THE JEWS SCATTERED (VERSE NO. 167 - 168)

      This verse alludes to some of the wordly retributions afflicted the Jews for their disobdience, and breaking their covenant with our Lord:

      ``And remember when your Lord declared that He would raise against them, up to the Day of Doom, he who will afflict them with grievous torment. Your Lord is swift in retribution, but He is also Often-Forgiving and Most Compassionate.''

      God's attributes of Mercy at the ending of the verse, imply that the doors of repentance and reconciliation, between them and their Merciful Lord is never closed up, but what then if they want to remain obstinate and stubborn?

      The next verse points at the dispersal of the Jews which is a great admonitory lesson in the history of mankind. It is a fact that they have always been scattered here and there, among various nations, throughout the world! They have always been persecuted by this king and that leader; such as NEBUCHADNEZZAR, the Chaldean king (526 B.C.) and Adolf Hitler of Germany (1941). Even now that a group of them are united to some extent, and have settled in where they call it the promised land, their persecution is not ended, and seems to be everlasting!

THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE

      The object of the above mentioned verse, which is the consequences of the Israelites disobediences and defiance of God's commandments; has also been described with much more details in the Bible. From the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28. The following are some quotations:

      But if you disoby the Lord your God, and do not faithfully keep all his commands and Laws that I am giving you today, all these evil things will happen to you: 28: 16

      The Lord will curse your towns and your fields. 28: 20

      If you do evil and reject the Lord, He will bring on you disaster, confusion, and trouble in everything you do, until you are quickly and completely destroyed. 28: 21

      The Lord will give your enemies victory over you. You will attack them from one direction, but you will run from them in all directions, and all the people on the earth will be terrified when they see what happens to you! 28: 36

      The Lord will take you and your king away to a foreign land where neither you nor your ancestor ever lived before. There you will serve gods made of wood and stones. In the countries to which the Lord will scatter you, the people will be shocked at what has happened to you! They will make fun of you and ridicule you. 28: 43

      Foreigners who live in your lands will gain more and more power, while you gradually lose yours. 28: 49

      The Lord will bring against you a nation from the ends of the earth whose language you do not understand. They will be ruthless and show no mercy to any one, young or old. 28: 64

      The Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. 28: 65

      You will find no peace any where, and no place to call it your own! 28: 66

      Your life will always be in danger, Day and night you will be filled with terror, and you will have a constant fear of death.   TRANSLATOR'S NOTE