8. In that day all will say: O Holy One, we praise Thee! though Thou wast angry with us Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst us. Behold, Thou art our salvation! we will trust, and not be afraid; for Thou art our strength and our song; Thou also art become our salvation. Therefore with joy we draw water out of the wells of salvation and say: Praise the Holy One, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted! Sing unto the Holy One, for He hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth! Cry out and shout! for great is the Holy One in the midst of us.

SELECTION XXII.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith: The Holy One reigneth! The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. Strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees; say to them that are of a fearful heart: Be strong, fear not; behold, your Deliverer will come, even the Holy One; He will come and save us.

2. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; the lame man shall leap as an hart and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; in the wilderness shall waters break out and

streams in the desert; the parched grounds shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water. And an highway shall be there: it shall be called The Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; it shall be for those who are holy; the wayfaring man, though a fool, shall rot err therein. No lion shall be there nor any ravenous beast go up thereon; but the redeemed shall walk there and the ransomed of the Holy One shall come with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away,

3. Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard that the Everlasting One, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding; He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths faint and are weary, and young men utterly fail; but they that wait upon the Holy One shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.

4. Behold, the Holy One will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule; His reward is with Him and His work before Him; He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Sing, O ye heavens! for the Holy One hath done it. Shout, ye

lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, forest, and every tree therein! for the Holy One hath redeemed us, and glorified Himself in the Salvation of all the Earth.

SELECTION XXIII.

CRY aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, shew the people their transgression and rebuke them for their sins. Behold, the hand of the Holy One is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear! our iniquities have separated between us and our Deliverer, and our sins have hid His face from us; our hands are defiled with iniquity; our lips have spoken lies and our tongues have muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth; they trust in vanity and speak falsehoods; they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

2. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and Thou seest not! wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and Thou takest no knowledge! Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and smite with the fist of wickedness; ye fast to make your voice to be heard on high; Is it such a fast that the Holy One has chosen! a day for a man to bow down his head as a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him! will ye call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Holy One!

3. This is the fast that I have chosen, saith the Holy One: To

loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke; to deal thy bread to the hungry and to bring the poor that are cast out to thy house; when thou seest the naked, to cover him and not to hide thyself from thine own flesh.

4. Do this, and then shall thy light break forth as the morning, thine health shall spring forth speedily; thy righteousness shall go be fore thee and the glory of the Holy One shall be thy reward; then thou shalt call and the Holy One will answer, thou shalt cry and He shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee iniquity and speaking vanity; if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall light rise in thy obscurity and thy darkness be as the noon day; the Holy One shall guide thee continually; and thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters fail not.

5. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore spend money for that which is not bread, and labor for that which satisfieth not! satisfieth not! Incline your ear and come unto the Holy One; hear, and your soul shall live. Seek Him while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous

man his thoughts; let him return unto the Holy One and He will have mercy upon him; and will abundantly pardon. 6. My thoughts are not your not your thoughts, neither are your ways your ways My ways, saith the Holy One. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain cometh down from heaven and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void but shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

7. Then shall ye go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to me, the Holy One, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

SELECTION XXIV.

THUS saith the Holy One that created us: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by My name; ye are Mine. When ye pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers they shall not overflow you; when ye walk through the fire ye shalt not

be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring My sons from far and My daughters from the ends of the earth; every one shall be called by My name, for I have created them for My glory, I have formed them, yea, I have made them.

2. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes and the deaf that have ears; let all the nations be gathered together and let the people be assembled; ye are My offspring whom I have begotten; know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me there was none formed, neither shall there be after Me; I, even I, am the Creator and beside Me there is no Saviour. I will work, and who shall hinder Me!

3. Thus saith the Holy One: In an acceptable time have I heard and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I will preserve you and give you My covenant to establish the earth and to inherit the desolate heritages; that ye may say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that are in darkness, shew yourselves! Ye shall feed in the ways, and your pastures shall be in all high places; ye shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite you; for I, that hath mercy on you, will lead you, even by the springs of water will I guide you.

4. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; break forth into singing, O mountains! for the Holy One hath comforted His children, and will have mercy upon His afflicted. We said: The Holy One hath forsaken

us and hath forgotten us! Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget; yet will I not forget you, saith the Holy One; I have graven you upon the palms of My hands; ye are continually before Me.

SELECTION XXV.

OH that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the evil doers of my people! Oh! that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men, that I might leave the assemblies of evil doers and go from them! for they be adulterers and treacherous men; they bend their tongues like a bow for lies; they are not valiant for the truth; they proceed from evil to evil. They know not Me, saith the Holy One.

2. Take heed every one of his neighbor; trust ye not even in a brother, for even a brother will utterly supplant. Neighbors walk with slander and deceive one another; they have taught their tongues to speak falsely, and weary themselves to commit iniquity; one speaketh peaceably with his mouth but in heart he layeth his wait. Shall I not visit them for these things, saith the Holy One.

3. Why doth the land perish and why is it like a wilderness, that none passeth through? Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, saith the Holy One, and have not obeyed My voice neither walked therein, but have walked after the

vain imaginations of their own heart. Therefore thus saith the Holy One: Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink; I will scatter them among the nations; I will send a sword after them, and thus will I discipline them.

4. Thus saith the Holy One: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might nor the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this: that he understandeth and knoweth Me; that I exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Holy One.

5. Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbor's service without wages, and rewardeth him not for his work; that saith: I will build me a wide house and large chambers! and cutteth him out windows, and it is cieled with cedar and painted with be reververmilion. Shalt thou enced because thou closest thyself

in cedar!

6. Your eyes and hearts are not except for covetousness, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it! therefore thus saith the Holy One: Ye shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates; for I spake unto you in your prosperity, but ye said: We will not hear! This hath been your manner from youth; therefore the wind shall eat up all your posses

sions and surely ye shall be ashamed and confounded for all your wicked

ness.

7. Though ye wash you with nitre and take much soap, yet your iniquity is marked before Me, saith the Holy One. Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be ye very desolate, saith the Holy One, for My children have forsaken Me, the Fountain of Living Water, and hewed them out cisterns that can hold no water; they have healed also, the hurt of My people slightly, saying: saying: Peace, peace! when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush! therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Holy One.

SELECTION XXVI.

ALL Souls are mine, saith the Holy One, as the soul of the father so also the soul of the son is mine; only the soul that sinneth shall be punished. If one be just and do that which is right; hath not oppressed any; hath restored to the debtor his pledge; hath spoiled none by violence; hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity; hath executed true judgment between man and man; hath walked in my statutes, to deal truly; he shall surely be rewarded, saith the Holy One. But if he beget a son that doeth the like to any of these things, he shall surely be pun

ished; he hath done abominations and his iniquity shall be upon him. The soul that sinneth shall be punished; the child shall not bear the iniquity of the parent, neither shall be parent bear the iniquity of the child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

2. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Holy One, and not that he should return from his ways, and live! But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to the abominations of the wicked, all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he be punished. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive; because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely be rewarded. I will judge every man according to his ways, saith the Holy One. Therefore repent and turn yourselves from all your sins; then iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die! I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Holy One; wherefore turn yourselves and live.