me to be, in many cases, convincing,
as I shall point out where necessary, but I think he carries
his theory too far when he systematically excludes Egypt and
puts Muzri in its place. Egypt, even in its decadent state,
was a far more important power than the Arabian Muzri, and
it seems unreasonable to credit it with such a limited share
in the politics of the time. I cannot believe that any other
power is intended in most of those passages in the Hebrew
writings and Assyrian inscriptions in which the words
Mizraim and Muzri occur.

** Hos. vii. 11, 12.

They were to be given up to Assyria and dispersed, and while some were
to go into Assur and eat unclean food, Ephraim was to return into Egypt;
"for, lo, they are gone away from destruction, yet Egypt shall gather
them up, Memphis shall bury them."* Nevertheless, they persisted in
negotiating with Egypt, and though there was as yet no formal alliance
between Samaria and Sais or Tanis, their relations were so close that no
enemy of Israel could look for protection from Psamuti or his vassals.
Ahaz had, therefore, nothing to hope from this quarter, and was
compelled by the force of circumstances to throw himself into the arms
of Assyria, if he decided to call in outside aid at all. His prophets,
like those of Pekah, strenuously forbade him to do so, and among them
was one who was beginning to exert a marvellous influence over all
classes of society--Isaiah, the son of Amoz. He had begun his career
in the year that Uzziah died,** and had continued to prophesy without
interruption during the brief reign of Jotham.***

* Hos. ix. 3-6.

** Isa. vi. 1.

*** The fragments which can be assigned to this period now
occur as follows: chap. ii. 2-5 (verses 2-4 are also found
in _Micah_ iv. 1-3, and were, perhaps, borrowed from some
third prophet), ii. 6-22, iii., iv., v. 1-24 (the Parable of
the Vineyard), and lastly, chap, vi., in so far as the
substance is concerned; it seems to have been put into its
present form long after the events.

When Jahveh first appeared to him, in the smoke of the altar, seated
on a throne and surrounded by seraphim, a sense of his own unworthiness
filled him with fear, but an angel purified his lips with a live coal,
and he heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who
will go for us?" and he replied, "Here am I; send me," whereupon J