riculture, or by trade and commerce, but by grazing alone.
"Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious
beauty is a fading flower; it shall be trodden under foot." The sins of
pride and drunkenness are especially enumerated as the cause of their
chastisement. "Woe to Ariel [that is Jerusalem]! I will camp against
thee round about, and lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will
raise forts against thee, and thou shalt be brought down.... Forasmuch
as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with lips do they
honor me, but have removed their heart far from me,"--hereby showing
that hypocrisy at Jerusalem was as prevalent as drunkenness in Samaria,
and as difficult to be removed.

Isaiah also reproves Judah for relying on the aid of Egypt in the
threatened Assyrian invasion, instead of putting confidence in God, but
declares that the evil day will be deferred in case that Judah repents;
however, he holds out no hope that her people may escape the final
captivity to Babylon. All that the prophet predicted in reference to
the desolation of Palestine by Syrians, Assyrians, and Babylonians, as
instruments of punishment, came to pass.

From the calamities which both Judah and Israel should suffer for their
pride, hypocrisy, drunkenness, and idolatry, Isaiah turns to predict the
fall of other nations. "Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the
Lord hath performed his whole work upon Jerusalem, I will punish the
fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his
high looks.... For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom; for I am prudent, and I have removed the bounds of the
people, and have robbed their treasures, and put down the inhabitants
like a valiant man: and as I have gathered all the earth, as one
gathereth eggs, therefore shall the Lord of Hosts send among his fat
ones leanness, and under his glory He shall kindle a burning like the
burning of a fire." In the inscriptions which have recently been
deciphered on the broken and decayed monuments of Nineveh nothing is
more remarkable than the boastful spirit, pride, and arrogance of the
Assyrian kings and conquerors.

The fall of still prouder Babylon is next predicted. "Since thou hast
said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God, thou shalt be brought down to hell.... Babylon,
the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldean excel