The V. Chapter.
[ A] LOke thorow Ierusalem, beholde and se: Seke thorow hir stretes also wi∣thin, yf ye can fynde one man, that doth equall and right, or that laboureth to be faithfull: and I shall spare him (saieth the LORDE) For though they can saye: the LOR¦DE lyueth, yet do they sweare to disceaue: Where as thou (o LORDE) lokest only vpon faith and treuth.
Thou hast scourged them, but they toke no repentaunce: thou hast correcte them for amendemēt, but they refused thy correction. They made their faces harder then a stone, and wolde not amende.
Therfore I thought in my self: peraduen¦ture they are so symple and folish, that they vnderstonde nothinge of the LORDES wa∣ye, and iudgmentes of oure God. Therfore will I go vnto their heades and rulers, and talke with them: yf they knowe the waye of the LORDE, and the iudgmētes of oure God. But these (in like maner) haue broken the yock, and bursten the bondes in sonder.
[ B] Wherfore a lyon out of the wod shal hur¦te them, and a wolfe in the euenynge shal de∣stroye them. The cat of the mountayne shal lie lurkinge by their cities, to teare in peces all them, that come therout. For their offen∣ces are many, and their departinge awaye is greate.
Shulde I then for all this haue mercy vpon the? Thy children haue forsaken me, and sworne by them that are no goddes. And albeit they were bounde to me in ma∣riage, yet they fell to aduoutrie, and haun∣ted harlottes houses.
In the desyre of vnclenly lust they are be∣come like the stoned horse, euery man neyeth at his neghbours wife. Shulde I not correc∣ke this, saieth the LORDE?
Shulde I not be avenged of euery peo∣ple, that is like vnto this? Clymme vp vpon their walles, beate them downe, but destro∣ye them not vtterly: cut of their braunches, because they are not the LORDES.
For vnfaithfully hath the house of Israel and Iuda forsaken me, saieth the LORDE. They haue denied the LORDE, and sayde: it is not he.
Tush, there shall no miszfortune come v∣pon vs, we shall se nether swearde ner hon∣ger. As for the warnynge of the prophetes, [ C] they take it but for wynde, yee there is none of these, which will tell them, that soch thin∣ges shal happen vnto them.
Wherfore thus saieth the LORDE God of hoostes: because ye speake soch wordes, beholde: The wordes that are in thy mouth will I turne to fyre, and make the people to be wod, that it maye consume them.
Lo, I will bringe a people vpō you from farre, o house of Israel (saieth the LORDE) a mightie people, an olde people, a people who¦se speach thou knowest not, nether vnderstō¦dest what they saye.
Their arowes are sodane death, yee they them selues be very giauntes. This people shal eate vp thy frute & thy meate, yee they shal deuoure thy sonnes and thy doughters, thy shepe and thy bullockes.
They shall eate vp thy grapes & fyges. As for thy stronge and well fensed cities, wherin thou didest trust, they shal destroye them with the swearde.
Neuertheles I will not then haue done [ D] with you, saieth the LORDE. But yf they saye: wherfore doth the LORDE oure God all this vnto vs?
Then answere them: because, that like as ye haue forsakē me, and serued straunge god∣des in youre owne londe, euen so shall ye ser∣ue other goddes also in a straunge londe.
Preach this vnto the house of Iacob, & crie it out in Iuda, and saye thus: Heare this (thou folish and vndiscrete people.) Ye haue eyes, but ye se not: eares haue ye, but ye hea∣re not.
Feare ye not me, saieth the LORDE? Are ye not ashamed, to loke me in the face? which bynde the see with the sonde, so that it can not passe his boundes: For though it rage, yet can it do nothinge: and though the wa∣wes therof do swell, yet maye they not go ouer.
But this people hath a false and an obsti¦nate herte, they are departed and gone a∣waye fro me. They thinke not in their har∣tes: O let vs feare the LORDE oure God, that geueth vs rayne early and late, when ne∣de is: which kepeth euer still the haruest for vs yearly.
Neuertheles youre miszdedes haue tur∣ned [ E] these from you, & youre synnes haue rob∣bed