God inviteth all men in thought and deed to keep his law: 4. promiseth blessing and reward to those that profess, and keep perpetual chastity. 9. and reproveth evil pastors.God inuiteth al men in thought and dede to kepe his law: 4. promiseth blessing and reward to those that professe, and kepe perpetual chastitie. 9. and reproueth euil pastors.✦
Thus saith our Lord: Keep ye judgement, and do justice: because my salvation is near to come: and my justice to be revealed.THVS sayth our Lord: Kepe ye iudgement, and doe iustice: because my saluation is nere to come: and my iustice to be reueled.✦Hæc dicit Dominus : Custodite judicium, et facite justitiam, quia juxta est salus mea ut veniat, et justitia mea ut reveletur.
2Blessed is the man, that doth this thing, and the son of man that shall apprehend this: keeping the Sabbath that he pollute it not, keeping his hands that he do no evil.Blessed is the man, that doth this thing, and the sonne of man that shal apprehend this: keping the Sabbath that he pollute it not, keping his handes that he doe no euil.✦Beatus vir qui facit hoc, et filius hominis qui apprehendet istud, custodiens sabbatum ne polluat illud, custodiens manus suas ne faciat omne malum.
3And let not the son of the stranger, that adhæret: to split apart; to cling, adhere fast to our Lord, say: By separation the Lord will divide me from his people.And let not the sonne of the stranger, that cleaueth to our Lord, say: By seperation the Lord wil diuide me from his people.✦Et non dicat filius advenæ qui adhæret Domino, dicens : Separatione dividet me Dominus a populo suo ; et non dicat eunuchus : Ecce ego lignum aridum.
4And let not the eunuch say: Behold I am a dry tree. Because thus saith our Lord to the eunuchs: They that shall keep my Sabbaths, and shall choose the things that I would, and shall hold my covenant:And let not the eunuch say: Behold I am a drie tree. Because thus sayth our Lord to the eunuches: They that shal kepe my Sabbathes, and shal choose the thinges that I would, and shal hold my couenant:¶Quia hæc dicit Dominus eunuchis : Qui custodierint sabbata mea, et elegerint quæ ego volui, et tenuerint fœdus meum,
5I will give unto them in my house, and within my walls a place, and a name better than sons and daughters: an everlasting name will I give them, which shall not perish.I wil geue vnto them in my house, and within my walles a place, and a name better then sonnes and daughters: an euerlasting name wil I geue them, which shal not perish.✦dabo eis in domo mea et in muris meis locum, et nomen melius a filiis et filiabus : nomen sempiternum dabo eis, quod non peribit.
6And the children of the stranger that cleave to the Lord, to worship him, and to love his name, to be his servants: every one that keepeth the Sabbath not to pollute it, and that holdeth my covenant.And the children of the stranger that cleaue to the Lord, to worshipe him, & to loue his name, to be his seruants: euerie one that kepeth the Sabbath not to pollute it, and that holdeth my couenant.✦Et filios advenæ, qui adhærent Domino, ut colant eum, et diligant nomen ejus, ut sint ei in servos ; omnem custodientem sabbatum ne polluat illud, et tenentem fœdus meum ;
7I will bring them into my holy mount, and will make them joyful in the house of my prayer: their holocausts, and their victims shall please me upon mine altar: because my house shall be called the house of prayer to all peoples.I wil bring them into my holie mount, and wil make them ioyful in the house of my prayer: their holocaustes, and their victims shal please me vpon mine altar: because my house shal be called the house of prayer to al peoples.✦adducam eos in montem sanctum meum, et lætificabo eos in domo orationis meæ ; holocausta eorum et victimæ eorum placebunt mihi super altari meo, quia domus mea domus orationis vocabitur cunctis populis.
8Saith our Lord God that gathereth the dispersed of Israel: As yet will I gather unto it, the gathered together thereof.Sayth our Lord God that gathereth the dispersed of Israel: As yet wil I gather vnto it, the gathered together therof.✦Ait Dominus Deus, qui congregat dispersos Israël : Adhuc congregabo ad eum congregatos ejus.
9All ye beasts of the field come to devour, all ye beasts of the forest.Al ye beasts of the fielde come to deuoure, al ye beastes of the forest.Omnes bestiæ agri, venite ad devorandum, universæ bestiæ saltus.
10His watchmen all blind have been ignorant: muti: stupid, foolish; unable to speak, mute dogs not able to bark, seeing vain things, sleeping and loving dreams.His watchmen al blind haue bene ignorant: dume dogges not able to barke, seing vaine thinges, sleeping and louing dreames.✦Speculatores ejus cæci omnes ; nescierunt universi : canes muti non valentes latrare, videntes vana, dormientes, et amantes somnia.
11And most impudent dogs, they have known no saturitatem: a surfeit; fullness, being filled to the full: the pastors themselves have been ignorant of understanding: all have declinaverunt: refused, turned down; turned aside, gone astray into their own way, every one to his own avarice, from the highest even to the last.And most inpudent dogges, they haue knowne no sacietie: the pastors themselues haue bene ignorant of vnderstanding: al haue declined into their owne way, euerie one to his owne auarice, from the highest euen to the last.✦Et canes imprudentissimi nescierunt saturitatem ; ipsi pastores ignoraverunt intelligentiam : omnes in viam suam declinaverunt ; unusquisque ad avaritiam suam, a summo usque ad novissimum.
12Come, let us take wine, and be filled with drunkenness, and it shall be as to day, so also to morrow, and much more.Come, let vs take wine, and be filled with drunkennes, and it shal be as to day, so also to morow, and much more.✦Venite, sumamus vinum, et impleamur ebrietate ; et erit sicut hodie, sic et cras, et multo amplius.
Annotationsfrom the original 1609 Douay Old Testament
4Let not the Eunuch say: I am a dry tree. To be barren without children was ignominious amongst the Jews in the old testament, because God having then chosen that only nation for his peculiar people, the conservation and increase of his Church depended much upon their multiplication. But seeing the Church of Christ in the new testament, should be gathered, and consist of all Nations: the Prophet here foresheweth, that Christian Eunuchs living virgins, or continent, should not be ignoble or inglorious, but more glorious and have a better name than (God's other servants) sons and daughters: an everlasting name, which shall not perish: because keeping God's precepts (such as was the sabbath) they also of their free election, choose this state of life to keep perpetual chastity, more than is commanded. Against which plain sense of the text, Protestants oppose their own glosses. Peter Martyr (li de cælibatu & votis Monasticis) saith God preferreth not Eunuchs before others that keep the law, but only before them that transgress the law. Which commentary is faulty in two respects. For God here calleth them not transgressors, but his sons and daughters, before whom he preferreth holy Eunuchs: neither speaketh of such as shall be excluded from good place or good name, but of such as shall enjoy both; and saith these Eunuchs shall have a better place, and better name; that is, more renown, and greater reward. Other Protestants expound this better name, to signify, that such Eunuchs shall be called after (or according to) God's people, and be of the same religion: which importeth no excellency at all, in place or name, as the text expresseth: nay scarce equality with other servants of God. Lastly they add (lest perhaps this former sense satisfy not the reader) yea under Christ (say they) the dignity of the faithful, shall be greater than the Jews were at that time. As though the comparison made in this place, were to signify the general difference between God's servants before and since Christ, and not particularly between Eunuchs, and such as have children. How much more meet therefore is it, to see and embrace the explications of the ancient holy Fathers? Who uniformly understand and expound this prophecy, of such as vow perpetual chastity in the Church of Christ, preferring that state before Marriage? S. Basil (li. de virginitate) amongst other reasons and testimonies, bringeth this place in proof of the excellency of virginity, that the reward thereof shall be, that for a humane name, God will give to virgins the name of immortal Angels, which shall not fail, that they shall possess a special place in heaven, not only the glory of Angels, but an excellent dignity amongst Angels. S. Cyril of Alexandria in his commentaries upon Isaie: sheweth by this doctrine, that the rewards of continency are (eximia) excellent, and exceeding great; so that such as be continent in body, do also keep all God's commandments. S. Jerome in his commentaries proveth that virginity, or perpetual chastity is a singular good work of supererogation, not of precept but of Evangelical counsel, by the word elegerit, shall choose the things which God would, rather than which he condescending to man's weakness alloweth. Such an Eunuch (saith he) elegit quæ Dominus voluit, ut plus offerat quam præceptum est, hath chosen the things which our Lord would, to offer more than is commanded. And such an Eunuch (keeping also God's commandments) shall have locum optimum, a chief good place in God's house, where be many mansions, he shall be made a tower of our Lord, be placed in sacerdotali gradu, Priestly degree, and instead of carnal children shall have many spiritual children. Thus S. Jerome. The like we might cite of a. S. Ambrose in exhort. ad Virg. b. S. Augustini, l. de sancta virginitate. c. 24. & 25. c. S. Gregory. 3. p. Pastorali c. 29. &c. and others so expounding this prophecy.Let not the Eunuch say: I am a drie tree. To be barren without children was ignominious amongst the Iewes in the old testament, because God hauing then chosen that only nation for his peculiar people, the conseruation and increase of his Church depended much vpon their multiplication. But seing the Church of Christ in the new testament, should be gathered, and consist of al Nations: the Prophet here forsheweth, that Christian Eunuches liuing virgins, or continent, should not be ignoble or inglorious, but more glorious and haue a better name then (Gods other seruants) sonnes and daughters: an euerlasting name, which shal not perish: because keping Gods precepts (such as was the sabbath) they also of their free election, choose this state of life to kepe perpetual chastitie, more then is commanded. Against which plaine sense of the text, Protestants oppose their owne glosses. Peter Martyr (li de cælibatu & votis Monasticis) saith God preferreth not Eunuches before others that kepe the law, but only before them that transgresse the law. Which commentarie is faultie in two respectes. For God here calleth them not transgressors, but his sonnes and daughters, before whom he preferreth holie Eunuches: neither speaketh of such as shal be excluded from good place or good name, but of such as shal enioy both; and sayth these Eunuches shal haue a better place, & better name; that is, more renowme, and greater reward. Other Protestants expound this better name, to signifie, that such Eunuches shal be called after (or according to) Gods people, and be of the same religion: which importeth no excellencie at al, in place or name, as the text expresseth: nay scarse equalitie with other seruantes of God. Lastly they adde (lest perhaps this former sense satisfie not the reader) yea vnder Christ (say they) the dignitie of the faithful, shal be greater then the Iewes were at that time. As though the comparison made in this place, were to signifie the general difference betwen Gods seruants before and since Christ, and not particularly betwen Eunuches, and such as haue children. How much more meete therfore is it, to see and embrace the explications of the ancient holie Fathers? Who vniformely vnderstand & expound this prophecie, of such as vow perpetual chastitie in the Church of Christ, preferring that state before Mariage? S. Basil. (li. de virginitate) amongst other reasons and testimonies, bringeth this place in proofe of the excellencie of virginitie, that the reward therof shal be, that for a humane name, God wil geue to virgins the name of immortal Angels, which shal not faile, that they shal possesse a special place in heauen, not only the glorie of Angels, but an excellent dignitie amongst Angels. S. Cyril of Alexandria in his commentaries vpon Isaie: sheweth by this doctrine, that the rewardes of continencie are (eximia) excellent, and exceeding great; so that such as be continent in bodie, do also kepe al Gods commandments. S. Ierom in his commentaries proueth that virginitie, or perpetual chastitie is a singular good worke of supererogation, not of precept but of Euangelical counsel, by the word elegerit, shal choose the thinges which God would, rather then which he condescending to mans weakenes alloweth. Such an Eunuch (saith he) elegit quæ Dominus voluit, vt plus offerat quam præceptum est, hath chosen the thinges which our Lord would, to offer more then is commanded. And such an Eunuch (keping also Gods commandments) shal haue locum optimum, a chief good place in Gods house, where be manie mansions, he shal be made a towre of our Lord, be placed in sacerdotali gradu, Priestlie degree, & in stead of carnal chrildren shal haue manie spiritual children. Thus S. Ierom. The like we might cite of a. S Ambrose in exhort. ad Virg. b. S. Augustini, l. de sancta virginitate. c. 24. & 25. c. S. Gregorie. 3. p. Pastorali c. 29. &c. & others so expounding this prophecie.
The reading text follows the 1582 first edition.