- And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them who have slumbered. And behold, the book shall be sealed, and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof. Wherefore because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people; wherefore, the book shall be kept from them. But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto another. But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book, for the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.
- And the day comes that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the housetops, and they shall be read by the power of Christ. And all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be, even unto the end of the earth. Wherefore at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hidden from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it, save it be that three witnesses shall behold it by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein. And there is no other who shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men. For the Lord God has said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead.
- Wherefore the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seems him good will he establish his word; and woe be unto him that rejects the word of God. But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book, Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying, Read this, I pray you. And the learned shall say, Bring here the book and I will read them. And now because of the glory of the world and to get gain will they say this, and not for the glory of God. And the man shall say, I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed. Then shall the learned say, I cannot read it. Wherefore, it shall come to pass that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say, I am not learned.
- Then shall the Lord God say unto him, The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do my own work; wherefore, you shall read the words which I shall give unto you. Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in my own due time, for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do my own work. Wherefore, when you have read the words which I have commanded you, and obtained the witnesses whom I have promised unto you, then shall you seal up the book again and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which you have not read, until I shall see fit in my own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men. For behold, I am God, and I am a God of miracles, and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and for ever, and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.
- And again it shall come to pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him, Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men; therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hidden.
- And woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who sees us? And who knows us? And they also say, Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay. But behold, I will show unto them, says the Lord of Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? But behold, says the Lord of Hosts, I will show unto the children of men that it is not yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest. And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For assuredly as the Lord lives, they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed; and all that watch for iniquity are cut off, and they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproves in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught. Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
- Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin; that walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes; they were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be a help nor profit, but a shame and also a reproach.
- Into the land of trouble and anguish from which come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose, therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.
- Now go, write it before them upon plates and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come, for ever and ever — that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord, who say to the seers, See not — and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits, get out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely thereon, therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, at an instant. And he shall break it as the breaking of the potter’s vessel that is broken in pieces, he shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water out of the pit. For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest shall you be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, and you would not. But you said, No, for we will flee upon horses — therefore shall you flee. And, We will ride upon the swift — therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall you flee, until you are left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.
- And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you; for the Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious unto you at the voice of your cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not your teachers be removed into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers, and your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it. When you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left, you shall defile also the covering of your engraved images of silver, and the ornament of your molten images of gold; you shall cast them away as a menstruous cloth, you shall say unto it, Depart from here. Then shall he give the rain of your seed that you shall sow the ground with, and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall your cattle feed in large pastures. The oxen likewise, and the young asses that plow the ground, shall eat clean feed which has been winnowed with the winnowing fork and with the winnowing shovel. And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the breach of his people and heals the stroke of their wound.
Chapter 9
The burden of the beasts of the south.