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

CAP. XXIII.

[verse 1] Wo to the scheepherdis, that scateren and to-drawen the floc of my lesewe, seith the Lord. [verse 2] Therfor the Lord God of Is|rael seith these thingis to the scheepherdis, that feeden my puple, Ȝe han scaterid my floc, and han cast hem out, and han not visitid hem; lo! Y schal visite on ȝou the malice of [on N.] ȝoure studies, seith the Lord. [verse 3] And Y schal gadere togidere the reme|nauntis of my floc fro alle londis, to whiche Y schal caste hem out thidur; and Y schal turne hem to her feeldis, and thei schulen encreesse, and schulen be multi|plied. [verse 4] And Y schal reise [reise vp I.] schepherdis on hem, and thei schulen feede hem; thei schulen no more drede, and schulen not be aferd; and noon schal be souȝt of the

noumbre seith the Lord. [verse 5] Lo! daies comen, seith the Lord, and Y schal reise a iust buriownyng [buriouning, ether seed EFGHIKMNPQRSUVX.] to Dauid; and he schal regne a [Om. CEFGHKMNPQRSUVX.] kyng, and he schal be wijs, and he schal make doom and riȝt|fulnesse in erthe. [verse 6] In tho daies Juda schal be sauid, and Israel schal dwelle tristili; and this is the name which thei schulen clepe hym, The Lord oure riȝtful. [verse 7] For this thing lo! daies comen, seith the Lord, and thei schulen no more seie, The Lord lyueth, that ledde the sones of Israel out [verse 8] of the lond of Egipt; but, The Lord lyueth, that ledde out, and brouȝte the seed of the hous of Israel fro the lond of the north, and fro alle londis to whiche Y hadde cast hem out thidur; and thei schulen dwelle in her lond. [verse 9] To the prophetis; Myn herte is contrit [contrit, ether al to|brokun for sorewe CEFGHIKMNPQRSUVXY.] in the myddis of me, alle my boonys trembliden togidere; Y am maad as a man drunkun, and as a man weet of wyn, of the face of the Lord, and of the [verse 10] face of the hooli wordis of hym; for the lond is fillid with auowteris. For the erthe mourenede of the face of cursyng; the feeldis of desert ben maad drie, the cours of hem is maad yuel, and her strengthe is vnlijk. [verse 11] For whi the profete and the prest ben defoulid; and in myn hous, seith the Lord, Y foond the yuel of hem. [verse 12] Therfor the weie of hem schal be as slidur [slidur thing I.] in derknessis, for thei schulen be hurtlid [hurtlid, ether schouun CEFGHIKMNPQRSUVX.] , and schulen [thei schul I.] falle doun therynne; for Y schal bringe on hem yuels, the ȝeer of visitacioun of hem, seith the Lord. [verse 13] And in the profetis of Samarie Y siȝ fonned|nesse, and thei profesieden in Baal, and disseyueden my puple Israel. [verse 14] And in the profetis of Jerusalem Y siȝ licnesse, auou|trie, and the weie of leesyng; and thei confortiden the hondis of the worste men, that ech man schulde not conuerte fro his malice; alle thei ben maad as Sodom to me, and alle the dwellers therof `ben

maad [Om. I.] as Gommorre. [verse 15] Therfor the Lord of oostis seith these thingis to the pro|phetis, Lo! Y schal feed hem with wermod, and Y schal ȝyue drynke to hem with galle; for whi defoulyng is goen out of the profetis of Jerusalem on al the lond. [verse 16] The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Nyle ȝe here the wordis of profetis, that profesien to ȝou, and disseyuen ȝou; thei speken the visioun of her herte, not of the mouth of the Lord. [verse 17] Thei seien to hem that blasfemen me, The Lord spak, Pees schal be to ȝou; and thei seiden to ech man that goith in the schrewidnesse of his herte, Yuel schal not come on ȝou. [verse 18] For whi who is present in the councel of the Lord, and siȝ, and herde his word? who bihelde, and herde the word of hym? [verse 19] Lo! the whirlewynd of the Lordis indigna|cioun schal go out, and tempest brekynge schal come on the heed of wickid men. [verse 20] The strong veniaunce of the Lord schal not turne aȝen, til that he do, and til that he fille the thouȝt of his herte. In the laste daies ȝe schulen vndurstonde the councel of hym. [verse 21] Y sente not the pro|fetis, and thei runnen; Y spak not to hem, and thei profesieden. [verse 22] If thei hadden stonde in my councel, and hadde maad knowun my wordis to my puple, forsothe Y hadde turned hem awei fro her yuel weie, and fro her worste thouȝtis. [verse 23] Gessist thou, whether Y am God of niȝ, seith the Lord, and not God afer? [verse 24] A man schal not be priuy in hid places, and Y schal not se hym, seith the Lord. Whether Y fille not heuene and erthe? seith the Lord. [verse 25] Y herde what thingis the profetis seiden, profesiynge a [Om. I.] leesyng in my name, and seiynge, Y dremede dremes. [verse 26] Hou longe is this thing in the herte of profetis, pro|fesiynge a [Om. I.] leesyng, and profesiynge the disseite of her herte? [verse 27] Whiche [the whiche I.] wolen make, that my puple forȝete my name for the dremes of hem, which [the whiche I.] ech man tell|ith to his neiȝbore, as the fadris of hem

forȝaten my name for Baal. [verse 28] A profete that hath a dreme, telle a dreem; and he that hath my word, speke verili my word. What is with chaffis to the wheete? seith the Lord. [verse 29] Whether my wordis ben not as fier brennynge, seith the Lord, and as an hamer al to-brekynge a stoon? [verse 30] Therfor lo! Y am redi to the profetis, seith the Lord, that stelen my wordis, ech man fro his neiȝbore. [verse 31] Lo! Y to the profetis, seith the Lord, that taken her tungis, and seien, The Lord seith. [verse 32] Lo! Y to the profetis, dremynge a [Om. I.] leesyng, seith the Lord; which telden tho [tho lesyngis I. hem N.] , and disseyueden my puple in her leesyng, and in her myraclis, whanne Y hadde not sente hem, nether hadde comaundide to hem; whiche pro|fitiden no thing to this puple, seith the Lord. [verse 33] Therfor if this puple, ether pro|fete, ether prest, axith thee, and seith, What is the birthun of the Lord? thou schalt seie to hem, Ȝe ben the birthun, for [verse 34] Y schal caste ȝou awei, seith the Lord; and a profete, and a prest, and the puple, that seith, The birthun of the Lord, Y schal visite on that man, and on his hous. [verse 35] Ȝe schulen seie these thingis, ech man to his neiȝbore, and to his brother, What an|sweride the Lord? and what spak the Lord? [verse 36] For the birthun of the Lord schal no more be remembrid, and the word of ech man schal be birthun to hym; and ȝe han peruertid the wordis of lyuynge God, of the Lord of oostis, ȝoure God. [verse 37] Thou schalt seie these thingis to the profete, What answeride the Lord to thee? and what spak the Lord? [verse 38] Forsothe if ȝe seien, The birthin of the Lord, for this thing the Lord seith these thingis, For ȝe seiden this word, The birthun of the Lord, and Y sente to ȝou, and Y seide, Nyle ȝe [verse 39] seie, The birthun of the Lord; therfor lo! Y schal take ȝou awei, and schal bere, and Y schal forsake ȝou, and the citee which Y ȝaf to ȝou, and to ȝoure fadris, fro my

face. [verse 40] And Y schal ȝyue ȝou in to euer|lastynge schenschipe, and in to euerlast|ynge sclaundir, that schal neuere be doon awei bi forȝetyng.