out, nor could get their Livelihood within the City, but reduced to Straits, took this wicked Courle for a Lilelihood, rob'd and murder'd on the High-way, and then divided the Prey with the Prieſts, whoſe Conſent to the thing made them deeply guilty. r And thus in this manner they a& moſt lewd things,or theſe things are done and encov- raged by the Prieſts, becauſe they make it their Bufineſs, it is their
| Trade how to contrive' and aft Wickedneſs, higheſt Wickedneſſes,
or if you rather like it in brief, the Prieſts by Companies lay wait, and rob, and murder, like as do the Troops which roh towards Shechem,
10 Is have ſeen an horrible t thing in the houſe of I- rael-u : there is the whoredom x of Ephraim y, Iſrael is
defiled 7. |
s It may be. underſtood of the Prophet ſpeaking what he had ſen, or of God who ſeeth now, and hath ſeen. # 4 very horrible thing, as ſome obſerve from the Word. #. The ten Tribes. x Idolatry, y Which was brought in by. an Ephraimite, by Feroboam the firſt, 200 Years agon, and 'tis there ſtill. 4 It hath overſpread all rae), none free, but all defiled greatly with it.
11 Alfo O Judah a, heb hath ſet an harveſt for thee
when I returned c the captivity of my people d.
This Verſe is confeſſedly very dark to Interpreters, who agree nf whether Fudab be Vocative or Nominative, or who it is that ſetteth, whether Epbraim, Fudab, or God, or what Captivity is here meant; whether one paſt, or to come: the conciſeneſs of our Prophet makes him very obſcure. Or alſo Fudab, i. e. as Iſrael is polluted,and muſt expett to be chaſtiz'dz or O Fudah, thou art like polluted 71 itt Sin, and mighteſt be every way like in Puniſhment. 5 But thy God hath appointed an Harveſt. for thee, thou ſhalt not as //74el be utterly cut off, a Seed of thee ſhall. be ſow'd, and thou ſhalt reap the Har- veſt with joy. © When 1 ſhall return, rather ſo it looks to what is to come, or elle foraſmuch as I will turn thy Captivity. 4 The Houſe of Fudah. |
CH AP. VI.
Ged complatnerh- of the groſe 5 fins, as falſbood, malice, lies, &c, pride and obſtinacy, &c. amongſt all degrees of men, 1-———10, Wrath again them, '11---15. with his complaint of their hypocriſy, 15.
? Hen a 1 would have healed Iſrael b, then the ini quity c of Ephraim d was diſcovered e, and the
ſrowls; Hog «4. 1 01,00 men and Murderers, ſome underftand of their killing and ſpoiling
thoſe that were going up to Feruſalem to worship God there ; but more V
likely it is that in this Gilead, were many Murderers who durſt not go niy,
Chap. YI
1 Or, 7 One of the fix Cities of Refuge; ſituate in the Country of that "8 jr
ol,
+ wickedneſs f of Samaria g:; for they commit falſehood »: +3
and the thief cometh in 7, -and the troop of robbers
| ſpoileth without k.
2.
« + - 92» other is a&ted as if *twere a Buſineſs they were bound to attend !
cret Thetts, or robbing others by ſubtle and undiicern'd mw par”
ſte Senſe th p ves, 6, let,
ſt
7 Fl lar wl them, Mind3 it ſeen here a1 vent p ſo far t Deligh ralſe A Report diculou
—_
i
47 pe baker Fed the | axrÞot F- which h Vice is g When th rare all | tinved ſy Adultery Whole M: the Cour Oren he;
5 In it him ſick hand c y
4 Who att, of that Da ſtowed 1 p and the Ki inſtead of 5
# JUN into 1 E Bottles of 1 & elves, and
drink and x
L of 1ſrae) fo,
the Forma 4 Who der
6 For
| an Oven | 2 ſleeperh
tlami ng fit | e Surely,
*ep Cloſe 1 '2 Paker keep O01 Eſtate of | *7. 7. again 'He who þ ne day with "ISO, neve ue aWakes to 101 and Reh, 10US to the Pp lolute times,
1 They
ed 0 their 5 none ame
This Verſe
r Senſe
>
cceiu1, de
ap. VII. HT 0 $S
1 Violence by Hands joined to Hands. to ſpoil abroad. Tn wort, the ſtrength and danger of thrir Di:eale appears and increat- | hs more and more under endeavours to heal them. &. 7g > And they} T conlider not in their hearts m, that b 1 remember all thetr wickedneſs » : now their own do- | - jngs o have beſet them about p, they are betore my. face 0. : LS |] They who are thus greatly wicked, notorious Sinne ri» m Do _ remember, nor will they once ſeriontly ponder this. Li That I ſee al they do, and remember all I ſee, and that with more than an idle un- ative looking on, or retaining in Memory ; 1 look on, and —— to call them on an account, and to puniſh for their Sins, They wou axrter themſelves into an Opinion that I take no notice of heir _ kedneſs, and that I Wil never requite it, 0 The Guilt and I _ 1- ment, the Iniquity and Miſchief of the Works they have done, therr onmn doings, not their Fathers, as Hypocrites and the Incorrigible are ready to complain. p AS Cords wrap one taken in them, or as an Enemy inveſts and beſtegeth a Town on every tide, ſo theſe profli- ate People, Courtiers, Prieſts, Prophets and Citizens are all held en- doſed with their own Lins, q What they have done I do ſee, and what they ſuffer 1 do ſee, and it is but juſt they ſhould ſuffer what their Sins deſerve ; they hoped for Impunity, becauſe they thought I did not regard, but now by a juſt Puniſhment, by full Meaſures 0: Sorrows heap*d upon them, they ſhall find all their ways were under my Eye, and that I weighed their doings.
3 Theyr make the King glad with their wickedneſs s, and the Princes t with their lies 4.
- Either the SubjeQs in general, or rather the Courtiers in particu- 13r who were about the King. s The Kings of J/rael every one of
þ And op
Mind; were vitiated, deeply tainted with all kinds of Sins, and they it ſeems took pleaſure in Sins, both in their own and other Mens ; and here are a Parcel of flagitious Fellows that make it their Work to 1n- vent plealing Wickedneſs, to acquaint their King with it, who 15 ſo far trom doing his Duty in dilcountenancing it, that *tis one of his Delights to hear or ſee it, t Great Men about the Court. # W ith ralſe Accuſations brought in againſt the more Innocent, or by falſe Reports made of their Words and Attions, repreſenting them as ri- diculous or fooliſh, drolling them into Intamy.
* 4 They are all adulterers x, as an oven heated by the he baker y, || who ceaſeth from || raiſing after he hath knead-
F ed the dough, until it be leavencd.