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

CAP. III.

[verse 1] It is seid comunli, If a man forsakith his wijf, and sche go [goith I.] awei fro hym, and be weddid to an othere hosebonde, whe|ther he schal turne aȝen more to hir? whether thilke womman schal not be de|foulid, and maad vncleene? Forsothe thou hast do fornycacioun with many

loueris; netheles turne thou aȝen to me, `seith the Lord [Om. A pr. m. CEFGHKMNPQRSUVX pr. m.] , and Y schal resseyue thee. [verse 2] Reise thin iȝen in to streiȝt, and se, where thou art not cast doun. Thou hast setun in weies, abidynge hem as a theef in wildirnesse, and thou hast defoulid the erthe in thi fornicaciouns and in thi ma|lices. [verse 3] Wherfor the dropis of reynes weren forbodun, and no late reyn was. The forhed of a womman hoore is maad to thee; thou noldist [woldist not I.] be aschamed. [verse 4] Nameli fro this tyme forth clepe thou me, Thou art my fadir, the ledere of my virginyte. [verse 5] Whether thou schalt be wrooth with outen ende, ether schalt contynue in to the ende? Lo! thou hast spoke, and hast do yuels, and thou were myȝti. And for wordis of penaunce thou blasfemydist bi wordis of pride; and thou fillidist thin yuel thouȝt, and schewidist thi strengthe aȝens thi hosebonde, that thou maist do that thing that thou tretidist bi word. [verse 6] And the Lord seide to me, in the daies of Josie, the kyng, Whether thou hast seyn what thing the aduersarie, Israel, hath do? Sche ȝede to hir silf on ech hiȝ hil, and vndur ech tre ful of boowis, and dide fornycacioun there. [verse 7] And Y seide, whanne sche hadde do alle these thingis, Turne thou aȝen to me; and sche turnede not aȝen. And hir sistir, Juda, [verse 8] brekere of the lawe, siȝ, that for the ad|uersarie, Israel, dide auowtrie, Y hadde left hir, and Y hadde ȝoue to hir a libel of forsakyng; and Juda, hir sistir, brekere of the lawe, dredde not, but also sche ȝede, and dide fornycacioun. [verse 9] And bi liȝt|nesse of hir fornicacioun sche defoulide the erthe, and dide auowtrie with a stoon, and with a tree. [verse 10] And in alle these thingis hir sistir, Juda, brekere of the lawe, turn|ede not aȝen to me, in al hir herte, but in a leesyng, seith the Lord God. [verse 11] And the Lord seide to me, The aduersarie, Israel, hath iustified hir soule, in comparisoun of

Juda, brekere of the lawe. [verse 12] Go thou, and crye these wordis aȝens the north; and thou schalt seie, Thou aduersarie, Israel, turne aȝen, seith the Lord, and Y schal not turne awei my face fro ȝou; for Y am hooli, seith the Lord, and Y schal not be wrooth with outen ende. [verse 13] Netheles knowe thou thi wickidnesse; for thou hast tres|passid aȝens thi Lord God, and thou hast spred abrood thi weies to aliens vndur ech tre ful of bowis; and thou herdist not my vois, seith the Lord. [verse 14] Be ȝe conuertid, sones, turnynge aȝen, seith the Lord, for Y am ȝoure hosebonde; and Y schal take ȝou oon of a citee, and tweyne of a kyn|rede, and Y schal lede ȝou in to Sion; [verse 15] and Y schal ȝyue to ȝou scheepherdis after myn herte, and thei schulen feede ȝou with kunnyng and teching. [verse 16] And whanne ȝe schulen be multiplied, and en|creesse in the lond, in tho daies, seith the Lord, thei schulen no more seie, The arke of testament of the Lord; nether it schal stie on [in N.] the herte, nether thei schulen thenke on it, nether it schal be visitid, nether it schal be ferthere. [verse 17] In that tyme thei schulen clepe Jerusalem The seete of the Lord, and alle hethene men schulen be gaderid togidere to it, in the name of the Lord, in Jerusalem; and thei schulen not go aftir the schrewidnesse of her worste herte. [verse 18] In tho daies the hous of Juda schal go to the hous of Israel; and thei schulen come togidere fro the lond of the north to the lond which Y ȝaf to ȝoure fadris. [verse 19] Forsothe Y seide, Hou schal Y sette thee among sones, and schal ȝyue to thee a desirable lond, a ful cleer eritage of the oostis of hethene men? And Y seide, Thou schalt clepe me fadir, and thou schalt not ceesse to entre aftir me. [verse 20] But as if a womman dispisith hir louyere, so the hous of Israel dispiside me, seith the Lord. [verse 21] A vois is herd in weies, the weping and ȝellyng of the sones of Israel; for thei maden wickid her weie, thei for|ȝaten

her Lord God. [verse 22] Be ȝe conuertid, sones, turnynge aȝen, and Y schal heele ȝoure turnyngis awei. Lo! we comen to thee; for thou art oure Lord God. [verse 23] Verili litil hillis weren lieris, the multitude of mounteyns was fals; verili in oure Lord God is the helthe of Israel. [verse 24] Schenschipe eete the trauel of oure fadris, fro oure ȝongthe; schenschipe eet the flockis of hem, and the droues of hem, the sones of hem, and the douȝtris of hem. [verse 25] We schu|len slepe in oure schenschipe, and oure sclaundir schal hile vs; for we synneden to oure Lord God, bothe we and oure fa|dris, fro oure ȝongthe `til to [vnto I.] this dai; and we herden not the vois of oure Lord God.