FOOTNOTES:
[1] “Tosseth His head in the fulness of His strength.”—Cheyne. “Confident in the greatness of His strength.”—R. E. B.
the three closing prophecies.
first closing prophecy.—chap. lxiii. 7–lxiv.
Thanksgiving, Confession, and Supplication of the Church of the Captivity.
7. I will celebrate the mercies of Jehovah, the praises of Jehovah,[2] as is seemly for all that Jehovah hath shown us, and the great goodness towards the house of Israel, which He hath shown them according to His pity, and the riches of His mercies. 8. He said, They are my people, children who will not lie;[3] and He became their Saviour. 9. In all their affliction, He was afflicted,[4] and the Angel of His face brought them salvation. In His love and in His pity He redeemed them, and lifted them up, and bare them all the days of the olden time.
10. But they resisted and vexed His Holy Spirit: then He turned to be their enemy; He made war upon them. 11. Then His people remembered the days of the olden time, of Moses: Where is He who brought them up out of the see with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put the Spirit of His holiness in the midst of them; 12. who caused the arm of His majesty to go at the right of Moses; who split the waters before them, to make Himself an everlasting name; 13. who caused them to pass through abysses of the deep, like the horse upon the plain, without their stumbling? 14. Like the cattle which goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah brought them to rest: thus hast Thou led Thy people, to make Thyself a majestic name.
15. Look from heaven and see, from the habitation of Thy holiness and majesty! Where is Thy zeal and Thy display of might? The pressure of Thy bowels and Thy compassions are restrained towards me. 16. For Thou art our Father; for Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel knoweth us not.[5] Thou, O Jehovah, art our Father; our Redeemer is from olden time Thy name. 17. O Jehovah, why leadest Thou us astray from Thy ways, hardenest our heart, so as not to fear Thee? Return for Thy servants’ sake, the tribes of Thine inheritance. 18. For a little time Thy holy people was in possession. Our adversaries have trodden down Thy sanctuary. 19. We have become such as He who is from everlasting has not ruled over, upon whom Thy name was not called. LXIV.—1. O that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, come down, the mountains would shake before Thy countenance;—2. (wouldst come down) as fire kindles brushwood, fire causes water to boil; to make known Thy name to Thine adversaries, that the heathen may tremble before Thy face! 3. When Thou doest terrible things which we hoped not for; wouldst come down, (and) mountains shake before Thy countenance![1]
4. For from olden times men have not heard, nor perceived, nor hath an eye seen, a God beside Thee, who acted on behalf of him that waiteth for Him. 5. Thou didst meet him that rejoiceth to work righteousness, when they remembered Thee in Thy ways.
Behold, Thou, Thou art enraged, and we stood as sinners there; already have we been long in this state, and shall we be saved?[2] 6. We became like the unclean thing, and all our virtues like a garment soiled with blood; and we all faded away together like the leaves; and our iniquities, like the storm, they carried us away. 7. And there was no one who called upon Thy name, who aroused himself to lay firm hold of Thee: for Thou hadst hidden Thy face from us, and didst melt us into the hand of our transgressions.[3]