cannot reform: I see every where cruelty and oppression before me; and, when I reprove them, there are those, that raise up strife and contention against me.

I. 4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment deth never go forth for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

Hereupon it comes to pass, that the law is not pressed home, and judgment is neither denounced nor executed for the righteous are in the power and mercy of the wicked; so as it cannot be, but that wrong judgment must needs proceed against the just and innocent.

I. 5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

But, to take away the ground of all this complaint, behold, O ye degenerated people of the Jews, and look upon those heathen whom ye hate and contemn; and wonder at that, which I will bring to pass by their hands against you, even a work, which, to your incredulity and self-confidence, will seem incredible.

I. 7 Their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. They shall have the law in their own hands; and they shall carve themselves, of your punishment, and their own advancement, at their pleasure.

I. 9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand. They shall come purposely to waste and spoil: their very looks shall blast all before them like an east wind; and they shall carry away a number of captives, as the sand of the sea for multitude.

I. 10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them.

They shall make a mock at those kings and princes, that will offer to resist them.

I. 11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and of fend, imputing this his power unto his God.

Then shall their king Nebuchadnezzar alter his determination of prosecuting his foreign invasions; and, returning home to Babylon, shall be puffed up with these his victories, and shall foolishly impute them to his god Bel.

I. 12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for

correction.

But, that I may turn my thoughts and my speech to thee, O Lord my God, mine Holy One, I hope thou hast not designed us to utter extirpation: thou hast ordained these Chaldees, most justly, for our punishment; and set them on work for our correction, not for our destruction.

I. 13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treache rously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, &c. Wherefore shouldest thou give way to the wicked Chaldees, to devour thy people that are more righteous than they?

I. 14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no rule over them?

Wherefore shouldst thou put men into the same condition with the fishes of the sea, amongst whom the greater devours the less, without all regard of any thing but power; or, into the same case with creeping things, which, having no ruler, have therefore no protection or safety from mutual violence?

I. 15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.

Even as such fishes, doth Nebuchadnezzar take thy people of Judah: he takes them up with the angle; and, lest that dispatch should not be speedy enough, he catcheth them in his net, and gathers them in his drag, to cast them out into captivity; and rejoiceth and triumpheth in this his advantage.

I. 16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.

And, hereupon, he and his Babylonians sacrifice to this net of their policy, and burn incense to the drag of their power; because they have, by them, increased their dignity and dominion.

I. 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?

Wilt thou therefore, O Lord, still suffer them to empty their net for a new draught? Wilt thou not restrain them, from making spoil of the nations round about continually?

II. 1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

Since God hath appointed me to be a watchman for his people, I will perform the charge committed unto me: I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and carefully view, and listen what his pleasure is to do with them, and to reveal unto me; that I may give a good account of this my station and message, when I shall be challenged for it.

II. 2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. Write thou this thing, that I do now declare unto thee, in great text letters; and fix the writing publicly, upon many posts; and let it be so legible, that he who runs may read it as he passes.

II. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie.

For this vision is not to be presently fulfilled, but hath a time set and determined, wherein it shall be accomplished; at the expiring whereof, it shall be apparently verified to the world.

II. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him : but the just shall live by his faith.

In any case, give thou full belief to this word of the Lord; for, behold, that man, which withdraweth his soul from trusting unto God, and will be raising to himself projects of his own, as he is unsound and faithless to God, so is he accordingly displeasing to him but the just and upright man will depend upon the promises of God, and speed thereafter; for his faith in God shall both uphold his life here, and crown it with glory hereafter.

II. 5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people :

Know, therefore, that this proud Babylonian, under whom thy nation shall suffer, shall at last be met with, in his own kind he is now transported, and, as it were, intoxicated with his ambition, as with wine; which carries him from home, to the invasion of other countries; and makes him as insatiable as hell itself, and as death, which can never be satisfied; whereupon he gathers unto him all the kingdoms round about, and heaps up crowns and sceptres to himself, over all the regions of the earth:

II. 6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

But, when his turn comes, shall not all these nations, whom he hath subdued, seeing his overthrow and utter ruin, insult upon him; and take up a taunting proverb against him, and say, What is now become of the man, that raked up those kingdoms whereto he had no right? How long hath he enjoyed these ill-gotten crowns? Where now is he, that ladeth himself with extent of earth, and with the unprofitable weight of this base earthly trash?

II. 7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them? Shall not the Medes and Persians rise up suddenly against thee, and set upon thee, and spoil thee; and thou shalt be for booties unto them?

II. 9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

Woe be to thee, O insolent Babylonian, that, out of a covetous and ambitious desire, scrapest together the wealth of the world; that thou mayest make thy nest on high in this Babylon, and that thou mayest be freed from all the fear or power of an enemy !

II. 10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

Thou vainly devisest thus to advance thy house; but thou shalt find this to be the way to bring shame and ruin upon it even in this bloody violence which thou hast used, in the cutting off many people, thou hast brought confusion upon thy house, and hast sinned against thy soul.

II. 11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

For, if men should hold their peace, the very stones out of the wall, which thou hast raised by this cruelty, shall cry out against thee; and the beam out of the timber-work shall second this clamour, against thine injustice and violence.

II. 12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!

Woe to him, that buildeth and enlargeth his city Babylon, with those bloody spoils and rapines of other innocent nations!

II. 13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

Behold, shall it not be just with the Lord of Hosts, to cross and defeat all thy projects? and to cause this people, whom thou settest on work in these buildings, to lose their labour; in that, they shall find they have wearied themselves vainly in raising up that pile, which shall soon be consumed with fire?

II. 14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

The notice of which just revenge from God shall so fill the world, as that it shall be overspread with the acknowledgment of God's just proceedings herein; even as the sea is covered with waters; and shall give glory to his infinite justice.

II. 15 Voe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Woe to thee, O Nebuchadnezzar, that forcest thy neighbour princes to drink deep of the cup of thy cruel affliction; and, when thou hast brought them down into extreme misery, makest thyself merry by insulting upon their calamity!

II. 16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

Thou art requited accordingly; for, instead of that glory, which thou promisest thyself, thou art filled with shame: now shalt thou also drink deep of the cup of God's anger, and thy shame and miserable impotency shall be discovered to the world: thou shalt be made drunk with this bitter draught, from the hand of God, and thy shame and disgrace shall bewray itself palpably, in a loath, some fashion, to the eyes of men.

II. 17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

For it shall be with thee, as with the wild beasts in the forest of Lebanon, which are violently chased by the hunter, and terrified in their pursuit; even so shalt thou be hunted by the Persian, because of the blood of men, which thou hast shed, and the violence that thou hast done to the lands and cities of thy neighbours. II. 18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof

hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

What then shall the Chaldean find himself benefited, by his graven images, which he hath made? And what stay and safety, worthy of his reliance, shall he meet with in his molten image, which is no other than a teacher of lies? To what purpose hath he made these dumb idols of either kind?

II. 19 That saith to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach. That saith to the senseless stone, Arise; and shall add, This image shall teach us future things; this oracle shall instruct us. II. 20 Let all the earth keep silence before him.

Let all the inhabitants of the earth be awfully affected before his Majesty.

The TITLE.-III. 1 A prophetical and supplicatory song of Habakkuk, set to mixed tunes.

III. 2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: 0 LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

O Lord, I have heard the words spoken by thee, concerning the future captivity of thy people, and was much troubled with them: and now, O Lord, since they must lie under this grievous afflic tion for a time, make good upon them the work of thy gracious preservation of them; uphold them, while those years of their misery continue; let thy merciful protection be made known to the world.

III. 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.

God hath given abundant proof of his power, and care over his Church: if we look to his ancient mercies, and dreadful manifestations of himself, when the Lord God came before his people from the south, even from Egypt through the wilderness, heaven and earth were full of the Majesty of his glory.

III. 4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand and there was the hiding of his power.

His brightness was as the light of the sun: he had radiant beams, that came streaming out from him; and under those glorious rays, his power was rather hid than manifested.

III. 5 Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

Before him, he sent the pestilence; and other consuming judg ments were ordained and executed by him, upon his enemies and.

rebels.

III. 6 He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.

When he fixed his station in Canaan, and gave order by Joshua for the dividing of the Land of Promise, he, by his very look, drove out the nations before Israel: those mountains, which, from their first