2 i, e. Cauſed them to be Excommunicated and caſt out of the Society and Priviledges of God's people. This and the following Puniſhments were juſtly inflited upon them, becauſe this tranſ- greſfion was contrary both to a very plain and expreſs Law of God, and alſo to their own late ſolemn Covenants and promiſes, of whigh ſee Ezra 1o. Nehem: 10130; 0 7. e. I cauſed them to be beat- en with {tripes, according to the Law, Deut:25: 2. p Such whoſe faults were moſt aggravated by their quality or other circumſtan= ces : to whom he added this puniſhment over and beſides the for- mer. q Or, ſhaved them, The hair was an Ornament and Enſign of Liberty among the Eaſtern Nations ; and baldneſs was a diſgrace and token of tlavery and ſorrow. See 1/a: 3: 24: and rg: 2: Fer. 48. 37+ Ezeh.s 29. 18. 26 Did not Solomon king of Iſrael ſin by theſe things ? yet * among many nations was there no king + Kinos like him, who was * beloved of his God, and God £ ns made him king over all Ifrael : * nevertheleſs even him 2 Chron- did outlandiſh women caule to fin. I: 12. 27 Shall we then hearken unto you yrto do all this KG, Sam,
16 There dwelt men of Tyre alſo therein, which
fabharh unto the children of Judah, and in Jeruſalem 6. 4 Which they might take in the Sea near Joppa, or bring trom ' Tyre to Joppa by Sea, and thence to Jeruſalem, which was bur a ſmall} Journey, 6 The holy City. where God's Houſe and Preſence was; | and where the grear Judicatories of the Nation were. So this is ad- ded as an aggrayztion of their fin, that this was done with manifeſt contempt of God and Men:
17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah c, and
great evil, to tranſgreſs againſt our God, in marrying + brought fith #, and all manner of ware, and fold onthe | itrange wives ?
: 24. : Kings 11. 1, &c:
r Shal we juſtific your ation by permitting or not puniſhing it?
God forbid.
28 And one of the ſons of Joiada /, the ſon of Eli-
aſhib the high prieſt, was ſon in law to Sanballat the Horonite : therefore I chaſed him from me re.
JS Said by Joſephus to be that Manaſſes who by 'Sanballats intereſt pro-
cured Liberty to build the Samaritan Temple in mount Geriz:m ; to which thoſe Prieſts who had married ſtraiige Wives, or been
|| Or, mub- {i
le, «,
Heb, bes
'n the
ſaid unto them, What evil thing 3s this that ye do, and prophane the ſabbath-day ?
ci. e. Their chief men and Rulers ; whom he chargeth with this fin, becauſe though cthers didit,it was by their countenance. or Con» nivance.and they ſhould and might have puniſhed and reſtrained it, 18 Did nor your fathers thus, and did not _ our God bring all this evil upon us 4, and upon this city ? yet Jo bring more wrath upon Iſrael by prophaning the ſab-
ath. d Which you ſo well and ſadly remember,that I need nor tell you
the particulars:
19 And it came to paſs, that when the gates of Jeru-
' falem * began to be dark e before che ſabbath, 1 com-
manded that the gates (hould be ibut, and charged that
they ſhould not be opened cill after the ſabbath : and
ſome of my ſervants ſer 1 at the gates f * that there ſhould no burden be brought in on the ſabbath-day.
e Which was about Sun-ſetting by reaſon of the Mountains Which were round about, and near feruſalem, Pſal. 125; 2. f Our of a ditfdence in thoſe ro whom the keeping of the gates was committed
20 So the merchants and ieliers of all kindof ware,
otherwiſe criminal betook themielves,and with,or after them,others of the people in the ſame or like circumſtances, # i. e. From my. Preſence and Court, and from the City and Temple, and all the Priviledges of the Prieſthood, ;and from the whole Congregation and Church of 1/rae!. whereof 1 am a Member. b 29 Remember them, O my God, + becauſe they + Heb. have defiled the prieſthood,” and * the covenant of the For the de-
prieſthood «, and of the Levites, -
u That Covenant made between me and his Progenitors for them- ———— ſelves and their Poſteriry,whereby I promiſed to give them an ever= | laſhing Pri:ftlinod, Numb. 25+ 12, 13. and they covenanted with me: thar they would fairafully and holly execute that jacred Fun&ion. according to the rules which I gave them, whereby among other things,they were enjoyned to keep themſelves pure from all unlaw+ full marriages; and fron all other things which might pollute them, or the Prieſthood. 30 Thus cleanſed I them from all ſtrangers,and * ap- pointed the wards of the prieſts and the Levites, eve-
ry one in his buſineſs.
1 And for the * wood offering at times appoint- «g,,... * ed, and for the firſtfruits x. Remember me, O my © TY God, for good.
* Ch.12.1r:
lodged without Jeruſalem once or twice. 21 Then I teſtified againſt them, and faid unto them
Why lodge ye | about the wall ? it ye do /o again, I
x And particularly I took care for theſe things,becauſe they had
been lately negleQed. .; pet 4Þ a. ESTHER,
beccuſe to them were committed the Oracles of very frong preſumption that they were true to their truſt, and lejs, never charged th-m with unfaithfulneſs herein : #b.iged to do it for the Inſiration and Cantion of the Chri ug frine of the Apo'iler, The Yen men of it i» beth by Jewiſh and Chriſtian Int
CHAF. L Ahaſuerus and Vaſbti make a Royal Banquet, 1 9. He ſends for Vaſbti, 10, 11. ſbe refuſeth to come, 12» He conſulteth his wiſe men a- bout it, 13 =— 15. Their judgement and advice, t0 put her away,
16 19. He maketh the Decree of Men's Soveraignty in their own
h s, =moeoe22, ouſe gs came to paſs in the days of Ahaſuerus s,
( this is Ahaſuerus, which reigned from In- dia even unto Fthiopia,over an hundred and
ſeven and twenty provinces b. )