The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XLIV.

[verse 1] And now, Jacob, my seruaunt, here thou, and Israel, whom I chees. [verse 2] The Lord makynge and forȝyuynge thee, thin helpere fro the wombe, seith these thingis, My seruaunt, Jacob, nyle thou drede, and thou moost riȝtful, whom Y chees. [verse 3] For Y schal schede out watris on the thirsti, and floodis on the dry lond; Y schal schede out my spirit on thi seed, and my bless|yng on thi generacioun. [verse 4] And thei schulen buriowne among erbis, as salewis bisidis rennynge watris. [verse 5] This man schal seie, Y am of the Lord, and he schal clepe in the name of Jacob; and this man schal write with his hoond to the Lord, and schal be licned in the name of Israel. [verse 6] The Lord, kyng of Israel, and aȝenbiere therof, the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Y am the firste and Y am the laste, and with outen me is no God. [verse 7] Who is lijk me? clepe he, and telle, and declare ordre to me, sithen [sith I.] Y made elde puple; telle he to hem thingis to comynge, and that schu|len be. [verse 8] Nyle ȝe drede, nether be ȝe dis|turblid; fro that tyme Y made thee for to here, and Y telde; ȝe ben my witnessis. Whethir a God is with out me, and a formere, whom Y knew not? [verse 9] Alle the fourmeris of an idol ben no thing, and the moost louyd thingis of hem schulen not profite; thei ben witnessis of tho [hem N.] , that tho [thei N.] seen not, nether vndurstonden, that thei be schent. [verse 10] Who fourmyde a god, and ȝet|ide an ymage, not profitable to ony thing?

[verse 11] Lo! alle the parteneris therof schulen be schent; for the smythis ben of men. Whanne alle schulen come, thei schulen stonde, and schulen drede, and schulen be schent to|gidere. [verse 12] A smith wrouȝte with a file; he fourmyde it in coolis, and in hameris, and he wrouȝte with the arm of his strengthe. He schal be hungri, and he schal faile; he schal not drynke watre, and he schal be feynt. [verse 13] A carpenter stretchide forth a reule, he fourmyde it with an adese [alle, ether a ioynours hook K sec. m.] ; he made it in the corner places, and he turn|ede it in cumpas; and he made the ymage of a man, as a fair man, dwellynge in the hous. [verse 14] He kittide doun cedris, he took an hawthorn, and an ook, that stood among the trees of the forest; he plauntide a pyne apple tre, which he nurschide with [verse 15] reyn, and it was maad in to fier to men. He took of tho, and was warmed, and he brente, and bakide [book I.] looues; but of the residue he wrouȝte a god, and worschip|ide it [Om. CEFGHKMNPQRSUVX.] , and he made a grauun ymage, and he was bowid bifore that. [verse 16] He brente the myddil therof with fier, and of the myddil therof he sethide fleischis, and eet; he [and he N.] sethide potage [potagis K.] , and was fillid; and he was warmed, and he seide, Wel! Y am warmed; Y siȝ fier. [verse 17] Forsothe the residue therof he made a god, and a grauun ymage to hym silf; he is bowide bifore that, and worschipith that, and bi|sechith, and seith, Delyuere thou me, for thou art my god. [verse 18] Thei knewen not, ne|ther vndurstoden, for thei han forȝete, that her iȝe se not, and that thei vndurstonde not with her [Om. N.] herte. [verse 19] Thei bythenken not in her soule, nether thei knowen, nether thei feelen, that thei seie, Y brente the myddil therof in fier, and Y bakide looues on the coolis therof, and Y sethide fleischis, and eet; and of the residue therof schal Y make an idol? schal Y falle doun bifore the stok of a tree? [verse 20] A part therof is aische; an vnwijs herte schal worschipe it, and he

schal not delyuere his soule, nether he schal seie, A strong leesyng is in my riȝt|hond. [verse 21] Thou, Jacob, and Israel, haue mynde of these thingis, for thou art my seruaunt; Y formyde thee, Israel, thou art my ser|uaunt; thou schalt not forȝete me. [verse 22] Y dide awei thi wickidnessis as a cloude, and thi synnes as a myist; turne thou aȝen to me, for Y aȝenbouȝte thee. [verse 23] Ȝe heuenes, herie, for the Lord hath do merci; the laste partis of erth, synge ȝe hertli song; hillis, sowne ȝe preisyng; the forest and [of N.] ech tre therof, herie God; for the Lord aȝen|bouȝte Jacob, and Israel schal haue glorie. [verse 24] The Lord, thin aȝenbiere, and thi fourmere fro the wombe, seith these thingis, Y am the Lord, makynge alle thingis, and Y aloone stretche forth heuenes, and stablische [verse 25] the erthe, and noon is with me; and Y make voide the signes of false dyuynours, and Y turne in to woodnesse dyuynours, that dyuynen by sacrifices offrid to feendis; and Y turne wise men bacward, and Y make her science fonned. [verse 26] And the Lord reisith the word of his seruaunt, and fillith the councel of hise messangeris; and Y seie [seie to CFGHIKMNPQRSUX. seide to E.] , Jerusalem, thou schalt be enhabitid [enhauncid E.] ; and to the citees of Juda, Ȝe schulen be bildid, [verse 27] and Y schal reise the desertis therof; and Y seie to the depthe, Be thou desolat, and [verse 28] Y shal make drie thi floodis; and Y seie to Cirus, Thou art my scheepherde, and thou schalt fille al my wille; and Y seie to Jerusalem, Thou schalt be bildid; and to the temple, Thou schalt be foundid.