CHAP. XXIII. And Balam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. 2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken ; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram, 3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. 4 And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. 5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his parable, and said, "Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. "8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? "9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. "10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! "11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What has thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou host blessed them altogether. 12 And he answered, and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put into my mouth ?" The song of the well, in Numbers, ch. xxi. is also distinguished as a metrical composition, thus; And thence to And to the foot "16 And from thence they went to Beor; that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. 17 Then Israel sang this song, "Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it: "18 The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. "And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah: 19 of Mount Pis- and from Mattanah to Nahaliel and from Nahaliel to gah. Bamoth: 20 and from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon." The advantage to the reader, in these distinctions, which excite attention, and give new interest to the subject, must be felt by every one. But this advantage is much heightened in the prophetical books; these writings, composed as they are of rhapsodies, some in metre, and some in prose, are here exhibited in their true light; and, it must be confessed, that many passages in them derive, from this distinction, an importance that cannot fail of interesting the reader in a very particular manner. The following are specimens of the prose and metre in the prophetical writings of Jeremiah, ch. xxiii. 7. "7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 8 But, the LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land. "9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness. "10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. "11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have 1 found their wickedness, saith the LORD." Again, Jeremiah ch. xlvi. 1. Judgments denounced against false prophets, and mockers of the true prophecies. “CHAP. XLVI. The word of the LORD which came to A prophecy of Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles; 2 against the defeat of Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh-necho king of Egypt, the Egyptians, which was by the river Euphrates in Charchemish, which that garrisonNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year ed Charcheof Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah. "3 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle. "4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines. "5 Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back! and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the LORD. "6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates. "7 Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?" So the following passage from Zechariah, ch. vi. 9. mish, by the Chaldeans. "9 And the word of the LORD came unto me saying, By two crowns 10 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobi- set on Joshua jah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and is typified the come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josi- high priestah the son of Zephania; 11 then take silver and gold, and hood and kingmake crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the dom of Christ. VOL. XII. 4 son of Josedech, the high priest; 12 and speak unto him, "13 Even he shall build the temple of the "14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God." Again, Zech. xiii. 1. The crucifixion of Christ foretold, and the general conversion of the Jews. "CHAP. XIII. In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied ; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: 5 but he shall say, I am no prophet. I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. "7 Awake, Osword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. "8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. "9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people : and they shall say, The LORD is my God." Mr. R. has told us in his preface, that the rule he follows in de termining certain parts to be metrical, is founded on the style and composition of the original Hebrew. The result of this criterion appears, upon comparison, not to differ much from the notion entertained by some learned persons, who in some late publications have given a metrical appearance to the prophetical writings; we mean bishop Lowth, archbishop Newcome, and Dr. Blayney. The principal difference we have observed between them and Mr. R. seems to be this: what Mr. R. states in a metrical form, is generally so given by those learned persons; but many passages, we observe, that are put in a metrical form by them, are printed as prose by Mr. R. We do not presume to decide between them; but, we cannot help remarking, that, upon the whole, Mr. R. seems to have taken the safer course, in such an intricate way; for his metre, after all, is only the established verses in our common Bibles, and therefore open to none of the criticism, to which the verses, or rather lines of those learned persons are subject. Mr. R. has endeavoured to show us, what is metrical, without undertaking to pronounce what is the metre. The following are instances of metre distinguished by Mr. R. from prose, in writings that have not undergone the learned labours of the above mentioned biblical critics; in Job i. 13. "13 And there was a day when his sons and his daugh- Satan destroys ters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's Job's cattle house: 14 and there came a messenger unto Job, and said, and children. The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 15 and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 19 and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 and said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." Again in Ecclesiastes, ix. 13. Piety teaches us to to see that prudence should direct us in the management of affairs. "This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength nevertheless, the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. "17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. "18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. "CHAP. X. Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. "2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left." Again, Ecclesiastes, xi. 7. Lastly it teaches to live piously from our very *youth. "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: 8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. 9. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. 10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. CHAP XII Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, "4 And the door shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shail rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; "5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets; "6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be bro |