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

CAP. XL.

[verse 1] Beth coumfortid, beth coumfortid, ȝee my puple, seith ȝoure God. [verse 2] Speketh to the herte of Jerusalem, and clepeth to it, for ful endid [Om. A.] is his malice, forȝyuen is his wickidnesse [wickenesse E.] ; he toc of the hond of the Lord double thingus for alle his synnus. [verse 3] The vois of the criende in desert, Mak|eth redy the weie of the Lord, riȝt [riȝtful A.] mak|eth in wildernesse the sties of oure God. [verse 4] Eche valei shal be enhaunced, and eche monteyn `and hil [Om. AGHK.] shal be mekid; and ther shul be shreude thingus in to euene riȝt thingus, and sharpe thingus in to pleyne weies. [verse 5] And ther shal be opened the glorie of the Lord, and seen shal eche flesh togidere, that the mouth of the Lord spac. [verse 6] The vois of the Lord, seiende, Cry. And I seide, What shal I crien? Eche flesh hei, and al his glorie as the flower of the feld. [verse 7] Ful out dried is the hei, and the flour fel, for the spirit of the Lord bleȝ in it. Verely the [Om. C pr. m.] hei is [verse 8] the puple; ful out dried is the hei, and the flour fel; the wrd forsothe of the Lord dwelleth in to withouten ende. [verse 9] Vp on an hiȝ hil steȝ vp, thou that euange|lisist to [Om. E pr. m.] Sion; enhaunce in strengthe thi vois, thou that euangelisist to [Om. E pr. m.] Jeru|salem; enhaunce, and wile thou not drede; sei to the cites of Jude, Lo! ȝoure [oure E pr. m.] God. [verse 10] Lo! the Lord God in strengthe shal come, and his arm shal lordshipen; lo! his meede with hym, and his werc biforn

hym. [verse 11] As a shepperde `shal feede [fedeth E pr. m.] his floc, in his arm he shal gedere the lombis, and in his bosum shal reren; `the shep [Om. E pr. m.] ful of frut he shal bern. [verse 12] Who mesurede with handful watris, and he|uenes with the paume peisede? Who heeng [weide E pr. m. hongide E sec. m. AGHK.] vp with thre fingris the heuy|nesse [gobbe C pr. m. E pr. m.] of the [Om. AE sec. m. GHK.] erthe, and weȝede in peis the mounteynes, and the hilles in a bal|launce? [verse 13] Who [Whom GHK.] helpede [herde E pr. m.] the Spirit of the Lord, or who [who is E pr. m.] his counseiler was, and shewede to hym? [verse 14] With whom wente he in counseil, and enformede hym, and taȝte hym the stiȝ of riȝtwisnesse, and lerede hym with kunnyng, and the weie of prudence shewede to hym? [verse 15] Lo! Jen|tiles as a drope of a boket, and as mo|ment of a balaunce ben holden; lo! iles [verse 16] as litil pouder, and Liban shal not suf|fisen to brenne, and his bestus shuln not suffisen to brent sacrifice. [verse 17] Alle Jentiles as thei ben not, so thei ben bifor hym; and as noȝt and [and in veyn E pr. m.] inwardli voide thei ben holden to hym. [verse 18] To whom thanne lic hast thou mad God? or what ymage shul ȝee putte to hym? [verse 19] Whether the grauen thing shal the smith ȝeete, or the craftis [crafti C.] man with gold shall figure it, and with [Om. E pr. m.] siluerene plates the siluer smyth? [verse 20] The stronge tree, and the vnable to roten ches the wise craftes [crafty K.] man; he secheth what maner he sette the symulacre, that it moue not. [verse 21] Whether ȝee shul not wite? whether ȝee han not herd? whether not told to ȝou it is fro the bigynnyng? whether ȝee han not vnderstonde the foundemens of the erthe? [verse 22] That sitteth vp on the cumpas of the erthe, and his dwelleris ben as locustes; that streccheth out as noȝt heuenus, and spredeth abrod hem as tabernacle to indwelle [dwellen E pr. m.] . [verse 23] That ȝyueth the sercheres of priuytees, as thoȝ thei be not, the domes men of the erthe as voide [inwardli voide E pr. m.] he made. [verse 24] And forsothe ne

plauntid, ne sowen, ne rootid in the erthe the stoc of hem, feerli he bleȝ in to them, and thei drieden, and a whirle|wind as stubil shal take them awei. [verse 25] And to whom han ȝee licned me, and euened han me? seith the hoeli. [verse 26] Rereth vp in to heiȝ ȝoure eȝen, and seeth, who `made of noȝt [foormede C pr. m. E pr. m.] these thingus; that bringeth [broȝte E pr. m.] out in noumbre the knyȝthod of hem, and alle bi name he clepeth, for multitude of strengthe, and of stalwrthenesse, and of his vertue; ne oon was laft. [verse 27] Whi seist thou, Jacob [to Jacob E pr. m.] , and spekest, Irael [thou Israel AGHK. to Irael E pr. m.] , Hid is my wey fro the Lord, and fro my God my dom passede? [verse 28] Whether wost thou not, or hast not herd, God euere durende? The Lord that foormede the termes of the erthe, he shal not faile, ne trauaile, ne ther is enserching of his wisdam. [verse 29] That ȝyueth to the weri vertue, and to them that ben not, strengthe and stalwrthe|nesse multeplieth. [verse 30] Failen shul childer, and trauailen, and ȝunge men in ther feblenesse fallen. [verse 31] Who forsothe hopen in the Lord, shul chaunge strengthe, take to federes as of an egle; rennen, and not trauailen; gon, and not faylen.