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

CAP. XXII.

[verse 1] The Lord seith these thingis, Go thou doun in to the hous of the kyng of Juda, and thou schalt speke there this word, [verse 2] and schalt seie, Thou kyng of Juda, that sittist on the seete of Dauid, here the word of the Lord, thou, and thi ser|uauntis, and thi puple, that entren bi these ȝatis. [verse 3] The Lord seith these thingis, Do ȝe doom, and riȝtfulnesse, and delyuere ȝe hym that is oppressid bi violence fro the hond of the fals chalenger; and nyle ȝe make sori, nether oppresse ȝe wickidli a comelyng, and a fadirles child, and a wi|dewe, and schede ȝe not out innocent blood in this place. [verse 4] For if ȝe doynge don this word, kyngis of the kyn of Dauid sit|tynge on his trone schulen entre bi the ȝatis of this hous, and schulen [thei schul I.] stie on charis and horsis, thei, and the seruauntis, and the puple of hem. [verse 5] That if ȝe heren not these wordis, Y swoore in my silf, seith the Lord, that this hous schal be in to wildirnesse. [verse 6] For the Lord seith these thingis on the hous of the kyng of Juda, Galaad, thou art to me the heed of the Liban; credence be not ȝouun to me, if Y sette not thee a wildirnesse, citees vn|habitable. [verse 7] And Y schal halewe on thee a man sleynge, and hise armuris; and thei schulen kitte doun thi chosun cedris, and schulen caste doun in to fier. [verse 8] And many folkis schulen passe bi this citee, and ech man schal seie to his neiȝbore, Whi dide the Lord thus to this greet citee? [verse 9] And thei schulen answere, For thei forsoken the couenaunt of her Lord God, and wor|schipiden alien goddis, and serueden hem. [verse 10] Nyle ȝe biwepe hym that is deed, nether weile ȝe on hym bi wepyng; biweile ȝe hym that goith out, for he schal no more turne aȝen, nether he schal se the lond of his birthe. [verse 11] For the Lord seith these thingis to Sellum, the sone of Josie, the

kyng of Juda, that regnede for Josye, his fadir, He that ȝede out of this place, schal [verse 12] no more turne aȝen hidur; but in the place to which Y [Y haue I.] translatide him, there he schal die, and he schal no more se this lond. [verse 13] Wo to him that bildith his hous in vnriȝtfulnesse, and his soleris not in doom; he schal oppresse his freend in veyn, and he schal not ȝelde his hire to hym. [verse 14] Which [The which I.] seith, Y schal bilde to me a large hous, and wide soleris; which openeth wyndows to hym silf, and makith couplis of cedre, and peyntith with reed colour. [verse 15] Whether thou schalt regne, for thou comparisonest thee to a cedre? whe|ther thi fadir eet not, and drank, and dide doom and riȝtfulnesse thanne, whanne it was wel to hym? [verse 16] He demyde the cause of a pore man, and nedi, in to his good; whether not therfor for he knew me? seith the Lord. [verse 17] Forsothe thin iȝen and herte ben to aueryce, and to schede inno|cent blood, and to fals caleng, and to the perfourmyng of yuel werk. [verse 18] Therfor the Lord seith these thingis to Joachym, the [Om. N.] sone of Josie, the kyng of Juda, Thei schulen not biweile hym, Wo brother! and wo sistir! thei schulen not sowne togidere to hym, Wo lord! and wo noble man! [verse 19] He schal be biried with the biriyng of an asse, he schal be rotun, and cast forth without the ȝatis of Jerusalem. [verse 20] Stie thou on the Liban, and cry thou, and ȝyue thi vois in Basan, and cry to hem that passen forth, for alle thi louyeris ben al to-brokun. [verse 21] Y spak to thee in thi plentee, and thou seidist, Y schal not here; this is thi weie fro thi ȝongthe, for thou herdist not my vois. [verse 22] Wynd schal feede alle thi scheepherdis, and thi louyeris schulen go [verse 23] in to caitifte; and thanne thou that sittist in the Liban, and makist nest in cedris, schalt be schent, and be [Om. I.] aschamed of al thi malice. Hou weilidist thou, whanne sorewis weren comun to thee, as the so|rew

of a womman trauelynge of child? [verse 24] I lyue, seith the Lord, for thouȝ Jeconye, the sone of Joachym, kyng of Juda, were a ring in my riȝt hond, fro thennus Y schal drawe awei hym. [verse 25] And Y schal ȝyue thee in the hond of hem that seken thi lijf, and in the hond of hem whos face thou dredist, and in the hond of Nabugo|donosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and in the hond of Caldeis. [verse 26] And Y schal sende thee, and thi moder that gendride thee, in to an alien lond, in which ȝe weren not [verse 27] borun, and there ȝe schulen die; and thei schulen not turne aȝen in to the lond, to which thei reisen her soule, that thei turne aȝen thidur. [verse 28] Whether this man Jeconye is an erthene vessel, and al to|brokun? whether a vessel withouten al likyng? Whi ben he and his seed cast awei, and cast forth in to a lond which thei knewen not? [verse 29] Erthe, erthe, erthe, here thou the word of the Lord. [verse 30] The Lord seith these thingis, Write thou this man bareyn, a man that schal not haue prosperite in hise daies; for of his seed schal be no man, that schal sitte on the seete of Dauid, and haue powere ferthere in Juda.