CAP. LIV.

[verse 1] Thou bareyn, that childist not, herie; thou that childist not, synge heriyng, and make ioie; for whi many sones ben of the*. [thee S.] forsakun `womman*. [Om. ceteri.] more than of hir that hadde hosebonde, seith the Lord. [verse 2] Alarge thou the place of thi tente, and stretche forth the skynnes of thi tabernaclis; spare thou not, make longe thi roopis, and make sad thi nailis. [verse 3] For thou schalt perse to the riȝtside and to the leftside; and thi seed schal enherite hethene men, and schal dwelle in forsakun citees. [verse 4] Nile thou drede, for thou schal not be schent, nether thou schalt be aschamed. For it schal not schame thee; for thou schalt forȝete the schen|schipe of thi ȝongthe, and thou schalt no more thenke on the schenschipe of thi widewehod. [verse 5] For he that made thee, schal be lord of thee; the Lord of oostis is his name; and thin aȝenbiere, the hooli of Israel, schal be clepid God of al erthe. [verse 6] For the Lord hath clepid thee as a wom|man forsakun and morenynge in spirit, and a wijf, `that is*. [Om. ceteri.] cast awei fro ȝongthe. [verse 7] Thi Lord God seide, At a poynt in litil Page  321 tyme Y forsook thee, and Y schal gadere thee togidere in greete merciful doyngis. [verse 8] In a moment of indignacioun Y hidde my face a litil fro thee, and in*. [in my IN pr. m.] merci euer|lastynge Y hadde merci on thee, seide thin aȝenbiere, the Lord*. [Lord, at a point in litel tyme I forsook thee, for al the tribulacion of this present lijf is as duringe in a moment, in comparisoun of heuenli coumfort. K.]. [verse 9] As in the daies of Noe, this thing is to me, to whom Y swoor, that Y schulde no more bringe watris of the greet flood on the erthe; so Y swoor, that Y*. [Y schal I.] be no more wrooth to thee, and that Y blame not thee. [verse 10] Forsothe hillis schulen be mouyd togidere, and litle hillis schulen tremble togidere; but my merci schal not go awei fro thee, and the boond of my pees schal not be mouyd, seide*. [seith N.] the*. [thi VX.] merciful doere, the Lord. [verse 11] Thou litle and pore, drawun out bi tempest, with outen ony coumfort, lo! Y schal strewe thi stoonys bi ordre, and Y schal founde [verse 12] thee in safiris; and Y schal sette*. [sette in safiris, and I schal sette I.] iaspis thi touris, and thi ȝatis in to*. [Om. C.] grauun stoonys, and alle thin eendis in to desirable stoonys. [verse 13] `Y schal make*. [Y schal sette CEGKMNPQRSUV. And Y schal sette FHIXY.] alle thi sones tauȝt of the Lord; and the multitude of [verse 14] pees to thi sones, and thou schalt be foundid in riȝtfulnesse. Go thou awei fer fro fals caleng, for thou schalt not drede; and fro drede, for it schal not neiȝe to thee. [verse 15] Lo! a straunger schal come, that was not with me; he, that was sum tyme thi comelyng, schal be ioyned to thee. [verse 16] Lo! Y made a smyth blowynge coolis in fier, and bringynge forth a vessel in to his werk; and Y haue maad a sleere, for to leese. [verse 17] Ech vessel which is maad aȝens thee, schal not be dressid; and in the doom thou schalt deme ech tunge aȝenstondynge thee. This is the eritage of the seruauntis of the Lord, and the riȝtfulnesse of hem at me, seith the Lord.