XXI. 5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

Proud and secure Babylon says, Furnish the table with all delicates: let us feast ourselves merrily: dispose of our watches, to make sure of a seasonable notice, and prevention of any enemy: eat, drink; but, in the mean time, arise, O ye princes of Media and Persia, and make your armour and munition ready.

XXI. 6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

Thus saith the Lord, These things, which I bid thee denounce against Babylon, are yet afar off; Go, therefore, and set a watchman upon a high tower, and let him declare to thee what he seeth.

XXI. 7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:

And he saw far off; and first discerned a chariot: then he descried a couple of horsemen and a chariot drawn by asses, and another drawn by camels; as a lively representation of those enemies and those means, whereby the Babylonian should be overthrown, by Cyrus the king of Persia.

XXI. 8 And he cried as a lion (as it is in the margin): My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the day time, and I am set in my ward whole nights:

And he cried, with a strong voice, like a lion, My Lord, as thou hast appointed me, so am I careful to keep my station in this watchtower, continually, both night and day, to observe what it shall please thee to represent unto me:

XXI. 9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen.

And behold, while I am speaking, here cometh a chariot, &c. the interpretation of which vision is withal given to me, by the hands of these enemies, Babylon is sacked and destroyed.

XXI. 10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: &c. O how the mighty arm of the Lord will thresh Babylon, as the corn is threshed in the floor: that which &c.

XXI. 11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The children of Edom called to me out of mount Seir, as scoffingly desiring to know what I had to say against them, Watchman, what news canst thou tell us of those calamities, which have been threatened against us? Men have talked of a night that is coming upon us, what sayest thou to it?

XXI. 12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.

The watchman said, Ye please yourselves in the hope of a fair morning, but know also that there is night coming, which shall bring much sorrow and confusion with it; but if ye have a desire of your own safety, return to your God, enquire after him, and submit yourselves humbly unto him.

XXI. 13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.

Ye shall be glad to hide yourselves in the desolate forests of Arabia, for fear of Sennacherib, O ye travellers of Dedanim.

XXI. 14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. The inhabitants of the land of Tema, in desert Arabia, pitying their chased neighbours, brought water to their thirsty companies, and bread to relieve their hunger, in that forced and sudden flight. XXI. 16 Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail :

Within a year, in the strictest account, even such as the hireling keeps for the stint of his work and bondage, even within that precise space, shall all the glory of Arabia fail.

XXI. 17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished..

Their archers, and those other strong and mighty Arabians, shall be cut off.

XXII. 1 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

The sad tidings sent to Judea: The region, which, though low in site, yet is advanced and dignified with the manifold visions of God, and revelations of him and his will; what is the matter with you, O ye men of Jerusalem, that you are run up, for shelter and fear; to the tops of your houses?

XXII. 2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. Thou, O Jerusalem, that art so full of people and full of noise, a populous and jolly city, how is it, that thy citizens are so base, that they do not stand it out in fight; neither are dead by the sword, but with fear rather?

XXII. 3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

The rulers of Judea fled hither to thee, altogether, as to a sure fortress; and now they are all taken by the enemy: they are all chained together, as captives, which fled from the remotest parts, for safeguard unto thee.

XXII. 4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

I know how little extremity of sorrow becomes the face of a prophet; look not on me therefore, while I weep bitterly; neither let any man go about to comfort me, for I am resolved to mourn deeply for the spoiling of Jerusalem.

XXII. 5 And of crying to the mountains.

A day of flying to the mountains, for an escape; not without bitter lamentation, and fear of being found.

XXII. 6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

The men of Persia bare the quiver, that their archers might second and guard the chariots and horsemen; and those of Media addressed their target for a present defence.

XXII. 8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

And here one discovered the closely-reserved magazines of Judea; and thou, on the other side, wert glad to run for munition to that common armoury, in that house which Solomon built in the forest of Lebanon: all shall be glad to bustle into arms for their defence. XXII. 9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

Ye were glad to survey diligently the breaches of the walls of the inner citadel, to make them up, how many soever; and dammed in the waters of the lower pool, for the necessary use of the besieged.

XXII. 11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

Ye have made good provisions, both for your water and for your fortifications of the city; but, in the mean time, ye have not looked up to the hand of the Almighty, who hath made all these creatures, and can either curse them or use them to your comfort and defence.

XXII. 13 Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we shall die. It was the careless and desperate resolution of too many amongst you: What do we make spare of these provisions? Let us feed, and drink liberally. Our time is but short; let us spend it merrily: : sorrow will come too soon; to-morrow we shall die.

XXII. 15 Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

Go, get thee to this perfidious officer, even to Shebna, who, though a foreigner in blood and false in heart, yet hath command in the house of Hezekiah, and say,

XXII. 16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock ?

What dost thou, being a stranger here, go about to build thee a stately tomb in Jerusalem; as if thou wert some great prince, and wouldest leave some worthy monument of thy undeserving name, to all perpetuity of times?

XXII. 18 And there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.

Those chariots, which thine ambition had prepared for thy glory and greatness, shall be the shame and reproach of Hezekiah, amongst foreigners; for that he entertained so wicked and unworthy an officer.

XXII, 22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

I will put into his hand, as a faithful officer, the whole administration of the court; and will trust him with the managing of the weighty affairs of the kingdom, under his sovereign: if he command, none shall forbid; and if he forbid, none shall obtain.

XXII. 23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.

And I will set him firm and sure in this place of authority, so as he shall no more be removed, than a nail, that is driven up to the head; and he shall be an honour, both to the royal throne which he shall attend, and to his father's house.

XXII. 24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flagons.

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Upon him shall depend all the glory of his father's house, both for present and for the future; and his government shall be so just, that all affairs, both great and small, of the king's household or the commonwealth, shall be devolved upon his fidelity.

XXII. 25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place, be removed, and be cut down, and fall.

In that day shall the present steward, Shebna, who seemed sure enough established in his place, be removed, and put out of office.

XXIII. 1 The burden of Tyre: Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

The heavy tidings sent to Tyre: That famous and rich city of Tyre shall be laid waste; howl, therefore, and lament, O all ye seafaring men, which had wont to make your traffic there; for now there is no harbour for you any more: they shall hear of this fearful news from the Grecians and other western nations, whose help shall be used by Nebuchadnezzar in this war."

XXIII. 2 Ye inhabitants of the isle: thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

Ye inhabitants of Tyre and the neighbouring isles, which have had so rich trading with the Zidonian merchants, may now sit still at home: there shall be no more work for you.

XXIII. 3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. And by the commodity of the sea, on which it stands, the flax, that grows in Sihor, and all other the profits, that are brought down by the waters of Nilus, have been, as it were, a constant revenue to it; and it hath been the universal staple of trade for all nations.

XXIII. 4 Be thou ashamed, 0 Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.

And thou, the famous port of Zidon near adjoining, be thou also out of countenance; for the sea, over which Tyre hath wont to rule, hath now disclaimed all benefit of trade and intercourse; and hath professed a barrenness of all further profits, and a cessation of navigation hereafter, whether for the increase of wealth, or for the multiplying of colonies deduced thence.

XXIII. 5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

As these bordering nations were troubled at the news of Egypt's overthrow, so they shall be extremely afflicted at the like report concerning Tyre.

XXIII. 6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

All ye inhabitants and neighbour merchants, now turn your trade another way: pass over to Cilicia, and there fix your traffic.

XXIII. 7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

Is this the glorious and jocund city, that was wont so to boast of her antiquity above all others, as founded by the ancient Phenicians, beyond the memory of records? now, she shall be pulled low enough; for her own feet shall carry her afar off into captivity and exile.

XXIII. 8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, &c?

Say then, in whose power was it, or can it be, to bring this desolation upon the mighty and rich state of Tyre; that royal city, whose merchants are as wealthy as the princes of other countries, &c?

XXIII. 10 Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.

Pass away through thine own land into captivity, O thou renowned daughter of the sea, as swiftly as a headlong river through his channel: there is no more strength in thee, to hold out, or subsist any longer.

XXIII. 12 Pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest. Get thee for shelter to Cilicia, or to Greece; but there thou shalt have no rest.

XXII. 13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.

Behold the Chaldeans and Assyrians: they shall be thy destroyers; neither think thou strange of this, O Tyre; for consider well, the Chaldees were no people of note, till the Assyrians raised them up from a wild unsettled course of life in the wilderness; yet now these Chaldees shall be employed for to overthrow the Assyrians: how much more shall both of them be able to overthrow thee?

XXIII. 15 That Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.