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

CAP. V.

[verse 1] Cumpasse ȝe the weies of Jerusalem, and loke, and biholde ȝe, and seke ȝe in the stretis therof, whether ȝe fynden a man doynge doom, and sekynge feith; and Y schal be merciful to hem. [verse 2] That if also thei seien, The Lord lyueth, ȝhe, thei schulen swere this falsli. [verse 3] Lord, thin iȝen biholden feith; thou hast smyte hem, and thei maden not sorewe; thou hast al to|broke hem, and thei forsoken to take chastisyng; thei maden her faces hardere than a stoon, and nolden [wolden not I.] turne aȝen. [verse 4] Forsothe Y seide, In hap thei ben pore men, and foolis, that knowen not the weie of the Lord, and the doom of her God. [verse 5] Therfor Y schal go to the principal men, and Y schal speke to hem; for thei knewen the weie of the Lord, and the doom of her God. And lo! thei han more broke togidere the ȝok, and han broke boondis. [verse 6] Therfor a lioun of the wode smoot hem; a wolf at euentid wastide hem, a parde wakynge on the citees of hem. Ech man that goith out of hem, schal be takun; for the tres|passyngis of hem ben multiplied, the turnyngis awei of hem ben coumfortid. [verse 7] On what thing mai Y be merciful to thee? Thi sones han forsake me, and sweren bi hem that ben not goddis. Y fillide hem, and thei diden auowtrie, and in the hous of an hoore thei diden letcherie. [verse 8] Thei ben maad horsis, and stalouns, louyeris to wymmen; ech man neiȝede to the wijf of his neiȝbore. [verse 9] Whether Y schal not visite on these thingis, seith the Lord, and schal not my soule take veniaunce in [on N.] siche a folk? [verse 10] Stye ȝe on [up on I.] the wallis ther|of, and distrie ȝe; but nyle ȝe make an endyng. Do ȝe awei the siouns therof, for thei ben not seruauntis of the Lord. [verse 11] For whi the hous of Israel and the hous of Juda hath trespassid bi trespassyng [verse 12] aȝens me, seith the Lord; thei denyeden

the Lord, and seiden, He is not, nether yuel schal come on vs; we schulen not se swerd and hungur. [verse 13] The profetis spaken aȝens the wynd, and noon answer was in hem; therfor these thingis schulen come to hem. [verse 14] The Lord God of oostis seith these thingis, For ȝe spaken this word, lo! Y ȝyue my wordis in thi mouth in to fier, and this puple in to trees, and it schal deuoure hem. [verse 15] Lo! thou hous of Israel, seith the Lord, Y schal brynge on ȝou a folk fro fer; a strong folk, an eeld folk, `a folk [Om. I.] whos langage thou schalt not knowe, nether schalt vndurstonde what it spekith. [verse 16] The arowe caas therof is as [Om. CFGMQ.] an opyn sepulcre; alle ben stronge men. [verse 17] And it schal ete thi cornes, and it schal deuoure thi breed, thi sones and thi douȝtris; it schal ete thi flok, and thi droues, it schal ete also thi vyner, and thi fige tre; and it schal al to-breke thi stronge citees bi [with I.] swerd, in whiche thou hast trist. [verse 18] Netheles in tho daies, seith the Lord, Y schal not make ȝou in to endyng. [verse 19] That if ȝe seien, Whi hath oure Lord God do alle these thingis to vs? thou schalt seie to hem, As ȝe forsoken me, and serueden an alien god in ȝoure lond, so ȝe schulen serue alien goddis in a lond not ȝoure. [verse 20] Telle ȝe this to the hous of Jacob, and make ȝe herd in Juda, and [verse 21] seie ȝe, Here, thou fonned puple, that hast noon herte; whiche han iȝen, and seen not, and eeris, and heren not. [verse 22] Therfor schulen not ȝe drede me, seith the Lord, and schulen not ȝe make sorewe for my face? Whiche haue set grauel a [to be a I.] terme, ether ende, to the see, an euerlastynge comaundement, whiche it schal not passe; and the wawis therof schulen be mouyd, and schulen not haue power; and schulen wexe greet, and schulen not passe it. [verse 23] Forsothe an herte vnbileueful and ter|rynge to wraththe is maad to this puple; [verse 24] thei departiden, and ȝeden awei, and thei

seiden not in her herte, Drede we oure Lord God, that ȝiueth to vs reyn tymeful, and lateful in his tyme; that kepith to vs the plente of heruest of the ȝeer. [verse 25] Ȝoure wickidnessis diden awei these thingis, and ȝoure synnes forbediden good fro ȝou. [verse 26] For ther ben foundun in my puple wickid men, settynge tresoun, as fouleres settynge snaris and trappis, to take men. [verse 27] As a net, ether a trap, ful of briddis, so the housis of hem ben ful of gile. Therfor [verse 28] thei ben magnefied, and maad riche, maad fat with ynne, and maad fat with out|forth, and thei passiden worst my wordis; thei demyden not a [the I.] cause of a widewe, thei dressiden not the cause of a fadirles child, and thei demyden not the doom of pore men. [verse 29] Whether Y schal not visite on these thingis, seith the Lord, ether schal not my soule take veniaunce on sich a folk? [verse 30] Wondur and merueilouse thingis [verse 31] ben maad in the lond; profetis profesi|eden leesyng, and prestis ioieden with her hondis, and my puple louyde siche thingis. What therfor schal be don in the laste thing therof?