Sunday Canticle: Isaiah 33:13-18

Today I want to continue my Sunday series on the canticles used in the third Nocturn at Matins in the Benedictine Office.

The second of the three canticles used during time throughout the year picks up a few verses after the first, and consists of Isaiah 33:13-18a.

Isaiah 33:13-18

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
1 Audite, qui longe estis, quæ fecerim; et cognoscite, vicini, fortitudinem meam.	Hear, you that are far off, what I have done, and you that are near know my strength
2 Conterriti sunt in Sion peccatores; possedit tremor hypocritas	The sinners in Sion are afraid, trembling hath seized upon the hypocrites.
3 Quis poterit habitare de vobis cum igne devorante? quis habitabit ex vobis cum ardoribus sempiternis?	Which of you can dwell with devouring fire? which of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
4 Qui ambulat in justitiis et loquitur veritatem, qui projicit avaritiam ex calumnia, et excutit manus suas ab omni munere,	He that walketh in justices, and speaketh truth, that casteth away avarice by oppression, and shaketh his hands from all bribes,
5 Qui obturat aures suas ne audiat sanguinem, et claudit oculos suos ne videat malum.	that stoppeth his ears lest he hear blood, and shutteth his eyes that he may see no evil.
6 Iste in excelsis habitabit; munimenta saxorum sublimitas ejus: panis ei datus est, aquæ ejus fideles sunt.	He shall dwell on high, the fortifications of rocks shall be his highness: bread is given him, his waters are sure.
7 Regem in decore suo videbunt oculi ejus, cernent terram de longe. Cor tuum meditabitur timorem:	His eyes shall see the king in his beauty, they shall see the land far off.  Thy heart shall meditate fear:

The previous canticle of the day asked for God's blessings and protection for his people in the face of external threats - the destroyer who, we are told will himself be destroyed - and points to the evidence of God's judgment on those external enemies.

Today's canticle takes us closer to home: it opens with a warning of the fate of those nominally within the Church, but who are in fact hypocrites: 'the sinners of Sion'.

But it quickly moves to a more positive note, telling us what we must do if we want to dwell in holy city where, as the Knox translation puts it, "bread shall be his for the asking, water from an unfailing spring. Those eyes shall look on the king in his royal beauty, have sight of a land whose frontiers are far away."

What must we do? Pursue justice; speak truth; reject greed and avarice; avoid listening or looking at things that will lead us astray; cultivate a healthy fear of the Lord wherein lies the beginning of wisdom.

Sunday Canticles: Isaiah 33:2-10

Over the last few Sundays I've been taking a  quick look at the Canticles used in the Benedictine Office at Matins, and today's is the first canticle used in time throughout the year, taken from Isaiah 33:2-10.

Sunday Canticles

Isaiah 33:2-10 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
1. Domine, miserere nostri, te enim exspectavimus; esto brachium nostrum in mane, et salus nostra in tempore tribulationis.	O Lord, have mercy on us: for we have waited for thee: be thou our arm in the morning, and our salvation in the time of trouble.
2. A voce angeli fugerunt populi, et ab exaltatione tua dispersæ sunt gentes.	At the voice of the angel the people fled, and at the lifting up thyself the nations are scattered.
3. Et congregabuntur spolia vestra sicut colligitur bruchus, velut cum fossæ plenæ fuerint de eo.	And your spoils shall be gathered together as the locusts are gathered, as when the ditches are full of them.
4. Magnificatus est Dominus, quoniam habitavit in excelso; implevit Sion judicio et justitia.	The Lord is magnified, for he hath dwelt on high: he hath filled Sion with judgment and justice.
5. Et erit fides in temporibus tuis: divitiæ salutis sapientia et scientia; timor Domini ipse est thesaurus ejus.	And there shall be faith in thy times: riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.
6. Ecce videntes clamabunt foris; angeli pacis amare flebunt.	Behold they that see shall cry without, the angels of peace shall weep bitterly.
7. Dissipatæ sunt viæ, cessavit transiens per semitam: irritum factum est pactum, projecit civitates, non reputavit homines.	The ways are made desolate, no one passeth by the road, the covenant is made void, he hath rejected the cities, he hath not regarded the men.
8. Luxit et elanguit terra; confusus est Libanus, et obsorduit	The land hath mourned, and languished: Libanus is confounded and become foul
9. et factus est Saron sicut desertum, et concussa est Basan, et Carmelus.	and Saron is become as a desert: and Basan and Carmel are shaken
10. Nunc consurgam, dicit Dominus; nunc exaltabor, nunc sublevabor.	Now will I rise up, saith the Lord: now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself.

To set the canticle in its Biblical context, the lead in to the canticle is:

"Woe to you, destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed; you treacherous one,
with whom none has dealt treacherously! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have made an end of dealing treacherously, you will be dealt with treacherously. O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for thee...(RSV)

The Canticle itself opens with a prayer acknowledging God's power over all things, and asking for his protection from those who would attack us.  It asks for the gifts of the spirit - wisdom and knowledge and fear of the Lord  - to be bestowed on those who live in the Church (Sion).

Those outside the Church, it goes on, shall suffer divine punishment: the words on the destruction of Lebanon [here Saron], Basan and Carmel are echoed in Nahum 1:4 and Amos 1:2

Verses 13-18 of Isaiah 33 are the second Canticle of Sunday Matins in time throughout the year, so I'll aim to look at it next week.