1 God dwelleth not in temples made with hands. 3 He despiseth sacrifices done without mercie and faith. 5 God comforteth them that are troubled for his sake. 19 The vocation of the Gentiles 23 The perpetual Sabbath 24 The punishment of the wicked is everlasting.
1.Thus saith the Lord, *The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye will build unto me? and where is that place of my rest?
2.For all these things hath mine hand made, band all these things have been, saith the Lord: and to him wil I look, even to him, that is poor, and of ca contrite spirit and trembleth at my words.
3.He that killeth a bullock, is as if he dslew a man: he that sacrificeth a sheep, as if he cut off a dog’s neck: he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood: he that remembreth incense, as if he blessed an idol: yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul deliteth in their abominations.
4.Therefore will I echuse out their delusions, and I will bring their fear upon them, because I called, and none would answer: I spake and they would not hear: but they did evil in my sight, and chose the things which I would not.
5.Hear the word of the Lord, all ye that tremble at his fword, Your brethren that hated you, and cast you out for my Name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shal appear to your joy, and they shal be ashamed.
6.gA voyce soundeth from the city, even a voyce from the Temple, the voyce of the Lord, that recompenceth his enemies fully.
7.Before hshe travailed, she brought forth: and before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8.Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? shal the earth be brought forth in one iday? or shal a nation be born at once? for assone as Zión travailed, she brought forth her children.
9.Shal I kcause to travail, and not bring forth? shal I cause to bring forth and shalbe barren, saith thy God?
10.Rejoyce ye with Jerusalém, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoyce for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her,
11.That ye may suck land be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation: that ye may milk out and be delited with the brightness of her glory.
12.For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend mpeace over her like a flood and the glory of the nGentiles like a flowing stream: then shal ye suck, ye shal be oborn upon her sides, and be joyful upon her knees.
13.As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shalbe comforted in Jerusalém.
14.And when ye see this, your heart shal rejoyce, & your pbones shal florish like an herb: & the hand of the Lord shal be knowen among his servants, and his indignation against his enemies.
15.For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and his charets like a whirlwind, that he may qrecompense his anger with wrath, and his indignation with the flame of fire.
16.For the Lord wil judge with fire, and with his sword all flesh, and the slain of the Lord shalbe many.
17.They that sanctify rthem selves, and purify them selves in the gardens behind one tree in the middes eating sswine’s flesh, and such abomination, even the mouse, shalbe consumed together, saith the Lord.
18.For I will visit their works, and their imaginations, for it shal come that I will gather all nations, and tongues, and they shal come, and see my tglory.
19.And I wil set a usign among them, and wil send those that xescape of them, unto the nations of yTarshísh, zPul, and aLud, and to them that draw the vbow, to cTubál and dJaván, yles a far off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory, and ethey shal declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20.And they shal bring all your fbrethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations, upon ghorses, and in charets, and in horse litters, and upon mules, and swift beasts, to Jerusalém mine holie Mountain, saith the Lord, as the children of Israél, offer in a clean vessel in the House of the Lord.
21.And I will take them for hPriests, & for Levites, saith the Lord.
22.For as the new iheavens, and the new earth which I wil make, shal remain before me, saith the Lord, so shal your seed and your name continue.
23.And from month to month, and from Sabbath to Sabbath shal all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
24.And they shal go forth, and look upon the kcarkeises of the men that have transgressed against me: for their lworm shal not die, neither shal their fire be quenched, and they shalbe an abhorring munto all flesh.
My majesty is so great that it fills both heaven and earth, and therefore can not be included in a temple like an idol condemning hereby their vain confidence, which trusted in the Temple and sacrifices.
Seeing that both the Temple and the things therein with the sacrifices were made and done by his appointment, he shows that he has no need thereof, and that he can be without them, Ps. 50.10.
Because the Jews thought themselves holy by offering of their sacrifices, and in the mean season had neither faith nor repentance, God shows that he does no less detest these ceremonies, then he does the sacrifices of the heathen who offered men, dogs and swine to their idols which things were expressly forbidden in the Law.
He encourages the faithful by promising to destroy their enemies which pretended to be as brethren, but were hypocrites and hated them that feared God.
The enemies shall shortly hear a more terrible voice, even fire and slaughter, seeing they would not hear the gentile voice of the Prophets which called them to repentance.
This shall pass the capacity of man to see such a multitude that shall come up at once, meaning under the preaching of the Gospel, whereof they that came up out of Babylon, were a figure.
Declaring hereby, that as by his power, and providence woman travails and is delivered so has he power to bring forth his Church at his time appointed.
This vengeance God began to execute at the destruction of Babylon, and has ever continued it against the enemies of his Church, and will do till the last day, which shall be the accomplishment thereof.
I will mark these that I choose that they perish not with the rest of the infidels whereby he alludes to the marking of the posts of his people, whom he preserved, Ex. 12.7.
Hereby he signifies the kingdom of Christ wherein his Church shall be renewed, and where as before there were appointed seasons to sacrifice, in this there shall be one continual Sabbath so that all times and seasons shall be mete.
As he has declared the felicity that shall be within the Church for to comfort of the godly, so does he show what horrible calamity shall come to the wicked, that are out of the Church.