the desert, from the hill of Remmon to the nations that came against Jerusalem, shail south of Jerusalem and she shall be exalt-go up from year to year, to adore the King, ed, and shall dwell in her own place, from the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of the gate of Benjamin even to the place of tabernacles. 11 And people shall dwell in it; there shall be no more an anathema: Jerusalem shall sit secure. the former gate, and even to the gate of the 17 And it shall come to pass, that he that corners; and from the tower of Hananeei shall not go up of the families of the land to even to the king's wine presses. Jerusalem, to adore the King, the Lord of and hosts, there shall be no rain upon them. but 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, nor come, neither shall it be upon them; 12 And this shall be the plague, where-but there shall be destruction, wherewith with the Lord shall strike all nations that the Lord will strike all nations that will not have fought against Jerusalem: the flesh of go up to keep the feast of tabernacles. every one shall consume away while they 19 This shall be the sin of Egypt, and stand upon their feet; and their eyes shall this the sin of all nations, that will not go consume away in their holes; and their up to keep the feast of tabernacles. tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 20 In that day that which is upon the 13 In that day there shall be a great tu-bridle of the horse shall be holy to the mult from the Lord among them: and a man Lord: and the cauldrons in the house of the shall take the hand of his neighbour; and Lord shall be as the phials before the altar. his hand shall be clasped upon his neigh-|| 21 And every cauldron in Jerusalem and bour's hand. Juda shall be sanctified to the Lord of 14 And even Judaf shall fight against hosts: and all that sacrifice shall come, and Jerusalem and the riches of all nations take of them, and shall seeth in them: and round about shall be gathered together, the merchant shall be no more in the gold, and silver, and garments in great abun-house of the Lord of hosts in that day. dance. 15 And the destruction of the horse, and of the mule, and of the camel, and of the their sojourning forty years in the desert, ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in in their way to the land of promise. And those tents, shall be like this destruction.in the spiritual sense is duly kept by all 16 And all they that shall be left of all such christians as in their earthly pilgrimage are continually advancing towards their true home, the heavenly Jerusalem, by the help in a spiritual sense, as relating to the pro- of the sacraments and sacrifice of the church. pagation of the church and kingdom of And they that neglect this must not look Christ, the true Jerusalem, which alone for the kind showers of divine grace, to shall never fall under the anathema of des- give fruitfulness to their souls. truction, or God's curse. That which is upon the bridle, &c. The The flesh of every one shall consume, &c. golden ornaments of the bridles, &c. shall Such judgments as these have often fallen be turned into offerings in the house of upon the persecutors of God's church, as God. And there shall be an abundance of appears by many instances in history. cauldrons and phials for the sacrifices of the Even Juda, &c. The carnal Jews, and temple: by which is meant, under a figure, other false brothers, shall join in persecut-the great resort there shall be to the tem ing the church. ple, that is, to the church of Christ, and her Shall be like this destruction. That is, sacrifice. the beasts shall be destroyed as well as the The merchant shall be no more, &c. Or, men, the common soldiers as well as their as some render it, The Chananite shall be leaders. no more, &c. That is, the profane and unThey that shall be left, &c. That is, believers shall have no title to be in the many of them that persecuted the church house of the Lord. Or there shall be no shall be converted to its faith and commu-occasion for buyers or sellers of oxen, or nion. To keep the feast of tabernacles. This sheep, or doves, in the house of God, such feast was kept by the Jews in memory of as Jesus Christ cast out of the temple. 392 PROPHECY OF MALACHIAS. Malachias, whose name signifies the Angel of sick, is it not evil? offer it to thy prince, the Lord, was cotemporary with Nehemi-if he will be pleased with it, or if he will as; and by some is believed to have been regard thy face, saith the Lord of hosts. the same person with Esdras. He was the 9 And now beseech ye the face of God, last of the prophets, in the order of time, that he may have mercy on you (for by and flourished about four hundred years your hand hath this been done) if by any before Christ. He foretels the coming of means he will receive your faces, saith the Christ; the reprobation of the Jews and Lord of hosts. their sacrifices; and the calling of the Gen- 10 Who is there among you, that will tiles, who shall offer up to God in every shut the doors, and will kindle the fire on place an acceptable sacrifice. my altar gratis? I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will not re CHAP. I. God reproaches the Jews with their ingrati-ceive a gift of your hand. tude; and the priests for not offering pure 11 For from the rising of the sun even sacrifices. He will accept of the sacrifice to the going down, my name is great athat shall be offered in every place among mong the Gentiles and in every place the Gentiles. there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my HE burden of the word of the Lord to name a clean oblation:† for my name is Israel by the hand of Malachias. great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts. 2 I have loved you, saith the Lord: and you have said: Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau brother to Jacob, saith the Lord, and I have loved Jacob,* 3 But have hated Esau ? and I have made his mountains a wilderness, and given his inheritance to the dragons of the desert. 12 And you have profaned it in that you say: The table of the Lord is defiled: and that which is laid thereupon, is contemptible, with the fire that devoureth it. 13 And you have said: Behold, of our labour, and you puffed it away, saith the 4 But if Edom shall say: We are destroy-Lord of hosts, and you brought in of rapine ed; but we will return and build up what the lame, and the sick, and brought in an hath been destroyed: thus saith the Lord offering: shall I accept it at your hands, of hosts: They shall build up, and I will saith the Lord? throw down and they shall be called the 14 Cursed is the deceitful man, that hath borders of wickedness, and the people with in his flock a male, and making a vow offerwhom the Lord is angry for ever. eth in sacrifice that which is feeble to the Lord: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts; and my name is dreadful among the Gentiles. 5 And your eyes shall see: and you shall say: The Lord be magnified upon the border of Israel. 6 The son honoureth the father, and the servant his master: if then I be a father, where is my honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear, saith the Lord of hosts ? 7 To you, O priests, that despise my name, and have said: Wherein have we CHAP. II. The priests are sharply reproved for neglecting their covenant. The evil of marrying with idolaters; and too easily putting away their wives. ND now, O ye priests, this command despised thy name? You offer polluted ment is to you. bread upon my altar: and you say: Where in have we polluted thee? In that you say 2 If you will not hear, and if you will not The table of the Lord is contemptible. lay it to heart, to give glory to my name, 8 If you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it saith the Lord of hosts: I will send poverty not evil? and if you offer the lame and the upon you, and will curse your blessings; yea I will curse them: because you have I have loved Jacob, &c. I have pre- not laid it to heart. ferred his posterity, to make them my cho sen people, and to load them with my bless-A clean oblation, viz. The precious ings, without any merit on their part, and body and blood of Christ in the eucharistic though they have been always ungrateful; sacrifice. whilst I have rejected Esau, and executed Behold, of our labour, &c. You presevere judgments upon his posterity. Not tended labour and weariness, when you that God punished Esau, or his posterity, brought your offering and so made it of beyond their deserts: but that by his free no value, by offering it with an evil mind. election and grace he loved Jacob, and fa- Moreover, what you offered was both devoured his posterity, above their deserts. fective in itself, and gotten by rapine and See the annotations upon Rom. ix, lextortion. 3 Behold, I will cast the shoulder to you, and I will scatter upon your face the dung of your solemnities; and it shall take you away with it. 4 And you shall know that I sent you this commandment, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 5 My covenant was with him of life and peace and I gave him fear: and he feared me; and he was afraid before my name. 6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace, and in equity, and turned many away from iniquity. 16 When thou shalt hate her, put her away, saith the Lord the God of Israel: but iniquity shall cover his garment,§ saith the Lord of hosts: keep your spirit, and despise not. 17 You have wearied the Lord with your words: and you said: Wherein have we wearied him? In that you say: Every one that doeth evil, is good in the sight of the Lord, and such please him: or surely where is the God of judgment? CHAP. III. Christ shall come to his temple, and purify the priesthood. They that continue in the evil ways shall be punished; but true penitents shall receive a blessing. 7 For the lips of the priest shall keep knowledge; and they shall seek the law at his mouth: because he is the Angelt of the Bell prepare the way before my face. Lord of hosts. 8 But you have departed out of the way, and have caused many to stumble at the law you have made void the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible, and base before all people, as you have not kept my ways, and have accepted persons in the law. 10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why then doth every one of us despise his brother, violating the covenant of our fathers? EHOLD, I send my Angel, and he And presently the Lord whom you seek, and the Angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold, he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts : 2 And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fullers' herb: 3 And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver: and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice. 4 And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years. 11 Juda hath transgressed; and abomination hath been committed in Israel, and in Jerusalem for Juda hath profaned the holiness of the Lord, which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. 5 And I will come to you in judgment, 12 The Lord will cut off the man that and will be a speedy witness against sor. hath done this, both the master and the cerers, and adulterers, and false swearers, scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and and them that oppress the hireling in his him that offereth an offering to the Lord of wages, the widows, and the fatherless; and hosts. oppress the stranger, and have not feared 13 And this again have you done; you me, saith the Lord of hosts. have covered the altar of the Lord with 6 For I am the Lord, and I change not: tears,‡ with weeping, and bellowing, so that and you the sons of Jacob are not conI have no more a regard to sacrifice, nei-sumed. ther do I accept any atonement at your 7 For from the days of your fathers you hands. have departed from my ordinances, and 14 And you have said: For what cause? have not kept them: Return to me, and I Because the Lord hath been witness be- will return to you, saith the Lord of hosts. tween thee, and the wife of thy youth, And you have said: Wherein shall we rewhom thou hast despised: yet she was thy turn? partner, and the wife of thy covenant. 8 Shall a man afflict God, for you afflict 15 Did not one make her, and she is the me? And you have said: Wherein do we residue of his spirit? And what doth one afflict thee? In tithes and in first-fruits. seek, but the seed of God? Keep then your spirit, and despise not the wife of thy youth. I will cast the shoulder to you. I will cast away the shoulder, which in the law was appointed to be your portion, and fling it at you in my anger; and will reject both you and your festivals like dung. 9 And you are cursed with want; and you afflict me, even the whole nation of you. 10 Bring all the tithes into the store § Iniquity shall cover his garment, viz. Of every man that putteth away his wife without just cause: notwithstanding that God † The Angel, viz. The minister and mes-permitted it in the law, to prevent the evil of murder. senger. With tears, viz. By occasion of your wives, whom you have put away; and who came to weep and lament before the altar. My Angel, viz. John the Baptist, the messenger of God, and fore runner of Christ. house, that there may be meat in my house, and try me in this, saith the Lord; if I open not unto you the floodgates of heaven, and pour you out a blessing even to abundance. 11 And I will rebuke for your sakes the devourer; and he shall not spoil the fruit of your land: neither shall the vine in the field be barren, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed for you shall be a delightful land, saith the Lord of hosts. 13 Your words have been unsufferable to me, saith the Lord. the just. law. An exhortation to observe the Elias shall come for the conversion of the Jews. as behold, and all the proud, and all NOR behold, the day shall come, kindled that do wickedly shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall set them on fire, saith root, nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings and you shall go forth, and shall leap like calves of the herd. 14 And you have said: What have we spoken against thee? You have said: He 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, laboureth in vain that serveth God: and when they shall be ashes under the sole what profit is it that we have kept his of your feet, in the day that I do this, saith ordinances, and that we have walked sor- the Lord of hosts. rowful before the Lord of hosts? 4 Remember the law of Moses my ser15 Wherefore now we call the proud vant, which I commanded him in Horeb for people happy; for they that work wicked-all Israel, the precepts, and judgments. ness are built up; and they have tempted God, and are preserved. 5 Behold, I will send you Elias the prodreadful day of the Lord. phet, before the coming of the great and 16 Then they that feared the Lord spoke every one with his neighbour: and the Lord gave ear, and heard it: and a book of thers to the children, and the heart of the 6 And he shall turn the heart of the faremembrance was written before him for children to their fathers: lest I come, and strike the earth with anathema.f them that fear the Lord, and think on his name. 17 And they shall be my special possession, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I do judgment and I will spare them, as a man spareth his son that serveth him. 18 And you shall return, and shall see the difference between the just and the wicked; and between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not. CHAP. IV. • He shall turn the heart, &c. By bring ing over the Jews to the faith of Christ, he shall reconcile them to their fathers, viz. the patriarchs and prophets; whose hearts for many ages have been turned away from them, because of their refusing to believe in Christ. With anathema. The judgment of the wicked, and reward of ram, that is, with utter destruction. THE FIRST BOOK OF MACHABEES. These books are so called, because they contain the history of the people of God under the command of Judas Machabeus and his brethren and he, as some will have it, was surnamed Machabeus, from carrying in his ensigns, or standards, those words of Exodus xv. 11. Who is like to thee among the strong, O Lord: in which the initial letters in the Hebrew are M. C. B. E. I. It is not known who was the author And as the church has declared these two The reign of Alexander and his successors: of these books. But as to their authority;Now the son of Philip the Macedonian, though they are not received by the Jews, it came to pass, after that Alexan saith St. Augustine, L. xviii. City of God, who first reigned in Greece, coming out of c. 36, they are received by the Church; the land of Cethim, had overthrown Darius who, in settling her canon of the scriptures, king of the Persians and Medes : cho se rather to be directed by the tradition she had received from the apostles of Christ, strong holds of all, and slew the kings of 2 He fought many battles, and took the than by that of the scribes and Pharisees. the earth. 3 And he went through even to the ends over the land of Egypt, that he might reign of the earth; and took the spoils of many over two kingdoms. nations and the earth was quiet before 18 And he entered into Egypt with a him. great multitude, with chariots and ele4 And he gathered a power, and a very phants, and horsemen, and a great number strong army and his heart was exalted and of ships. lifted up. 5 And he subdued countries of nations, and princes: and they became tributaries to him. 19 And he made war against Ptolemee king of Egypt: but Ptolemee was afraid at his presence, and fled; and many were wounded unto death. 6 And after these things, he fell down 20 And he took the strong cities in the upon his bed, and knew that he should die. land of Egypt: and he took the spoils of 7 And he called his servants the nobles the land of Egypt. that were brought up with him from his 21 And after Antiochus had ravaged youth and he divided his kingdom* a-Egypt in the hundred and forty third year, mong them while he was yet alive. he returned, and went up against Israel. 8 And Alexander reigned twelve years, and he died. 9 And his servants made themselves kings, every one in his place : 22 And he went up to Jerusalem with a great multitude. 23 And he proudly entered into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, 10 And they all put crowns upon them-and the candlestick of light, and all the selves after his death, and their sons after vessels thereof, and the table of propothem many years; and evils were multi-sition, and the pouring vessels, and the plied in the earth. vials, and the little morters of gold, and 11 And there came out of them a wicked the vail, and the crowns, and the golden orroot, Antiochus the illustrious,f the son ofnament that was before the temple: and he king Antiochus, who had been a hostage at broke them all in pieces. Rome: and he reigned in the hundred and 24 And he took the silver and gold, and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the the precious vessels: and he took the hidGreeks. den treasures which he found: and when he had taken all away he departed into his own country. 12 In those days there went out of Israel wicked men and they persuaded many, saying: Let us go, and make a covenant with the heathens that are round about us: for since we departed from them, many evils have befallen us. 13 And the word seemed good in their eyes. 25 And he made a great slaughter of men, and spoke very proudly. 26 And there was great mourning in Israel, and in every place where they were: 27 And the princes, and the ancients 14 And some of the people determined to mourned; and the virgins and the young do this, and went to the king: and he gave men were made feeble: and the beauty of them licence to do after the ordinances of the women was changed. the heathens. 15 And they built a place of exercise in Jerusalem, according to the laws of the nations: 16 And they made themselves prepuces, and departed from the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathens, and were sold to do evil. 28 Every bridegroom took up lamentation: and the bride that sat in the marriage bed, mourned: 29 And the land was moved for the inhabitants thereof: and all the house of Jacob was covered with confusion. 30 And after two full years the king sent the chief collector of his tributes to the 17 And the kingdom was established be-cities of Juda: and he came to Jerusalem fore Antiochus: and he had a mind to reign with a great multitude. wise by Q. Curtius; though he acknow 31 And he spoke to them peaceable * Divided his kingdom, &c. This is other-words in deceit and they believed him. 32 And he fell upon the city suddenly, ledges that divers were of that opinion, and and struck it with a great slaughter, and that it had been delivered by some authors, destroyed much people in Israel. L. X. But here we find from the sacred text, that he was in error. † Antiochus the illustrious. Epiphanes, the younger son of Antiochus the great, who usurped the kingdom, to the prejudice of his nephew Demetrius, son of his elder brother Seleucus Philopater. Of the kingdom of the Greeks. Counting, not from the beginning of the reign of Alexander, but from the first year of Seleucus Nicanor. 33 And he took the spoils of the city, and burnt it with fire, and threw down the houses thereof, and the walls thereof round about: 34 And they took the women captives; and the children and the cattle they possessed. The chief collector, &c. Apollonius. |