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

CAP. XXIII.

[verse 1] And the word of the Lord [Lord God H.] is maad to [verse 2] me, seyynge, Sone of man, two wymmen [verse 3] weren douȝtris of o modir, and thei diden

fornycacioun in Egipt, in her ȝongth thei diden fornycacioun; there the breestis, or tetis, of hem ben vndirled, and the tetis of her puberte, that is, tyme of ma|riage, ben broken. [verse 4] Forsothe the names of hem, Oolla the more, and Ooliba the lesse sister of hir. And Y hadde hem, and thei baren child, sones and douȝtris; sotheli the names of hem, Samarie Oolla, and Jerusalem Ooliba. [verse 5] Therfor Oolla dide fornycacioun vpon me, and wexe woode in to her loueres, in to Assiriens [verse 6] neiȝynge, clothid with iacynct, princis, and magistratis, ȝonge men of coueiting, alle knyȝtis, or rydynge men, stiers vp of horsis. [verse 7] And she ȝaf her fornycaciouns vpon hem, the chosyn sonys of alle As|siriens, alle and in alle in to whom she wexe woode, in the vnclennes of hem she is defoulid. [verse 8] More ouere and she lefte not hir fornycaciouns, whiche she hadde in Egipt; for whi and thei slepten with hir in the ȝongth of hir, and thei togidre braken the brestis of hir puberte, and shedden out her fornycacioun vpon hir. [verse 9] Therfor Y bitook hir in to the hoondis of hir louers, in to the hoondis of the sonys of Assur, vpon whos letchery she was woode. [verse 10] Thei vnhilliden the yuel fame of hir; thei token the sonys and douȝtris of hir, and slewen hir in swerd; and thei ben maad famous, or sclaundrid, wymmen, and thei diden domys in to hir. [verse 11] Which thing whanne hir sistir Ooliba hadde seen, she wexe woode in lecherie more than she, and she ȝaf vnchastili, or with outen shame, hir fornycacioun, ouer [verse 12] the fornycacioun of hir sister, to the sonys of Assiriens, to duykys and magistratis comynge to hir, clothide with dyuerse clooth, to knyȝtis that weren born in horsis, and ȝonge men in noble fourme, or shappli [schap GH.] , to alle men. [verse 13] And Y sawȝ [verse 14] that o weye of bothe was defoulid, and she encreside hir fornycaciouns. And whanne she seeȝ men peyntid in a wal,

the ymagis of Caldeis expressid, or [verse 15] opnyd, in colours, and gird the reyns with knyȝtis girdlis, and cappis died, or steyned, in the heedis of hem, the fourmes of alle duykis, liknes of the sones [Om. GH.] of Babiloyne, and of the loond of [verse 16] Caldeis, in whiche thei ben born; and she wexe woode aȝens hem in coueitise of hir eiȝen, and sente messageris to hem in to Caldee. [verse 17] And whanne sonys of Ba|biloyne cam to hir, to the couche of hir tetis, thei defouleden hir in her lecheries of defoulynge of maydynhod; and she is defoulid of [in A.] hem, and the soule of hir is fulfillid of hem. [verse 18] And she made nakid hir fornycaciouns, and discouerede hir euyl fame; and my soule wente awey fro hir, as my soule hadde gon awey fro hir sister. [verse 19] Forsothe she multipliede hir for|nycaciouns, bithenkynge the dais of hir ȝongth, in whiche she dide fornycacioun in the loond of Egipt. [verse 20] And she wexe woode bi letcherie vpon the liggynge bi of hem, whos flesshis ben as the flesshis of assis, and as fluxis, or rennyngis, of horsis the fluxis of hem. [verse 21] And thou hast visitide the grete trespassis [trespasse GH.] of thi ȝongth, for thi brestis ben vndirled in Egipt, and the teetis of thi pubertee ben togidre brokyn. [verse 22] Therfor, thou Ooliba, thes thingis seith the Lord God, Loo! Y shal reyse alle thi loueris aȝens thee, of whiche thi soule is fulfild, and Y shal [verse 23] gadre hem aȝens thee in cumpas; the sonys of Babiloyne, and alle the noble Caldeis, and tyrauntis, and princis, alle [and alle H.] the sonys of Assyriens, and ȝonge men in noble fourme, duykis, and magistratis, alle princis of princis, and the named stiers of horsis. [verse 24] And thei shulen come vpon thee, maad redy with chaare and wheel, the multitude of puplis shulen be armed aȝens thee on eche syde with hau|berioun, and sheeld, and helme; and I shal ȝyue before hem doom, and thei shulen deme thee in her domys. [verse 25] And Y

shal putte myn enuye [haat GH.] , or wraththe, in thee, which thei haunten with thee in woodnes; thei shulen kitte of thi noose and thin eeris, and whiche thingis shulen dwelle, thei shulen kytte of with swerd; thei shulen take thi sonys and thi douȝ|tris, and thi last shal be deuoured in fier. [verse 26] And thei shulen vnclothe thee thi clothis, and shulen take awei the vessels of thi glorie. [verse 27] And Y shal make thi grete tres|passis [trespasse GH.] for to reste of thee, and thi for|nycacioun of the loond of Egipt; nether thou shalt reyse thin eyen to hem, and thou shalt no more haue mynde of Egipt. [verse 28] For thes thingis seith the Lord God, Loo! Y shal bitake thee in to the hoondis of hem whom thou hatidist, in to the hoondis of whyche thi soule is fulfillid. [verse 29] And thei shulen doo with thee in haate, and thei shulen take alle thi traueilis, and shulen leeue thee nakid, and ful of euyl fame; and the euyl fame of thi for|nycaciouns, shal be shewid. Thi greet [verse 30] trespas and thi fornycaciouns han don thes thingis to thee; for thou didist for|nycacioun after heithen men, amonge whom thou art defoulid in ydolis of hem. [verse 31] Thou wandridist [wandrist GH.] in the weye of thi sistir, and Y shal ȝyue the cuppe of hir in thin hoond. [verse 32] Thes thingis seith the Lord God, Thou shalt drynke the cuppe of thi sister, deep and brood; and thou shalt be in to scornynge, and vndirmow|ynge, whiche thou art moost able to take. [verse 33] Thou shalt be fulfillid with drunkenes and sorewe, the cuppe of mournynge and heuynes, the cuppe of thi sister Samarie. [verse 34] And thou shalt drynke it, and drynke of vn to the drestis, and thou shalt deuoure the relyues of it, and thou shalt to-teere thi breestis, for I spak, seith the Lord God. [verse 35] Therfor thes thingis seith the Lord God, For thou hast forȝete me, and caste me fer after thi bak, and thou beere thi grete trespassis [trespasse GH.] and thi fornycaciouns. [verse 36] And the Lord seith to me, seiynge, Sone

of man, whether thou demyst Ooliba and Oolla, and shewist to hem the grete tres|passis of hem? [verse 37] For thei han don auow|trie, and blood in the hoondis of hem, and thei diden fornycacioun with her ydolis; more ouere thei offren to hem her sonys for to be deuourid, whiche thei gendriden to me. [verse 38] But and this thing thei diden to me, thei defouleden my seyntuaries in that dai, and thei pro|phaneden, or maden vnhooli, my sabotis. [verse 39] And whanne thei offreden her sonys to her ydolis, and entriden my seyntuarie in that day, for to defoule it, and also thei diden thes thingis in the mydil of myn hous. [verse 40] Thei senten to men comynge fro fer, to whom thei senten messageris. And so loo! thei camen, to whom thou wash|idist thee, and al about anoyntidist thin eyen with oynement of wymmen, and art ourned with wommans a tyre. [verse 41] Thou hast setyn in a bed moost fayr, and a bord is ourned before thee; thou puttidist my tymyame, or encense, and myn oynement vpon it. [verse 42] And a voys [noys AG sec. m.] of multitude ioi|ynge [goyng G pr. m. H.] without forth was in it; and in the men that weren led to of the multitude of men, and camen fro deseert, puttiden rengis in the hoondis of hem, and faire corownys in the heedis of hem. [verse 43] And Y seide to hir, that is defoulid in auowtries, Now also this shal doo fornycacioun in hir fornycacioun. [verse 44] And thei wenten to hir as to a womman hoore, so thei en|triden to Oolla and to Ooliba, cursid wymmen. [verse 45] Therfor thes men ben iust, thes shulen deme hem in doom of auow|tres [auoutressis GH.] , and in dome of sheding out blood; for thei ben auowtreris, and blood in the hoondis of hem, and with her ydolis thei doon fornycacioun. [verse 46] Forsothe the Lord God seith thes thingis, Ȝit brynge the multitudis, and bitak hem in to noys and [verse 47] raueyn; and be thei stonyd with stoonys of puplis, and be thei doluen with swerdis of hem. Thei shulen sle the sones and

douȝtris of hem, and thei shulen brenne with fier the housis of hem. [verse 48] And Y shal doo awei greet trespas fro erthe; and alle wymmen shulen lerne, lest thei doon after the greet trespas of hem. [verse 49] And thei shulen ȝyue ȝour greet trespas vpon ȝou; and ȝe shulen bere the synnys of ȝour idolis, and ȝe shulen wite, for I the Lord God.