Behold a dream ...late in the day ...of the season of man ...before darkness fell ...upon the days of man ...
i was shown all darkness ...and the bottomless pit thereof ...as it seemed ...for all was the dread darkest of darkness ...even blackness of no light at all ...not even ...any hint of light ...
and Behold walls formed in the darkness ...and the walls were of cold stone ...hardest stone ...and damned coldness ...
and the walls were all diverse ...build with the hands of men ...
evenso all were builded of cold stone ...hardest stone ...and damned coldness ...even though all were diverse ...
and a book was given me ...and i knew it ...for it was the very truth of God ...God's truth ..
and i began to jump over the walls ...made with mens hands ...the walls made of the coldest stone hearts ...that put hands to wicked labor ...as if God would be whorshiped ...in buildings or with the hands of men ...
Whom ye then ignorantly worship him show I unto you: God that made the world and all that are in it, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, he dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is worshipped with mens hands, as though he needed of any thing
Even Behold ...as i was given to jump over the walls ...the walls disappeared ...and were no more ...yet the darkness they were built on remained ...
yet the darkness they were built on remained ...till the "light of the Lord" come ...to rid us of all darkness ...
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments by thee. Keep my commandments and my law even as the apple of thine eye, and thou shalt live. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them in the table of thine heart. Say unto wisdom: Thou art my sister, and call understanding thy kinswoman: That she may keep thee from the strange woman, and from the harlot which giveth sweet words. From the window of my house I looked through the trellis, and beheld the simple people: and among other young folks I spied one young fool going over the streets, by the corner in the way toward the harlots house in the twilight of the evening, when it began now to be night and dark. And behold, there met him a woman in an harlots apparel ( a deceitful, wanton and an unsteadfast woman: whos feet could not abide in the house, now is she without, now in the streets, and lurketh in every corner.) She caught the young man, kissed him, and was not ashamed, saying: I had a vow to pay, and this day I perform it.
Therefore I came forth to meet thee, that I might seek thy face, and so I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings and clothes of Egypt. My bed have I made with to smell of Myrrh, Aloes, and Cinnamon. Come, let us lie together, and take our pleasure till it be day light. For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a far off. He hath taken the bag of money with him: who can tell when he cometh home? Thus with many sweet words she over came him, and with her flattering lips she *wanne him. *wanne from wane meaning to gradually reduce and subdue. This is to say in the spirit, as she leadeth to hell. RN
Immediately he followed her, as it were an ox to the slaughter ( like as it were to the stocks, where fools are punished ) so long till he had wounded his liver with her dart: like as if a bird hasted to the snare, not knowing that the peril of his life lieth thereupon. Hear me now therefore, O' my son, and mark the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart wander in her ways, and be not thou deceived in her paths. For many a strong man hath she slain. Her houses is the way to hell, where men go down into the chambers of death.
The light of the righteous maketh joyful, but the candle of the ungodly shall be put out.
Moreover this was the word that was opened unto Esaie the son of Amos, upon Juda and Jerusalem. It will be also in the process of time: That the hill where the house of the Lord is builded, shall be the chief among the hills, and shall be exalted above all little hills. And all the Heathen shall *preace (proclaim) unto him. And the multitude of the people shall go unto him, speaking thus one unto another: up, let us go up to the hill of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob: that he may show us his way, and that we may walk in his paths. For the law shall come out of Sion, and the word of God from Jerusalem, and shall give sentence among the Heathen, and shall reform the multitude of people: So that they shall break their swords and spears, to make scythes, sicles and saws thereof. From that time forth shall not one people lift up weapon against another, neither shall they learn to fight from thensforth. It is to thee that I cry ( O house of Jacob ) up, let us walk in the light of the Lord. But thou art scattered abroad with thy people (O house of Jacob ) for ye go far beyond your fathers, whether it be in Sorcerers ( who ye had as the Philistines had ) or in *calkers of mens births,( astrologers) whereof ye have too many. As soon as your land was full of silver and gold, and no end of your treasure: so soon as your land was full of strong horses and no end of your chariots: Immediately was it full of Idols also, even works of their own hands, which yee yourselves have fashioned, and your fingers have made. There kneeleth a man, there falleth the man down before thee, so that thou canst not bring him away from thence.
And therefore get thee soon in to some rock, and hide thee in the ground from the sight of the fearful judge, and from the glory of his Majesty: Which casteth down the high looks of presumptuous persons, and bringeth low the pride of man, and he only shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall go over all pride and presumption, upon all them that exalt themselves, and shall bring them all down: upon all high stout Cedar trees of Libanus, and upon all the oaks of Basan, upon all high hills, and upon all stout mountains, upon all costly towers, and upon all strong walls, upon all ships of the sea, and upon everything that is glorious and pleasant to look upon.
And it shall bring down the pride of man, and lay mans presumptuousness full low, and the Lord shall only have the victory in that day. But the Idols shall utterly be rooted out. Men shall creep into holes of stone, and into caves of the earth, from the sight of the fearful judge, and from the glory of his majesty: what time as he shall make him up to shake the earth. *Then, then, shall cast away his gods of silver and gold, ( which he nevertheless had made to honor them ) unto Moles and Backs; (bats) that he may better creep into the caves and rocks, and into the clefts of hard stones, from the sight of the fearful judge and for the glory of his Majesty. *then, then (2)
Every man can eschue(avoid, escape) a person moved to anger, for what he doth wisely? Even so shall the Lord of Hosts take away from Jerusalem and from Juda, all possessions and power, all meat and drink, the captain and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the wise and the aged man, the worshipful of fifty year old, and the honorable: the Senators, and the men of understanding: the masters of crafts and orators. And I shall give you children to be your princes,( sayeth the Lord ) and babes shall have the rule of you. One shall ever be doing violence and wrong to another. The boy will presume against the elder, and the vile person against the honorable. Ye when one shall take a friend of his own kindred by the bosom, and say: Thou hast clothing, thou shalt be our head, for thou mayest keep us from this fall and peril.
Then shall he swear and say: I can not help you. Moreover, there is neither meat nor clothing in my house, make me no ruler of the people. For Jerusalem and Juda must decay, because both their words and counsel are against the Lord, they provoke the presence of his Majesty unto anger. The changing of their countenance betrayeth them, yee they declare their own sins themselves, as the Sodomites, and hide them not. Woe be unto their souls, for they shall be heavily rewarded. Then shall they say: O happy are the godly, for they may enjoy the fruits of their studies. But woe be unto the ungodly and unrighteous for they shall be rewarded after their works. O my people, *ribaudes ( extortioners :MN) oppress thee, and women have rule of thee. O my people, thy leaders deceive thee, and tread out the way of thy footsteps. The Lord is here to commune of the matter, and standeth to give judgement with the people. The Lord shall come forth to reason with the Senators and princes of his people, and shall say thus unto them: It is ye that have burnt up my vineyard, the robbery of the poor is in your house. Wherefore do ye oppress my people, and marred the faces of the innocents? thus shall the Lord God of Hosts revile them.
Moreover thus sayeth the Lord: Seeing the daughters of Sion are become so proud, and come in with stretched out necks, and with vain wanton eyes: seeing they come in tripping so nicely with their feet: Therefore shall the Lord shave the heads of the daughters of Sion, and make their beauty bare in the day. In that day shall the Lord take away the gorgeousness of their apparel, and spangles, chains, *partlets, and collars, bracelets and hooves, that goodly flowered wide and boarded raiment, brushes and head bands, rings and garlands, holy day clothes and veils, kerchiefs and pins, glasses and smocks, bonnets and *taches. *partlets = ruffled covering for the neck. *taches = buckles, clasps, fasteners.
And instead of good smell there shall be stink among them. And for their girdles there shall be loose bands. And for well set hair there shall be baldness. Instead of a stomacher, a sackcloth, and for their beauty witherdness and son burning.
At that time their gates shall mourn and complain, and they shall sit as desolate flock upon the earth. Then shall wives take hold of one man, and say: We will lay all our meat and clothing together in common, only that we may be called thy wives, and that this shameful reproof be taken from us. After that time shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and mighty, and the fruit of the earth shall be fair and pleasant for those Israelites that shall spring thereof. Then shall the remnant in Sion and the remnant in Jerusalem be called holy: namely all such as are written among the living at Jerusalem: What time as the Lord shall wash away the desolation of the daughters of Sion, and purge the blood out from Jerusalem with the wind of his smoke and fire. Moreover upon all the dwellings of the hill of Sion and upon their whole congregation, shall the Lord provide a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for all their glory shall be preserved. And Jerusalem shall be a tabernacle for a shadow because of heat in the day time, and place and refuge where a man may keep him for weather and rain.
The Fifth Chapter Now will then, I will sing my beloved friend a song of his vineyard. My beloved friend hath a vineyard in a very fruitful plenteous ground. This he hedged, this he walled round about, and planted it with goodly grapes. In the midst of it builded he a tower, and made a wine press therin. And afterward when he looked that it should bring him grapes, it brought forth thorns. I show you now my cause ( O ye Citizens of Jerusalem and whole of Juda ) : Judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for it, that I have not done? Wherefore hath it given thorns, where I looked to have grapes of it?
Well, I shall tell you how I will do with my vineyard: I will take the hedge from it, that it may perish, and break down the wall, that it may be trodden under foot. I will lay it waste, that it shall neither be twisted nor cut, but bear thorns and briers. I will also forbid the clouds, that they shall not rain upon it. As for the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts it is the house of Israel, and whole Juda his planting. Of these he looked for equity, but see there is wrong: for righteousness, Lo, It is but misery.
Woe unto you that join one house to another, and bring one land so nigh unto another, till ye can get no more ground. Will ye dwell upon the earth alone? The Lord of Hosts roundeth me thus in mine ear: shall not many greater and more gorgeous houses be so waste, that no man shall dwell in them? And ten acres shall give but a Quart, and thirty bushels of feed shall give but three.
Woe unto them that rise up early to use themselves in drunkenness, and yet at night are more superfluous with wine. In those companies are harps and lutes, tabrets and pipes, and wine. But they regard not the work of the Lord, and consider not the operation of his hands. Therefore cometh my folk also in captivity, because they have no understanding. Their glory shall be mixed with hunger, and their pride shall be marred for thirst. Therefore gapeth hell, and openeth her mouth marvelous wide: that pride boasting and wisdom, with such as rejoice therin, may descend into it.
Thus shall man have a fall, he shall be brought low, and the high looks of the proud layed down. But the Lord of Hosts, that holy God: shall be exalted and untouched, when he shall declare his equity and righteousness after this manner: Then shall the lambs eat their appointed fodder, and shall feed plentiously in the mountains.
Woe be unto vain persons, that draw wickedness unto them, as it were with a cord: and sin, as it were with a cart rope. Which use to speak on this manner: Let him make hast now, and go forth with his work, that we may see it. Let that counsel of the holy one of Israel come, and draw nye, that we may know it.
Woe be unto them that call evil good, and good evil: which make darkness light, and light darkness, that make sour sweet, and sweet sour. Woe be unto them that are wise in their own sight, and think themselves to have understanding. Woe be unto them that are conning men to sup out wine and expert to set up drunkenness. These give sentence with the ungodly for rewards, but condemn the just cause of the righteousness.
Therefore like as the fire licketh up the straw, as the flame consumeth the stubble: Even so ( when their root is full ) their blossom shall vanish away as dust or smoke: for they despise the law of the Lord of Hosts, and blaspheme the word of the holy maker of Israel.
Therefore is the wrath of the Lord kindled also against his people, and he shaketh his hand at them: yee he shall smite so, that the hills shall tremble. And their carcasses shall lie in the open streets, like mire. After all this, the wrath of God shall not cease, but he shall stretch his hand wider. And he shall give a token unto a strange people, and call unto them in a far country: and behold, they shall come hastily with speed. There is not one faint or feeble among them, no not a sluggish or slippery person. There shall not one of them put off the girdle from his loins, (Ephes 6:4 RN) ner loose the latchet of their shoe. Their arrows are sharp, and their bows bent. Their horses hoofs are like flint, and their cart wheels like a stormy wind. Their cry is as it were of a lion, and the roaring of them like lions whelps. They shall roar, and haunch up the prey, and no man shall recover it or get it from them. In that day they shall be fierce upon them, as the sea. And if we look unto the land, behold, it shall be all darkness and sorrow. If we look to heaven: behold, it shall be dark with careful desperation.
Because thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee: I will make thee glorious for ever and ever , and joyful throughout all posterities. Thou shalt suck the milk of the Gentiles, and kings breasts shall feed thee. And thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and defender, the mighty one of Jacob. For brass, I will give thee gold, and for iron silver: for wood brass, and for stones iron. I will make peace thy river, and righteousness thine officer. Violence and robbery shall never be heard of in thy land, neither harm and destruction within thy borders. Thy walls shall be called health, and thy gates the praise of God. The Sun shall never be thy day light, and the light of the Moon shall never shine unto thee: but the Lord himself shall be thine everlasting light, and thy God shall be thy glory.
Thy Sun shall never go down, and thy Moon shall not be taken away, for the Lord himself shall be thine everlasting light, and thy sorrowful days shall be rewarded thee. Thy people shall all be godly and possess the land for ever: the flower of my planting, the work of my hands wherefor I will rejoice. The youngest and the least shall grow into a thousand, and the simplest into a strong people. I the Lord shall shortly bring this to pass in his time.
The spirit of the Lord God is with me, for the Lord hath anointed me, and sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor, that I might bind up the wounded hearts, that I might preach deliverance to the captive, and the open the prison to them that are bound: That I might declare the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: that I might comfort all them that are in heaviness. that I might give unto them that mourn in Sion, beauty in the stead of ashes, joyful ointment for sighing, pleasant raiment for and heavy mind: That they might be called excellent in righteousness, a planting of the Lord for him to rejoice in.They shall build the long rough wildernesses, and set up the old desert. They shall repair the waste places, and such as have been void throughout many generations, Strangers shall stand and feed your cattle, and the Aliens shall be your plowmen and reapers. But ye shall be named the priests of the Lord, and men shall call you the servants of our God. Ye shall enjoy the goods of the Gentiles and triumph in their substance. For your great reproof and shame, shall they have joy that ye may have part with them. For they shall have double possession in their land and everlasting joy shall be with them. For I the Lord, which love right and hate robbery ( though it were offered to me) shall make their works full of faithfulness, and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their seed also and their generation shall be known among the Gentiles, and among the people. All that see them, shall know that they are the blessed seed of the Lord. And therefore I am joyful in the Lord, and my soul rejoiceth in my God. For he shall put upon me the garment of health, and cover me with the mantle of righteousness. He shall deck me like a bridegroom, and as a bride that hath her apparel upon her.
For like as the ground bringeth forth fruit, and as the garden shooteth forth seed: So shall the Lord God cause righteousness, and the fear of God to flourish forth before all Heathen.
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