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| 1 Wo [to] apostate sons, The affirmation of Jehovah! To do counsel, and not from Me, And to spread out a covering, and not of My spirit, So as to add sin to sin. |
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| 2 Who are walking to go down to Egypt, And My mouth have not asked, To be strong in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt. |
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| 3 And the strength of Pharaoh Hath been to you for shame, And the trust in the shadow of Egypt confusion, |
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| 4 For in Zoan were his princes, And his messengers reach Hanes. |
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| 5 All he made ashamed of a people that profit not, Neither for help, not for profit, But for shame, and also for reproach! |
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| 6 The burden of the beasts of the south. Into a land of adversity and distress, Of young lion and of old lion, Whence [are] viper and flying saraph, They carry on the shoulder of asses their wealth, And on the hump of camels their treasures, Unto a people not profitable. |
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| 7 Yea, Egyptians [are] vanity, and in vain do help, Therefore I have cried concerning this: 'Their strength [is] to sit still.' |
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| 8 No, go in, write it on a tablet with them, And on a book engrave it, And it is for a latter day, for a witness unto the age, |
Note it in a book – The prophets did not confine themselves to oral teachings. R1145:3
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| 9 That a rebellious people [is] this, sons liars, Sons not willing to hear the law of Jehovah. |
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| 10 Who have said to seers, 'Ye do not see,' And to prophets, 'Ye do not prophesy to us Straightforward things, Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits, |
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| 11 Turn aside from the way, decline from the path, Cause to cease from before us the Holy One of Israel.' |
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| 12 Therefore, thus said the Holy One of Israel, Because of your kicking against this word, And ye trust in oppression, And perverseness, and rely on it, |
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| 13 Therefore is this iniquity to you as a breach falling, Swelled out in a wall set on high, Whose destruction suddenly, at an instant cometh. |
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| 14 And He hath broken it As the breaking of the potters' bottle, Beaten down He doth not spare, Nor is there found, in its beating down, A potsherd to take fire from the burning, And to draw out waters from a ditch. |
He shall break – The coming of the King of earth means much of trouble. R1692:4
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He shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces – Psa. 2:9; Rev. 2:27 - This is the honor of Jesus and His church. It should be noted that both the Psa 2 and Rev 2 texts are describing the reign of Christ.
He shall not spare – Note the similarity of language to that of Eze. 8:18; 9:10. The breaking in pieces is also associated with Eze. 9:2. There the slaughter weapon is "a weapon of his breaking in pieces" (margin). |
| 15 For thus said the Lord Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel: 'In returning and rest ye are saved, In keeping quiet and in confidence is your might, And ye have not been willing. |
In returning – To God. R1787:6
And rest – In him alone. R1787:6
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| 16 And ye say, No, for on a horse we flee Therefore ye flee, And on the swift we ride! Therefore swift are your pursuers. |
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| 17 One thousand because of the rebuke of one, Because of the rebuke of five ye flee, Till ye have been surely left as a pole On the top of the mountain, And as an ensign on the height. |
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| 18 And therefore doth wait Jehovah to favour you, And therefore He is exalted to pity you, For a God of judgment [is] Jehovah, O the blessedness of all waiting for Him. |
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| 19 For the people in Zion dwell in Jerusalem, Weep thou not, weeping, Pitying, He pitieth thee at the voice of thy cry, When He heareth He answereth thee. |
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| 20 And the Lord hath given to you bread of adversity, And water of oppression. And thy directors remove no more, And thine eyes have seen thy directors, |
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| 21 And thine ear heareth a word behind thee, Saying, 'This [is] the way, go ye in it,' When ye turn to the right, And when ye turn to the left. |
A word behind thee – The voice of our Lord from the past. F410; CR497:6
The voice of God that comes through the apostles and prophets of the past. R4136:1, R4882:2, R1753:2; HG590:1
Not before thee, as of some new theology, like Evolution, Spiritism or Christian Science. R1753:1
This is the way – To the Church now, a way of faith and consecration even unto death. R1753:4
To fleshly Israel and the world under the Millennial reign of Christ, a highway of holiness. R1753:3
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| 22 And ye have defiled the covering of Thy graven images of silver, And the ephod of thy molten image of gold, Thou scatterest them as a sickening thing, 'Go out,' thou sayest to it. |
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| 23 And He hath given rain [for] thy seed, With which thou dost sow the ground, And bread, the increase of the ground, And it hath been fat and plenteous, Enjoy do thy cattle in that day an enlarged pasture. |
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| 24 And the oxen and the young asses serving the ground, Fermented provender do eat, That one is winnowing with shovel and fan. |
Clean provender – In contrast, the ministers and theological schools of Babylon turn out very poor grist-largely husks and chaff, which will not sustain spiritual life and strength. D609
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| 25 And there hath been on every high mount, And on every exalted hill, Rivulets streams of waters, In a day of much slaughter, in the falling of towers. |
There shall be – The blessings of restitution are due, not only to Israel and Palestine, but also to the whole earth. R1380:1
Now commencing to be fulfilled. R1379:6
Great slaughter – Disintegration, grinding to powder. R1379:6*
The towers fall – Kings, potentates, etc. R1379:6*
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| 26 And the light of the moon hath been as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun is sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day of Jehovah's binding up the breach of His people, When the stroke of its wound He healeth. |
Light of the moon – The Mosaic Law. R334:2
Increased light thrown upon the Law shadows showing the true teachings of the Tabernacle, its services and sacrifices. R499:6
Sevenfold – Perfect. R334:2
Light of seven days – Not spoken of natural, but of spiritual light. R49:2*
When the sin-blinded eyes shall be opened, the world will see right and wrong, justice and injustice, in a light quite different from now. D519
In the day – The Millennial age. D519
It is the same day (period) in which he assembles the outcasts and makes up his jewels. R499:6
The breach – Caused by sin. R334:2
His people – The Jews. R49:2*
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| 27 Lo, the name of Jehovah is coming from far, Burning is His anger, and great the flame, His lips have been full of indignation, And His tongue [is] as a devouring fire. |
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| 28 And His breath [is] as an overflowing stream, Unto the neck it divideth, To sift nations with a sieve of vanity, And a bridle causing to err, [Is] on the jaws of the peoples. |
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| 29 Singing is to you as in a night sanctified for a festival, And joy of heart as he who is going with a pipe, To go in to the mountain of Jehovah, Unto the rock of Israel. |
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| 30 And caused to be heard hath Jehovah The honour of His voice, And the coming down of His arm He doth shew with the raging of anger, And the flame of a consuming fire, Scattering, and inundation, and hailstone. |
And tempest – This Day of Vengeance. D527
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| 31 For from the voice of Jehovah broken down [is] Asshur, With a rod He smiteth. |
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| 32 And every passage of the settled staff, That Jehovah causeth to rest on him, Hath been with tabrets, and with harps, And in battles of shaking he hath fought with it. |
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| 33 For, arranged from former time is Tophet, Even it for the king is prepared, He hath made deep, He hath made large, Its pile [is] fire and much wood, The breath of Jehovah, As a stream of brim stone, is burning in it! |
Tophet – Valley of Hinnom, symbol of Second Death. Q640:2; R5041:6[R5042:6]
King – The devil with his messengers, those in sympathy with evil. Q640:2; R5042:1[R5042:6]
Fire and much wood – A type of the real Gehenna, unquenchable until its work is done. R1449:5*[R1449:21*]
Plenty of fuel to accomplish its complete destruction. R5042:1[R5042:6]; Q640:2
Breath of the LORD – The Spirit of the Lord will set it afire and cause it to burn to complete destruction. Q640:1; R5042:1[R5042:6]
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