 For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 As vinegar to the teeth, 
 And as smoke to the eyes, 
 So is the sluggard to them that send him. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 All the brethren of the poor do hate him : 
 
 How much more do his friends go far from him! 
 He pursueth them with words, but they are gone. 
 
 * 
 
 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue 
 Is a vapour driven to and fro ; 
 They that seek them seek death. 
 
 * ♦ 
 
 * 
 
 As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, 
 And as vinegar upon nitre, 
 So is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart. 
 
 * * 
 
 Wrath is cmel, 
 And anger is outrageous : 
 But who is able to stand before jealousy ? 
 
 * * 
 lo8 
 
Biblical Literature 8*- 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 The fining pot is for silver, 
 And the furnace for gold : 
 And a man is tried by his praise. 
 
 * * 
 
 Transitoriness of Riches 
 An Epigram 
 
 Weary not thyself to be rich ; 
 Cease from thine own wisdom ; 
 
 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? 
 For riches certainly make themselves wings, 
 Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven. 
 
 * * 
 
 Hospitality of the Evil Eye 
 
 An Epigram 
 
 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, 
 
 Neither desire thou his dainties ; 
 For as one that reckoneth within himself, so is he : 
 
 Eat and drink, saith he to thee ; 
 
 But his heart is not with thee. 
 
 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, 
 And lose thy sweet words. 
 
 * ♦ 
 
 He 
 109 
 
Wisdom 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 A Maxim 
 
 My son, if thou contest to serve the Lordy 
 Prepare thy soul for temptation. 
 
 Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make 
 not haste in time of calamity. Cleave unto him, and de- 
 part not, that thou mayest be increased at thy latter end. 
 Accept whatsoever is brought upon thee, and be long- 
 suifering when thou passest into humiliation. For gold is 
 tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of hu- 
 miliation. Put thy trust in him, and he will help thee : 
 order thy ways aright, and set thy hope on him. 
 
 Three Temperance Maxims 
 
 Go not after thy lusts ; 
 
 And refrain thyself from thine appetites. 
 
 If thou give fully to thy soul the delight of her desire, she 
 will make thee the laughingstock of thine enemies. 
 
 lid 
 
Biblical Literature 8«- 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 Make not merry in much luxury ; 
 Neither be tied to the expense thereof. 
 
 Be not made a beggar by banqueting upon borrowing, 
 when thou hast nothing in thy purse. A workman that 
 is a drunkard shall not become rich. 
 
 He that despiseth small things 
 Shall fall by little and little. 
 
 Wine and women will make men of understanding to 
 fall away : and he that cleaveth to harlots will be the more 
 reckless. Moths and worms shall have him to heritage; 
 and a reckless soul shall be taken away. 
 
 Ill 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 ESSAYS 
 i 
 
 Wisdom's Way with her Children 
 
 Wisdom exalteth her sons, and taketh hold of them that 
 seek her. He that loveth her loveth life ; and they that 
 seek to her early shall be filled with gladness. He that 
 holdeth her fast shall inherit glory ; and where he entereth, 
 the Lord will bless. They that do her service shall minis- 
 ter to the Holy One ; and them that love her the Lord 
 doth love. He that giveth ear unto her shall judge the 
 nations; and he that giveth heed unto her shall dwell 
 securely. If he trust her, he shall inherit her ; and his 
 generations shall have her in possession. For at the first 
 she will walk with him in crooked ways, and will bring fear 
 and dread upon him, and torment him with her discipline, 
 until she may trust his soul, and try him by her judge- 
 ments : then will she return again the straight way unto 
 him, and will gladden him, and reveal to him her secrets. 
 If he go astray, she will forsake him, and give him over to 
 his fall. 
 
 112 
 
Biblical Literature ^ 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 ii 
 
 Prosperity and Adversity are from the Lord 
 
 There is one that toileth, and laboureth, and maketh 
 haste, and is so much the more behind. There is one 
 that is sluggish, and hath need of help, lacking in 
 strength, and that aboundeth in poverty ; and the eyes of 
 the Lord looked upon him for good, and he set him up 
 from his low estate, and lifted up his head f and many 
 marvelled at him. Good things and evil, life and death, 
 poverty and riches, are from the Lord. The gift of the 
 Lord remaineth with the godly, and his good pleasure 
 shall prosper for ever. There is that waxeth rich by his 
 wariness and pinching, and this is the portion of his 
 reward : when he saith, I have found rest, and now will 
 I eat of my goods — yet he knoweth not what time shall 
 pass, and he shall leave them to others, and die. Be sted- 
 fast in thy covenant, and be conversant therein, and wax 
 old in thy work. Marvel not at the works of a sinner, but 
 trust the Lord, and abide in thy labour ; for it is an easy 
 thing in the sight of the Lord swiftly on the sudden to 
 make a poor man rich. The blessing of the Lord is in 
 the reward of the godly; and in an hour that cometh 
 swiftly he maketh his blessing to flourish. Say not, What 
 use is there of me? And what from henceforth shall my 
 I 113 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 good things be? Say not, I have sufficient, and from 
 henceforth what harm shall happen unto me? In the day 
 of good things there is a forgetfulness of evil things ; and 
 in the day of evil things a man will not remember 
 things that are good. For it is an easy thing in the 
 sight of the Lord to reward a man in the day of death 
 according to his ways. The affliction of an hour causeth 
 forgetfulness of delight ; and in the last end of a man is 
 the revelation of his deeds. Call no man blessed before 
 his death ; and a man shall be known in his children. 
 
 iii 
 
 Against Gossip 
 
 He that is hasty to trust is lightminded ; and he that 
 sinneth shall offend against his own soul. He that maketh 
 merry in his heart shall be condemned : and he that hateth 
 talk hath the less wickedness. Never repeat what is told 
 thee, and thou shalt fare never the worse. Whether it be 
 of friend or foe, tell it not ; and unless it is a sin to thee, 
 reveal it not : for he hath heard thee, and observed thee, 
 and when the time cometh he will hate thee. Hast thou 
 heard a word ? let it die with thee : be of good courage, 
 it will not burst thee. A fool will travail in pain with a 
 word, as a womam In labour with a child. As an arrow 
 114 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 that sticketh in the flesh of the thigh, so is a word in a 
 fooPs belly. Reprove a friend : it may be he did it not, 
 and if he did something, that he may do it no more. Re- 
 prove thy neighbour : it may be he said it not, and if he 
 hath said it, that he may not say it again. Reprove a 
 friend, for many times there is slander; and trust not 
 every word. There is one that siippeth, and not from 
 the heart ; and who is he that hath not sinned with his 
 tongue ? Reprove thy neighbour before thou threaten 
 him ; and give place to the law of the Most High. 
 
 iv 
 
 On the Tongue 
 
 If thou blow a spark, it shall burn ; and if thou spit 
 upon it, it shall be quenched : and both these shall come 
 out of thy mouth. Curse the whisperer and double- 
 tongued : for he hath destroyed many that were at peace. 
 A third person's tongue hath shaken many, and dispersed 
 them from nation to nation; and it hath pulled down 
 strong cities, and overthrown the houses of great men. 
 A third person's tongue hath cast out brave women, and 
 deprived them of their labours. He that hearkeneth unto 
 it shall not find rest, nor shall he dwell quietly. The 
 stroke of a whip maketh a mark in the flesh ; but the 
 "5 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 stroke of a tongue will break bones. Many have fallen 
 by the edge of the sword ; yet not so many as they that 
 have fallen because of the tongue. Happy is he that is 
 sheltered from it, that hath not passed through the wrath 
 thereof; that hath not drawn its yoke, and hath not been 
 bound with its bands. For the yoke thereof is a yoke 
 of iron, and the bands thereof are bands of brass. The 
 death thereof is an evil death; and Hades were better 
 than it. It shall not have rule over godly men ; and they 
 shall not be burned in its flame. They that forsake the 
 Lord shall fall into it ; and it shall burn among them, and 
 shall not be quenched : it shall be sent forth upon them 
 as a lion, and as a leopard it shall destroy them. Look 
 that thou hedge thy possession about with thorns ; bind 
 up thy silver and thy gold; and make a balance and a 
 weight for thy words ; and make a door and a bar for thy 
 mouth. Take heed lest thou slip therein; lest thou fall 
 before one that lieth in wait. 
 
 V 
 
 Choice of Company 
 
 Bring not every man into thine house ; for many are the 
 plots of the deceitful man. As a decoy partridge in a cage, 
 so is the heart of a proud man ; and as one that is a spy, 
 he looketh upon thy falling. For he lieth in wait to turn 
 ii6 
 
Biblical Literature S*- 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 things that are good into evil; and in things that are 
 praiseworthy he will lay blame. From a spark of fire a 
 heap of many coals is kindled ; and a sinful man lieth in 
 wait for blood. Take heed of an evil-doer, for he contriveth 
 wicked things ; lest haply he bring upon thee blame for 
 ever. Receive a stranger into thine house, and he will 
 distract thee with brawls, and estrange thee from thine 
 own. 
 
 If thou do good, know to whom thou doest it ; and thy 
 good deeds shall have thanks. Do good to a godly man, 
 and thou shalt find a recompense ; and if not from him, 
 yet from the Most High. There shall no good come to 
 him that continueth to do evil, nor to him that giveth no 
 alms. Give to the godly man and help not the sinner. 
 Do good to one that is lowly, and give not to an ungodly 
 man ; keep back his bread, and give it not to him, lest he 
 overmaster thee thereby ; for thou shalt receive twice as 
 much evil for all the good thou shalt have done unto him. 
 For the Most High also hateth sinners, and will repay 
 vengeance unto the ungodly. Give to the good man, and 
 help not the sinner. 
 
 A man's friend will not be fully tried in prosperity ; and 
 his enemy will not be hidden in adversity. In a man's 
 prosperity his enemies are grieved ; and in his adversity 
 even his friend will be separated from him. Never trust 
 thine enemy, for like as the brass rusteth, so is his wicked- 
 ness: though he humtfle himself, and go crouching, yet 
 117 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 take good heed, and beware of him, and thou shalt be 
 unto him as one that hath wiped a mirror, and thou shalt 
 know that he hath not utterly rusted it. Set him not by 
 thee, lest he overthrow thee and stand in thy place ; let 
 him not sit on thy right hand, lest he seek to take thy 
 seat, and at the last thou acknowledge my words, and 
 be pricked with my sayings. Who will pity a charmer 
 that is bitten with a serpent ? or any that come nigh wild 
 beasts ? Even so who will pity him that goeth to a 
 sinner, and is mingled with him in his sins ? For a while 
 he will abide with thee, and if thou give way, he will not 
 hold out. And the enemy will speak sweetly with his 
 lips, and in his heart take counsel how to overthrow thee 
 into a pit; the enemy will weep with his eyes, and if he 
 find opportunity, he will not be satiated with blood. If 
 adversity meet thee, thou shalt find him there before thee ; 
 and as though he would help thee, he will trip up thy heel. 
 He will shake his head, and clap his hands, and whisper 
 much, and change his countenance. 
 
 He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled ; and he that hath 
 fellowship with a proud man shall become like unto him. 
 Take not up a burden above thy strength; and have no 
 fellowship with one that is mightier and richer than thy- 
 self. What fellowship shall the earthen pot have with 
 the kettle ? this shall smite, and that shall be dashed in 
 pieces. The rich man doeth a wrong, and he threateneth 
 withal : the poor is wronged, and he shall entreat withal. 
 ii8 
 
Biblical Literature 8«*- 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 If thou be profitable, he will make merchandise of thee ; 
 and if thou be in want, he will forsake thee. If thou have 
 substance, he will live with thee ; and he will make thee 
 bare, and will not be sorry. Hath he had need of thee ? 
 then he will deceive thee, and smile upon thee, and give 
 thee hope : he will speak thee fair, and say. What needest 
 thou ? and he will shame thee by his meats, until he have 
 made thee bare twice or thrice. And at the last he will 
 laugh thee to scorn ; afterward will he see thee, and will 
 forsake thee, and shake his head at thee. Beware that 
 thou be not deceived, and brought low in thy mirth. If a 
 mighty man invite thee, be retiring, and so much the more 
 will he invite thee. Press not upon him, lest thou be 
 thrust back; and stand not far off, lest thou be forgotten. 
 Affect not to speak with him as an equal, and believe not 
 his many words : for with much talk will he try thee, and 
 in a smiling manner will search thee out. He that keepeth 
 not to himself words spoken is unmerciful ; and he will not 
 spare to hurt and to bind. Keep them to thyself, and take 
 earnest heed, for thou walkest in peril of thy falling. 
 
 Every living creature loveth his like, and every man 
 loveth his neighbour. All flesh consorteth according to 
 kind, and a man will cleave to his like. What fellowship 
 shall the wolf have with the lamb ? so is the sinner unto 
 the godly. What peace is there between the hyena and 
 the dog ? and what peace between the rich man and the 
 poor ? Wild asses are the prey of lions in the wilderness ; 
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Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 so poor men are pasture for the rich. Lowliness is an 
 abomination to a proud man ; so a poor man is an abomi- 
 nation to the rich. A rich man when he is shaken is held 
 up of his friends ; but one of low degree being down is 
 thrust away also by his friends. When a rich man is 
 fallen, there are many helpers; he speaketh things not 
 to be spoken, and men justify him : a man of low degree 
 falleth, and men rebuke him withal ; he uttereth wisdom, 
 and no place is allowed him. A rich man speaketh, and 
 all keep silence; and what he saith they extol to the 
 clouds : a poor man speaketh, and they say. Who is this ? 
 and if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him. Riches 
 are good that have no sin; and poverty is evil in the 
 mouth of the ungodly. 
 
 vi 
 
 The Wisdom of Business and the Wisdom of Leisure 
 
 The wisdom of the scribe cometh by opportunity of 
 leisure; and he that hath little business shall become 
 wise. How shall he become wise that holdeth the plow, 
 that glorieth in the shaft of the goad, that driveth oxen, 
 and is occupied in their labours, and whose discourse is ot 
 the stock of bulls ? He will set his heart upon turning his 
 furrows ; and his wakefulness is to give his heifers their 
 fodder. So is every artificer and workmaster, that passetb 
 
 I20 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 his time by night as by day; they that cut gravings of 
 signets, and his diligence is to make great variety ; he will 
 set his heart to preserve likeness in his portraiture, and 
 will be wakeful to finish his work. So is the smith 
 sitting by the anvil, and considering the unwrought iron ; 
 the vapour of the fire will waste his flesh, and in the heat 
 of the furnace will he wrestle with his work ; the noise of 
 the hammer will be ever in his ear, and his eyes are upon 
 the pattern of the vessel ; he will set his heart upon per- 
 fecting his works, and he will be wakeful to adorn them 
 perfectly. So is the potter sitting at his work, and turning 
 the wheel about with his feet, who is alway anxiously set 
 at his work, and all his handywork is by number ; he will 
 fashion the clay with his arm, and will bend its strength in 
 front of his feet ; he will apply his heart to finish the 
 glazing, and he will be wakeful to make clean the furnace. 
 All these put their trust in their hands ; and each becometh 
 wise in his own work. Without these shall not a city be 
 inhabited, and men shall not sojourn nor walk up and down 
 therein. They shall not be sought for in the council of 
 the people, and in the assembly they shall not mount on 
 high, they shall not sit on the seat of the judge, and they 
 shall not understand the covenant of judgement ; neither 
 shall they declare instruction and judgement, and where 
 parables are they shall not be found. But they will main- 
 tain the fabric of the world ; and in the handywork of their 
 craft is their prayer. 
 
 121 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Not so he that hath appHed his soul, and meditateth in 
 the law of the Most High. He will seek out the wisdom 
 of all of the ancients, and will be occupied in prophecies. ; 
 He will keep the discourse of the men of renown, and will 
 enter in amidst the subtilties of parables. He will seek 
 out the hidden meaning of proverbs, and be conversant in 
 the dark sayings of parables. He will serve among great 
 men, and appear before him that ruleth. He will travel 
 through the land of strange nations ; for he hath tried 
 good things and evil among men. He will apply his 
 heart to resort early to the Lord that made him, and will 
 make supplication before the Most High, and will open ' 
 his mouth in prayer, and will make supplication for his . 
 sins. If the great Lord will, he shall be filled with the 
 spirit of understanding : he shall pour forth the words of 
 his wisdom, and in prayer give thanks unto the Lord. He 
 shall direct his counsel and knowledge, and in his secrets 
 shall he meditate. He shall shew forth the instruction 
 which he hath been taught, and shall glory in the law of 
 the covenant of the Lord. Many shall commend his 
 understanding, and so long as the world endureth, it shall 
 not be blotted out ; his memorial shall not depart, and his I 
 name shall live from generation to generation; nations I 
 shall declare his wisdom, and the congregation shall tell | 
 out his praise. If he continue, he shall leave a greater J 
 name than a thousand : and if he die, he addeth thereto. Ji 
 
 Z22 9 
 
Biblical Literature 8«- 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 vii 
 
 Life as a Joy shadowed by the Judgment 
 
 An Essay with a Sonnet 
 
 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the 
 eyes to behold the sun. Yea, if a man live many years, let 
 him rejoice in them all ; and remember the days of dark- 
 ness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. 
 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth ; and let thy heart cheer 
 thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine 
 heart, and in the sight of thine eyes : but know thou, that 
 for all these things God will bring thee into judgement. 
 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil 
 from thy flesh : for youth and the prime of life are vanity. 
 
 The Coming of the Evil Days 
 
 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth : 
 
 Or ever the evil days come, 
 And the years draw nigh, 
 
 When thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them : 
 
 Or ever the sun, 
 
 And the light. 
 
 And the moon. 
 
 And the stars. 
 Be darkened. 
 
 And the clouds return after the rain: 
 123 
 
Wisdom 
 
 -*9 Masterpieces of 
 
 In the days when the keepers of the house shall tremble, 
 
 And the strong men shall bow themselves, 
 
 And the grinders cease because they are few, 
 
 And those that look out of the windows be darkened, 
 
 And the doors shall be shut in the street ; 
 
 When the sound of the grinding is low, 
 
 And one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, 
 
 And all the daughters of music shall be brought low ; 
 
 Yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high. 
 And terrors shall be in the way ; 
 
 And the almond tree shall blossom, 
 And the grasshopper shall be a burden, 
 And the caperberry shall burst : 
 
 Because man goeth to his long home. 
 And the mourners go about the streets: 
 
 Or ever the silver cord be loosed. 
 
 Or the golden bowl be broken, 
 
 Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain. 
 
 Or the wheel broken at the cistern : 
 
 And the dust return to the earth. 
 
 As it was ; 
 And the spirit return unto God 
 
 Who gave it. 
 
 124 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 SOATJVETS* 
 
 i 
 
 The Sluggard 
 
 Go to the ant, thou Sluggard ; 
 Consider her ways, and be wise : 
 
 Which having no chief, 
 
 Overseer, 
 
 Or ruler, 
 
 Provideth her meat in the summer. 
 And gathereth her food in the harvest. 
 
 How long wilt thou sleep, O Sluggard? 
 When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep ? 
 
 " Yet a little sleep, 
 
 A little slumber, 
 
 A little folding of the hands to sleep" — 
 So shall thy poverty come as a robber, 
 And thy want as an armed man! 
 
 * For the difference of form between the Hebrew and the modern sonnet 
 see Notes, page 255. 
 
 "5 
 
Wisdom 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 U 
 
 The Mourning for the Fool 
 
 Weep for the dead, 
 
 For light hath failed him ; 
 And weep for a fool, 
 
 For understanding hath failed him : 
 
 Weep more sweetly for the dead, 
 Because he hath found rest ; 
 But the life of the fool 
 
 Is worse than death. 
 
 Seven days are the days of mourning for the dead : 
 
 But for a fool and an ungodly man, all the days of his life. 
 
 The Two Paths 
 
 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings ; 
 
 And the years of thy life shall be many. 
 
 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom ; 
 
 I have led thee in paths of uprightness. 
 
 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; 
 
 And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 
 
 I2§ 
 
Biblical Literature B^*- 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 Take fast hold of instruction ; 
 
 Let her not go : 
 
 Keep her; 
 
 For she is thy life. 
 
 Enter not into the path of the wicked, 
 And walk not in the way of evil men. 
 
 Avoid it, 
 
 Pass not by it ; 
 
 Turn from it, 
 
 And pass on. 
 
 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief ; 
 And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to 
 fall. 
 
 For they eat the bread of wickedness, 
 And drink the wine of violence. 
 
 But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn. 
 That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 
 
 The way of the wicked is as darkness ; 
 They know not at what they stumble. 
 
 iv 
 
 The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize 
 
 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord ; 
 Neither be weary of his reproof : 
 
 137 
 
Wisdom 
 
 -58 Masterpieces of 
 
 For whom the Lord loveth he reproveth ; 
 Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 
 
 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, 
 
 And the man that getteth understanding. 
 
 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchan- 
 dise of silver, 
 
 And the gain thereof than line gold. 
 
 She is more precious than rubies : 
 
 And none of the things thou canst desire are to be 
 compared unto her. 
 
 Length of days is in her right hand ; 
 In her left hand are riches and honour. 
 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, 
 And all her paths are peace. 
 
 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her : 
 And happy is every one that retaineth her. 
 
 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth ; 
 By understanding he established the heavens. 
 By his knowledge the depths were broken up, 
 And the skies drop down the dew. 
 
 128 
 
Biblical Li'terature 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 V 
 
 Watchfulness of Lips and Heart 
 
 Who shall set a watch over my mouth, 
 And a seal of shrewdness upon my lips, 
 That I fall not from it. 
 And that my tongue destroy me not? 
 
 O Lord, Father and Master of my life, 
 Abandon me not to their counsel : 
 Suffer me not to fall by them. 
 
 Who will set scourges over my thought. 
 
 And a discipline of wisdom over mine heart? 
 That they spare me not for mine ignorances, 
 
 And my heart pass not by their sins : 
 That mine ignorances be not multiplied, 
 
 And my sins abound not ^ 
 And I shall fall before mine adversaries, 
 
 And mine enemy rejoice over me? 
 
 O Lord, Father and God of my life, 
 Give me not a proud look. 
 
 And turn away concupiscence from me. 
 Let not greediness and chambering overtake me, 
 
 And give me not over to a shameless mind. 
 K 129 
 
Wisdom 
 
 -98 Masterpieces of 
 
 vi 
 
 Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord 
 
 All wisdom cometh from the Lord, 
 And is with him for ever. 
 
 The sand of the seas, 
 And the drops of rain, 
 And the days of eternity, who shall number? 
 The height of the heaven. 
 And the breadth of the earth, and the deep. 
 And wisdom, who shall search them out ? 
 Wisdom hath been created before all things. 
 And the understanding of prudence from everlasting. 
 
 To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed? 
 And who hath known her shrewd counsels ? 
 There is one wise. 
 Greatly to be feared. 
 The Lord sitting upon his throne : 
 He created her. 
 And saw, and numbered her. 
 And poured her out upon all his works. 
 She is with all flesh according to his gift ; 
 And he gave her freely to them that love him. 
 130 
 
Biblical Literature ^ 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 The fear of the Lord 
 Is glory and exultation, 
 And gladness, and a crown of rejoicing. 
 
 The fear of the Lord 
 Shall delight the heart. 
 
 And shall give gladness, and joy, and length of days. 
 
 Whoso feareth the Lord, 
 
 It shall go well with him at the last. 
 
 And in the day of his death he shall be blessed. 
 
 To fear the Lord 
 
 Is the beginning of wisdom ; 
 
 And it was created together with the faithful in the womb. 
 With men she laid an eternal foundation ; 
 And with their seed shall she be had in trust. 
 
 To fear the Lord 
 
 Is the fulness of wisdom ; 
 
 And she satiateth men with her fruits. 
 
 She shall fill all her house with desirable things, 
 
 And her garners with her produce. 
 
 The fear of the Lord 
 Is the crown of wisdom, 
 Making peace and perfect health to flourish. 
 
 131 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 He both saw and numbered her ; 
 
 He rained down skill and knowledge of understanding, 
 And exalted the honour of them that hold her fast. 
 To fear the Lord 
 
 Is the root of wisdom ; 
 
 And her branches are length of days. 
 
 vii 
 
 Wisdom and the Strange Woman 
 I 
 
 My son, keep my words. 
 
 And lay up my commandments with thee. 
 Keep my commandments, and live ; 
 
 And my law, as the apple of thine eye. . » 
 
 Bind them upon thy fingers ; 
 
 Write them upon the table of thine heart. 
 Say unto Wisdom, Thou art my sister ; 
 
 And call Understanding thy kinswoman : 
 That they may keep thee from the Strange Woman, 
 
 From the stranger which flattereth with her words. 
 
 2 
 
 For at the window of my house 
 I looked forth through my lattice ; 
 
 132 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 And I beheld among the simple ones, 
 I discerned among the youths, 
 
 A young man, 
 
 Void of understanding. 
 
 Passing through the street near her corner, 
 
 And he went the way to her house ; 
 
 In the twilight, in the evening of the day, 
 
 In the blackness of night and the darkness ; 
 And behold, there met him a Woman 
 With the attire of an harlot, and wily of heart. 
 
 She is clamorous and wilful ; 
 
 Her feet abide not in her house ; 
 
 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, 
 
 And lieth in wait at every corner. 
 So she caught him, and kissed him, 
 With an impudent face she said unto him : 
 
 " Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me ; 
 This day have I paid my vows ; 
 
 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, 
 Diligently to seek thy face, 
 
 And I have found thee. 
 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, 
 With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt ; 
 I have perfumed my bed 
 With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 
 
 133 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Come, let us take our fill of love 
 Until the morning ; 
 
 Let us solace ourselves with loves ; 
 For the goodman is not at home, 
 He is gone a long journey : 
 He hath taken a bag of money with him ; 
 He will come home at the full moon." 
 
 With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield, 
 With the flattering of her lips she forceth him away. 
 
 He goeth after her straightway. 
 As an ox goeth to the slaughter, 
 Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool ; 
 
 Till an arrow strike through his liver ; 
 As a bird hasteth to the snare. 
 And knoweth not that it is for his life. 
 
 3 
 
 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, 
 
 And attend to the words of my mouth. 
 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, 
 
 Go not astray in her paths. 
 For she hath cast down many wounded : 
 
 Yea, all her slain are a mighty host. 
 Her house is the way to Sheol, 
 
 Going down to the chambers of death. ; 
 134 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 4 
 
 Doth not Wisdom cry, 
 And Understanding put forth her voice ? 
 In the top of high places by the way, 
 Where the paths meet, 
 
 She standeth ; 
 Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, 
 At the coming in at the doors. 
 
 She crieth aloud : 
 
 Unto you, O men, I call ; 
 
 And my voice is to the sons of men. 
 
 O ye simple, understand subtilty ; 
 
 And ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 
 
 Hear, for I will speak excellent things ; 
 
 And the opening of my lips shall be right things. 
 
 For my mouth shall utter truth ; 
 
 And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 
 
 All the words of my mouth are righteousness ; 
 There is nothing crooked or perverse in them. 
 They are all plain to him that understandeth. 
 And right to them that find knowledge 
 Receive my instruction, and not silver ; 
 And knowledge rather than choice gold. 
 
 For wisdom is better than rubies ; 
 
 And all the things that may be desired are not to be 
 compared unto her. 
 
 135 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 5 
 
 I Wisdom have made subtilty my dwelling, 
 And find out knowledge and discretion. 
 
 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil ; 
 Pride and arrogancy, 
 And the evil way, 
 And the froward mouth, do I hate. 
 
 Counsel is mine, 
 
 And sound knowledge ; 
 I am understanding, 
 
 I have might. ^ 
 
 By me kings reign. 
 And princes decree justice ; 
 By me princes rule, 
 
 And nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 
 I love them that love me ; 
 
 And those that seek me diligently shall find me. 
 
 Riches and honour are with me ; 
 Durable riches and righteousness ; 
 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold ; 
 And my revenue than choice silver. 
 
 136 
 
Biblical Literature 8«- 
 
 Wisdom 
 
 I walk in the way of righteousness, 
 
 In the midst of the paths of judgement : 
 That I may cause those that love me to inherit sub- 
 stance, 
 
 And that I may fill their treasuries. 
 
 6 
 
 The Lord formed me in the beginning of his way, 
 Before his works of old. 
 
 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning. 
 Or ever the earth was. 
 
 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, 
 When there were no fountains abounding with water. 
 
 Before the mountains were settled. 
 Before the hills, was I brought forth : 
 While as yet he had not made the earth. 
 Nor the fields. 
 
 Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 
 
 When he established the heavens, I was there : 
 When he set a circle upon the face of the deep : 
 When he made firm the skies above : 
 When the fountains of the deep became strong : 
 When he gave to the sea its bound, 
 That the waters should not transgress his command- 
 ment : 
 
 137 
 
Masterpieces of Biblical Literature 
 
 When he marked out the foundations of the earth, 
 Then I was by him, 
 As a master workman, 
 And I was daily his delight, 
 Sporting always before him ; 
 Sporting in his habitable earth ; 
 And my delight was with the sons of men. 
 
 7 
 
 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me : 
 
 For blessed are they that keep my ways. 
 Hear instruction, and be wise, 
 
 And refuse it not. * 
 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at 
 my gates. 
 
 Waiting at the posts of my doors. 
 For whoso findeth me findeth life, 
 
 And shall obtain favour of the Lord ; 
 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul ; 
 
 All they that hate me love death. 
 
 138 
 
Lyrics 
 
/ 
 
 AN- ELEGY OF A BROKEN- HEART 
 I 
 
 Let the day perish wherein I was born ; 
 
 And the night which said, There is a man child conceived! 
 
 Let that day be darkness ; 
 Let not God regard it from above, 
 Neither let the light shine upon it ! 
 Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their 
 own ; 
 
 Let a cloud dwell upon it ; 
 
 Let all that maketh black the day terrify it ! 
 
 As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it ; 
 Let it not rejoice among the days of the year ; 
 Let it not come into the number of the months ! 
 Lo, let that night be barren ; 
 Let no joyful voice come therein! 
 Let them curse it that curse the day. 
 Who are ready to rouse up leviathan ! 
 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark ! 
 141 
 
Lyrics 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Let it look for light, but have none ; 
 
 Neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning : 
 
 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, 
 Nor hid trouble from mine eyes ! 
 
 Why died I not from the womb? 
 
 Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of th^ 
 belly? 
 
 Why did the knees receive me? 
 
 Or why the breasts, that I should suck? 
 
 For now should I have lien down and been quiet ; 
 I should have slept ; then had I been at rest, 
 
 With kings and counsellors of the earth, 
 
 Which built solitary piles for themselves ; 
 
 Or with princes that had gold. 
 
 Who filled their houses with silver ; 
 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been ; 
 As infants which never saw light. 
 
 There the wicked cease from troubling ; 
 
 And there the weary be at rest. 
 
 There the prisoners are at ease together ; 
 
 They hear not the voice of the taskmaster. 
 
 The small and great are there ; 
 
 And the servant is free from his master. 
 
 142 
 
Biblical Literature 8«*- 
 
 Lyrica 
 
 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, 
 And life unto the bitter in soul ? 
 
 Which long for death, but it cometh not ; 
 
 And dig for it more than for hid treasures ; 
 
 Which rejoice exceedingly, 
 
 And are glad when they can find the grave. 
 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, 
 And whom God hath hedged in ? 
 
 For my sighing cometh before I eat. 
 
 And my roarings are poured out like water. 
 
 For the thing which I fear cometh upon me, 
 
 And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. 
 
 I am not at ease, neither am I quiet. 
 
 Neither have I rest: but trouble cometh! 
 
 // 
 
 THE CREATOR'S JOY IN HIS CREATION 
 
 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth ? 
 
 Declare, if thou hast understanding 
 
 Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest ? 
 Or who stretched the line upon it ? 
 Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? 
 Or who laid the corner stone thereof ; 
 
 When the morning stars sang together, 
 And all the sons of God shouted for joy ? 
 143 
 
Lyrics 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 Or who shut up the sea with doors, 
 
 When it brake forth, and issued out of the womb ; 
 
 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, 
 
 And thick darkness a swaddling band for it, 
 
 And prescribed for it my decree, 
 
 And set bars and doors, 
 
 And said, " Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further ; 
 
 And here shall thy proud waves be stayed ? " 
 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, 
 And caused the dayspring to know its place ; 
 
 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, 
 
 And the wicked be shaken out of it ? 
 
 It is changed as clay under the seal ; 
 
 And all things stand forth as a garment : 
 
 And from the wicked their light is withholden, 
 
 And the high arm is broken. 
 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? 
 Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? 
 Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee ? 
 Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? 
 Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth ? 
 
 Declare, if thou knowest it all 
 
 Where is the way to the dwelling of light. 
 And as for darkness, where is the place thereof ; 
 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, 
 And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house 
 thereof ? 
 
 144 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born, 
 
 And the number of thy days is great ! 
 
 Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, 
 Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail, 
 
 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, 
 
 Against the day of battle and war? 
 By what way is the light parted. 
 Or the east wind scattered upon the earth ? 
 Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood, 
 Or a way for the lightning of the thunder ; 
 
 To cause it to rain on a land where no man is ; 
 
 On the wilderness, wherein there is no man ; 
 
 To satisfy the waste and desolate ground ; 
 
 And to cause the tender grass to spring forth ? 
 Hath the rain a father? 
 Or who hath begotten the drops of dew ? 
 Out of whose womb came the ice ? 
 And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? 
 
 The waters are hidden as with stone. 
 
 And the face of the deep is frozen. 
 Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, 
 Or loose the bands of Orion ? 
 
 Canst thou lead forth the signs of the Zodiac in their 
 season? 
 
 Or canst thou guide the Bear with her train? 
 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? 
 Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth ? 
 L 145 
 
Lyrics 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, 
 
 That abundance of waters may cover thee ? 
 
 Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, 
 
 And say unto thee, Here we are? 
 
 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts ? 
 
 Or who hath given understanding^ to the mind? 
 
 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? 
 
 Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, 
 
 When the dust runneth into a mass. 
 
 And the clods cleave fast together? 
 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness ? 
 Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions. 
 
 When they couch in their dens. 
 
 And abide in the covert to lie in wait? 
 Who provideth for the raven his food, 
 
 When his young ones cry unto God, 
 
 And wander for lack of meat? 
 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock 
 
 bring forth ? 
 Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? 
 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil ? 
 Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth ? 
 
 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, 
 
 They cast out their sorrows. 
 
 Their young ones are in good liking, 
 
 They grow up in the open field; 
 
 They go forth, and return not again. 
 
 146 
 
Biblical Literature ^ 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 Who hath sent out the wild ass free? 
 
 Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? 
 Whose house I have made the wilderness, 
 And the salt land his dwelling place ; 
 He scorneth the tumult of the city, 
 Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver. 
 The range of the mountains is his pasture. 
 And he searcheth after every green thing. 
 
 Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee? 
 
 Or will he abide by thy crib? 
 
 Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the 
 furrow ? 
 
 Or will he harrow the valleys after thee? 
 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? 
 Or wilt thou leave to him thy labour? 
 Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy 
 seed. 
 
 And gather the corn of thy threshing-floor? 
 
 The wing of the ostrich rejoiceth ; 
 
 But are her pinions and feathers kindly? 
 For she leaveth her eggs on the earth, 
 And warmeth them in the dust, 
 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, 
 Or that the wild beast may trample them. 
 She is hardened against her young ones, as if they 
 
 were not hers : 
 Though her labour be in vain, she is without fear ; 
 147 
 
Lyrics 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, 
 
 Neither hath he imparted to her understanding. 
 
 What time she lifteth up herself on high, 
 
 She scorneth the horse and his rider. 
 Hast thou given the horse his might ? 
 Hast thou clothed his neck with the quiv/ering mane? 
 Hast thou made him to leap as a locust? 
 
 The glory of his snorting is terrible. 
 
 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength : 
 
 He goeth out to meet the armed men. 
 
 He mocketh at fear and is not dismayed ; 
 
 Neither turneth he back from the sword. 
 
 The quiver rattleth against him, 
 
 The flashing spear and the javelin. 
 
 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage ; 
 
 Neither standeth he still at the voice of the trumpet. 
 
 As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith. Aha! 
 
 And he smelleth the battle afar off. 
 
 The thunder of the captains, and the shouting. 
 Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom, 
 And stretch her wings toward the south ? 
 Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, 
 And make her nest on high ? 
 
 She dwelleth on the rock, and hath her lodging 
 there, 
 
 Upon the crag of the rock and the strong hold. 
 From thence she spieth out the prey ; 
 
 148 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 Her eyes behold it afar off. 
 
 Her young ones also suck up blood : 
 
 And where the slain are, there is she. 
 
 /// 
 
 SONG OF MOSES AND MIRIAM 
 
 TUTTI 
 
 I will sing unto the Lord ^ for he hath triumphed gloriously : 
 The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea* 
 
 The Lord is my strength and song, 
 And he is become my salvation : 
 
 This is my God, and I will praise him ; 
 My father's God, and I will exalt him. 
 
 1 
 
 Men 
 
 The Lord is a man of war : 
 
 The Lord is his name. 
 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea J 
 
 And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. 
 The deeps cover them : 
 
 They went down into the depths like a stone. 
 X49 
 
L3rrics 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Women 
 
 Sing ye to the Lord^ for he hath triumphed gloriously : 
 The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea, 
 
 2 
 
 Men 
 
 Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power, 
 
 Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy. 
 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou overthrowest 
 them that rise up against thee : 
 Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as 
 stubble. 
 
 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up, 
 
 The floods stood upright as an heap ; 
 
 The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 
 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide 
 the spoil : 
 
 My lust shall be satisfied upon them ; 
 
 I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 
 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them : 
 
 They sank as lead in the mighty waters. 
 
 Women 
 
 Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously : 
 The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea, 
 ISO 
 
Biblical Literature S»- 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 3 
 
 Men 
 
 Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? 
 
 Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, 
 
 Fearful in praises, doing wonders? 
 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand. 
 
 The earth swallowed them. 
 Thou in thy mercy hast led the people which thou hast 
 redeemed : 
 
 Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy 
 habitation. 
 The peoples have heard, they tremble : 
 
 Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia. 
 Then were the dukes of Edom amazed ; 
 
 The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold 
 upon them : 
 
 All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away. 
 
 Terror and dread falleth upon them ; 
 By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a 
 stone ; 
 
 Till thy people pass over, O Lord, 
 Till the people pass over which thou hast purchased. 
 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain 
 
 of thine inheritance, 
 The place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to 
 
 dwell in, 
 
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 The sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have 
 established. 
 The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. 
 
 Women 
 
 Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously : 
 The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 
 
 IV 
 
 DEBORAH'S SOJVG 
 
 Men, For that the leaders took the lead in Israel — 
 Women . For that the people offered themselves willingly — 
 Tutti, Bless ye the Lord ! 
 
 Prelude 
 
 Men* Hear, O ye kings — 
 Women, Give ear, O ye princes — 
 
 Men, I, even I, will sing unto the Lord — 
 Women, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of 
 
 Israel. 
 
 Tutti, Lord, when thou wentest forth out of Seir, 
 
 When thou marchedst out of the field of 
 Edom, 
 
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 The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, 
 
 Yea, the clouds dropped water. 
 The mountains flowed down at the presence of 
 the Lord, 
 
 Even yon Sinai at the presence of the 
 Lord, the God of Israel. 
 
 I. The Desolation 
 
 Men, In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, 
 In the days of Jael, 
 The highways were unoccupied. 
 
 And the travellers walked through 
 byways ; 
 The rulers ceased in Israel, 
 They ceased — 
 Women, Until that I, Deborah, arose. 
 
 That I arose a mother in Israel. 
 They chose new gods ; 
 
 Then was war in the gates : 
 Was there a shield or spear seen 
 
 Among forty thousand in Israel ? 
 
 Men, My hea?'t is toward the gover?tors of Israel — 
 Women. Ye that offered yourselves willingly among the 
 
 people — 
 Tutti, Bless ye the L ord I 
 
 153 
 
Lyrics 
 
 Men, 
 
 Women » 
 Tuttu 
 
 Tutti. 
 {Men. 
 Women, 
 
 Tutti. 
 
 Women, 
 
 Men. 
 
 Women. 
 
 Men. 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Tell ofit^ye that ridt on white asses. 
 Ye that sit on rich carpets^ 
 
 And ye that walk by the way : — 
 J^ar from the noise of archers, 
 
 In the places of drawing water : — 
 There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of 
 the Lord, 
 
 Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel. 
 
 2, The Muster 
 
 Then the people of the Lord went down to the 
 
 gates — 
 Awake, awake, Deborah, 
 
 Awake, awake, utter a song: — 
 Arise, Barak, 
 
 And lead thy captivity captive, thou son of 
 Abinoam,) 
 Then came down a remnant of the nobles, 
 
 The people of the Lord came down for me 
 against the mighty. 
 Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is 
 in Amalek — 
 After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples — 
 Out of Machir came down governors — 
 
 And out of Zebulun they that handle the 
 marshal's staff — 
 
Biblical Literature 8*^ 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 Women. And the princes of Issachar were with Debo- 
 rah — 
 
 Men. As was Issachar, so was Barak : 
 
 Tutti, Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. 
 
 Men, By the watercourses of Reuben 
 
 There were great resolves of heart. 
 
 Women. Why satest thou among the sheepfolds, 
 To hear the pipings for the flocks ? 
 
 Men, At the watercourses of Reuben 
 
 There were great searchings of heart! 
 
 Women, Gilead abode beyond Jordan — 
 
 Men. And Dan, why did he remain in ships? — 
 
 Women. Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, 
 
 And abode by his creeks. 
 Men. Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives 
 unto the death, 
 And Naphtali upon the high places of the 
 field. 
 
 3. The Battle and Rout 
 Strophe 
 
 Men, The kings came and fought ; 
 
 Then fought the kings of Canaan, 
 In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo :• 
 They took no gain of money! 
 
Lyrics 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 Antistrophe 
 
 Women* They fought from heaven, 
 
 The stars in their courses fought against 
 Sisera. 
 
 The river Kishon swept them away, — 
 That ancient river, the river Kishon I 
 
 Strophe 
 
 Men. O my soul, march on with strength! 
 
 Then did the horsehoofs stamp 
 By reason of the pransings, 
 
 The pransing3 of their strong ones. 
 
 Antistrophe 
 
 Women. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, 
 
 Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; 
 Because they came not to the help of the Lord, 
 To the help of the Lord against the mighty! 
 
 4. The Retribution 
 Strophe 
 
 Men. Blessed above women shall Jael be, the wife of 
 Heber the Kenite, 
 Blessed shall she be above women in the 
 tent! 
 
 He asked water, and she gave him milk ; 
 She brought him butter in a lordly dish. 
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 Lyrics 
 
 She put her hand to the nail, 
 
 And her right hand to the workman's ham- 
 mer ; 
 
 And with the hammer she smote Sisera. 
 She smote through his head, 
 
 Yea, she pierced and struck through his 
 temples. 
 
 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay : 
 At her feet he bowed, he fell : 
 
 Where he bowed, there he fell down dead! 
 
 Afitistrophe 
 
 Women, Through the window she looked forth, and 
 cried. 
 
 The mother of Sisera, through the lattice, 
 "Why is his chariot so long in coming? 
 
 Why tarry the wheels of his chariots ? " 
 Her wise ladies answered her, 
 
 Yea, she returned answer to herself, 
 " Have they not found. 
 Have they not divided the spoil? 
 
 A damsel, two damsels to every man ; 
 To Sisera a spoil of divers colours, 
 A spoil of divers colours of embroidery, 
 
 Of divers colours of embroidery on both 
 sides, on the necks of the spoil! " 
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 Tutti, So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord : 
 
 But let them that love him be as the sun 
 when he gpeth forth in his might! 
 
 V 
 
 DAVID'S LAMENT 
 
 Thy glory, O Israel, 
 
 Is slain upon thy high places! 
 
 How are the mighty — 
 
 Fallen I 
 
 Tell it not in Gath, 
 
 Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon ; 
 
 Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, 
 Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 
 
 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain 
 upon you, 
 
 Neither fields of offerings : 
 
 For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, 
 The shield of Saul, as of one not anointed with oil. 
 
 From the blood of the slain, 
 
 From the fat of the mighty, 
 
 The bow of Jonathan turned not back, 
 And the sword of Saul returned not empty. 
 
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 Lyrics 
 
 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, 
 And in their death they were not divided ; 
 
 They were swifter than eagles, 
 
 They were stronger than lions. 
 
 Ye daughters of Israel, 
 
 Weep over Saul, 
 
 Who clothed you in scarlet delicately. 
 
 Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 
 
 How are the mighty — 
 Fallen in the midst of the battle I 
 O Jonathan, 
 
 Slain upon thy high places, 
 
 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan : 
 Very pleasant hast thou been unto me : 
 
 Thy love to me was wonderful, 
 
 Passing the love of women. 
 
 How are the mighty — 
 
 Fallen I 
 And the weapons of war ^ 
 
 Perished! 
 
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 -3S Masterpieces of 
 
 VI 
 
 DAVID'S SONG OF VICTORY 
 
 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, 
 even mine ; 
 The God of my rock, in him will I trust ; 
 My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, 
 and my refuge ; 
 My saviour, thou savest me from violence. 
 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised : 
 So shall I be saved from mine enemies. 
 
 For the waves of death compassed me. 
 
 The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 
 
 The cords of Sheol were round about me : 
 The snares of death came upon me. 
 
 In my distress I called upon the Lord, 
 Yea, I called unto my God : 
 
 And he heard my voice out of his temple, 
 And my cry came into his ears. 
 
 Then the earth shook and trembled. 
 The foundations of heaven moved 
 And were shaken, because he was wroth. 
 
 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, 
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Piblical Literature 
 
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 And fire out of his mouth devoured : 
 
 Coals were kindled by it. 
 He bowed the heavens also, and came down ; 
 
 And thick darkness was under his feet. 
 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly : 
 
 Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind. 
 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, 
 
 Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies. 
 At the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled 
 
 The Lord thundered from heaven, 
 
 And the Most High uttered his voice. 
 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them ; 
 
 Lightning, and discomfited them. 
 Then the channels of the sea appeared. 
 
 The foundations of the world were laid bare, 
 By the rebuke of the Lord, 
 
 At the blast of the breath of his nostrils 
 He sent from on high, he took me ; 
 
 He drew me out of many waters ; 
 He delivered me from my strong enemy, 
 
 From them that hated me ; 
 
 For they were too mighty for me. 
 They came upon me in the day of my calamity : 
 
 But the Lord was my stay. 
 He brought me forth also into a large place : 
 
 He delivered me, because he delighted in me. 
 M i6i 
 
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 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness : 
 
 According to the cleanness of my hands hath he re- 
 compensed me. 
 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, 
 
 And have not wickedly departed from my God. 
 For all his judgements were before me : 
 
 And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them. 
 I was also perfect toward him, 
 
 And I kept myself from mine iniquity. 
 Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to 
 my righteousness ; 
 
 According to my cleanness in his eyesight. 
 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, 
 
 With the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect 
 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure ; 
 
 And with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward. 
 And the afflicted people thou wilt save : 
 
 But thine eyes are upon the haughty, 
 
 That thou may est bring them down. 
 
 For thou art my lamp, O Lord : 
 
 And the Lord will lighten my darkness. 
 
 For by thee I run upon a troop : 
 
 By my God do I leap over a wall. 
 
 As for God, his way is perfect : 
 
 The word of the Lord is tried ; 
 
 He is a shield unto all them that trust in him. 
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 For who is God, save the Lord? 
 
 And who is a rock, save our God? 
 God is my strong fortress : 
 
 And he guideth the perfect in his way. 
 He maketh his feet like hinds' feet : 
 
 And setteth me upon my high places. 
 He teacheth my hands to war ; 
 
 So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass. 
 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation : 
 
 And thy gentleness hath made me great. 
 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, 
 
 And my feet have not slipped. 
 I have pursued mine enemies. 
 And destroyed them ; 
 
 Neither did I turn again till they were consumed. 
 And I have consumed them. 
 And smitten them through that they cannot arise : 
 
 Yea, they are fallen under my feet. 
 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle : 
 
 Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up 
 against me. 
 
 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto 
 me. 
 
 That I might cut off them that hate me. 
 They looked, but there was none to save ; 
 
 Even unto the Lord, but he answered them not. 
 Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth, 
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 I did stamp them as the mire of the streets, and did 
 spread them abroad. 
 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my 
 people ; 
 
 Thou hast kept me to be the head of the nations : 
 
 A people whom I have not known shall serve me. 
 
 The strangers shall submit themselves unto me : 
 
 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me. 
 
 The strangers shall fade away, 
 
 And shall come trembling out of their close places. 
 
 The Lord liveth ; and blessed be my rock ; 
 
 And exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation : 
 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, 
 
 And bringeth down peoples under me. 
 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies : 
 
 Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up 
 against me : 
 
 Thou deliverest me from the violent man. 
 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among 
 the nations. 
 
 And will sing praises unto thy name. 
 Great deliverance giveth he to his king : 
 And sheweth lovingkindness to his anointed, 
 
 To David and to his seed, for evermore. 
 
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 V// 
 
 THE BRIDE'S REMINISCENCES 
 A Lyric Idyl 
 
 The Interrupted Visit 
 
 The Bride 
 
 The voice of my beloved! behold he cometh, 
 
 Leaping upon the mountains, 
 
 Skipping upon the hills. 
 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart : 
 
 Behold, he standeth behind our v^^all, 
 He looketh in at the windows, 
 He sheweth himself through the lattice. 
 
 My beloved spake, and said unto me : 
 " Rise up, my love, my fair one, 
 
 And come away. 
 
 For, lo, the winter is past, 
 
 The rain is over and gone ; 
 
 The flowers appear on the earth ; 
 
 The time of the singing of birds is come, 
 And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land ; 
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 The fig tree ripeneth her green figs, 
 
 And the vines are in blossom, 
 
 They give forth their fragrance. 
 Arise, my love, my fair one. 
 
 And come away. 
 
 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, 
 
 In the covert of the steep place, 
 Let me see thy countenance. 
 
 Let me hear thy voice ; 
 
 For sweet is thy voice. 
 
 And thy countenance is comely." 
 
 Voices of the Brothers {heard interrupting) 
 " Take us the foxes, 
 
 " The little foxes that spoil the vineyards ; 
 " For our vineyards are in blossom." 
 
 * 
 
 My beloved is mine, and I am his : 
 
 He feedeth his flock among the lilies. 
 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, 
 
 Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young 
 hart 
 
 Upon the mountains of separation, 
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Biblical Literature 
 
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 The Happy Dream 
 
 By night, on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loveth : 
 
 I sought him, but I found him not. 
 I said, I will rise now, and go about the city, 
 
 In the streets and in the broad ways, 
 I will seek him whom my soul loveth : 
 
 I sought him, but I found him not. 
 
 The watchmen that go about the city found me : 
 
 To whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth ? 
 It was but a little that I passed from them. 
 
 When I found him whom my soul loveth : 
 
 I held him, and would not let him go. 
 Until I had brought him into my mother's house. 
 
 And into the chamber of her that conceived me. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 r adjure you^ O daughters of Jerusalem^ 
 By the roes, and by the hinds of the feldy 
 
 That ye stir not tcp, nor awaken love^ 
 Until it please, 
 
 167 
 
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 VI H 
 
 THE BATTLE OF CARCHEMISH 
 I 
 
 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to 
 battle ; 
 
 Harness the horses, and get up ye horsemen, and stand 
 
 forth with your helmets ; 
 Furbish the spears, put on the coats of mail. 
 
 Wherefore have I seen it ? they are dismayed, 
 
 And are turned backward, and their mighty ones are 
 
 beaten down, 
 And are fled apace, and look not back. 
 
 Terror is on every side, saith the Lord, 
 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape : 
 In the north by the river Euphrates have they stumbled 
 and fallen. 
 
 2 
 
 Who is this that riseth up like the Nile, 
 
 Whose waters toss themselves like the rivers ? 
 
 Egypt riseth up like the Nile, 
 
 And his waters toss themselves like the rivers ; 
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Biblical Literature 
 
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 And he saith, I will rise up, I will cover the earth ; 
 
 I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof. 
 
 Go up, ye horses ; and rage, ye chariots ; and let the 
 
 mighty men go forth : 
 Cush and Put, that handle the shield ; 
 And the Ludim, that handle and bend the bow. 
 
 For that day is a day of the Lord, the Lord of hosts, 
 A day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his 
 adversaries : 
 
 And the sword shall devour and be satiate. 
 And shall drink its fill of their blood : 
 
 For the Lord, the Lord of hosts hath a sacrifice 
 In the north country by the river P^uphrates. 
 
 3 
 
 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of 
 Egypt : 
 
 In vain dost thou use many medicines ; 
 There is no healing for thee. 
 
 The nations have heard of thy shame, and the earth is 
 
 full of thy cry : 
 For the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, 
 They are fallen both of them together. 
 
 169 
 
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 IX 
 
 A SONG OF ZION REDEEMED 
 I 
 
 Arise, shine ; for thy light is come, 
 
 And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 
 
 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, 
 
 And gross darkness the peoples : 
 But the Lord shall arise upon thee. 
 
 And his glory shall be seen upon thee. 
 
 2 
 
 And nations shall come to thy light. 
 And kings to the brightness of thy rising. 
 
 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see : 
 
 They all gather themselves together, they come 
 to thee : 
 
 Thy sons shall come from far. 
 
 And thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. 
 
 Then thou shalt see and be lightened, 
 
 And thine heart shall tremble and be enlarged ; 
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 Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto 
 thee, 
 
 The wealth of the nations shall come unto thee. 
 
 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, 
 The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah ; 
 
 They all shall come from Sheba, they shall bring gold 
 and frankincense, 
 And shall proclaim the praises of the Lord. 
 
 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together 
 unto thee, 
 
 The rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee ; 
 They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, 
 And I will beautify the house of my glory. 
 
 3 
 
 Who are these that fly as a cloud, 
 And as the doves to their windows? 
 
 Surely the isles shall wait for me, 
 
 And the ships of Tarshish first, 
 To bring thy sons from far. 
 
 Their silver and their gold with them, 
 For the name of the Lord thy God, 
 
 And for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath 
 glorified thee. 
 
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 And strangers shall' build up thy walls, 
 
 And their kings shall minister unto thee : 
 
 For in my wrath I smote thee, 
 
 But in my favour have I had mercy on thee. 
 
 Thy gates also shall be open continually, 
 They shall not be shut day nor night ; 
 That men may bring unto thee the wealth of the 
 nations, 
 
 And their kings led with them : 
 For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee 
 shall perish ; 
 Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. 
 
 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee. 
 
 The fir tree, the pine, and the box tree together ; 
 
 To beautify the place of my sanctuary. 
 
 And I will make the place of my feet glorious. 
 
 And the sons of them that afflicted thee 
 
 Shall come bending unto thee; 
 And all they that despised thee 
 
 Shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet. 
 
 4 
 
 And they shall call thee the City of the Lord, 
 The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 
 
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 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, 
 So that no man passed through thee, 
 
 I will make thee an eternal excellency, 
 A joy of many generations. 
 
 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations, 
 
 And shalt suck the breast of kings : 
 And thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy savioun 
 
 And thy redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 
 
 For brass I will bring gold, 
 
 And for iron I will bring silver. 
 And for wood brass, 
 
 And for stones iron. 
 
 I will also make thy officers peace. 
 
 And thine exactors righteousness ; 
 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land. 
 
 Desolation nor destruction within thy borders ; 
 But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, 
 
 And thy gates Praise. 
 
 5 
 
 The sun shall be no more thy light by day. 
 Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto 
 thee : 
 
 But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, 
 And thy God thy glory. 
 
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 Thy sun shall no mote go down, 
 Neither shall thy moon withdraw itself : 
 For the Lord shall be thine everlasting light. 
 And the days of thy mourning shall be ended. 
 
 Thy people also shall be all righteous, 
 They shall inherit the land for ever ; 
 The branch of my planting, 
 The work of my hands, 
 
 That I may be glorified. 
 The little one shall become a thousand, 
 And the small one a strong nation : 
 
 I the Lord will hasten it in its time. 
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 X 
 
 ISAIAH'S 
 
 DOOM OF BABYLON 
 
 Set ye up an ensign upon the bare mountain, lift up the 
 voice unto them, wave the hand, that they may go into the 
 gates of the nobles. I have commanded my consecrated 
 ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, 
 even them that exult in my majesty. 
 
 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, 
 Like as of a great people ! 
 The noise of a tumult 
 
 Of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! 
 
 The Lord of Hosts 
 
 Mustereth the Host for the battle ; 
 They come from a far country, 
 From the uttermost part of heaven : 
 
 Even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, 
 To destroy the whole land. 
 Howl ye, for the Day of the Lord is at hand : 
 As destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 
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 Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of 
 man shall melt : and they shall be dismayed ; pangs and 
 sorrows shall take hold of them ; they shall be in pain as 
 a woman in travail ; they shall be amazed one at another ; 
 their faces shall be faces of flame. 
 
 Behold, the Day of the Lord cometh, 
 Cruel, with wrath and fierce anger ; 
 To make the land a desolation, 
 And to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 
 
 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof 
 shall not give their light : the sun shall be darkened in 
 his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to 
 shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the 
 wicked for their iniquity ; and I will cause the arrogancy 
 of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of 
 the terrible. I will make a man more rare than fine gold, 
 even a man than the pure gold of Ophir. Therefore I 
 will make the heavens to tremble, and the earth shall be 
 shaken out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, 
 and in the day of his fierce anger. And it shall come to 
 pass, that as the chased roe, and as sheep that no man 
 gathereth, they shall turn every man to his own people, 
 and shall flee every man to his own land. Every one that 
 is found shall be thrust through ; and every one that is 
 taken shall fall by the sword. Their infants also shall 
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 be dashed in pieces before their eyes ; their houses shall 
 be spoiled, and their wives ravished. Behold, I will stir up 
 the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver, and 
 as for gold, they shall not delight in it. And their bows 
 shall dash the young men in pieces ; and they shall have 
 no pity on the fruit of the womb ; their eye shall not spare 
 children. 
 
 And Babylon, 
 
 The glory of kingdoms, 
 The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, 
 Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Go- 
 morrah. 
 
 It shall never be inhabited, 
 
 Neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to 
 
 generation ; 
 Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there ; 
 Neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie 
 
 down there. 
 
 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there ; 
 
 And their houses shall be full of doleful creatures ; 
 And ostriches shall dwell there, 
 And satyrs shall dance there. 
 
 And wolves shall cry in their castles, 
 And jackals in the pleasant palaces : 
 N 177 
 
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 And her time is near to come, 
 
 And her days shall not be prolonged. 
 
 For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob, and will 
 yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land : and the 
 stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave 
 to the house of Jacob. And the peoples shall take them, 
 and bring them to their place : and the house of Israel 
 shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants 
 and for handmaids; and they shall take them captive, 
 whose captives they were ; and they shall rule over their 
 oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that the 
 Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy 
 trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made 
 to serve, that thou shalt take up this parable against the 
 king of Babylon, and say : 
 
 How hath the oppressor ceased! 
 
 The golden city ceased! 
 The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, 
 
 The sceptre of the rulers ; 
 He that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, 
 
 That ruled the nations in anger, 
 Is persecuted. 
 
 And none hindereth! 
 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet ; 
 
 They break forth into singing : 
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 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, 
 
 And the cedars of Lebanon : 
 
 ' Since thou art laid down, 
 
 <No feller is come up against us.' 
 
 Hell from beneath is moved for thee, 
 
 To meet thee at thy coming : 
 It stirreth up the dead for thee, 
 
 Even all the chief ones of the earth ; 
 It hath raised up from their thrones all the kings 
 of the nations, 
 
 All they shall answer and say unto thee : 
 * Art thou also become weak as we ? 
 
 < Art thou become like unto us ? ' 
 Thy pomp is brought down to hell. 
 
 And the noise of thy viols : 
 The worm is spread under thee. 
 And worms cover thee. 
 
 How art thou fallen from heaven, 
 
 O Day Star, son of the morning 
 How art thou cut down to the ground, 
 
 Which didst lay low the nations! 
 And thou saidst in thine heart, * I will ascend into 
 heaven, 
 
 < I will exalt my throne above the stars of 
 
 God ; 
 
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 * And I will sit upon the mount of congregation, 
 
 * In the uttermost parts of the north : 
 
 < I will ascend above the heights of the clouds ; 
 
 * I will be like the Most High.' 
 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, 
 
 To the uttermost parts of the pit. 
 
 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, 
 
 They shall consider thee : 
 ' Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, 
 
 * That did shake kingdoms ; 
 
 ^ That made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the 
 cities thereof, 
 
 ' That let not loose his prisoners to their home ? ' ' 
 All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, 
 
 Every one in his own house : 
 But thou art cast forth away from thy sepulchre* 
 
 Like an abominable branch. 
 As the raiment of those that are slain, 
 
 That are thrust through with the sword, 
 That go down to the stones of the pit ; 
 
 As a carcase trodden under foot. 
 
 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because 
 thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast . slain thy people ; 
 the seed of evil-doers shall not be named for ever. Pre- 
 pare ye slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their 
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 fathers ; that they rise not up, and possess the earth, and 
 fill the face of the world with cities. And I will rise up 
 against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from 
 Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son, saith 
 the Lord. I will also make it a possession for the porcu- 
 pine, and pools of water : and I will sweep it with the 
 besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts. 
 
 i8i 
 
Lyrics 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 XI 
 
 NAHUM'S 
 DOOM OF NINEVEH 
 I 
 
 The Lord is a jealous God and avengeth ; the Lord 
 avengeth and is fiill of wrath ; the Lord taketh vengeance 
 on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. 
 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will 
 by no means clear the guilty : the Lord hath his way in 
 the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the 
 dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, 
 and drieth up all the rivers : Bashan languisheth, and 
 Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The 
 mountains quake at him, and the hills melt ; and the earth 
 is upheaved at his presence, yea, the world, and all that 
 dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? 
 and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger ? his fury 
 is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder 
 by him. 
 
 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble ; 
 and he knoweth them that put their trust in him. 
 
 But with an overrunning flood he will make a full end 
 of the place thereof, and will pursue his enemies into dark- 
 ness. 
 
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 2 
 
 What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make a 
 full end : affliction shall not rise up the second time. For 
 though they be like tangled thorns, and be drenched as 
 it were in their drink, they shall be devoured utterly as 
 dry stubble. There is one gone forth out of thee, that 
 imagineth evil against the Lord, that counselleth wicked- 
 ness. Thus saith the Lord: Though they be in full 
 strength, and likewise many, even so shall they be cut 
 down, and he shall pass away. 
 
 Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. 
 And now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will 
 burst thy bonds in sunder. 
 
 And the Lord hath given commandment concerning 
 thee, that no more of thy name be sown ; out of the house 
 of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten 
 image ; I will make thy grave ; for thou art vile. 
 
 3 
 
 Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bring- 
 eth good tidings, that publisheth peace! Keep thy feasts, 
 O Judah, perform thy vows : for the wicked one shall no 
 more pass through thee ; he is utterly cut off. 
 
 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face i 
 Keep the munition ; watch the way ; 
 183 
 
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 -58 Masterpieces of 
 
 Make thy loins strong, 
 
 Fortify thy power mightily. 
 
 For the Lord bringeth again the excellency of Jacob, as 
 the excellency of Israel : for the emptiers have emptied 
 them out, and marred their vine branches. 
 
 The shield of his mighty men is made red : 
 
 The valiant men are in scarlet : 
 The chariots flash with steel in the day of his prepara- 
 tion. 
 
 And the spears are shaken terribly. 
 
 The chariots rage in the streets, 
 
 They justle one against another in the broad ways : 
 The appearance of them is like torches, 
 
 They run like the lightnings. 
 
 He remembereth his worthies : 
 
 They stumble in their march ; 
 They make haste to the wall thereof, 
 
 And the mantelet is prepared. 
 
 The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is 
 dissolved : 
 
 And Huzzab is uncovered ; she is carried away ; 
 And her handmaids mourn as with the voice of doves, 
 Taberiog upon their breasts. 
 
 184 
 
Biblical Literature Lyrics 
 
 But Nineveh hath been from of old like a pool of 
 water ; 
 
 Yet they flee away : 
 < Stand, stand' — 
 
 But none looketh back. 
 
 Take ye the spoil of silver, 
 
 Take the spoil of gold ; 
 For there is none end of the store, 
 
 The glory of all pleasant furniture. 
 
 She is empty, and void, and waste : 
 
 And the heart melteth, and the knees smite to- 
 gether ; 
 And anguish is in all loins, 
 
 And the faces of them all are waxed pale. 
 
 4 
 
 Where is the den of the lions, 
 
 And the feeding place of the young lions. 
 Where the lion and the lioness walked, 
 
 The lion's whelp, and none made them afraid? 
 
 The Hon did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, 
 
 And strangled for his Uonesses ; 
 And filled his caves with prey, 
 
 And his dens with ravin. 
 
 185 
 
Lyrics 
 
 -39 Masterpieces of 
 
 5 
 
 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and 
 I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall 
 devour thy young lions : and I will cut off thy prey from 
 the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more 
 be heard. 
 
 Woe to the bloody city! 
 
 It is all full of lies and rapine ; 
 
 The prey departeth not. 
 
 The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of 
 wheels ; 
 
 And pransing horses, and jumping chariots ; 
 The horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, and 
 the glittering spear ; 
 
 And a multitude of slain, and a great heap of carcases : 
 And there is none end of the corpses ; 
 They stumble upon their corpses : 
 
 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well- 
 favoured harlot. 
 
 The mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through 
 her whoredoms. 
 
 And families through her witchcrafts. 
 
 i86 
 
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 Lyrics 
 
 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and 
 I will discover thy skirts upon thy face ; and I will shew 
 the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. 
 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee 
 vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. And it shall 
 come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee 
 from thee, and say : 
 
 6 
 
 Nineveh is laid waste : who will bemoan her? 
 Whence shall I seek comforters for thee ? 
 
 Art thou better than No-amon, that was situate among 
 the rivers. 
 
 That had the waters round about her ; 
 Whose rampart was the sea, 
 
 And her wall was of the sea? 
 
 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was 
 infinite ; 
 
 Put and Lubim were thy helpers : 
 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity : 
 
 Her young children also were dashed in pieces at 
 the top of all the streets ; 
 
 And they cast lots for her honourable men. 
 And all her great men were bound in chains : 
 187 
 
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 Thou also shall be drunken, thou shalt be hid ; 
 
 Thou also shalt seek a strong hold because of the 
 enemy. 
 
 All thy fortresses shall be like fig trees with the firstripe 
 figs: 
 
 If they be shaken, 
 
 They fall into the mouth of the eater. 
 
 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women ; 
 
 The gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine 
 
 enemies ; 
 The fire hath devoured thy bars. 
 
 Draw the water for the siege ; 
 
 Strengthen thy fortresses : 
 Go into the clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the 
 brickkiln : 
 
 There shall the fire devour thee ; the sword shall cut 
 thee off. 
 
 It shall devour thee like the cankerworm : 
 
 Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself 
 
 many as the locust ; 
 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of 
 
 heaven : 
 
 The cankerworm spreadeth himself, and flieth away. 
 i88 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the 
 swarms of grasshoppers, 
 
 Which camp in the hedges in the cold day, 
 But when the sun ariseth they flee away. 
 
 And their place is not known where they are. 
 
 7 
 
 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria, 
 
 Thy worthies are at rest : 
 Thy people are scattered upon the mountains, 
 
 And there is none to gather them. 
 
 There is no assuaging of thy hurt ; 
 
 Thy wound is grievous : 
 All that hear the bruit of thee clap the hands over thee : 
 
 For upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed con- 
 tinually ? 
 
 189 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 OR 
 
 Prophetic Drama 
 
JEREMIAH'S 
 
 RHAPSODY OF THE DROUGHT 
 
 Judah mourneth^ and the gates thereof languish ; they 
 sit in black upon the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is 
 gone up. 
 
 And their nobles send their little ones to the waters : they 
 come to the pits, and find no water ; they return with their 
 vessels empty: they are ashajned and confounded, and 
 cover their heads. 
 
 Because of the ground which is chapt,for that no rain 
 hath been in the land, the plowmen are ashamed, they 
 cover their heads. 
 
 Yea, the hind also in the field calveth, and forsaketh her 
 young, because there is no grass. And the wild asses stand 
 on the hare heights, they paiit for air like jackals ; their 
 eyes fail, because there is no herbage. 
 
 Repentant Israel 
 
 Though our iniquities testify against us, work thou for 
 thy name's sake, O Lord : for our backslidings are many ; 
 we have sinned against thee. O thou hope of Israel, the 
 saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldest thou 
 o 193 
 
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 Masterpieces of 
 
 be as a sojourner in the land, and as a wayfaring man that 
 turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be 
 as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet 
 thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by 
 thy name : leave us not. 
 
 The Prophet 
 
 Thus saith the Lord unto this people. Even so have they 
 loved to wander ; they have not refrained their feet : there- 
 fore the Lord doth not accept them ; now will he remem- 
 ber their iniquity, and visit their sins. 
 
 The Lord {to the Prophet) 
 
 Pray not for this people for their good. When they 
 fast, I will not hear their cry ; and when they offer burnt 
 offering and oblation, I will not accept them : but I will 
 consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by 
 the pestilence. 
 
 The Prophet 
 
 Ah, Lord God ! behold, the prophets say unto them. 
 Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine ; 
 but I will give you assured peace in this place. 
 
 The Lord 
 
 The prophets prophesy lies in my name : I sent them 
 not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake I unto 
 194 
 
Biblical Literature 8€- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 them ; they prophesy unto you a lying vision, and divina- 
 tion, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their own 
 heart. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the 
 prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, 
 yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land : 
 By sword and famine shall those prophets be. consumed. 
 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out 
 in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the 
 sword ; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their 
 wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters : for I will pour 
 their wickedness upon them. And thou shalt say this 
 word unto them, < Let mine eyes run down with tears night 
 and day, and let them not cease ; for the virgin daughter 
 of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very 
 grievous wound. If I go forth into the field, then behold 
 the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then 
 behold them that are sick with famine! for both the 
 prophet and the priest go about in the land and have 
 no knowledge.' 
 
 Repentant Israel 
 
 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul loathed 
 Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing 
 for us? We looked for peace, but no good came ; and for 
 a time of healing, and behold dismay! We acknowledge, 
 O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers : 
 for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor us, for 
 195 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 thy name's sake ; do not disgrace the throne of thy glory : 
 remember, break not thy covenant with us. Are there 
 any among the vanities of the heathen that can cause rain? 
 or can the heavens give showers ? art not thou he, O Lord 
 our God? therefore we will wait upon thee; for thou hast 
 made all th^se things. 
 
 The Lord {to the Prophet^ 
 
 Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my 
 mind could not be toward this people : cast them out of 
 my sight, and let them go forth. And it shall come to 
 pass, when they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? 
 then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord : Such as 
 are for death, to death ; and such as are for the sword, to 
 the sword ; and such as are for the famine, to the famine ; 
 and such as are for captivity, to captivity. And I will ap- 
 point over them four kinds, saith the Lord : the sword to 
 slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, 
 and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy. 
 And I will cause them to be tossed to and fro among all 
 the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son 
 of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jeru- 
 salem. For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? 
 or who shall bemoan thee ? or who shall turn aside to ask 
 of thy welfare? Thou hast rejected me, saith the Lord, 
 thou art gone backward: therefore have I stretched out 
 my hand against thee, and destroyed thee ; I am weary 
 196 
 
Biblical Literature S«- Rhapsody 
 
 with repenting. And I have fanned them with a fan in 
 the gates of the land ; I have bereaved them of children, I 
 have destroyed my people; they have not returned from 
 their ways. Their widows are increased to me above the 
 sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the 
 mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have 
 caused anguish and terrors to fall upon her suddenly. She 
 that hath borne seven languisheth ; she hath given up the 
 ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day; she 
 hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of 
 them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith 
 the Lord. 
 
 The Prophet 
 Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man 
 of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I 
 have not lent on usury, neither have men lent to me on 
 usury ; yet every one of them doth curse me. 
 
 The Lord {to the Prophet) 
 Verily I will strengthen thee for good; verily I will 
 cause the enemy to make supplication unto thee in the 
 time of evil and in the time of affliction. 
 
 The Lord {to the People) 
 Can one break iron, even iron from the north, and brass? 
 Thy substance and thy treasures will I give for a spoil 
 197 
 
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 without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy 
 borders. And I will make thee to serve thine enemies in 
 a land which thou knowest not : for a fire is kindled in 
 mine anger, which shall burn upon you. 
 
 Repentant Israel 
 
 O Lord, thou knowest; remember me, and visit me, 
 and avenge me of my persecutors : take me not away in 
 thy longsuffering : know that for thy sake I have suffered 
 reproach. Thy words were found, and I did eat them; 
 and thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of 
 mine heart : for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of 
 hosts. I sat not in the assembly of them that make 
 merry, nor rejoiced : I sat alone because of thy hand ; for 
 thou hast filled me with indignation. Why is my pain 
 perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be 
 healed? wilt thou indeed be unto me as a deceitful brook, 
 as waters that fail ? 
 
 The Lord 
 
 Therefore thus saith the Lord : If thou return, then will 
 I bring thee again, that thou mayest stand before me ; and 
 if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be 
 as my mouth : they shall return unto thee, but thou shalt 
 not return unto them. 
 
 Z98 
 
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 Rhapsody 
 
 Epilogue {to the Prophet^ 
 
 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen 
 wall ; and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not 
 prevail against thee : for I am with thee to save thee and 
 to deliver thee, saith the Lord. And I will deliver thee 
 out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out 
 of the hand of the terrible. 
 
 199 
 
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 HABAKKUK'S 
 RHAPSODY OF THE CHALDEANS 
 
 i 
 
 The Mystery 
 
 The Prophet 
 
 O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear ? 
 I cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save. 
 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to look 
 upon perverseness ? for spoiling and violence are before 
 me : and there is strife, and contention riseth up. There- 
 fore the law is slacked, and judgement doth never go 
 forth : for the wicked doth compass about the righteous ; 
 therefore judgement goeth forth perverted. 
 
 The Lord 
 
 Behold ye among the nations, and regard, and wonder 
 marvellously : for I work a work in your days, which ye 
 will not believe though it be told you. For, lo, I raise up 
 the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation ; which march 
 through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling 
 places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful : 
 200 
 
Biblical Literature e»- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 their judgement and their dignity proceed from them- 
 selves. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and 
 are more fierce than the evening wolves ; and their horse- 
 men bear themselves proudly : yea, their horsemen come 
 from far; they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour. 
 They come all of them for violence ; their faces are set 
 eagerly as the east wind; and they gather captives as 
 the sand. Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a 
 derision unto him : he derideth every strong hold ; for 
 he heapeth up dust, and taketh it. Then shall he sweep 
 by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty: even 
 he whose might is his god. 
 
 The Prophet 
 
 Art not thou from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine 
 Holy One? thou diest not. O Lord, thou hast ordained 
 him for judgement; and thou, O Rock, hast established 
 him for correction. Thou that art of purer eyes than to 
 behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, 
 wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, 
 and boldest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up 
 the man that is more righteous than he ; and makest men 
 as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have 
 no ruler over them? He taketh up all of them with the 
 angle, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them in 
 his drag: therefore he rejoiceth and is glad. Therefore 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his 
 drag; because by them his portion is fat, and his meat 
 plenteous. Shall he therefore empty his net, and not 
 spare to slay the nations continually ? 
 
 ii 
 
 The Solution 
 
 The Prophet 
 
 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, 
 and will look forth to see what he will speak by me, and 
 what I shall answer concerning my complaint. 
 
 The Lord 
 
 Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he 
 may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for the 
 appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall 
 not lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; because it will surely 
 come, it will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up, 
 it is not upright in him : but the just shall live in his 
 faithfulness. Yea, moreover, wine is a treacherous dealer, 
 a haughty man, and that keepeth not at home ; who en- 
 largeth his desire as hell, and he is as death, and cannot 
 be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heap- 
 202 
 
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 Rhapsody 
 
 eth unto him all peoples. Shall not all these take up a 
 parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, 
 and say : 
 
 Doom of the Chaldeans 
 
 Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his, 
 
 — How long? — 
 And that ladeth himself with pledges! 
 
 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall exact usury 
 of thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be 
 for booties unto them? Because thou hast spoiled many 
 nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall spoil thee ; 
 because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the 
 land, to the city, and to all that dwell therein. 
 
 Woe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house, 
 
 That he may set his nest on high, 
 
 That he may be delivered from the hand of evil! 
 
 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off 
 many peoples, and hast sinned against thy soul. For the 
 stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the 
 timber shall answer it. 
 
 SOS 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 -*96 Masterpieces of 
 
 3 
 
 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, 
 And stablisheth a city by iniquity! 
 
 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the peoples 
 labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for 
 vanity? For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge 
 of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. 
 
 4 
 
 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, 
 
 That addest thy venom thereto. 
 And makest him drunken also, 
 
 That thou mayest look on their nakedness! 
 
 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, 
 and be as one uncircumcised. The cup of the Lord's 
 right hand shall be turned unto thee, and foul shame shall 
 be upon thy glory. For the violence done to Lebanon 
 shall cover thee, and the destruction of the beasts which 
 made them afraid ; because of men's blood, and for the 
 violence done to the land, to the city, and to all that dwell 
 therein. 
 
 5 
 
 What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof 
 hath graven it; the molten image, and the teacher of lies, 
 that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb 
 idols? — 
 
 204 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake ; 
 To the dumb stone, Arise! 
 
 Shall this teach? Behold, it is laid over with gold and 
 silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. But 
 the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep 
 silence before him ! 
 
 iii 
 
 Jehovah come to Judgment 
 
 Prelude 
 
 O Lord, I have heard the report of thee, and am 
 afraid : 
 
 O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, 
 In the midst of the years make it known : 
 In wrath remember mercy! 
 
 Strophe 
 
 God Cometh from Teman, 
 And the Holy One from Mount Paran. 
 His glory covereth the heavens. 
 And the earth is full of his praise. 
 And his brightness is as the light ; 
 
 205 
 
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 He hath rays coming forth from his hand ; 
 
 And there is the hiding of his power. 
 
 Before him goeth the pestilence, 
 
 And fiery bolts go forth at his feet. 
 
 He standeth and shaketh the earth ; 
 
 He beholdeth, and driveth asunder the nations : 
 
 And the eternal mountains are scattered, 
 
 The everlasting hills do bow ; 
 
 His ways are everlasting. 
 
 I see the tents of Cushan in affliction ; 
 
 The curtains of the land of Midian do tremble. 
 
 Antistrophe 
 
 Is the Lord displeased against the rivers ? 
 Is thine anger against the rivers, or thy wrath against 
 the sea, 
 
 That thou dost ride upon thine horses, 
 Upon thy chariots of salvation? 
 Thy bow is made quite bare. 
 Sworn are the chastisements of thy word. 
 Thou dost cleave the earth with rivers ; 
 The mountains see thee and are afraid ; 
 The tempest of waters passeth by ; 
 The deep uttereth his voice. 
 And lifteth up his hands on high ; 
 The sun and moon stand still in their habitation 
 ao6 
 
Biblical Literature 8^ 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 At the light of thine arrows as they go, 
 
 At the shining of thy glittering spear. 
 
 Thou dost march through the land in indignation, 
 
 Thou dost thresh the nations in anger. 
 
 Epode 
 
 Thou art come for the salvation of thy people. 
 For the salvation of thine anointed : 
 Thou dost smite off the head from the house of the 
 wicked, 
 
 Laying bare the foundation even unto the neck. 
 Thou dost pierce with his own staves the head of his 
 warriors : 
 
 (They came as a whirlwind to scatter me. 
 Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly :) 
 Thou dost tread the sea with thine horses, the surge 
 of mighty waters. 
 
 Postlude 
 
 I heard, and my belly trembled, 
 My lips quivered at the voice ; 
 
 Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in 
 my place : 
 
 That I should rest waiting for the day of trouble. 
 When he that shall invade them in troops cometh up 
 against the people. 
 
 207 
 
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 For though the fig tree shall not blossom, 
 Neither shall fruit be in the vines ; 
 The labour of the olive shall fail, 
 And the fields shall yield no meat ; 
 The flock shall be cut off from the fold. 
 And there shall be no herd in the stalls : 
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 
 I will joy in the God of my salvation. 
 Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength. 
 And he maketh my feet like hinds' feet, 
 And will make me to walk upon mine high places. 
 208 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 yOEVS 
 
 RHAPSODY OF THE LOCUST PLAGUE 
 
 i 
 
 The Land Desolate and Mourning 
 
 Old Men 
 
 Hear this, ye old men, 
 And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land! . 
 Hath this been in your days. 
 Or in the days of your fathers? 
 Tell ye your children of it. 
 And let your children tell their children, 
 And their children another generation. 
 That which the palmerworm hath left 
 Hath the locust eaten ; 
 And that which the locust hath left 
 Hath the cankerworm eaten ; 
 And that which the cankerworm hath left 
 Hath the caterpillar eaten. 
 
 Revellers 
 
 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep. 
 And howl, all ye drinkers of wine, 
 p ao9 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Because of the sweet wine ; 
 For it is cut off from your mouth ! 
 For a nation is come up upon my land, 
 Strong, and without number ; 
 His teeth are the teeth of a lion, 
 And he hath the jaw teeth of a great lion. 
 He hath laid my vine waste, 
 And barked my fig tree : 
 He hath made it clean bare, and cast it away ; 
 The branches thereof are made white. 
 
 Priests 
 Lament like a virgin 
 Girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth! 
 The meal offering and the drink offering 
 Is cut off from the house of the Lord : 
 The priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn. 
 The field is wasted, 
 The land mourneth ; 
 For the corn is wasted, 
 The new wine is dried up, 
 The oil languisheth. 
 
 Husbandmen 
 Be ashamed, O ye husbandmen, 
 
 Howl, O ye vinedressers. 
 For the wheat, and for the barley ; 
 
 2IO 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 For the harvest of the field is perished! 
 The vine is withered, 
 And the fig tree languisheth ; 
 The pomegranate tree, 
 The palm tree also, and the apple tree, 
 Even all the trees of the field are withered : 
 For joy is withered away from the sons of men. 
 
 Priests 
 
 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests ; 
 Howl, ye ministers of the altar ; 
 Come, lie all night in sackcloth, 
 Ye ministers of my God : 
 For the meal offering and the drink offering 
 Is withholden from the house of your God! 
 
 The Whole People 
 Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the old 
 men and all the inhabitants of the land unto the house of 
 the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord : 
 
 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand! 
 And as destruction from the Almighty shall it 
 come. 
 
 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes. 
 
 Yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 The seeds rot under their clods : 
 The garners are laid desolate, 
 The barns are broken down ; 
 For the corn is withered. 
 
 How do the beasts groan ! 
 
 The herds of cattle are perplexed, 
 
 Because they have no pasture ; 
 
 Yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 
 
 O Lord, to thee do I cry : 
 
 For the fire hath devoured the pastures of the 
 wilderness, 
 
 And the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. 
 Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto thee : 
 For the water brooks are dried up, 
 And the fire hath devoured the pastures of the 
 wilderness. 
 
 ii 
 
 The Judgment Advancing 
 
 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, 
 
 And sound an alarm in my holy mountain ; 
 
 Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble I 
 
 212 
 
Biblical Literature 8€- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 For the Day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand ; 
 a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and 
 thick darkness, as the dawn spread upon the mountains ; 
 a great people and a strong, there hath not been ever the 
 like, neither shall be any more after them, even to the 
 years of many generations! 
 
 A fire devoureth before them ; 
 
 And behind them a flame burneth : 
 
 The land is as the garden of Eden before them. 
 
 And behind them a desolate wilderness! 
 
 Yea, and none hath escaped them. The appearance ol 
 them is as the appearance of horses ; and as horsemen, so 
 do they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the 
 mountains do they leap, like the noise of a fiame of fire 
 that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle 
 array. 
 
 At their presence the peoples are in anguish : 
 
 All faces are waxed pale : 
 
 They run like mighty men ; 
 
 They climb the wall like men of war ; 
 
 And they march every one on his ways. 
 
 And they break not their ranks : neither doth one thrust 
 another; they march every one in his path: and they 
 burst through the weapons, and break not off their course. 
 213 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 They leap upon the city ; 
 
 They run upon the wall ; 
 
 They climb up into the houses ; 
 
 They enter in at the windows like a thief. 
 
 The earth quaketh before them ; 
 
 The heavens tremble : 
 
 The sun and the moon are darkened, 
 
 And the stars withdraw their shining. 
 
 And the Lord uttereth his voice before his army ; for his 
 camp is very great ; for he is strong that executeth his 
 word : for the Day of the Lord is great and very terrible ; 
 and who can abide it ? 
 
 iii 
 
 Repentance at the Last Moment 
 The Lord 
 
 Yet even now, saith the Lord, turn ye unto me with all 
 your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with 
 mourning : and rend your heart, and not your garments, 
 and turn unto the Lord your God : for he is gracious and 
 full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, 
 and repenteth him of the evil. 
 
 214 
 
Biblical Literature 8»- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 The People 
 
 Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and 
 leave a blessing behind him, even a meal offering and a 
 drink offering unto the Lord your God? 
 
 Blow the trumpet in Zion, 
 
 Sanctify a fast. 
 Call a solemn assembly : 
 
 Gather the people. 
 Sanctify the congregation. 
 Assemble the old men, 
 Gather the children, and those that suck the breasts : 
 Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, 
 And the bride out of her closet. 
 
 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between 
 the porch and the altar, and let them say : 
 
 Priests 
 
 Spare thy people, O Lord, 
 
 And give not thine heritage to reproach. 
 That the nations should use a byword against them, 
 Wherefore should they say among the peoples, 
 Where is their God? 
 
 SIS 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 iv 
 
 Relief and Restoration 
 
 Then was the Lord jealous for his land^ and had 
 pity on his people. 
 
 The Lord 
 
 Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye 
 shall be satisfied therewith : and I will no more make you 
 a reproach among the nations: but I will remove far off 
 from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land 
 barren and desolate, his forepart into the eastern sea, and 
 his hinder part into the western sea ; and his stink shall 
 come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath 
 done great things. 
 
 Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice; for the Lord 
 hath done great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the 
 field ; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the 
 tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield 
 their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and 
 rejoice in the Lord your God: for he giveth you the 
 former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down 
 for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the 
 first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the 
 fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore 
 
 2X6 
 
Biblical Literature B** 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker- 
 worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great 
 army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty 
 and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of the Lord 
 your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you : and my 
 people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that 
 I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your 
 God, and there is none else : and my people shall never 
 be ashamed. 
 
 V 
 
 Afterward 
 The Lord 
 
 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out 
 my spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters 
 shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your 
 young men shall see visions : and also upon the servants 
 and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my 
 spirit. 
 
 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, 
 blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be 
 turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the 
 great and terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall 
 come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the 
 217 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Lord shall be delivered : for in mount Zion and in Jerusa- 
 lem there shall be those that escape, as the Lord hath 
 said, and in the remnant whom the Lord doth call. For, 
 behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring 
 again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather 
 all nations, and will bring them down into the Valley 
 of Jehoshaphat * ; and I will plead with them there for 
 my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have 
 scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And 
 they have cast lots for my people : and have given a boy 
 for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. 
 Yea, and what are ye to me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all 
 the regions of Philistia? will ye render me a recompence? 
 and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return 
 your recompence upon your own head. Forasmuch as ye 
 have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into 
 your temples my goodly pleasant things ; the children also 
 of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto 
 the sons of the Grecians, that ye might 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 
 recompence 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 the Lord hath spoken it. 
 
 [* The Lord's Decision.] 
 218 
 
Biblical Literature 8»- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 vi 
 
 Advance to the Valley of Decision 
 The Lord 
 
 Proclaim ye this among the nations; 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 pruninghooks into spears : let the weak say, I am 
 strong. 
 
 Voices 
 
 Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and 
 gather yourselves together. Thither cause thy mighty 
 ones to come down, O Lord. 
 
 The Lord 
 
 Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the 
 Valley of ^ Jehoshaphat' : for there will I < sit to judge ' all 
 the nations round about. 
 
 The Lord {to his Hosts) 
 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe : come, tread 
 ye ; for the winepress is full, the fats overflow ; for their 
 wickedness is great. 
 
 219 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 The Prophetic Spectator 
 
 Multitudes, multitudes in the Valley of Decision ! for the 
 Day of the Lord is near in the Valley of Decision. The 
 sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw 
 their shining. And the Lord shall roar from Zion, and 
 utter his voice from Jerusalem ; and the heavens and the 
 earth shall shake : but the Lord will be a refuge unto his 
 people, and a strong hold to the children of Israel. 
 
 vii 
 
 The Holy Mountain and Eternal Peace 
 The Lord 
 
 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God, dwell- 
 ing 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 of the house of 
 the Lord, and shall water the Valley of Acacias. Egypt 
 shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilder- 
 
 220 
 
Biblical Literature S^- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 ness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, be- 
 cause they have shed innocent blood in their land. But 
 Judah shall be inhabited for ever, and Jerusalem from 
 generation to generation. And I will cleanse their blood 
 that I have not cleansed : for the Lord dwelleth in Zion. 
 
 221 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 THE HURT OF THE DAUGHTER OF MY 
 PEOPLE 
 
 A Rhapsodic Discourse of Jeremiah 
 
 Thus saith the Lord : Shall men fall, and not rise up 
 again ? shall one turn away, and not return ? Why then is 
 this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual back- 
 sliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I 
 hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright : no man 
 repenteth him of his wickedness, saying. What have I done ? 
 every one turneth to his course, as a horse that rusheth 
 headlong in the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven 
 knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the 
 swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming ; 
 but my people know not the ordinance of the Lord. How 
 do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with 
 us ? But, behold, the false pen of the scribes hath wrought 
 falsely. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed 
 and taken : lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord ; 
 and what manner of wisdom is in them ? Therefore will I 
 give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that 
 shall possess them : for every one from the least even unto 
 the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet 
 even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. And they 
 have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people lightly, 
 
 222 
 
Biblical 
 
 Literature ^ 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 saying, Peace, peace ; when there is no peace. Were they 
 ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, 
 they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush : 
 therefore shall they fall among them that fall : in the time 
 of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. 
 I will utterly consume them, saith the Lord : there shall 
 be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the 
 leaf shall fade ; and the things that I have given them 
 shall pass away from them. 
 
 The People 
 
 Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us 
 enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: 
 for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us 
 water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the 
 Lord. We looked for peace, but no good came ; and for 
 a time of healing, and behold dismay ! The snorting of his 
 horses is heard from Dan : at the sound of the neighing of 
 his strong ones the whole land trembleth ; for they are 
 come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it ; 
 the city and those that dwell therein. 
 
 The Lord 
 
 For, behold, I will send serpents, basilisks, among you, 
 which wiU not be charmed ; and they shall bite you, saith 
 the Lord. 
 
 223 
 
 I 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 The Prophet 
 
 Oh that I could comfort myself against sorrow! my heart 
 is faint within me. Behold, the voice of the cry of the 
 daughter of my people from a land that is very far off — 
 
 The People 
 Is not the Lord in Zion f is not her King in her? 
 
 The Lord 
 
 Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven 
 images^ and with strange vanities f 
 
 The People 
 
 The harvest is past^ the summer is ended, and we are 
 not saved I 
 
 The Prophet 
 
 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt : I 
 am black ; astonishment hath taken hold on me. Is there 
 no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then 
 is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? 
 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of 
 tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the 
 daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the wilderness 
 a lodging place of wayfaring mea ; that I might leave my 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 people and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an 
 assembly of treacherous men. And they bend their tongue 
 as it were their bow for falsehood ; and they are grown 
 strong in the land, but not for truth. 
 
 The Lord 
 
 For they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not 
 me, saith the Lord. Take ye heed every one of his 
 neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every 
 brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will go 
 about with slanders. And they will deceive every one his 
 neighbour, and will not speak the truth : they have taught 
 their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves to 
 commit iniquity. Thine habitation is in the midst of de- 
 ceit ; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the 
 Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts. Behold, 
 I will melt them, and try them ; for how else should I do, 
 because of the daughter of my people? Their tongue is a 
 deadly arrow ; it speaketh deceit : one speaketh peaceably 
 to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth 
 wait for him. Shall I not visit them for these things ? saith 
 the Lord : shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation 
 
 as this ? 
 
 Q 225 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 •^ Masterpieces of 
 
 THE LORD'S CONTROVERSY BEFORE THE 
 MOUNTAINS 
 
 A Dramatic Morceau of Micah 
 
 The Lord 
 
 Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the 
 hills hear thy voice. Hear, O ye mountains, the Lord's 
 controversy, and ye enduring foundations of the earth : for 
 the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will 
 plead with Israel. 
 
 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein 
 have I wearied thee? testify against me. For I brought 
 thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of 
 the house of bondage ; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, 
 and Miriam. O my people, remember now what Balak 
 king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor 
 answered him ; remember from Shittim unto Gilgal, that 
 ye may know the righteous acts of the Lord. 
 
 The People 
 
 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow my- 
 self before the high God? shall I come before him with 
 burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord 
 be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands 
 226 
 
B i blical Literature Rhapsody 
 
 of rivers of oil ? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgres- 
 sion, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 
 
 The Mountains 
 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good ; and what 
 doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love 
 mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 
 
 227 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 ^ Masterpieces of 
 
 A CRY OF COMFORT FOR JERUSALEM 
 Prelude to the Rhapsody of ' Zion Redeemed 
 Jehovah 
 
 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak 
 ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her 
 warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned ; that 
 she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her 
 sins. 
 
 {Voices carry on the tidings across the desert to Jerusalem 
 
 A Voice of one crying 
 
 Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord, 
 
 Make straight in the desert a high way for our God. 
 Every valley shall be exalted. 
 
 And every mountain and hill shall be made low : 
 And the crooked shall be made straight. 
 
 And the rough places plain : 
 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, 
 
 And all flesh shall see it together : 
 For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. 
 
 228 
 
Biblical Literature Bs- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 A Second Voice {in the distance) 
 
 Cry! 
 
 A Despairing Voice 
 
 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 the Lord bloweth upon it : 
 Surely the people is grass ! 
 
 The Second Voice 
 
 The grass withereth, 
 The flower fadeth : 
 But the word of our God shall stand for ever. 
 
 Fourth Voice {still more distant) 
 
 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, 
 
 Get thee up into the high mountain ; 
 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! 
 229 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Fifth Voice 
 
 Behold, the Lord God will come as a mighty one, 
 And his arm shall rule for him : 
 Behold, his reward is with him, 
 And his recompence before him. 
 
 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, 
 
 He shall gather the lambs in his arm, 
 
 And carry them in his bosom, 
 
 And shall gently lead those that give suck. 
 230 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 Z/OAT AWAKENED 
 {Being Vision III of the Rhapsody of 'Zion Redeemed'') 
 Appeals to Zion 
 Jehovah 
 
 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye 
 that seek the Lord : look unto the rock whence ye were 
 hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged. 
 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare 
 you : for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed 
 him, and made him many. 
 
 For the Lord hath comforted Zion : he hath comforted 
 all her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like 
 Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy 
 and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the 
 voice of melody. 
 
 {IVo response) 
 Jehovah 
 
 Attend unto me, O my people ; and give ear unto me, 
 O my nation ; for a law shall go forth from me, and I will 
 231 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 make my judgement to rest for a light of the peoples. My 
 righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine 
 arms shall judge the peoples ; the isles shall wait for me, 
 and on mine arm shall they trust. 
 
 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth 
 beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, 
 and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that 
 dwell therein shall die in like manner : but my salvation 
 shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abol- 
 ished. 
 
 (iVb response) 
 Jehovah 
 
 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the peo- 
 ple in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach 
 of men, neither be ye dismayed at their revilings. 
 
 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the 
 worm shall eat them like wool : but my righteousness shall 
 be for ever, and my salvation unto all generations. 
 
 (^IVo response') 
 
 The Celestial Hosts 
 
 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord ; 
 Awake, as in the days of old. 
 The generations of ancient times! 
 
 232 
 
Biblical Literature B^- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 Art thou not it that cut Rahab in pieces, 
 
 That pierced the dragon? 
 Art thou not it which dried up the sea, 
 
 The waters of the great deep ; 
 
 That made the depths of the sea 
 A way for the redeemed to pass over? 
 
 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, 
 And come with singing unto Zion ; 
 
 And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads : 
 They shall obtain gladness and joy, 
 
 And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 
 
 Jehovah 
 
 I, even I, am he that comforteth you : who art thou, that 
 thou art afraid of man that shall die, and of the son of man 
 which shall be made as grass ; and hast forgotten the Lord 
 thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the 
 foundations of the earth ; and fearest continually all the 
 day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he maketh 
 ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor? 
 The captive exile shall speedily be loosed ; and he shall not 
 die and go down into the pit, neither shall his bread fail. 
 
 For I am the Lord thy God, which stilleth the sea, 
 when the waves thereof roar: the Lord of hosts is his 
 name. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have 
 233 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant 
 the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say 
 unto Zion, Thou art my people. 
 
 (JVo response) 
 
 The Celestial Hosts 
 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, 
 Which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of 
 his fury ; 
 
 Thou hast drunken the bowl of the cup of staggering, 
 and drained it. 
 
 There is none to guide her 
 
 Among all the sons whom she hath brought forth ; 
 Neither is there any that taketh her by the hand 
 
 Of all the sons that she hath brought up. 
 
 These two things are befallen thee ; 
 
 Who shall bemoan thee? 
 Desolation and destruction, 
 And the famine, and the sword, 
 
 How shall I comfort thee? 
 
 Thy sons have fainted. 
 
 They lie at the top of all the streets. 
 
 As an antelope in a net ; 
 They are full of the fury of the Lord, 
 
 The rebuke of thy God. 
 
 234 
 
Biblical Literature 8«- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 Jehovah 
 
 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but 
 not with wine : Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord, and thy 
 God that pleadeth the cause of his people : Behold, I have 
 taken out of thine hand the cup of staggering, even the 
 bowl of the cup of my fury ; thou shalt no more drink it 
 again : and I will put it into the hand of them that afflict 
 thee ; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may 
 go over : and thou hast laid thy back as the ground, and as 
 the street, to them that go over. 
 
 (JVo response) 
 
 The Celestial Hosts 
 
 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion ; 
 Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy 
 city : 
 
 For henceforth there shall no more come into thee the 
 uncircumcised and the unclean. 
 
 Shake thyself from the dust ; 
 Arise, sit thee down, O Jerusalem : 
 
 Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive 
 daughter of Zion. 
 
 235 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Masterpieces of 
 
 Jehovah 
 
 For thus saith the Lord, Ye were sold for nought, and 
 ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the 
 Lord God, My people went down at the first into Egypt to 
 sojourn there : and the Assyrian oppressed them without 
 cause. Now therefore, what do I here, saith the Lord, 
 seeing that my people is taken away for nought? They 
 that rule over them do howl, saith the Lord, and my name 
 continually all the day is blasphemed. Therefore my peo- 
 ple shall know my name : therefore they shall know in that 
 day that I am he that doth speak : Behold it is I ! 
 
 ii 
 
 The Awakening 
 Chorus of Watchmen 
 
 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him 
 That bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace. 
 That bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth sal- 
 vation : 
 
 That saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth ! 
 
 The voice of thy Watchmen ! they lift up the voice, 
 
 Together do they sing. 
 
 For they shall see, eye to eye, 
 How the Lord returneth to Zion. 
 
 236 
 
Biblical Literature 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 Break forth into joy, sing together, 
 
 Ye waste places of Jerusalem : 
 For the Lord hath comforted his people, 
 
 He hath redeemed Jerusalem. 
 
 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm 
 
 In the eyes of all the nations ; 
 
 And all the ends of the earth 
 Shall see the salvation of our God. 
 
 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, 
 
 Touch no unclean thing ; 
 Go ye out of the midst of her i 
 
 Be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels cf the Lord. 
 
 For ye shall not go out in haste, 
 
 Neither shall ye go by flight ; 
 For the Lord will go before you. 
 
 And the God of Israel will be your rearward. 
 237 
 
Notes 
 
The Metrical System of Biblical Verse 
 
 In the strictest sense the term *metricar is not applicable to 
 Biblical verse, since this is constituted, not by any numbering 
 of :<yllables, but by the parallelism of whole clauses. 
 
 The LORD of Hosts is with us, 
 The God of Jacob is our refuge. 
 
 This is verse, not in virtue of any particular number of syllables 
 in the Unes, but because the second line is felt to run parallel 
 with the first. This principle of parallelism of clauses underlies 
 the whole of versification in Scriptural literature. As however 
 the different modes of combination and variation of these par- 
 allel lines in Biblical poetry correspond, to a large extent, with 
 those of metrical lines in other languages, it is convenient ^to 
 speak of the principles governing them as a 'metrical system/ 
 
 One consequence however of the difference between Biblical 
 and other verse should always be borne in mind. The parallel- 
 ism of clauses, which makes the foundation of Hebrew verse, is 
 also a thing proper to oratorical prose in all languages. Accord- 
 ingly in Hebrew prose and verse overlap : the extremes of either 
 (e.g. Psalms and Chronicles) are strongly contrasted, but there 
 is a middle style which can be presented in either form. Hence 
 there is nothing strange in the fact that the same passage of 
 
 R 241 
 
Metre 
 
 ^ Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 Scripture may be presented by one editor as prose and by 
 another as verse, according to the purpose of each arrange- 
 ment. [For example: the Oration on ImmortaUty (page 75), 
 which for a specimen of oratory is here arranged as prose, is 
 printed as verse in the Revised Version of the Apocrypha.] 
 
 I. The simplest type of parallelism in Biblical literature may 
 be called 'Antique Rhythm/ It is the metre of most of the 
 traditional poetry preserved in the historic books of Scripture. 
 Its unit consists in a couplet, of which either member may be 
 strengthened by a parallel line, but not both. 
 
 Let me die the death of the righteous^ 
 And let my last end be like his ! 
 
 He saith^ which heareth the words of God, 
 Which seeth the vision of the Almighty^ 
 Falling down, and having his eyes open* 
 
 He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, 
 And shall break their bones in pieces. 
 And smite them through with his arrows. 
 
 Such a unit may be called a * strain.' It will be seen in the 
 examples that the first strain is a simple couplet, the second has 
 its first line strengthened, the last has its second line strength- 
 ened. This power of occasionally strengthening either line of 
 a couplet by an additional line gives the Antique Rhythm a 
 flexibility suited to spontaneous composition. A similar device 
 242 
 
Notes 84- 
 
 Metre 
 
 is found in connection with the traditional ballad poetry of 
 England, of which such collections as TJu Percy Reliques are 
 accidentally preserved specimens. While the regular metre of 
 such ballads is a four-line stanza, yet a few poems, such as the 
 Ballad of Sir Cauline, show some stanzas with individual lines 
 strengthened : 
 
 Fair Christabel^ that lady mild^ 
 
 Was had forth of her tower; 
 But ever she droop eth in her mind^ 
 As nipt hy an mtgenile wind 
 
 Doth some pale lily flower. 
 
 The poetry of the historic books mostly takes the form of 
 aggregations of such 'strains' of Antique Rhythm, with no fur- 
 ther structure. Occasionally such a poem will fall into verse 
 paragraphs or 'strophes' [to be distinguished from the anti- 
 strophic system presently to be described]: an example is 
 David's Song of Victory (see note on page 266). [For a com- 
 bination of Antique Rhythm and the Antistrophic system, see 
 note to vii on page 267.] 
 
 2. The metre of Wisdom verse is highly elaborate : we find 
 here, not only the parallelism of successive clauses, but the 
 * high parallelism ' which correlates all parts of a whole poem 
 with one another. Two types may be distinguished : the Stanza 
 structure and the Antistrophic structure. 
 
 Stanzas are familiar to the English reader : in Biblical poetry 
 groups of three lines, or four lines, etc., recur in succession: a 
 simple example is the Chorus of Watchmen (on page 236). 
 «43 
 
Metre 
 
 ^ Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 The Antistrophic system is familiar to students of Greek, as 
 the metrical form of tragic choral odes. In this case the stanzas 
 run in pairs, strophe and antistrophe, the theory being that the 
 antistrophe exactly repeats the metrical form of its strophe; if 
 another strophe follows the form may altogether change, but 
 the changed form will be repeated in the corresponding antis- 
 trophe. [This may be expressed by the formula a a\ b b\ c c\ 
 etc.] Besides the pair of strophes there may be an introduction, 
 or conclusion, or both. No. i of the Sonnets (on page 125) is 
 an example of a poem consisting simply of strophe and antis- 
 trophe; No. iii (page 126) has also a conclusion.* 
 
 Both in the case of the Stanza structure and the Antistrophic 
 structure there are various modifications and elaborations — du- 
 plication, inversion, interruption, etc. : these it will be sufficient 
 to explain in connection with the examples in which they are 
 found. 
 
 3. The metre of Lyrics is in the main the same as that of 
 Wisdom poetry. But in the strictest kinds of lyrics the structure 
 is further determined by the musical performance. A lyric may 
 be a solo, or the matter may be arranged for ' antiphonal * per- 
 formance between different performers, €.g. choruses of Men 
 and of Women. Antiphonal and antistrophic structure go 
 
 * The term strophe is the Greek for * turning the system is derived from 
 the dance performance of Greek odes, according to which the chorus danced 
 from the altar to the end of the orchestra in one stanza, then * turned,' and 
 retraced their steps for the antistiophe or ' answering * stanza. The terra 
 strophe has come to be used also for verse paragraphs where there is no 
 antistrophic arrangement. (See page 266, note on vi.) 
 
 244 
 
Notes 
 
 Story 
 
 easily together: see Deborah's Song, page 152. The musical 
 performance also introduces the * refrain/ a passage recurring 
 (with or without changes for musical effect) : for example see 
 The Song of Moses and Miriam (page 149). 
 
 4. A characteristic metrical system in Biblical verse is the 
 * Doom form.' Here the thread of the poem is in what, for 
 form and spirit, may be called prose; but this prose is inter- 
 rupted at intervals by lyric verse, celebrating or realising what 
 the prose brings forward. This is chiefly found in prophecies 
 of * doom,' or denunciation of the foes of Israel (hence the 
 name) : the prose is a Divine word of denunciation, the lyrics 
 are mostly impersonal celebrations of what the Divine speaker 
 says. The form is easily collected from examples; see pages 
 175-181. 
 
 STORY 
 
 Story as a form of literature differs from History by its appeal 
 to the imagination and emotions, whereas History addresses 
 itself to our sense of record and scientific explanation. It is of 
 no consequence whether the matter of the story be historic fact 
 or invention ; in the one case the writer selects, in the other case 
 he frames, such details as will have the desired effect in present- 
 ing the story to the mind of the reader. The stories of the 
 Bible are scattered through the history, of which they form a 
 part; thus a reader of the Bible in its ordinary versions may be 
 required at any moment to alter the character of his attention 
 without anything to warn him of the change. In the Modern 
 245 
 
Story 
 
 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 Reader's Bible (volumes Genesis, The Exodus, The Judges, The 
 Kings) the stories are separated from the surrounding matter by 
 titles. Selections of these stories enter into the present volume. 
 
 1. Joseph and his Brethren. This is one of the most elabo- 
 rate and artistically beautiful stories in all literature. It empha- 
 sises an important place in the Biblical history, Joseph being a 
 link between the Children of Israel and the world empire of 
 Egypt. Among elements of story beauty note the personality of 
 Joseph, its attractiveness wherever he goes and its gradual 
 maturing. Note also the sketches of varied life which make a 
 background to the story as it moves along — glimpses of shep- 
 herd life, of caravan trading, of palace life in Egypt. But the 
 main interest will be the * plot*— -the technical term for the 
 harmony that binds the different parts of a story into one whole. 
 In the present case there are three 'motives' underlying the 
 plot, (i) What has been called the * oracular action ' : the in- 
 terest of mystic dream, oracles gradually becoming clear as the 
 oracles are fulfilled. (2) The development of an ironic situa- 
 tion — Joseph recognising his brethren but not recognised by 
 them : once developed this situation is prolonged to the utmost 
 by the hero's conflict of feelings, between resentment and family 
 affection. (3) Beneath all other motives is the providential 
 overruling of human events for high purposes (compare 
 page 27). 
 
 ii. The Witness of Balaam. The place of this story in the 
 main history is indicated by its title : the * Exodus ' is the period 
 of development for Israel from a family to a nation, and towards 
 the close of the period Balaam, an outsider, bears witaess in 
 246 
 
Notes 
 
 Story 
 
 spite of himself to the growing numbers of the nation and to its 
 glorious future. — In literary form it is a ' mixed epic ' or ' canti- 
 fable ' : a story in prose that breaks into verse at appropriate 
 places. (Compare the expression too^ up his parable: the 
 parable is an undefined term for a more specialised literary form 
 occurring in the course of more general literature, such as a 
 fable in the midst of a discourse, or a poem in the midst of 
 prose.) — • Its interest rests partly upon the conception of the 
 * Blessing and the Curse ' : there is the superstitious idea of the 
 efficacy of these in the minds of Balak and his people, while 
 the true Blessing comes from the prophetic vision accorded to 
 Balaam by God. [Compare 'The Stolen Blessing' in the 
 Genesis volume.] In character Balaam is a sincere worshipper 
 of Jehovah outside the ranks of Jehovah's people, who however 
 from interested motives conforms to the heathen world around 
 him as far as he can. [Outside this story the general history 
 shows him as yielding at last to material interest and acting 
 as tempter to Israel: compare Revelation, chapter ii. 14.]-- 
 The third paragraph (page 34) is the famous story of Balaam's 
 Ass. It is the opinion of some that this is a fable interwoven 
 with the main story : it is in favour of this view that the follow- 
 ing paragraph, So Balaam went with the princes of Balak, etc., 
 seems the natural continuation of the second paragraph; while 
 the princes of Balak are ignored in the story of the Ass. 
 
 ill. The Crowning of Abimelech. This occupies an im- 
 portant place in the general history. Originally Israel is ruled 
 only by the inyisible Jehovah; gradually the secularising forces 
 around lead to the institution of visible kings. This story is the 
 247 
 
Story 
 
 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 first attempt at crowning a king, the work of a faction, with 
 civil war and ruin as a result. — It is a story of war and advent- 
 ure. [Compare the Raid on Michmash, or The Feud of Saul 
 and David in the volume.] — Its interest also rests upon 
 
 the bitter fable of Jotham in scorn of kingship : the fable has 
 the effect of a curse since it is literally fulfilled. 
 
 iv. Samson's Wedding Feast. This illustrates a variety of 
 story called * Idyl the word is almost equivalent to * trifle,' and 
 the term is applied to incidents of love or domestic life in con- 
 tradistinction to graver matters of history. [Three Idyl Stories 
 (^Ruth, Esther^ Tobit) are contained in the Biblical Idyls vol- 
 ume of this series.] — Characteristic of such a story is the game 
 of riddles; the original riddle, answer, and rejoinder are all in 
 single couplets. — It is not a pure idyl; feats of hero strength 
 form another interest, as with other stories of Samson. 
 
 v-vii. These are Prophetic Stories. As the secularising ten- 
 dency in Israel towards visible kings prevails against the original 
 conception of a spiritual rule by an invisible God there arises 
 an order of * prophets,' who stand forth as representatives of the 
 invisible Jehovah, and are thus often in opposition to the exter- 
 nal government. So in the history of The Kings stories of 
 these prophets, with their miraculous powers, take the place of 
 the stories of heroes and their feats in earlier parts of the his- 
 tory. During the captivity in Babylon, Daniel in a similar way 
 represents the Hebrew God against the king and hierarchy of 
 Babylon. 
 
 vii. Page 63. I have followed a tradition that the mystic 
 writing on the wall was interpreted by Daniel reading down- 
 248 
 
Notes 8€- 
 
 Oratory 
 
 ward instead of across [or rather, down, up, down : the form of 
 writing known as boustrophedon, that is, the way an ox turns in 
 a furrow]. If the handwriting was in an unknown alphabet 
 Daniel must have said so, or why should his interpretation be 
 accepted at once? But if the characters were those to which 
 the beholders were accustomed, but arranged in an unthought-of 
 direction, it is easy to realise the puzzle of the audience and the 
 instantaneous acceptance of the solution. 
 
 ORATORY 
 
 i. The Oration of Moses at the Rehearsal of the Blessing 
 and the Curse. The Book of Deuteronomy, from which this is 
 taken, is a collection of the Orations and Songs of Moses, con- 
 stituting his Farewell to the People of Israel. The general sub- 
 ject both of the oratory and song is the Covenant between 
 Jehovah and his people, now for the first time committed to 
 writing, and entrusted by the retiring leader of Israel to the Le- 
 vites and Elders. The third of these orations is connected with 
 a ceremonial occasion. An ordinance has been made for the 
 ceremony of *The Blessing and the Curse' to be an institution 
 of the promised land : representatives of the Blessing are to 
 stand on one mountain and representatives of the Curse t)n the 
 opposite slope, the whole ritual solemnly enforcing the sanctity 
 of the Covenant. At present however the people are on the 
 wilderness side of Jordan; accordingly Moses arranges a Re- 
 hearsal of this ceremony, on ground resembling the valley 
 249 
 
Oratory 
 
 ^ Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 between Ebal and Gerizim. This rehearsal is allowed to pro- 
 ceed to a certain point when Moses stops it, and takes the sub- 
 ject of the blessings and curses into his own hands. Hence the 
 abrupt commencement of this oration.— As elements of oratori- 
 cal beauty note (i) the interweaving and parallelism of sen- 
 tences, (2) the terrific crescendo and climax of denunciation. 
 The oration must be spoken to get the full effect. 
 
 ii. Immortality and the Covenant with Death. This is 
 an example of the Written Address, Oratory that is not intended 
 to be spoken. It is one of a series of imaginary addresses by 
 King Solomon to the other rulers of the nations, constituting 
 a work entitled 'The Wisdom of Solomon' (in volume 3 of 
 the present series).— The author's style is distinguished by a 
 peculiar order of thought, according to which some of the lead- 
 ing points of his argument take the form of digressions. The 
 thought of this discourse is that death is no part of the natural 
 order of the universe, but is introduced into the world by the 
 wickedness of men. The author imagines a monologue of the 
 wicked, led by despair of aught beyond the grave to a life of 
 luxury and oppression. Another imaginary monologue expresses 
 the feelings of the same wicked men as they awaken from death 
 to the life beyond. But as a digression between these two 
 monologues the author places his reflections on the 'hopes of 
 the ungodly,' that is, the substitutes in earlier thought for the 
 grand conception of a life beyond death. These substitutes are 
 (i) the living over again in posterity, (2) long life in this world. 
 With regard to the first he argues that the brood of the ungodly 
 is unstable and accursed : better is childlessness with virtue. As 
 250 
 
Notes 
 
 Oratory 
 
 to the hopes of long life, he argues that the old age of the 
 wicked is without honour; whereas a life cut short may be a 
 life perfected. 
 
 iii-vii. These are Prophetic Discourses. Considered as part 
 of the literature of Oratory these Prophetic Discourses hold an 
 intermediate position between the spoken and the written 
 address. What appears as a discourse in the books of the 
 prophets is probably not the exact report of a speech, but the 
 substance of a speech, or of several similar speeches, worked up 
 again into the style of a written address. 
 
 iii. The Great Arraignment. This discourse of Isaiah 
 takes the form of a theme (God's arraignment of his people 
 as rebels) treated in four paragraphs: the prophet's remon- 
 strance — repentance by oblations — repentance of life — cor- 
 ruption redeemed with judgment. 
 
 iv. The Covenant with Death. The phrase Covenant with 
 Death in the title of this discourse of Isaiah has a different mean- 
 ing from the same phrase in the title of another discourse (ii). 
 In the latter it meant a supposed invitation to Death to come 
 as a friend, by those who were * of his portion'; in the present 
 case it means an agreement with Death to pass by the supposed 
 speaker while he visits others. — This discourse illustrates what 
 is a characteristic feature of Hebrew literature — the ' pendulum 
 structure,' by which the thought alternates in successive para- 
 graphs between one and the other of two contrasting themes, 
 in this case between Judgment and Salvation. The prophet is 
 writing for the southern kingdom of Judah. Commencing with 
 the rival kingdom of northern Israel he denounces drunken 
 
 251 
 
Oratory 
 
 ^ Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 Ephraim, and how its crown of pride shall be trodden down 
 (Judgment). But (Salvation) there shall be a crown of glory 
 for the residue. Now he proceeds to Judgment upon Judah : 
 the drunken rulers who trust to a refuge of Ues, which the over- 
 flowing scourge shall sweep away. But there is Salvation for 
 the patient. This comfort is imparted in agricultural images : 
 the cruel plowing does not go on for ever, the gentle sowing 
 comes; there are sharp threshing instruments [for the guilty], 
 the gentle threshing with the rod for the precious cummin; 
 and even the threshing is not to crush, but to make corn ht for 
 bread. 
 
 V. The Utter Destruction and the Great Restoration. A 
 
 discourse made by companion pictures linked together by two 
 parallel passages, each a parenthetic quintet, interrupting the 
 pictorial description, which is afterwards resumed, with words 
 emphasising the prophecy as a whole : Seek ye out of the book 
 of the Lord and read [how all these woes shall come to pass] 
 . . . Strengthen ye the weak hands [with these glorious prom- 
 ises], — Note that Edom is only mentioned as typical of the foes 
 of Israel in general, the pictures being of universal destruction 
 and restoration. There is a similar use of Egypt and Edom as 
 types of all the foes of Israel in another discourse (page 220). 
 
 vi. The Sword of the Lord. This is an illustration of a 
 very peculiar form of discourse, which is without parallel in 
 modern literature. Ezekiel is the great representative of ' Em- 
 blem Prophecy,' that is, discourses which have for texts some 
 symbolic action or piece of dumb show. But in extreme exam- 
 ples of Emblem Prophecy, like the present, symbolism pervades 
 252 
 
Notes 8^ O'^^^^'y 
 
 the whole of the discourse: attitude, gesture, visible emblem, 
 sustained dumb show, song, are all mingled together and com- 
 bined with oratory. —The discourse falls into four parts, (i) 
 At the opening, the prophet sets his face toward Jerusalem: 
 there is no symbolic action beyond this. (2) But as the address 
 progresses, he suddenly draws forth a sword: this is the sword 
 of the Lord which is to go forth out of its sheath against all 
 flesh, and it will not return any more. Suddenly, the dramatic 
 speaker has identified himself with the victims of this Divine 
 sword: Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of 
 thy loins, etc. Now the theme of the sword is resumed, and 
 with it mingles what is evidently some military strain or folk-lore 
 song, of which the augmenting lines suggest the gathering 
 spirit of combat: A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also 
 furbished, etc. For a single moment the other side is presented 
 — a people careless and secure: the Rod of my son [they say] 
 it contemneth every tree. But the impending destruction con- 
 tinues to gather force: And it is given to be furbished that it 
 may be handled, etc. There is a sudden change, and cries and 
 howls proclaim how the sword has fallen upon the people, and 
 the Rod that contemneth is no more. The emblematic move- 
 ment seems to become more and more rapid [through three 
 verses of the song : And let the sword be doubled the third time, 
 etc.].— (3) A total change here ensues. The sword now 
 becomes emblematic of the sword of Babylon; and the imagi- 
 nary picture is that of the conqueror arriving at the junction of 
 the ways and deciding by his omens to proceed against Jeru- 
 salem.— (4) Once rnpfe there is a total change : the sword now 
 253 
 
Wisdom 
 
 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 stands for IsraeFs enemies, the children of Ammon, and the verse 
 conveys their boasting. But suddenly the prophetic speaker 
 plunges the sword into its sheath : so is symbolically introduced 
 the fate of Ammon to return to the land of his birth and perish 
 there. 
 
 vii. Wreck of the Goodly Ship Tyre. This illustrates a 
 characteristic of Ezekiel's style by which, in place of visible sym- 
 bolism, illustrated by the last example, a single image is sus- 
 tained through the whole of a discourse. In the present case 
 it is the image of a ship. Tyre was the great maritime city of 
 antiquity : its grandeur is conveyed under the image of a ship 
 which all the nations of the known world combine to build and 
 load; the judgment is the wrecking of this goodly ship. 
 
 viii. Amongst other things the prophetic books contain * Sen- ' 
 tences,' that is, brief sayings of prophets, each like an epigram, 
 complete in itself. These no doubt passed from mouth to 
 mouth like proverbs, and were collected by the prophets. The 
 examples in this section are from the Book of Jeremiah, 
 
 WISDOM 
 
 * Wisdom ' is the name given to the department of Biblical 
 literature which corresponds to Philosophy in modern literature. 
 It is however always philosophy in application to human life 
 and conduct. 
 
 The starting-point of Wisdom literature is the Unit Proverb, 
 which is a unit of thought in a unit of form. The unit of form 
 254 
 
Notes ^ Wisdom 
 
 is the couplet or triplet of verse : see above, page 242. Exam- 
 pies are given on pages 107-9. It will be seen that this Unit 
 Proverb is a meeting-point of prose and verse literature : its 
 form is verse, its matter (philosophy) belongs to the Uterature 
 of prose. Accordingly it is natural that the more extended 
 forms of Wisdom literature should take two directions: one on 
 the side of verse, the other on the side of prose. 
 
 Epigrams and Maxims: examples of these are found on 
 pages *I09-I i . The Epigram is a verse saying, of a few lines in 
 length, in which two lines (not necessarily consecutive) are 
 capable of standing by themselves as a unit proverb. In the 
 examples given the two lines in each epigram that stand out on 
 the left may be read as a proverb complete in itself. Such a 
 germ proverb is the text of the epigram, the remaining lines 
 serve to expand this text. The corresponding prose form is the 
 Maxim, a unit proverb text with a brief prose comment. 
 
 Essays. A more extended form of Wisdom literature, on the 
 side of prose, is the Essay. The word has various uses: the 
 Scriptural essays are not of the modern type (like those o£ 
 Macaulay or Emerson), but of the antique type like the essays 
 of Bacon. The title of an essay suggests a theme, on which the 
 rest is a prose comment. (Pages 112-24.) 
 
 Verse compositions consisting of comments upon themes are 
 in this series called Sonnets. In general literature the idea 
 underlying the Sonnet is the adaptation of the matter to the 
 outer form, as if a poet's thought were poured into special 
 moulds. In English and Itahan sonnets there is only one such 
 form or mould — a sequence of 14 lines divided according to a 
 255 
 
Essays 
 
 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 particular plan; the matter of these sonnets must be condensed 
 or expanded to suit this plan. The nearest approach to this in 
 Scriptural literature is the Fixed or Number Sonnet : the open- 
 ing of this suggests a number scheme, to which the rest con- 
 forms. 
 
 There be three things ivhich are too ivonderful for me^ 
 VeUf four which I know not : 
 
 The way of an Eagle in the air ; 
 
 The way of a Serpent upon a rock ; 
 
 The way of a Ship in the midst of the sea ; 
 And the way of a Man ivith a Maid, 
 
 The examples quoted in the present volume are different. They 
 may be called 'Free Sonnets': the moulding in these is to 
 nothing more restricted than *high parallelism/ that is, not the 
 parallelism binding successive lines into a stanza, but the bond 
 which may correlate the most distant parts of a poem into a 
 single scheme. The scheme of parallelism for each sonnet will 
 be given in a separate note. 
 
 Essays 
 
 ii. This essay touches upon what was the great difficulty t6 
 early Hebrew thinkers ; the visible prosperity of the wicked, 
 which seemed to them contrary to their conception of 'judg- 
 ment ' or righteous providence. The author in this essay en- 
 deavours to meet the difficulty by two thoughts: (i) how a 
 as6 
 
Notes 8*- 
 
 change of fate at the very end of life may make all the differ- 
 ence; (2) how the punishment may come in the next genera- 
 tion. ~ A resemblance will be noted at one point to a parable of 
 the New Testament. 
 
 V. An essay on the Choice of Company, in five paragraphs: 
 The danger of unknown company in a house — the good only 
 ^re proper objects of charity — friendship not trustworthy until 
 tested by adversity —the humble can only be defiled by contact 
 with the proud — like will to like, and riches cannot consort 
 with poverty. 
 
 vi. This essay is founded upon the old conception of society 
 by which the educated formed a separate class — here called 
 * the scribes.' Translated into modern ideas of life the argument 
 would be that no life in any social station must be without 
 leisure, and on such leisure self-culture depends. 
 
 vii. This section makes a transitional stage to the next di- 
 vision of our selections, as it consists of an Essay containing a 
 
 Sonnet. . 
 
 The argument of the whole is that Life is a thing of joy, 
 tempered by the sense of responsibility. The latter idea is con- 
 veyed by the word * judgment,' which throughout the Old Testa- 
 ment stands for the irreconcilable antagonism between good and 
 evil, and the certain overthrow of evil: the recognition of this 
 makes action responsible. With this limitation, the author 
 urges that the very shortness of life and youth is so much in. 
 centive to make joyful what days are allowed. 
 
 The scheme of high parallelism [see above, page 256] in 
 this sonnet is the 'pendulum structure': the alternation of 
 s 257 
 
^ Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 successive lines between two thoughts is conveyed to the eye by 
 the indenting of the lines. The middle lines put symbolic de- 
 scriptions of old age; the Hnes indented on the left drop the 
 symbolism and speak in plain terms. [The lines indented on 
 the right are subordinate clauses.] 
 
 The matter of the sonnet is a tour-de-force of symbolism, un- 
 der which are veiled the symptoms of senile decay followed by 
 death. It is very likely that some of the symbols may be lost- 
 but It IS not difficult to see, without straining, a possible interl 
 pretation for each; and some of them have passed into tradi- 
 tional use. The poetic beauty of the passage is marvellous. 
 
 Or ever the sun, and the light . . . be darkened: in view of 
 the opening words of the preceding essay, which take the 
 'light' and 'sun' as symbols of the whole happiness of con: 
 scious existence, it is clear that the darkening light is the 
 
 gradual failing of the joy of XWxx.g.- And the clouds return 
 after the rain: an exquisite symbol, closely akin to the last 
 In youth we may overstrain and disturb our health, but we soon 
 rally; these are storms that quickly clear up. In age the rally- 
 ing power is gone: "the clouds return after the rain." — 
 keepers of the house shall tremble: Cheyne understands of the 
 hands and arms, the trembling of which is a natural accompani- 
 ment of old age. — The strong men shall bow themselves ■ the 
 stooping frame; the plural is merely by attraction to ' keepers.' — 
 The grinders cease because they are few: obviously of the 
 teeth. — Those that look out of the windows be darkened- the 
 eyes becoming dim. - The doors shall be shut in the street: 
 the general connection of ideas makes it inevitable that the 
 S58 
 
Notes 
 
 ' folding-doors ' should be the jaws; clenched jaws are so marked 
 a feature in the skull that it is not difficult to associate them 
 with the picture of old age.- When the sound of the grinding 
 is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the 
 daughters of music shall be brought low: these must be taken 
 together : appetite, speech, and sleep are all feeble. Grinding 
 must be interpreted as grinders in the previous part of the 
 sonnet: the loud or low sound of such grinding may fitly typify 
 the eagerness of appetite or the reverse. The early waking or 
 short sleeping of old age is well known. The daughters of 
 music are the tones of the voice. - They shall be afraid of that 
 which is high, and terrors shall be in ilie way: the gait of old 
 age is, through physical feebleness, much what the gait of a 
 person terrified is for other reasons. - The almond tree shall 
 blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and the caper^ 
 berry shall burst: the three are linked together as being images 
 from natural objects, not because of their symbolising similar 
 things The blossoming of the almond tree probably refers to 
 the sparse white hairs of age. The name of this tree in Hebrew 
 is founded on the fact that it is the first to blossom; though not 
 strictly white, its blossoms may be called whitish: the whitish 
 blossoms, solitary while all is bare around, just yield the image 
 required. The grasshopper is evidently a symbol for a small 
 object which is nevertheless heavy to feeble age. The caper- 
 berry \hall burst : the last stage of its decay : the failing powers 
 at last give way. And then follows the dropping of the symbol- 
 ism: Man goeth to his long home." 
 
 So far we have had symbols for failure of powers; now for 
 859 
 
Sonnets 
 
 Biblical M asterpieces 
 
 actual death and dissolution. Or ever the silver cord be loosed or 
 the golden bowl be broken : a symbol from the house-lamp of gold 
 suspended by a silver cord, suddenly slipping its cord and break' 
 mg, Its light becoming extinguished. For bowl in this sense 
 compare Zechariah, chapter iv. 2, 2>,-. Or the pitcher be broken 
 at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern : these are ex- 
 quisite symbols for the sudden and violent cessation of every-day 
 functions. Compare the popular proverb : « The pitcher goes to 
 the well once too often." ~ spirit return unto God who 
 
 gavett: this by analogy with the previous line must be inter- 
 preted to mean no more than that the man becomes just what 
 he was before he was born. 
 
 Sonnets 
 
 i. The Sluggard. The metrical scheme of this sonnet is 
 simple: a strophe balanced by an antistrophe. [See above 
 page 244.] ' 
 
 ii. The Mourning for the Fool. Metrical scheme ; a brief 
 strophe and antistrophe and conclusion. 
 
 iii. The Two Paths. Strophe, the way of wisdom; antis- 
 trophe, the path of the wicked; conclusion, union of the two 
 in a common image. 
 
 iv. The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize 
 The metrical scheme of this sonnet is an example of 'arti- 
 strophic inversion'; that is, two strophes followed by their 
 antistrophes, but the antistrophe to the second strophe precedes 
 the antistrophe to the first. [This is sometimes expressed by the 
 
 260 
 
Notes 8€- 
 
 Sonnets 
 
 formula ab ha; or (reckoning the number of lines in each 
 strophe) 4, 6; 6, 4,] The printing makes this clear to the eye. 
 The unity of thought in the sonnet is the conception of Wis- 
 dom as a prize. The middle strophe and antistrophe describe 
 the richness of this prize ; the opening strophe makes * chasten- 
 ing' the cost at which it is obtained by the individual from the 
 Lord; and the corresponding antistrophe (at the end) explains 
 the reason for this costliness — wisdom was the instrument by 
 which the whole universe was created. 
 
 V. Watchfulness of Lips and Heart. A Prayer in sonnet 
 form. The metrical scheme is an illustration of * dupUcation ' 
 applied to antistrophic structure : a quatrain question (strophe i) 
 has a couplet answer (strophe 2) ; then the quatrain is dupli- 
 cated into an octet (antistrophe i), and the answer is duplicated 
 into a quatrain (antistrophe 2). [The lines of invocation are 
 not counted in strophe and antistrophe 2.] 
 
 vi. Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord. This is one of the 
 most elaborate sonnets : its metrical scheme combines antistrophic 
 and stanza structure (above, page 243). There is first a strophe 
 with its antistrophe; then a series of stanzas; but these stanzas 
 illustrate the metrical device of * augmenting,' for they increase, 
 as the thought gathers strength, from 3 lines to 5 lines and 6 lines. 
 
 vii. Wisdom and the Strange Woman. This is at once the 
 foremost of wisdom poems in its thought, and the most elaborate 
 in sonnet structure : here, as always, the structure is an exact 
 reflection of the thought. 
 
 The metrical scheme shows stanza structure throughout. The 
 poem falls into seven sections. In sections i, 3, 4» 7> which 
 261 
 
Lyrics 
 
 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 contain the thread of argument, we find octet and ten-line 
 stanzas. Section 2, which breaks off from the argument to give 
 a picture of temptation, changes to sextet stanzas. Sections 5 
 and 6, the monologue of Wisdom, are cast in quatrains, but as 
 the monologue crescendoes to its climax the quatrains * aug- 
 ment ' to 5, 6, 7 lines. There is further the artistic device of 
 * interruption ' : the regular flow of stanzas is broken at critical 
 points by single couplets (like musical rhythm interrupted by 
 recitative) ; again in section 2 the actual speech of the temptress 
 is an irregular mass of lines outside the stanza structure, and 
 this break in the flow of lines has a fine efl"ect. 
 
 The thought of the poem is in the highest degree grand and 
 bold. Scriptural philosophy loves to celebrate under the name 
 •Wisdom' the union of all things, whether of the external uni- 
 verse or of the spiritual life, in one Divine harmony. In this 
 poem this Wisdom is to be personified, and to proclaim her 
 attractions. But the poet prepares the way by contrast with the 
 spirit of temptation, also personified in female form practising 
 her allurements. This is displayed in a boldly drawn picture; 
 and then the poet, with the words Doth not Wisdom cry ? sud- 
 denly turns round and presents * Wisdom ' as the temptress to 
 good. 
 
 LYRICS 
 
 i-ii. These two selections are from the Book of Job, This 
 consists of matter mainly philosophic worked up into an elabo- 
 rate poem in which all literary forms — epic, lyric, drama, 
 rhetoric, etc.-— are blended in a way unparalleled in modern 
 962 
 
Notes 8€- 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 literature. Hence the form of these two pieces is intermediate 
 between wisdom sonnets and the lyrical poems that follow. 
 
 i. An Elegy of a Broken Heart. In the Book of Job this 
 intervenes between the Story Prologue, which is prose, and the 
 main body of the poem, which takes a dramatic form. Job 
 breaks the silence to dilate, with lyrical elaboration, upon the 
 situation of utter ruin which is to be the starting-point of the 
 dramatic discussion. Hence the title of the section in the whole 
 poem of Job is * Job's Curse ' : but it admits of being separated 
 from the action of the drama as an independent poem, with 
 some such title as I have given it. — In metrical scheme it falls 
 into two sections. Section I is an example of * interruption ' 
 (compare note to vii of the sonnets). It will be seen that the 
 last two lines continue the sentence begun by the first two lines, 
 making with them a quatrain : between come masses of parallel 
 lines interrupting with a tour-dejorce of execration. Section 2 
 is made up of introductory quatrain, strophe, and antistrophe. 
 
 ii. The Creator's Joy in his Creation. This selection from 
 Job is a part of the 'Divine Intervention,' which may be read 
 as a complete poem. That drama introduces the Voice of God 
 out of the whirlwind as taking a part in the dialogue. The 
 link between the Divine Intervention as a whole and the general 
 argument is the impossibility of any mortal grasping the mys- 
 teries of the universe, which mysteries enfold the glories of 
 nature as well as the dark ways of providence which Job and 
 his friends have been discussing. As a part of this general 
 thought the portion here cited works out the idea of the Crea- 
 tor's joy in his creation — a joyous sympathy with the infinities 
 
 263 
 
Lyrics 
 
 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 of great and small throughout the universe. It might be an 
 expansion of the words in the story of the creation : " And God 
 saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very 
 good." — The metrical scheme of this poem is a variation of the 
 'pendulum structure/ [Page 251.] It may be called a ' triple 
 pendulum,' or alternation between three notes : one note is made 
 by the startling questions of nature mysteries, another (Hues 
 indented to the right) exquisitely pictures the details of these 
 wonders of nature, while for a third (lines still more to the 
 right) there is a word of challenge to Job to answer. 
 
 iii-v. These three selections are lyrics in the strictest sense. 
 Originally all poetry is of the form technically called * Ballad- 
 Dance,' that is, verse combined with musical accompaniment 
 and dancing. When this primitive poetry branches out into 
 other forms, lyric is the form which retains most of the musical 
 element. The poems here cited are lyrics in the strict sense 
 that their structure is determined by the mode of their musical 
 performance. This is seen by the * antiphonal ' distribution of 
 the matter, for example, between choruses of men and women, 
 and by the recurrence of passages (* refrains '). 
 
 iii. Song of Moses and Miriam. This is arranged for a 
 Chorus of Men, taking the successive sections of the song, and 
 a Chorus of Women, singing the refrain. The metre is Antique 
 Rhythm (above, page 242) : the successive strophes augment 
 with the growing fulness of the theme. The first strophe (after 
 the prelude) simply states the fact of the deliverance; the sec- 
 ond pictures it in detail, the third meditates on the consequences 
 to the furthest future. 
 
Notes 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 iv. Deborah's Song. This also is arranged for a Chorus of 
 Men, led by Barak, and a Chorus of Women, led by Deborah. 
 It is in Antique Rhythm (above, page 242). Its structure is 
 antiphonal as between Men, Women, and the two combined. 
 The structure is further elaborated by « interruption ^ [passages 
 printed in italics], where the singers encourage one another. 
 
 To appreciate the matter of the song it should be compared 
 with the description of the incident in plain historic prose 
 chapter iv). It is not difficult to make out from this 
 narrative (i) that Heber the Kenite, Jael's husband, was acting 
 as a spy against his allies of Israel, and betraying their move- 
 ments to the tyrant. Jael's act was treachery in retaliation 
 for the treachery on the other side by her husband. This ex- 
 plains the exultation over her deed in Deborah's Song. 
 (2) This treachery of Heber had upset the plans of Deborah 
 and Barak : helpless against the iron chariots, their only hope 
 had been to assemble secretly on the heights of Kedesh and at- 
 tempt a surprise. But while the army of Sisera, warned by 
 Heber, were awaiting them on the plains of Esdraelon, a sudden 
 thunder storm with rain (commemorated in the Song) converted 
 the whole plain into a morass. The army of Barak fell on the 
 foe while their horses were struggling in the mud, and extir. 
 pated them at a blow. 
 
 V. David's Lament. This simple elegy is cast in quatrain 
 stanzas. Its only elaboration is an augmenting refrain. This 
 beautiful refrain seems to rest for its effect upon the bringing 
 together of two ideas, like a crescendo and decrescendo in 
 music : How are the mighty < > fallen I This fragmentary re- 
 265 
 
Lyrics 
 
 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 frain as it appears at the beginning is enlarged at the passage 
 from the section on Saul to that on Jonathan, and still further 
 enlarged at the close of the whole. 
 
 vi. David's Song of Victory. This is in Antique Rhythm : 
 its structure is 'strophic' (above, page 243). There is an in- 
 troduction and conclusion, and three unequal strophes: the 
 first pictures the deliverance, the second meditates on the prin- 
 ciple involved (deliverance of the righteous), the third extends 
 the confidence thus produced to the whole past and future. The 
 most notable artistic effect is the sudden change at the prayer of 
 the afflicted one : all nature is convulsed as the Almighty rushes 
 to the rescue. 
 
 vii. The Bride's Reminiscences. This is introduced as 
 an example of the Lyric Idyl. The term *idyP has been ex- 
 plained above (page 248, note to iv) : such idyls may be either 
 narrated as stories, or brought out lyrically or dramatically, as 
 in the present case. It is one of a series of lyric idyls making 
 up the poem of Solomon's Song. The story underlying this 
 poem has been variously interpreted; the interpretation followed 
 in this series {Biblical Idyls volume) is that King Solomon, 
 visiting his vineyards on Mount Lebanon, has come by surprise 
 upon a beautiful Shulammite maiden. As she flies from the 
 royal suite he seeks her in shepherd disguise and wins her love, 
 then he brings her as queen to his palace. The present selec- 
 tion is Idyl II of the series, and contains two of the Bride's 
 Reminiscences of this courtship. The first is of a visit by the 
 disguised king on a fair spring morning, and how the lovers 
 were interrupted by the harsh voices of the Bride's Brothers 
 
 266 
 
Notes 8€- 
 
 Lyrics 
 
 crying out that the foxes were in the vineyards. The second is 
 a dream of losing and finding her lover. [The passages in 
 italics are not spoken by the Bride, but are the poet's interludes, 
 dividing the different sections of the poem.] — Metrical scheme. 
 The idyls are a combination of Antique Rhythm and Antistrophic 
 structure : but the parallelism of strophe and antistrophe must 
 be reckoned in strainSy not in lines (see above, page 242) : thus 
 we have four strains balanced by four, then two by two; then 
 (in the Dream) three by three. [The refrains are outside the 
 metrical scheme.] 
 
 viii, ix. These are songs from the books of the prophets. 
 
 viii. The Battle of Carchemish. This is a War Ballad, in 
 triplet stanzas with * duplication.' The battle celebrated was a 
 turning-point in history, settling for ever the supremacy of the 
 Babylonian over the Egyptian empire : these were the two world 
 empires between which parties in the nation of Israel fluctuated, 
 the whole strength of Jeremiah and the prophetic party being 
 thrown against Pgypt. 
 
 ix. This Song of Zion Redeemed forms a section of the 
 Isaiahan * Rhapsody of Zion Redeemed* [chapters xl-lxvi]. It 
 is in stanzas of 4, or occasionally 6 and 8 lines, the flow inter- 
 rupted by couplets, especially at the beginning of the sections. 
 Compare above, page 262, note to vii (Sonnets). 
 
 X, xi. These are illustrations of a characteristic feature of 
 Biblical poetry — the * Doom form.' See above, page 245. 
 
 X. Isaiah's Doom of Babylon. The structure is made up 
 of the Divine word of the overthrow of Babylon [prose passages] 
 interrupted at intervals by [impersonal] songs, realising or cele- 
 267 
 
Lyrics 
 
 -58 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 brating what the Divine word brings forward. The last of these 
 verse interruptions is a fully developed Ode on Fallen Babylon. 
 The structural form of this ode is antistrophic inversion (7, 6 ; 
 6, 7), like that of No. iv of the Sonnets (above, page 260). 
 Another effect in this ode is the Taunt or Dirge Song. — My 
 consecrated ones . . . them that exult in my majesty. The 
 Divine voice is heard caUing to God's * hosts/ the idea suggested 
 by the title * Jehovah Sabaoth.' Compare Joel^ chapter iii. 1 1 
 and 13 ; Psalm ciii. 20, 21. — I will sit upon the mount of con- 
 gregation in the uttermost parts of the north : the north is regu- 
 larly in Scripture the quarter from which Divine judgment is 
 looked for (e.g. Ezekiel, chapter i. 4 ; Jerefniah vi. i ; Job 
 xxxvii. 22). 
 
 xi. Nahum's Doom of Nineveh. This is a Doom Prophecy 
 directed against Nineveh, partly in the structure called above 
 * doom form,' partly in other forms. It falls into seven sections. 
 Sections I and 2 are meditations in pendulum form (above, 
 page 251), the paragraphs alternating between judgment and 
 salvation. Section 3 is in doom form: the Divine announce- 
 ment of doom is interrupted by lyric realisation of the sudden 
 attack upon Nineveh in the midst of its careless security. Sec- 
 tion 4 is a brief lyric triumph over Nineveh overthrown. Section 
 5 resumes the doom form : the Divine denunciation interrupted 
 by lyric realisation of Nineveh in its pride. With section 6 
 this passes into a Taunt Song (as in example x). The seventh 
 section is a brief lyric meditation upon Nineveh overthrown and 
 desolate. 
 
 265 
 
Notes 8«- 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 RHAPSODY 
 
 This has been explained in the Introduction (pages xii-xiii) 
 as a term applied to a highly characteristic form of prophetic 
 literature, amounting to spiritual drama: actual dramatic dia- 
 logue and action being combined with other literary modes of 
 expression to produce the general effect of dramatic realisation 
 and movement. Some of the examples (I-III) are complete 
 rhapsodies ; IV is a discourse that becomes rhapsodic at its 
 conclusion ; V is a rhapsodic morceau, a single thought cast in 
 this literary form ; VI and VII are integral portions of one of 
 the long rhapsodies. 
 
 I. Rhapsody of tlie Drought. This is a simple and clear 
 example of rhapsodic writing. It opens with scenic description 
 of the drought ; the rest is dialogue between God, Repentant 
 Israel, and the Prophet. The action of the rhapsody consists in 
 the gradual effect of intercession : God at Erst refuses so much 
 as to answer the sinful People, and speaks only through the 
 Prophet; at last he answers the People directly, but only to 
 threaten; finally he shows mercy to the repentant remnant. 
 
 II. Habakkuk's Rhapsody of the Chaldeans. This is a 
 thoroughly tvpical and a splendid specimen of the rhapsody as 
 a form of literature, (i) The historic situation is the appear- 
 ance of the Chaldeans as a conquering power trampling down 
 surrounding nations. This suggests the thought of judgment 
 upon unpunished sin in Israel. But the Prophet feels a diffi- 
 culty: how can a righteous God use a godless people as an 
 
 269 
 
Rhapsody 
 
 Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 instrument for the punishment of wickedness that is less than 
 its own? The elaboration of this spiritual problem, in dramatic 
 dialogue between God and the Prophet, makes the first section 
 of the rhapsody. — (2) The Divine solution of this problem 
 comes under the image of intoxication : the haughty career of 
 the Chaldean is no more than the drunkard'^s reeling which 
 precedes his fall. But as the idea of the fall of the Chaldean 
 is reached there is a sudden change from dialogue to the doom 
 form. This Doom of the Chaldeans has five stanzas of the 
 usual combination between prose and verse : the prose is 
 Divine denunciation^ the verse passages are the imagined 
 triumphing of the down-trodden nations over their fallen 
 oppressor* Four of the stanzas express the fall of the Chal- 
 dean in four images: his uninterrupted career has been a 
 heaping up of usury, but the exactor sliall come ; it has been 
 building a house of refuge, but shame has been built into its 
 walls; it has been building a huge city only to make a 
 bigger bonfire to the glory of the avenging God ; it has been 
 giving drink to behold shame, but the drink of shame shall be 
 given to the oppressor. The fifth stanza goes to the root of the 
 matter: the Chaldean has trusted to sensele^ idols: Jehovah 
 is the true teacher. — (3) So far the overthrow of the Chaldeans 
 has been presented as a thing of the distant future ; in the third 
 section it is realised as visibly present : thus the movement of the 
 rhapsody has been steadily advancing from the first forming of 
 a problem to the climax of its solution. The literary form now 
 changes to that of an Ode, realising the idea of Jeliovah come 
 to judgment. The prelude and postlude express the Prophet's 
 270 
 
Notes 
 
 Rhapsody 
 
 feelings at the vision he hears and sees ; the body of the ode 
 realises the theophany itself. [Strophe, All nature convulsed as 
 God comes ; antistrophe, Is it against nature that the coming 
 is directed? conclusion, Nay, but God comes to deliver his 
 people. Compare Psalm cxiv.] 
 
 Page 205. / have heard the report of thee. This report^ and 
 so the voice in the second line of the postlude, refer to the voice 
 supposed to sing what makes the body of the ode. This is the 
 voice of Israel, heard in the vision describing the advent of 
 Jehovah. — O LORD revive thy work in the midst of the years : 
 compare on page 202 though it tarry, wait for it: the Prophet 
 prays God to interpose before it is too late. 
 
 Page 207. / trembled in my place, etc. The Prophet has a 
 strange mingling of different feelings: terror at the vision of 
 Jehovah's advent, though it be for his deliverance, and confi- 
 dence, as a result of this vision, in the midst of desolation. 
 
 III. JoePs Rhapsody of the Locust Plague. This rhapsody 
 may be founded on an historic plague of locusts, but the notion 
 is idealised into mystic forces of destruction. Nothing else in 
 the historic situation has any bearing on the rhapsody, it is 
 ideal all through: desolation because of sin, and * judgment,' in 
 the double sense of first a judgment on Israel that is turned by 
 repentance to purification, then a judgment as between Israel 
 and the nations. As arranged in the text the movement of this 
 rhapsody explains itself. 
 
 VI. This selection is the Prelude to the elaborate * Rhapsody 
 ofZion Redeemed' volume, pages 127-209]. Like the 
 
 overture of many modern musical compositions, this Prelude is 
 271 
 
Rhapsody Biblical Masterpieces 
 
 a lyric anticipation or foreshadowing of the whole work. A 
 word of comfort for Jerusalem is spoken by God, and Voices are 
 heard carrying the glad tidings on the way towards Jerusalem. 
 The words spoken by these voices are anticipations of subse- 
 quent parts of the rhapsody. 
 
 VII. This selection is the third Act or 'Vision' of the same 
 rhapsody. It brings out in dramatic realisation the Awakening 
 of Zion. Successive appeals are made by Jehovah to Zion with- 
 out response. The Celestial Hosts join in the appeal: still 
 without response from Zion. At last the awakening of Zion is 
 brought out by the Chorus of Zion's Watchmen recognising the 
 advent of the messengers who bring the glad tidings (compare , 
 the Prelude), and calling upon the city to awake and rejoice. 
 272 
 
Reference Table 
 
The Volumes of the Modern Reader's Bible referred to 
 in the Table are as follows : 
 
 Wisdom Series : four volumes 
 The Proverbs 
 Ecclesiasticus 
 
 Ecclesiastes and The Wisdom of Solomon 
 
 The Book of Job 
 Deuteronomy 
 Biblical Idyls 
 
 History Series : five volumes 
 
 Genesis 
 
 The Exodus 
 
 The Judges 
 
 The Kings 
 
 The Chronicles 
 Prophecy Series : four volumes 
 
 Isaiah 
 
 Jeremiah 
 
 Ezekiel 
 
 Daniel and the Minor Prophets 
 
Reference Table ^ 
 
 X ^ S 
 
 si 
 
 Is 
 
 : «5 2 6 
 
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 ^ .2 
 
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 _t|f> JO W) 
 
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Reference Table B^- 
 
 ^ M 
 
 K ^ J 
 
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 iasticus 
 iasticus 
 
 iasticus 
 
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 cles 
 
 
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-58 Reference Tabl 
 
 M CI Ct ^ H M 
 
Small x8mo. Cloth extra, 50 cents each ; Leather, 60 cents. 
 
 The Modern Reader's Bible. 
 
 A Series of Books from the Sacred Scriptures, 
 presented in Modem Literary Form, 
 
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