there is none else:
And my people shall never be ashamed.

And it shall come to pass afterward,
That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;
And your sons and daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions:
And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days
Will I pour out my spirit.

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ZEPHANIAH

(Zephaniah is another of the prophets who tell of the destruction
which will come upon the people in the terrible "day of the Lord."
Then his prophecy, like the others, breaks into joyous strains at the
close, as he tells of the blessings which will be showered upon the
nation when it repents.)

I

THE DAY OF WRATH

The Day of the Lord is near:
It is near and hasteth greatly.
Even the voice of the Day of the Lord;
The mighty man crieth there bitterly.
That Day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of waste and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities,
And against the high battlements.

Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together,
O nation that hath no shame;
Before the decree bring forth,
Before the day pass as the chaff,
Before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you.
Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth,

{381}{382}

[Illustration]
"THE PROPHETS"

From the frieze of "The Prophets," by Sargent, in the Boston Public
Library.

The prophets here represented are Zephaniah, Joel, Obadiah, and
Hosea.
[End illustration]

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Which have wrought his judgment;
Seek righteousness,
Seek meekness:
It may be ye shall be hid
In the Day of the Lord's anger.

This is the joyous city,
That dwelt carelessly,
That said in her heart, "I am,
And there is none else beside me:"
How is she become a desolation,
A place for beasts to lie down in!
Everyone that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his head,
Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted,
To the oppressing city.
She obeyed not the voice;
She received not correction;
She trusted not in the Lord;
She drew not near to her God.
Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions;
Her judges are evening wolves;
They leave nothing till the morrow.
Her prophets are light and treacherous persons:
Her priests have profaned the sanctuary,
They have done