great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and 9 that it might bear fruit, and be a goodly vine. Say thou, Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah; Shall it prosper ? Shall not he pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it wither? In all the leaves of its branching shall it wither; even without a mighty arm, or many people, 10 shall he pluck it up by the roots. Yea, behold, it is planted; but shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? It shall wither in the beds where it grew.

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Moreover the word of Jehovah came to me, saying; 12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? Say, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem; and took her king and her princes, 13 and led them with him to Babylon; and took one of the king's offspring, and made a covenant with him, and took an oath of him; and the mighty of the land 14 he took away, that the kingdom might be brought low, so as not to lift itself up; that the covenant might be 15 kept, and stand. But he rebelled against him, in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper ? Shall he escape, that doeth such things? Shall he 16 break the covenant, and be delivered? As I live! saith the Lord, Jehovah, surely in the place where the king dwelleth, that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the 17 midst of Babylon shall he die. Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great multitude accomplish anything for him in war, when they shall cast up 18 mounts, and build forts to cut off many persons. He hath despised the oath, and broken the covenant; behold, he hath given the hand, and yet done all these

19 things; he shall not escape! Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah; As I live! surely mine oath, which he hath despised, and my covenant, which he hath broken, 20 will I recompense upon his own head. And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will contend with him there for his trespass, which he hath 21 committed against me. And all his fugitives with all his hosts shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered to all the winds; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it.

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Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah; I also will take from the top of the high cedar, and will set it; and from the highest of its twigs will I crop a tender one, and plant 23 it upon a high and lofty mountain. Upon a high mountain of Israel will I plant it, and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar; and under it shall dwell birds of every wing; in the 24 shadow of its branches shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know, that I, Jehovah, have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree; that I have dried up the green tree, and made the dry tree green. I, Jehovah, have spoken, and will do it.

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XII.

The equity of God's dealings. - CH. XVIII.

THE word of Jehovah came to me again, saying; 2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying; "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"? As I live! saith the Lord, Jehovah, ye shall not have occa4 sion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son, is mine; the soul that sinneth it 5 shall die. But if a man be just, and do that which is 6 lawful and right; if he eat not upon the mountains,

and lift not up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and defile not his neighbor's wife, and come not 7 near a woman during her uncleanness; if he oppress not any, if he restore to the debtor his pledge, spoil none by violence, give his bread to the hungry, and 8 cover the naked with a garment; if he give not forth upon usury, and take not increase; if he withdraw his hand from iniquity, and give true judgment between 9 man and man; if he walk in my statutes and keep my commandments; to deal uprightly, he is just; he shall surely live, saith the Lord, Jehovah.

10 But if he have a son, that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth to his brother any of these 11 things, and doeth not all those duties, but eateth upon 12 the mountains, and defileth his neighbor's wife, oppresseth the poor and needy, spoileth by violence, restoreth not the pledge, lifteth up his eyes to idols, and com13 mitteth abomination, giveth forth upon usury, and taketh increase; shall he live? No! he shall not live.

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He hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

Yet lo, if he have a son that seeth all the sins, which his father committed, that seeth them and doeth 15 not such like, that eateth not upon the mountains, nor lifteth up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, 16 nor defileth his neighbor's wife, nor oppresseth any, nor taketh a pledge, nor spoileth by violence, but giveth his food to the hungry, and covereth the naked with a gar17 ment, keepeth back his hand from the poor, and taketh no usury or increase, keepeth my commandments, and walketh in my statutes, he shall not die for the 18 iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good 19 among his people, lo, he shall die for his iniquity.

Yet say ye," Why? Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father?" When the son doeth that which is lawful and right, keepeth all my statutes and doeth them, 20 he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins, which he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall 22 not die. None of his transgressions, which he hath committed, shall be remembered unto him; for his 23 righteousness, which he hath done, he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord, Jehovah, and not that he should turn from 24 his ways and live? But when the righteous turneth

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from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations, which the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness, which he hath done, shall not be remembered; for his trespass which he hath trespassed, and for his sin which he hath sinned, for them shall he die.

Yet ye say, "" The way of the Lord is not right." Hear now, O house of Israel! Is not my way right? Is it 26 not your ways that are not right? When a righteous man turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and on this account dieth, for his iniquity 27 which he hath done, doth he die. And when the wicked man turneth from his iniquity, which he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, 28 he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth and turneth from all his transgressions, which he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

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Yet saith the house of Israel, "The way of the Lord is not right." O house of Israel, are not my ways right? 30 Is it not your ways that are not right? Therefore I

will judge you, house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord, Jehovah. Turn ye, turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so that iniquity 31 may not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your

transgressions, which ye have committed, and make you a new heart, and a new spirit! For why will ye 32 die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord, Jehovah. Wherefore turn yourselves and live!