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

CAP. IX.

[verse 1] Who schal ȝyue watir to myn heed, and a welle of teeris to myn iȝen? And Y schal biwepe dai and niȝt the slayn men of the douȝter of my puple. [verse 2] Who schal ȝyue me in to a wildirnesse of dyuerse weigoeris? And I schal forsake my puple, and Y schal go awei fro hem. For whi alle ben auowteris, and the cumpenyes of tres|passouris [verse 3] aȝens the lawe; and thei helden forth her tunge as a bouwe of leesyng, and not of treuthe Thei ben coumfortid in erthe, for thei ȝeden out fro yuel to yuel, and thei knewen not me, seith the Lord. [verse 4] Ech man kepe hym fro his neiȝ|bore, and haue no trist in ony brother of hym; for whi ech brother disseyuyng schal disseyue, and ech frend schal go gilefuli. [verse 5] And a man schal scorne his brother, and schal not speke treuthe; for thei tauȝten her tunge to speke leesyng; thei traueliden to do wickidli. [verse 6] Thi dwell|yng is in the myddis of gile; in gile thei forsoken to knowe me, seith the Lord. [verse 7] Therfor the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal welle togidere, and Y schal preue hem; for whi what other thing schal Y do fro the face of the douȝ|ter of my puple? [verse 8] The tunge of hem is an arowe woundynge, and spak gile; in his mouth he spekith pees with his frend, and priueli he settith tresouns to hym. [verse 9] Whether Y schal not visite on these thingis, seith the Lord, ether schal not my soule take veniaunce on siche a folc? [verse 10] On hillis Y schal take wepyng and mourn|yng, and weilyng on the faire thingis of

desert, for tho [thei N.] ben brent; for no man is passynge forth, and thei herden not the vois of hym that weldith; fro a brid of the eir `til to [vnto I.] scheep, tho [thei N.] passiden ouer, and ȝeden awei. [verse 11] And Y schal ȝyue Jeru|salem in to heepis of grauel, and in to dennes of dragouns; and Y schal ȝyue the citees of Juda in to desolacioun, for ther is no dwellere. [verse 12] Who is a wise man that schal vndurstonde these thingis, and to whom the word of the mouth of the Lord schal be maad, that he telle this? Whi the erthe perischide, it is brent as desert, for noon is that passith? [verse 13] And the Lord seide, For thei forsoken my lawe, which Y ȝaf to hem, and thei herden not my [verse 14] vois, and thei ȝeden not therynne; and thei ȝeden aftir the schrewidnesse of her herte, and aftir Baalym, which thei lern|eden [verse 15] of her fadris; therfor the Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal fede this puple with wermod, and Y schal ȝyue to hem drynke the watir of galle. [verse 16] And Y schal scatere hem among hethene men, whiche thei and her fadris knewen not; and Y schal sende swerd aftir hem, til thei ben wastid. [verse 17] The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Biholde ȝe, and clepe ȝe wymmen `that weilen [weileressis CEFGHKMNPQRSUVX. weilsteris I.] , and come thei; and sende ȝe to tho wymmen that ben wise, and haste thei. [verse 18] Haste thei, and take thei weilynge on ȝou; ȝoure iȝen brynge doun teeris, and [verse 19] ȝoure iȝelidis flowe with watris; for the vois of weilyng is herd fro Sion. Hou ben we distried, and schent greetli? for we han forsake the lond, for oure tabernaclis ben forsakun. [verse 20] Therfor, wymmen, here ȝe the word of the Lord, and ȝoure eeris take the word of his mouth; and teche ȝe ȝoure douȝtris weilyng, and ech womman teche hir neiȝbore mournyng. [verse 21] For whi deth stiede bi ȝoure wyndows, it entride in to ȝoure housis, to leese litle children with

outforth, and ȝonge men fro the stretis. [verse 22] Speke thou, the Lord seith, these thingis, And the deed bodi of a man schal fal doun as a toord on the face of the cun|trei, and as hei bihynde [aftir CEFGHIKMNPQRSUVX.] the bak of the mowere, and noon is [ther is I.] that gaderith. [verse 23] The Lord seith these thingis, A wise man haue not glorie in his wisdom, and a strong man haue not glorie in his strengthe, and a riche man haue not glorie in hise rich|essis; [verse 24] but he that hath glorie, haue glorie in this, to wite and knowe me, for Y am the Lord, that do merci and dom and riȝtfulnesse in erthe. For whi these thingis plesen me, seith the Lord. [verse 25] Lo! daies comen, seith the Lord, and Y schal visite on ech man that hath prepucie vncircum|cidid; [verse 26] on Egipt, and on Juda, and on Edom, and on the sones of Amon, and on Moab, and on alle men that ben clippid on long heer, and dwellen in desert; for whi alle hethene men han prepucie, for|sothe al the hous of Israel ben vncircum|cidid [circumcidid N.] in herte.