I, Here am I, unto a nation that hath not called on my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts; a people that provoketh me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense upon bricks; who sit among the graves, and pass the night in the secret places; who eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; who say, "Stand by thyself, come not near to me lest I sanctify thee." These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.... Is. lxv. 1–5.

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(Addressing Yahweh-worshippers): Thus saith Yahweh, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith 'Destroy it not for a blessing is in it," so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.... Is. lxv. 8, 9.

(Addressing the idolaters): But ye that forsake Yahweh, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for Gad, and that fill up mingled wine unto Meni; I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called ye did not answer, when I spake ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.... Is. lxv. 11, 12.

And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen, and the Lord Yahweh shall slay thee; and he shall call his servants by another name; so that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of Truth, and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of Truth, because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. Is. lxv. 15, 16.

(Addressing Yahweh-worshippers): For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad

and rejoice for ever over that which I create, for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.... Is. lxv. 17-19.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith Yahweh. Is. lxv. 25.

(Addressing Haggai, Jeshua, and Zerubbabel): Thus saith Yahweh, The heaven is my throne, and the earth the footstool of my feet. Where is the house that ye will build me, and where is the sanctuary that shall be my resting place? And all these things, my hand made them, and so all these things came into being, saith Yahweh. But to this one will I look, even to the poor and contrite of spirit, and that trembleth at my word. Killing an ox: slaying a man. Sacrificing a sheep: breaking a dog's neck. Offering an oblation: pouring out swine's blood. Burning frankincense: blessing an idol. Just as they have chosen their ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations, so will I choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called no one answered, when I spake they did not hear; but they did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not. Is. lxvi. 1–4.

(Addressing the Samaritan Yahweh-worshippers): Hear the word of Yahweh, ye that tremble at his word: "Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name's sake, have said, 'Let Yahweh be glorified, that we may see your joy,' but they shall be ashamed." A voice of tumult from the city! A voice from the temple! A voice of Yahweh rendering recompence to his enemies!... Is. lxvi. 5, 6.

Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her. Rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over

her; that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may drain out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith Yahweh, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream. Her children shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass; and the hand of Yahweh shall be known towards his servants, and he will have indignation against his enemies.... Is. lxvi. 10-14.

(Addressing all present): ...to gather together all the nations and the tongues; and they shall come, and they shall see my glory. And I will set on them a sign, and those of them who escape I will send unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, Meshech, and to Tubal, and Javan, to the distant coasts that have not heard my fame nor seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an offering to Yahweh, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, unto my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Yahweh, as the children of Israel bring the offering in a clean vessel unto the house of Yahweh. And of them also will I take for priests and for Levites, saith Yahweh. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Yahweh, so shall your seed and your name remain. Is. lxvi. 18-22.

? B.C. 516. 12th mo. 3rd day.

(The house was finished.) Ezr. vi. 15.

B.C. 515. Ist. mo. 14th day.

(The Passover was celebrated.) Ezr. vi. 19.

[Exeunt the heathen. Ezr. vi. 21.

CHAPTER VII

ZERUBBABEL TO NEHEMIAH

THE building of the temple at Jerusalem was a great achievement. Nothing but religious zeal could have brought it about. Encouragement certainly came from Babylonia to perform the work, but we have no reason to suppose that it was financed from that quarter or by wealthy Jews who had returned. The story, as we have seen it, gives the impression of Judaean farmers, just beginning to earn a little more than was necessary for immediate needs, being stirred by Haggai to a pitch of enthusiasm, and investing their little savings in the building of the temple. Their religious devotion cost them heavily. The restored temple was no doubt an incentive to religious development, and especially to the development of the cultus; but the people's savings were gone, and this rather large expenditure had exhausted so much of their capital that the Restoration in a worldly sense was seriously checked. Seventy years had to elapse before the rebuilding of the city was successfully taken in hand by Nehemiah. Our history book, Ezra and Nehemiah, has nothing to say about this long period, till one incident quite at its close; but the period was by no means unimportant, for when the nation emerges again into the light under Nehemiah we see a much more organized and settled state of society.

The most important literature belonging to the period is to be found in the book of Isaiah. Some have regarded the later chapters as all the work of one man Trito-Isaiah, while others have regarded them as a collection of writings of different authors. We have already disposed of lxiii. 7-lxvi., and we are therefore left to consider the remainder. The attempt is here made to show that the four sections xlix. 14–l. 3, lviii.— lix., lx.-lxii., lxiii. 1-6, are the work of one hand, and betray themselves as such by numerous parallelisms of thought and words. It will be best to begin with the verses that speak of the ruined walls and other desolations and the hopes of restoration, because they prove that the sections were written before the time of Nehemiah.

xlix. 16, 17. "Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Thy children make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee." [For 'thy children' we should perhaps read 'thy builders' which is supported by the versions. Duhm and Marti want to emend further on grounds of metre.]

xlix. 19 a. "For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places and thy land that hath been destroyed—” lviii. 12. "And those that are of thee [; perhaps read thy children' (Weir, Cheyne)] shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called The Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of paths for dwelling."

lx. 10. “And strangers shall build thy walls."