10

*

my statutes, and keep my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, + he shall surely live, saith the Lord Jehovah. But if he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, 11 and that doeth [to his brother] ‡ any one of these things, and doeth not all those duties; but hath even eaten upon 12 the mountains, and hath defiled his neighbour's wife, hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath often spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, hath lifted up his 13 eyes unto idols, hath committed abomination, hath given forth upon usury and taken increase; shall he live? He shall not live. He hath done all these abominations: || he shall surely die: his § blood shall be upon him.

14

But, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all the sins of his father which he committed, that even seeth them and doeth

*H. to execute truth.

† H. in living he shall live.

H. of any one.

H. in dying he shall be put to death.

§ H. bloods.

9.

-to deal truly.—To do what is right. Cappellus observes that ó transposes into Dns, "to do them."

__he shall surely live.—He shall be preserved from the sword, from pestilence, and famine. Grot.

,אחת or אחד and this word may be a part of ; אח V. Syr. omit

10. and that doeth to his brother.-ó. read . Three MSS. which a transcriber was about to write instead D or ; which latter word is the reading of MSS. and edd. Chald. Houb. translate "to his brother." See v. 18.

12.

-hath often spoiled by violence.-Hebr. rapta rapuit, åρπáуμara йρаσε. See v. 7. But 2 MSS. and ó. read 11, as v. 7, 16. hath committed abomination. This may refer to the two last clauses of v. 6.

13.

die.-np 2 MSS. V. 6. MS. Al. Syr. Chald. v. 20, 21, 26. He shall die an immature death: "ante diem." Grot.

his blood shall be upon him.-The words are most naturally understood of a death by the shedding of blood: but may be applied to any kind of death judicially inflicted. Houbigant observes that we should

יהיו or דמו read

14. -that even seeth them. 77, MSS. edd. Chald. Masora. v.

15

16

not such like; hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife, nor oppressed any, hath not taken a pledge, nor spoiled by violence, but hath given his food to the hungry, and hath covered the naked 17 with a garment, hath turned away his hand from the poor, hath not taken usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die 18 for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. As for his father, because † he hath greatly defrauded and hath greatly spoiled his brother by violence, and hath done that which is not good among || his people, lo, he shall die for his iniquity.

19

28.

Yet ye say, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father?

When the son hath done judgment and justice, hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them; § he shall

* H. pledged a pledge.
† H. in defrauding he hath defrauded.

H. in spoiling hath spoiled.
H. his peoples.

§ H. living he shall live.

', the reading in the text, may be rendered and feareth, with ó.

Ar. V. Houb.

15.

16.

hath not defiled.- MSS. edd. the ancients.

·with a garment.—The preposition is in like manner understood, c. xvi. 10.

17. -hath turned away his hand from the poor.-In opposition to lifting it up against him. But 6. ready, or, rather, 10. ȧñò adiκías.

See v. 8.

18. I suppose pwy 2o. accusative case, requires. Observe that ó. Ar. omit

and b 2o. to be infinitives; as N, in the .

_____ that which is not good.-That which is in a high degree wicked. Pro sollicitis non tacitus reis. Hor. for eloquent.

19.

·his people.—ó. read "Dy, my people. Cappellus.

-Why? &c.-Why sayest thou, v. 17, that the son shall not die for the iniquity of his father? Is not this contrary to what we experience? God replies, that now every man shall bear his own burthen. See on v. 3.

21

20 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. But when the wicked shall turn from all his sins which he hath committed, and shall keep all my statutes, and shall do judgment and 22 justice; he shall surely live, he shall not die: all his transgressions which he hath committed shall not be remembered unto him; for his righteousness which he 23 hath done he shall live. † Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord Jehovah: ‡ and 24 not that he should turn from his ways and live? But when the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations which the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousnesses which he hath done shall not be remem

* H. living he shall live.

H. in having pleasure have I pleasure. Or, have I not pleasure that.

20.

—of the wicked.—yw¬n, MSS. edd.

21. from all his sins.-nson MSS. edd. and the ancients. i. e.

חטאותיו

23.

-he shall not die.—, 11 MSS. ó. Ar. Syr. V.

that the wicked should die.—

in moriendo, (as 171, which follows) 12 MSS. perhaps 2 more, 8 originally, v. 32, c. xxxiii. 11, Syr. Chald. Houb. But n governs an accusative case, ps. xxxiv. 12: and here we may render, "Do I at all desire the death of the wicked?" though the former reading is preferable.

—from his ways.—177, many MSS. and edd. V. But ó. Ar. Syr. yn 1770, as c. iii. 19; "from his evil way."

24. -All his righteousnesses.-'py, or "apy, MSS. V. ú. Chald. righteousnesses.

Cappellus observes that ó. omit the words ''; and he thinks that they are superfluous, and perplex the sentence. Syr. omits "n". Houbigant proposes to make the passage clear by reading 1. "Keeping all that the Hebrew hath, it may be translated-iniquity, according to

25

bered: in his trespass which he hath trespassed, and in his sin which he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not my way equal? are not 26 your ways unequal? When the righteous man turneth

29

from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall die because of those deeds; for his iniquity which he hath 27 committed he shall die. Also when the wicked man turneth from his wickedness which he hath committed, and doeth judgment and justice, he shall save his soul 28 alive. Because he seeth, and turneth from all his transgressions which he hath committed, * he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet † saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. Are not my ways equal, O house of Israel? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Turn ye, even turn yourselves, from all your transgressions; and let not iniquity be your cause of falling. Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart, and a new spirit: for why will H. be unto you for a stumblingblock.

30

31

* H. in living he shall live. + H. say.

all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he do it and live? Secker.

25.

66

Is not my way equal?-12 MSS. are not my ways equal?" See v. 29. Some MSS. have 1 for 7 here and v. 29: and

c. xxxiii. 17, 20.

26. -he shall die because of those deeds.-Morietur in eis. V. because of such things,” Κατὰ τὸ σημαινόμενον.

,עליהם

xxxiii. 18.

See c.

28.he seeth.-He considereth. V. He feareth. Houb. but then we must read. Compare v. 14.

29. —your ways unequal.

30.

MSS. and edd.

-even turn yourselves.-121 in Hophal. Houb. So 1 MS. But see v. 32, and ps. lxxxv. 3 + 4. See on c. xiv. 6.

32 ye die, O house of Israel? seeing I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah. Wherefore turn yourselves, and live.

CHAPTER XIX.

1 MOREOVER, * take thou up a lamentation for the princes 2 of Israel, and say:

What was thy mother? A lioness:

She lay down among lions;

In the midst of young lions she nourished her whelps. 3 And she brought up one of her whelps; he became a young lion;

And he learned to † seize the prey, ‡ he devoured men. 4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; And they brought him in chains unto the land of Egypt. When she saw that he was become weak, her hope was

5

lost;

* Or,

utter.

H. to prey upon the prey.

Or, to devour.

32. Wherefore turn yourselves.-In Hiphil, 12'wn, V. Chald. 10

MSS. 2 edd.

1.

-princes.-'w prince. ó. Ar. Houb. follows. princes are spoken of.

2.

But two

-A lioness.—An allusion to Gen. xlix. 9, says Grotius. Judea was among the nations like a lioness among the beasts of the forest: she had strength and sovereignty.

3. —one of her whelps.-Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, is meant; whom Pharaoh-nechoh put in bands, and took into Egypt. 2 Kings xxiii. 33, 34.

4.

-in chains.—Instrumentum ferreum, in modum spinæ aculeatæ, quo olim captivi figebantur. Cast lex. voc. in. They put rings into his nose."

5.

Michaelis.

-that he was become weak.-Sc. the whelp that had been taken