The XXIII. Chapter.
[ A] WO be vnto the shepherdes, that des¦troye,* 1.1 and scatre my flocke, saieth the LORDE. Wherfore, this is the cō¦maundemēt of the LORDE God of Israel, vnto the shepherdes that fede my people: Ye scatre ād thrust out my flocke, and loke not vpon them. Therfore, now will I vyset the wickednes of youre ymaginacions, saieth ye LORDE: And will gather together the remna¦unt of my flocke, from all londes that I ha•• dryuen them vnto,* 1.2 and will bringe them aga¦yne to their pastures, that they maye growe and increace. I will set shepherdes also oue•• them, which shall fede them. They shall no more feare and drede, for there shall none off them be lost, saieth the LORDE. Beholde, the tyme commeth (saieth the LORDE) that I wil rayse vp the rightuous braunch off Dauid,* 1.3 which shall beare rule, and discusse matters with wyszdome,* 1.4 and shall set vp equyte and rightuousnes agayne in the earth.
In his tyme shall Iuda be saued, and Is∣rael [ B] shal dwell without feare.* 1.5 And this is the name that they shall call him: euen the LORDE oure rightuous maker.* 1.6 And therfo¦re beholde, the tyme commeth (saieth the LORDE) that it shall no more be sayde: the LORDE lyueth, which brought the children off Israel out of the londe of Egipte: But the LORDE lyueth, which brought forth, ād led the sede of the house off Israel, out off the north londe, and from all countrees whe¦re I had scatred them, and they shal dwell in their owne londe agayne.
My herte breaketh in my body because of the false prophetes, all my bones shake: I am become like a droncken man (that by the reason of wyne can take no rest) for very fea¦re of the LORDE, and of his holy wordes: Be¦cause the londe is full of aduoterers, where thorow it is destroyed and mourneth, and ye pleasaunt pastures of the deserte are dryed vp. Yee the waye that men take, is wicked,* 1.7 & their gouernaunce is nothinge like the holy worde of the LORDE. For the prophetes and the prestes them selues are poluted Ypocry∣tes, ād their wickednes haue I founde in my house, saieth the LORDE. Wherfore, their wa¦ye shall be slippery in the darcknesse, where in they maye stacker and fall. For I will brin¦ge a plage vpon them, euen the yeare of the¦ir visitacion, saieth the LORDE. I haue sene foly amonge the prophetes of Samaria, yt they preched for Baal, ād disceaued my peo∣ple off Israel. I haue sene also amonge the Prophetes off Ierusalem foule aduoutery, and presumptuous lies. They take the most shamefull men by the hōde, flatringe them, so that they cā not returne from their wick∣ednes. All these with their citesyns are vn∣to me, as Sodom, and as the inhabitours off Gomorre.
Therfore thus saieth the LORDE of hoos¦tes [ C] concernynge the prophetes: Beholde,* 1.8 I wil fede them with worm wod, & make them dryncke the water of gall. For frō the pro∣phetes