The Bible and Holy Scriptures conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. Translated according to the Ebrue and Greke, and conferred with the best translations in diuers languges. VVith moste profitable annotations vpon all the hard places, and other things of great importance as may appeare in the epistle to the reader

CHAP XLI.

2 Gods mercie in chusing his people 6 Their idolattie, 27 Deliuerance promised to Zion,

1 KEpea silence before me: ōylands: and let the peopleb renue (their strength:

let them come nere, and let them speake let vs come together into iudgement.

2 Who raised vpc iustice from the East, (&) called him to his fote? (and) gaue the na∣cions before him, and subdued the Kings? he gaue them as dust to his sworde, (and) as scatred stubble vnto his bowe.

3 He pursued them, and passed safely by the way that he had not gone with his fete,

4 Who hathe wroght and done it? he that calleth thed generations from the begin ning. I the Lord (am) thee first, & with the last I am the same.

5 Theyles saweit, & didf feare (and) the ends of the earth were abashed, drewe nere, &g came.

6 Euerie man helped his neighbour and said to his brother,h Be strong.

7 So the worke man comforted the founder (and) he that smote with the hammer, him that smote by course, saying, It is ready for the sodering, & he fastened it with nai∣les that it shulde not be moued.

8 ¶But thou, Israél, art myi seruant, (and) thou Iaakób, whome I haue chosen, these de of Abrahám my friend.

9 For I haue taken thee from the ends of the earth, and called thee before the chief thereof, and said vnto thee, Thou art my seruant: I haue chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

10 Feare thou not, for I am with thee: be not afraid, for I am thy God: I wil strengthen thee, and helpe thee, and wil susteine thee with thek right hand of my iustice.

11 Beholde, all they that prouoke thee, shal be ashamed, and confounded: they shalbe as nothing, and they that striue with thee, shal perish.

12 Thou shalt seke them and shalt notl fin de them: to (wit,) the men of thy strife, (for) they shalbe as nothing, and the men that warre against thee, as athing of naught,

13 For I the Lord thy God wil holde thy right hand, saying vnto thee, Feare not, I wil helpe thee.

14 Feare not, thoum worme, Iaakób, (and) ye men of Israél: I wil helpethee, saith the Lord & thy redemer the holy one of Israél

15 Beholde, I wil make thee a roller, and a newe treshing instrument hauing tethe: thou shalt thresh then mountaines, and bring them to poudre, and shalt make the hilles as chaffe.

16 Thou shalt fanne them, & the winde shal carye them a way, and the whirl winde shal scater them: and thou shalt reioyce in the Lord, (and) shalt glorie in the holy one of Israél.

17 (When)o the poore and the nedie seke wa ter, and there (is) none [their tongue fai∣leth for thust: I the Lord wil heare them: I the God of Israél wil not forsake them]

18 I wil open riuers in the toppes of the hil∣les, and fountaines in the middes of the val leis: I wil make the wildernes as a poole of water, and the wastep land as springs of water.

19 I wil set in the wildernes the cedre, the shit tah tre, and the myrre tre and the pine tre, (&) I wil set in the wildernes the fyrre tre, the elme and the boxe tree together.

20 Therefore let them se and knowe, and let thē consider and vnderstand together that the hād of the Lord hathe done this, & the holie one of Israélq hathe created it.

21 r Stand to your cause, saith the Lord: bring forthe your strong reasons, saith the King of laakôb.

22 Let them bring them forthe, & let themtel vs what shal come: let them shewe the for∣mer things what thei be, that we maie con sider them, and knowe the later end of thē ether declare vs things for to come,

23 Shewe the things that are to come here∣after, that we may know that you are gods yea, do good or do euil, that we may decla re it, and beholde it together.

24 Beholde, ye are of no value, and your ma∣king is of naught: (man) hathes chosē an a bomination by them.

25 ¶I haue raised vpt from the North, and he shal come from the East sunne shalu he call vpon my Name, and shal come vponx princes as vpon claye, and as the potter treadeth myre vnder the fote.

26 Who hathe declared from the beginning that we may knowe? or before time, that we may say, He is righteous? Surely there is none that sheweth: surely there is none that declareth: surely there is none that hearethy your wordes.

27 I (am) the first, (that saith) to Ziôn, Behol∣de, beholdez them: and I wil giue to Ieru∣saléma one that shal bring good tidings

28 But whenb I behelde, there was none, & when I enquired of them, there (was) no counsel our, and when I demanded of them thei answered not aworde.

29 Beholde, they are all vanitie: their worke is of nothing, their images are winde and confusion.

Notes

• a

  God, as thogh 〈◊〉〈◊〉 pleaded his cause with all 〈◊〉〈◊〉 quireth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that he may he heard in his right.
• b

  That is, gather all their power & supportes,
• c

  Who called A∣braham (who was the paterne of Gods iustice in deliuering his 〈◊〉〈◊〉) from the ido Iatrie of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to go to and fro, at his commande∣ment, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 him in the land of Canaan?
• d

  Who hathe crea ted man & main∣teined his succes sion.
• e

  Thogh the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 de set vp neuer so manie gods, yet they diminish no thing of my glo∣rie: for I am allo∣ne vnchangeable which haue euer bene, and shalbe for euer.
• f

  Considering mi ne excellent wor kes among my people.
• g

  They 〈◊〉〈◊〉 them selues, and conspired against me to mainteine their idolatrie.
• h

  He 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the obstinacie of the idolaters to mai∣teine their super 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• i

  And therefore oughtest not to pollute thy self with the supersti cion of the Genti 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• k

  That is, by the force of my pro∣mes in the perfor mance whereof I wil sheue my self faithfull and iust
• l

  Because theishal be destroyed.
• m

  Thus he calleth thē because they were 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of all the Worlde & that they consi dering their o∣wne poore esta∣te, shulde seke vn to him for helpe.
• n

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 wil make thee able to de∣stroye all thine enemies, be they neuer so mightie and this chiefly is referred to the kingdome of Christ.
• o

  That is, thei that shalbe 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in the captiui tie of Babylon.
• p

  God wil rather change the order of nature, then they shulde want anie thing that cry to him by true faith in their miseries: decla∣ring to them here by that they shal lacke nothing by they returne 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Babylon.
• q

  That is, hathe appointed, & determined the way, when that it shalcome so to 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• r

  He biddeth the idolaters to pro∣ue their 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and to bring for∣the their idoles, that they may be try ed whether thei knowe all things, and cando all things: which if they can not do he cōcludeth that they are no gods, but vile idoles.
• s

  So that a man can not make an idole, buthe must do that, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 God detesteth, & abhorreth: for he chuseth his owne deuises, and for∣saketh the Lords.
• t

  Meaning, the Chaldeans.
• u

  That is, Cyrus, who, shal do all thing in my Na∣me, & by my dire ction: whereby he meaneth that both their capti∣uitie, and deliurā 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shal be orde∣red by Gods 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & appoin tement.
• x

  Bothe of the Chaldeans & o∣thers.
• y

  Meaning, that none of the genti les gods can wor ke anie of these things.
• z

  That is, the Is∣raelites, which re turne from the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ptiuitie.
• a

  To wit, a conti∣nual succession of Prophetes & mi∣nisters.
• b

  When I loked whether the ido∣les colde do these things, I founde that they had ned ther wisdomenor power to do anie thing: therefore he cōcludeth that all are wicked, that trust in suche vani tie.