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CHAPTER IX.

1 A vision, whereby is shewed the preservation of some, 5 and the destruction of the rest. 8 God cannot be intreated for them.

HE cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.

2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, 'which lieth toward the north, and every man 'a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.

3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;

4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and 'set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

5¶And to the others he said in 'mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city,

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and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:

6 Slay 'utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

8 ¶ And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?

9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of 'perverseness: for they say, "The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.

10 And as for me also, mine "eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.

11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, "reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

Heb. a weapon of his breaking in pieces.
6 Heb. mine ears. 7 Heb to destruction.
11 Chap. 5. 11, and 7. 4, and 8. 18.

3 Heb. upon his loins. 4 Heb. mark a mark, 8 Heb. filled with. 9 Or, wrestling of judgment. is Heb. returned the word.

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1. Kalmdân, or Case for Pen and Ink; 2, 2. Parts of the same, separate: 3 Spoon for watering the ink; 4. Pen, formed of a Reed; 5. Thin piece of Horn, on which the Pen is mended; 6. Whetstone; 7. Ink-holder, with a compass.

Verse 2. "With a writer's inkhorn by his side."—It is still the custom in the East to carry the inkhorn stuck in the girdle. Scribes carry them constantly in their girdles, and ministers of state wear them in the same manner as symbols of their office. The form of these receptacles is adapted to this custom, as will appear by our present engraving That in most general use is a flat case, about nine inches long by an inch and a quarter broad and half an inch thick. the hollow of which serves to contain the reed pens and penknife. It is furnished at one end with a lid attached by a hinge. To the flat side of this shaft, at the end furnished with the lid, is soldered the ink-vessel, which has at the top a lid with a hinge and clasp, fitting very closely. The ink-vessel is usually twice as heavy as the shaft. The latter is passed through the girdle, and is prevented from slipping through by the projecting ink-vessel. The whole is usually,

of polished metal, brass, copper, or silver. The case for pens and ink is worn in the same manner by the Persians, but it is very different in its form and appearance. It is a long case, eight or nine inches long, by about one and a half broad, and rather less in depth, rounded at each end. It is made of paper, stiff as board, and the whole exterior is japanned and covered with richly coloured drawings. This case contains another. which fits it exactly, and may be considered as a long drawer; it is of course uncovered at top, and slips into the outer case at one end, so that it can be easily drawn out, wholly or partially, to give access to the contents. These are shown in our engraving, and furnish an interesting exhibition of the utensils required by an Oriental writer. First there is the inkstand, which is so put into the case that it is the first thing that offers when the drawer is pulled out. It is of brass or silver, the upper surface being sometimes ornamented with mother-of-pearl and other materials; and is sometimes furnished with a small magnetic needle (as in our specimen), under a glass, to enable the proprietor to find the direction of Mecca when he prays. Then there is a little spoon, from which water is dropped into the inkstand, for the purpose of diluting the ink when become too thick or dry. The case also usually contains four or five pens of reed, whence the whole is called "pencase," rather than an "inkstand." As these pens are too thick-pointed to be nibbed on the nail, after our fashion with quill pens, a thin piece of horn is provided, on which the pen is laid for the purpose. These are the more essential articles, but often a small whetstone is added, and also a pair of scissors for clipping paper. The former we have given, but not the latter. Of these two sorts of "inkhorns," so to call them, the first is best adapted to be worn in the girdle, but the Persian is certainly more light and elegant, and at least equally convenient with reference to its proper use; but neither of them are at all suited for such thin inks as we employ. It may be difficult to say which of them the "inkhorns" of the Hebrews most resembled; but from its being worn in the girdle it was doubtless something of the same kind.

Modern Egyptian Writing Case and Instruments.

4. "Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men."-See the note on Lev. xix. 28. There is no difficulty in perceiving that the object of this was to distinguish those who had the mark in the forehead, as the Lord's servants and the objects of his peculiar care. Compare Rev. vii. 3, and other texts indicated in the margin. The ancient customs in this matter, and which still subsist in different parts of the world, exceedingly well illustrate all the passages of Scripture which refer to the subject. Bond servants, or slaves, were not only marked upon the forehead as a punishment for offences or for attempts to escape from servitude, but to distinguish them as the property of their masters, to deter them from running away, or to facilitate their recovery if they should do so. The mark usually consisted of the name or some peculiar character belonging to the master. It was also a custom, but perhaps not a general one, to mark soldiers in the same manner, only they bore their marks on the hand not on the forehead, just as our sailors are marked on their arms. Hence also the votaries of some of the gods were marked with signs, intended to denote that they were the devoted servants and worshippers of the god whose symbols they bore. Sometimes they contained the name of the god, but as often his particular symbol, as the thunderbolt of Jove, the trident of Neptune, the ivy of Bacchus, and so on; or else they marked themselves with a mystical number, whereby the name of the god was understood to be described. Thus the sun, which was signified by the number DCVIII, is said to have been represented by the two numeral characters, XH. It is well to explain this here; but it will be observed that in Rev. xiii. 16. 17, all these different methods are more distinctly enumerated:-"He causeth all...to receive a mark in their right hands or in their foreheads; and no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." As tokens of devotement to the service and worship of particular idols, such marks are much mentioned by ancient writers, as common in different nations. Lucian, for instance, says that the worshippers of the Syrian goddess distinguished themselves by particular marks either upon their hands or necks, and Philo and others allude to it as a very general custom. That the Christians soon adopted a modification of this custom by impressing the figure of the cross or the monogram of Jesus Christ upon their arms, we learn from Procopius and others: and that the custom in a modified form is still kept up by the Oriental Christians, Roman Catholics, and pilgrims to the Holy Land, we have already intimated. The marks were in ancient times formed either by the impress of a hot iron, or by the punctures of needles, afterwards rubbed over by a colouring powder or composition, as described in the note to Isa. xlix. 14; the process being the same as continues to be in use. The marks were indelible. See also the notes on Lev. xix. 28, and Isa. xliv. 5.

CHAPTER X.

1 The vision of the coals of fire, to be scattered over
the city. 8 The vision of the cherubims.
THEN I looked, and, behold, in the 'firma-
ment that was above the head of the cheru-
bims there appeared over them as it were a
sapphire stone, as the appearance of the like-
ness of a throne.

2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill 'thine

hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.

3 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.

4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD's glory.

1 Chap. 1. 22. Heb. the hollow of thine hand.

5 And the 'sound of the cherubims' wings Heb. was lifted up. • Chap. 1. 24

was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

6 And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels.

7 And one cherub 'stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.

8 ¶ And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings.

9 And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a 'beryl stone.

10 And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

11 When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they

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first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.

16 And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.

17 When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD'S house; and the giory of the God of Israel was over them above.

20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the che

rubims.

21 Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

22 And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

8 Or, they were called in my hearing, wheel, or galgal.

1 The presumption of the princes. 4 Their sin and judgment. 13 Ezekiel complaining, God sheweth him his purpose in saving a remnant, 21 and punishing the wicked. 22 The glory of God leaveth the city. 24 Ezekiel is returned to the captivity. MOREOVER the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD's house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:

Or, of life.

3 Which say, 'It is not 'near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.

4¶Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.

5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the

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caldron but I will bring you forth out of | I be to them as a little sanctuary in the the midst of it. countries where they shall come.

8 Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD.

9 And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among

you.

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12 And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.

13¶ And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

14 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

15 Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession.

17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord. GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.

22 ¶Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them

above.

23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

24¶ Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from

me.

25 Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shew

16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet willed me.

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6.

Verse 3. "The caldron."-No doubt pots of strong earthenware were used to a considerable extent among the poorer Hebrews for boiling their food; but those of the wealthier people were probably of metal, and copper seems to be more likely to have been used than any other metal-iron being comparatively rare in use in Western Asia, less from any natural scarcity than from the greater difficulty of working it. None of the utensils either of the tabernacle or temple were made of iron; a vessel or pot made of iron does not once occur in Scripture the iron-pan" of ch. iv. 3, having been shown to be an "iron-plate." Egypt is indeed described figuratively as an iron furnace; but this allusion refers not to a culinary vessel. The most definite circumstance is that the "pots," and even the "shovels" for the use of the Temple, were of "bright brass"-by which we may perhaps understand fine copper. The kitchen utensils which have been found at Herculaneum and Pompeii are mostly of bronze; and from the specimens which have been obtained, it would be difficult to say that our own culinary boilers exceed them in convenience, or equal them in elegance of form and workmanship. All the specimens we have seen are round, never oval; and they mostly rest upon feet, and are furnished with handles inserted into eyes or rings attached to the vessel. Some have ornamental mouldings and borders, with massive leaves and volutes below the rings for the handles, and some of the larger kinds with thick handles, have eyes at the top of the handle, by which they were doubtless suspended by hooks over the fire. It is very possible that the Hebrew utensils of this kind were not inferior to these; for whatever may have been their own skill or taste in such matters, we are to recollect that they had models for their caldrons in those which were made for Solomon by Hiram of Tyre, the most skilful worker in metal of his time, and to whose people the useful arts of eastern Europe probably owed as much as did those of their neighbours in Asia.

CHAPTER XII.

1 The type of Ezekiel's removing. 8 It shewed the captivity of Zedekiah. 17 Ezekiel's trembling sheweth the Jews desolation. 21 The Jews' presumptuous proverb is reproved. 26 The speediness of the vision.

THE word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not for they are a rebellious house.

3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee 'stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. 5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.

7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.

8

And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?

10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.

11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: "they shall remove and go into captivity.

12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

13 My 'net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I

will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries. 16 But I will leave 'a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

17 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

18 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

19 And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from "all that is therein, because of the violence of all

them that dwell therein.

20 And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 21 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

25 For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.

26 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

1 Or, instruments. 2 Heb. as the goings forth of captivity. 5 Heb. by removing go into captivity. Chap. 17. 20.

27 Son of man, behold, they of the house:

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