Verse 7. Verse 8. Verse 9.

hath come down upon me; and they taught me to worship your idols, and to walk in your laws: but the Lord of the world, who is my God, I have not served, nor walked in his commandments, nor have I kept his statutes and his law.

Verse 7. Tell me, O thou, &c.] When the time of Moses the prophet was come, to {y} depart out of the world, he said before the Lord, It is revealed unto me that this people will sin, and go into captivity; now show me how they shall be governed and dwell among the nations, whose decrees are grievous as the heat, and as the searchings of the sun at noon, in the {z} summer solstice; and wherefore it is that they shall wander among the flocks of the sons of Esau and Ishmael, who join to thee their idols, for companions.

Verse 8. If thou know not, &c.] The holy blessed God said to Moses the prophet, It is their desire to smite the captivity of the congregation of Israel, which is like to a fair damsel: but my soul loveth her, therefore let her walk in the ways of the righteous, and let her order her prayer according to the direction of her governors, and let her lead her posterity, and teach her children, which are like to the kids of the goats, to go to the synagogue, and the school; and by that righteousness they shall be governed in the captivity, until the time that I send the King Messiah, and he shall lead them quietly to their habitations; yea, he shall bring them to the house of the sanctuary, which David and Solomon, the shepherds of Israel, built for them.

Verse 9. To a company of horses, &c.] When Israel went out of Egypt, Pharaoh and his host pursued after them with chariots and horsemen, and their way was shut up on the four sides of them; on the right hand and on the left were wildernesses full of fiery serpents, and behind them was wicked Pharaoh and his army, and before them was the Red Sea. What did the holy blessed God do? He was manifested in the power of his might upon the Red Sea, and dried the sea up; but the mud he did not dry up. The wicked and the mixed multitude, and the strangers which were among them, said, The waters of the sea he is able to dry up; but the mud he is not able to dry up. In that very hour the fierce anger of the Lord came upon them; and he sought to drown them in the waters of the sea, as Pharaoh and his army, his chariots, and his horsemen, and his horses, were drowned; had it not been for Moses, the prophet, who spread his hands in prayer before the Lord, and turned away the anger of the Lord from them. Then he and the righteous of that generation opened their mouths, and sang a song, and passed through the Red Sea on dry land, because of the righteousness of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the beloved of the Lord. Verse 10. Thy cheeks are comely, &c.] When they went out into the wilderness, the Lord said to Moses, How fair is this people; that the words of the law should be given unto them; and they shall be as bridles in their jaws, that they may not depart out of the good way, as a horse turneth not aside that has a bridle in his jaw; and how fair is their neck to bear {a1} the yoke of my commandments; and it shall be upon them as a yoke upon the neck of a bullock, which plougheth in the field, and feeds both itself and its master!

Verse 11. We will make thee borders of gold, &c.] Then was it said to Moses, Go up into the firmament, and I will give thee the two tables of stone, hewed out of the {b1} sapphire of the throne of my glory, shining as the best gold, disposed in rows, written with my finger, in which are engraven the {c1} ten words, purer than silver that is purified seven times seven, which is the number of the things explained in them, {d1} forty-nine ways; and they shall be given by thine hand unto the people of the house of Israel.

Verse 12. While the king sitteth, &c.] Whilst Moses their master was in the firmament, to receive the two tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments, the wicked of that generation, and the mixed multitude that was among them, rose up and made a golden calf, and caused their works to stink; and there went out an evil report of them in the world, for before this time a fragrant odour of them was diffused in the world: but afterwards they stank like {e1} nard, whose smell is very bad; and the plague of leprosy came down upon their flesh.

Verse 13. A bundle of myrrh, &c.] At that time the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, for the people have corrupted themselves; desist from speaking to me, and I will destroy them. Then Moses returned and asked mercy of the Lord; and the Lord remembered for them the {f1} binding of Isaac, whom his father bound on {g1} Mount Moriah, upon the altar; and the Lord turned from his fierce anger, and caused his shechinah to dwell among them as before.

Verse 14. A cluster of camphire, &c.] Lo, then went Moses down with the two tables of stone in his hands; and because of the sins of Israel his