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flame, while the dough, that he hath kneaded, be sufficiently leavened; in which space, the heat of the oven grows to the height.

VII. 5 In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners. In the day of the solemnity of our king, there hath been excess of surfeit and drunkenness, whereinto the princes have not stuck to draw in their sovereign himself; so as he hath been miscarried to consort with them, in their wicked debauchedness.

VII. 6 For they have made ready their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.

They have given up their heart to beastly concupiscences, wherewith they have burned like an oven, while they lie in wait for an opportunity of fulfilling those wicked lusts; even like an oven, which the baker hath over-night filled with kindled wood, and, awaking in the morning, finds flaming with a strong fire.

VII. 7 They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.

They have burned with unclean and with malicious desires and affections, and have made away with many of their governors: all their late kings have come to an untimely end; and, indeed, there was none of them, that had any piety or goodness, or that cared to call upon me.

VII. 8 Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

For Ephraim, he hath mixed himself with heathens, and is a professed associate with them: Ephraim is grown irresolute in his religion; like a cake, that is half dough, and half baked; so is he, half Israelite, half Pagan.

VII. 9 Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.

God hath sent foreign enemies to spoil and waste his country, and to carry away his substance, yet he is not sensible of this Divine Hand; yea, that part of his cake, which is not turned, is grown musty and hoary, and worthy to be cast out, yet he perceiveth it not.

VII. 11 Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

Ephraim is like a silly dove; going on, without wit, without heed, into that net which is spread for him: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria for help; whereas, these will be their bane.

VII. 12 When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

I will be as a fowler to this silly dove of Ephraim: I will spread my net upon them, and catch them in their own devices: I will fetch them into the compass of my judgments, as the fowls of heaven are caught in a snare: I will chastise them, in the same manner that my prophets have forewarned them.

VII. 13 Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. Woe be unto them! for they have forsaken me, and have vainly sought help of impotent strangers: destruction will fall upon them, because they have willingly transgressed against me: though I have done much for them, and delivered them from their enemies, yet they have falsely and injuriously imputed these benefits to their Egyptians and Assyrians, and not to me.

VII. 14 And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.

And, though they have made shew of some great repentance and humiliation, howling and crying upon the beds of their distress, yet they have not with their hearts unfeignedly sought unto me: they can meet together to consult how to prevent or remedy their dearth, but they nevertheless rebel against me, who do justly send it.

VII. 15 Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.

And, though I have deserved well of them, in strengthening their hands against their enemies, and giving them many victories, yet do they requite me with imagining mischief against me, distrusting my power or will to save them.

VII. 16 They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow.

They turn to their idols, instead of the Most High God: they turn aside like a broken bow, shooting out their arrows at a wrong mark.

VIII. 1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD.

Cail the people to war. The Assyrian enemy shall come, like an eagle, against the professed Church of God, the people of Israel. VIII. 2 Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. Israel shall feignedly cry unto me, and challenge favour from me; and say, My God, we make profession of thy name.

VIII. 4 They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.

They have set up kings, but, ever since their defection, I have had no hand in the appointment of them; for they have not been of the seed of David, which I have chosen, but men of their own designing and, as they have made princes, so they have made gods, to themselves; for, of their silver and gold have they made them idols, as if they had aimed at nothing else, but their own destruction.

VIII. 5 Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them; how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?

O Samaria, the chief city of Israel, the calf, which thou hast made and worshipped, hath failed thee, and left thee miserable: mine anger is justly kindled against those idolaters: how long will it be, ere they bethink themselves of their wicked ways, and attain to their former innocency?

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VIII. 6 For from Israel was it also: the workman made it therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.

The Israelites did not receive it from the Gentiles, but they themselves made it ; and, since it was of their making, it cannot be God: no; it is nothing but mere metal, and shall be used accordingly, for it shall be broken in pieces.

VIII. 7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

And as for them, they shall even reap, as they have sown: they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind; they have trusted to vanity, and they shall receive loss and disappointment: a famine shall come upon them: the grain, that they have sown, shall yield no stalk; or, if it have a stalk, yet that stalk shall yield no ear; or, if an ear, yet that ear shall yield no substance of meal; or, if it do yield any, the strangers, their enemies, shall swallow it up.

VIII. 8 Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.

Israel is now swallowed up of their heathenish enemies: now shall they be to the Gentiles as broken vessels, that are put to base

uses.

VIII. 9 For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.

For they are gone up to Assyria, to seek for help; like a wild ass, that wanders alone by himself, in a dry desert, to seek that water, which he cannot find: Israel hath sent out to solicit and hire confederates.

VIII. 10 Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.

But, though they have hired abettors among the nations, yet will I fetch them up together, to a common destruction; and they shall now sorrow, too late, for the charge of that tribute, that was raised upon them to pay to the great king of Assyria.

VIII. 11 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.

Because Israel hath set up many altars in Dan and Beth-el and other high places, to sin in their idolatrous devotions, those altars of theirs shall be unto them, both an occasion of their sinning, and a motive of my just judgments.

VIII. 12 I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.

I have given unto them my royal law, and have left it recorded

for them, that it might be a perpetual direction to them; but they have slighted it, as if it were a thing that concerned them not.

VIII. 13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt. They have made fair shews of religious services; they have presented me with their sacrifices, and have eaten the flesh of them, accordingly; but the Lord regardeth not these outward formalities now he will rather remember their iniquity, and take account of their sins: they shall return to an Egyptian captivity.

VIII. 14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof. For Israel bath forgotten his Maker, and, contrary to his commandment, buildeth temples to their idols; and Judah, contrary to the command of the same God, hath multiplied fenced cities, as trusting in his own strength: but I will send the Assyrian as a fire upon the cities of Israel, and the Chaldean into the cities of Judah, and they shall consume and waste the palaces thereof.

IX. 1 Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.

Thou hast no reason, O Israel, to rejoice, as other people; because thou hast provoked thy God, by thine abominable idolatries: thou hast loved to give an oblation to thy gods, in every cornfloor, of that wheat, the plenty whereof thou hast ascribed to the bounty of thine idols.

IX. 2 The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.

And now, because they have thus abused these blessings of God, it shall be just with God, to withdraw them: I will send famine and enemies upon them; so as their corn and wine shall fail them, neither shall they reap their expected comfort therefrom.

IX. 3 They shall not dwell in the LORD's land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria. They shall not dwell in this land of Israel, which God hath chosen ; but Ephraim shall return to a miserable captivity in Egypt, and shall be forced to eat unclean and forbidden meats, in the land of Assyria, whither they shall be carried.

IX. 4 Their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mour ners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD.

Their sacrifices shall be utterly unpleasing unto him; even like such, as are offered by the sad heart and hand of a professed mourner; which cannot but displease that God, who requires cheerfulness in those that approach to his altar: all that eat thereof shall be polluted; for God hath ordained that their feasts for the dead, being ever attended with sorrow, shall not be used in the house of the Lord.

IX. 5 What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?

What will ye do, O ye Israelites, when ye are once driven into your captivity? what will ye do in the solemn feast-days, which God hath appointed to be cheerfully celebrated?

IX. 6 For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.

For, lo, they shall be cast out of the holy land, and lie open to destruction: Egypt shall take them up, and make them sure enough for returning; Memphis shall be their burial place; those pleasant closets and cabinets, wherein they had wont to hide their treasures and jewels, shall be overgrown with nettles: their neat tabernacles shall be covered with thorns and briars.

IX. 7 The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.

Ye shall know, O Israelites, that those your false prophets, which have said, Peace, peace, are but fools; and those your spiritual guides, that have misled you, no better than mad men; whom yet God hath justly sent amongst you, as a punishment of your iniquity, and of your hating to be reformed.

IX. 8 The watchman of Ephraim was with my God but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.

Ye falsely imagined, that these prophets of Ephraim were sent of God, and had familiar acquaintance with him: but ye shall find your prophets to be but as a snare of the fowler, laid in your ways to entrap you; and such, as have procured the hatred of your God against you.

IX. 9 They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah.

They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah of Benjamin, when the shameful outrages of the wicked inhabitants were abated by the strength of their tribe.

IX. 10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig tree at her first time but they went to Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Israel was no less pleasing to me, at the first, than ripe grapes would be to a thirsty traveller, in a dry wilderness: I esteemed your forefathers, those fruitful Patriarchs, as the most choice and first ripe figs; but their sinful progeny fell off and degenerated to idolatry, applying themselves to the worship of Baal-peor, and separating themselves to that shameful idol; and chose to themselves several abominable deities, according as they were affected to the parties that worshipped them.

IX. 11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.

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