Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The XXI. Chapter.

[ A] THe worde of the LORDE came to me, sayenge: Thou sonne of man, set thy face towarde Ierusalem, speake a∣gaynst the Sanctuary, & prophecie agaynst the londe of Israel, saye to the lōde of Israel: Thus saieth the LORDE God: Beholde, I wil vpon the, & wil drawe my swearde out of y^e sheth, & rote out of y^e both the rightuous & the wicked. Seinge then that I will rote out of the both the rightuous & wicked, ther¦fore shal my swearde go out of his sheth, a∣gaynst all flesh from the north to the south: that all flesh maye knowe, how that I the LORDE haue drawen my swearde out of the sheth, & it shal not be put in agayne.

Mourne therfore (o thou sonne of man) y^t thy loynes crack withall, yee mourne bytter¦ly for them: And yf they saye, wherfore mour¦nest thou? Then tell them: for the tydinges that commeth, at the which all hertes shall melt, all hondes shal be letten downe, all sto∣mackes shal faynte, and all knees shall waxe feble. Beholde, it commeth & shal be fulfilled, saieth the LORDE God.

[ B] Agayne, the worde of the LORDE came vnto me, sayenge: Thou sonne of man, pro∣phecie, and speake: Thus saieth the LORDE God: speake, the swearde is sharpened & wel scoured. Sharpened is it for the slaughter, & scoured y^t it maye be bright. O, the destroyen¦ge staff of my sonne, shal bringe downe all wodde. He hath put his swearde to y^e digh∣tinge, y^t good holde maye be takē of it. This swearde is sharpened & dight, y^t it maye be geuen in to the honde of the manslayer.

Crie (o thou sonne of man) and howle, for this swearde shal smyte my people, & all the rulers in Israel, which with my people shall be slayne downe to the grounde thorow this swearde. Smyte thou vpō thy thee, for, wher¦fore shulde not the plage & staff of indgmēt come? Prophecy thou sonne of man, & smyte thine hōdes together: make the swearde two edged, yee make it thre edged, y^t manslayers swearde, that swearde of the greate slaugh¦ter, which shal smyte them, euen in their pre∣uy chambres: to make them abaszshed & fayn¦te at the hertes, & in all gates to make some of them fall. O how bright and sharpe is it, how wel dight & mete for y^e slaughter: Get the to some place alone, ether vpon the right honde or on the lefte, whither so euer thy fa∣ce turneth. I wil smyte my hondes together also, and satisfie my wrothfull indignacion: Euen I the LORDE haue sayde it.

The worde of the LORDE came yet vn∣to [ C] me agayne, sayenge: Thou sonne of man, make the two stretes, that the swearde of y^e kinge of Babilō maye come. Both these stre¦tes shall go out of one londe. He shal set him vp a place, at the heade of the strete shal be chose him out a corner. Make y^e a strete, that the swearde maye come towarde Rabath of the Ammonites, and to the stronge cite of Ierusalem. For the kinge of Babilon shall stonde in the turnynge of the waye, at the heade of the two stretes: to axe councell at the soythsayers, castinge the lottes with his arowes, to axe councell at the Idols, and to loke in the lyuer. But the soythsayenge shall poynte to the right syde vpon Ierusalem, that he maye set men of warre, to smyte it with a greate noyse, to crie out Alarum, to set batellrammes agaynst the gates, to gra∣ue vp dyches, & to make bulworkes.

Neuertheles, as for y^e soythsayenge, they shall holde it but for vanite, euen as though a iest were tolde them: Yee and they them selues remembre their wickednesse, so that by right they must be takē and wonne. Ther¦fore saieth the LORDE God: For so moch as ye youre selues shewe youre offence, and ha¦ue opened youre wickednesse, so that in all youre workes men maye se youre synnes: Yet in so moch (I saye) that ye youreselues ha∣ue made mencion therof, ye shalbe taken by violence.

O thou shameful wicked gyde of Israel, [ D] whose daye is come▪ euen the tyme that wic¦kednesse shall haue an ende: Thus saieth the LORDE God: take awaye the mytre, and put of the crowne, and so is it awaye: the hum¦ble is exalted, and the proude brought lo∣we. Punysh, punysh, yee punysh them will I, and destroye them: and that shall not be fulfilled, vntill he come, to whom the iudg∣ment belongeth, and to whom I haue geuē it. And thou (o sonne of man) prophecy, & spea¦ke: Thus saieth the LORDE God to the chil∣dren of Ammon, & to their blasphemy, speake then: The swearde, the swearde, is drawen forth alredy to the slaughter, & s••••ured that it glistreth (because thou hast loked the out vanities, & prophecied lyes) y^t it maye come

vpon thy necke, like as vpō the other vngod¦ly, which be slayne: whose daye came, when their wickednesse was full.

Though it were put vp agayne into the sheath, yet will I punysh the, in the londe where thou wast norished & borne, and pou¦re my indignacion vpon the, and will blowe vpon the in the fyre of my wrath, and dely∣uer the vnto cruell people, which are lerned to destroye. Thou shalt fede the fyre, and y^t bloude shall be shed in the londe, that thou mayest be put out of remembraunce. Euen I the LORDE haue spoken it.

Notes

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