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40 For He considered that they were but flesh and that they were even a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

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41 Many a time did they provoke Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert.

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42 They turned back, and tempted God: and moved the Holy One in Israel.

43 They thought not of His hand and of the day when He delivered them from the hand of the enemy;

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42. Moved. The exact meaning of the Hebrew word is "to mark," so "to set marks to," "to limit" the power of any one. Others render it to make marks as with a goad, and so to exasperate.

46. Lice. The He

brew word indicates a species of fly-a gadfly, gaining its name from sucking the blood of men and

44 How He had wrought His miracles in Egypt and His wonders in the field of Zoan. 45 He turned their waters into blood : so that they might not drink of the rivers. 46 He sent lice among them, and devoured them up and frogs to destroy them, 47 He gave their fruit unto the caterpillar and their labour unto the grasshopper. animals. : 48 He destroyed their vines with hailstones and their mulberry-trees with the frost.

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49 He smote their cattle also with hailstones and their flocks with hot thunderbolts.

50 He cast upon them the furiousness of His wrath, anger, displeasure, and trouble: and sent evil angels among them.

51 He made a way to His indignation, and spared not their soul from death: but gave their life over to the pestilence;

52 And smote all the first-born in Egypt: the most principal and mightiest in the dwellings of Ham.

53 But as for His own people, He led them forth like sheep and carried them in the wilderness like a flock.

54 He brought them out safely, that they should not fear and overwhelmed their enemies with the sea.

47. Grasshopper; some particular kind of locust. The words translated caterpillar and locust are found together in Joel i. 4.

48. The cultivation of the vine in Egypt is amply proved, as

in the dream of Pha

raoh's butler, and in

various monuments.

Mulberry is the syca

more-tree.

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55 And brought them within the borders of His sanctuary: even to His mountain which He purchased with His right

hand.

56 He cast out the heathen also before them caused their land to be divided among them for an heritage, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

57 So they tempted, and displeased the most high God and kept not His testimonies;

58 But turned their backs, and fell away like their forefathers starting aside like a broken bow.

59 For they grieved Him with their hillaltars and provoked Him to displeasure with their images.

60 When God heard this He was wroth: and took sore displeasure at Israel.

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61 So that He forsook the tabernacle in the arrow would not

Silo: even the tent that He had pitched fly true, and the bow

among men.

62 He delivered their power into captivity and their beauty into the enemy's hand.

63 He gave His people over also unto the sword and was wroth with His inheritance.

64 The fire consumed their young men : and their maidens were not given to marriage.

65 Their priests were slain with the sword and there were no widows to make lamentation.

66 So the LORD awaked as one out of sleep and like a giant refreshed with wine.

was called "deceitful." - LEE on Job

xx. 24, p. 346.

61. When the Ark was taken by the Philistines, Shiloh was abandoned as its resting-place. In the time of David the Tabernacle was at Nob, and after the massacre of the priests it was removed to Gibeon, where was "the Great High Place." 1 Kings iii. 4, "The king went to Gibeon, to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place.'

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62. Their; Heb. His. Power and beauty refer to the Ark.

64. Given to marriage; Heb. "were not celebrated"-i.e., in the marriage song. There were neither marriage nor funeral rites in the national desolation.

66. A giant; Heb. a hero, or mighty chief.

67 He smote His enemies in the hinder parts and put them to a perpetual shame. 68 He refused the tabernacle of Joseph : and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;

69 But chose the tribe of Judah: even the hill of Sion which He loved.

70 And there He built His temple on high and laid the foundation of it like the ground which He hath made continually.

71 He chose David also His servant: and took him away from the sheep-folds.

72 As he was following the ewes great with young ones He took him that he might feed Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance.

73 So he fed them with a faithful and true heart and ruled them prudently with all his power.

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Morning Prayer.

PSALM 79. Deus, venerunt.

[This Psalm is a lament over the desecration of the Temple and the destruction of the city, most probably at the time of the Chaldæan invasion.] O GOD, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance: Thy holy temple have they defiled, and made Jerusalem an heap of

stones.

2 The dead bodies of Thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the air and the flesh of Thy saints unto the beasts of the land.

3 Their blood have they shed like water on every side of Jerusalem and there was no man to bury them.

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DAY 16.

1. "Zion for your sake shall be plowed salem shall become as a field, and Jeruheaps," Micah iii. 12. Micah died about 100 years before the de

struction of the
Temple.
His pro-
phecy is quoted by
Jeremiah xxvi. 18.

4 We are become an open shame to our enemies a very scorn and derision unto them that are round about us.

5 LORD, how long wilt Thou be angry: shall Thy jealousy burn like fire for ever? 6 Pour out Thine indignation upon the heathen that have not known Thee: and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon Thy Name.

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7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling-place.

8 O remember not our old sins, but have mercy upon us, and that soon for we are come to great misery.

9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy Name: O deliver us, and be merciful unto our sins, for Thy Name's sake.

10 Wherefore do the heathen say: Where is now their God?

11 O let the vengeance of Thy servants' blood that is shed: be openly shewed upon the heathen in our sight.

12 O let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before Thee according to the greatness of Thy power, preserve Thou those that are appointed to die.

13 And for the blasphemy wherewith our neighbours have blasphemed Thee reward Thou them, O LORD, seven-fold into their bosom.

14 So we, that are Thy people, and sheep of Thy pasture, shall give Thee thanks for ever: and will alway be shewing forth Thy praise from generation to generation.

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8. But have mercy, &c.; Heb. "Let Thy

mercies speedily pre

vent us"-i.e., come to meet us.

9. "I wrought for MY NAME's sake, that IT should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out,"

Ezek. xx. 14.

11. Let God be heathen, by showing known among the that He is not unmindful of the wrongs done to His people.

12. The prisoners; in Babylon. Those appointed to die; Heb. sons of death, those who were exposed to the caprice of despots, as Daniel's three friends cast into the furnace, and as Daniel himself.

13. Blasphemy; lit. reproach, scorn, contempt.

PSALM 80. Qui regis Israel.

[This Psalm of Asaph points to a time of great desolation and depression, seemingly referring to the troubles of the days of the Chaldæan invasion.]

HEAR, O Thou Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep: shew Thyself also, Thou that sittest upon the cherubims.

2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses stir up Thy strength, and come, and help us.

3 Turn us again, O God: shew the light of Thy countenance, and we shall be whole. 4 O LORD God of hosts: how long wilt Thou be angry with Thy people that prayeth? 5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears and givest them plenteousness of tears to drink.

6 Thou hast made us a very strife unto our neighbours and our enemies laugh us

to scorn.

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7 Turn us again, Thou God of hosts: shew the light of Thy countenance, and we Ishall be whole.

8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt Thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

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9 Thou madest room for it and when it had taken root it filled the land.

10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees.

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11 She stretched out her branches unto the sea and her boughs unto the river. 12 Why hast Thou then broken down her hedge that all they that go by pluck off her grapes?

1. Upon the cherubims — i. e., above the cherubims, receiv ing their praise.

2. Ephraim, &c. These tribes are men

tioned in the order in which they encamped round the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

"On the west side was the standard of

the camp of Ephraim," Num. ii. 18; and "the

Holiest place being in the western end of the Tabernacle, it was nearest to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses."-KAY.

5. Bread of tears; cf. Ahab's order about Micaiah, "Feed him with bread of afflic

tion and with water of affliction, until I come in peace," 1 Kings xxii. 27.

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6. A strifei.e., an object of strife, at which their neighbours struck.

8. This verse refers to the transplanting of the stock of Israel from the unpropitious soil of Egypt into the good ground of Palestine.

11. The boundaries of Israel's dominion, promised to Joshua,

were from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the Euphrates on the east.

-Joshua i. 4.

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