[ A] HEare this words (o ye house of Isra∣el) and why? I must make this mone for you: The vyrgin Israel shall fall, & neuer ryse vp agayne: she shall be cast dow∣ne vpon hir owne grounde, and no man shal helpe hir vp. For thus sayeth ye LORDE God: Where as there dwelt a M. in one cite, there shalbe left scarce an C. therin: and where ye re dwelt an C. there shal scarce ten be left for the house off Israel. Neuertheles, thus sa∣yeth the LORDE vnto ye house of Israel: Se∣ke after me, ād ye shal lyue, but seke not after Bethel. Come not at Galgal, and go not to Bersaba: for Galgal shall be caried awa∣ye captyue, and Bethel shal come to naught Seke the LORDE, yt ye maye lyue: lest the hou¦se of Ioseph be brent with fyre and cōsumed, and lest there be none to quench Bethel.
Ye turne the lawe to wormwod, and cast downe rightuousnes vnto the grounde. The LORDE maketh the vij. starres and the Ory∣ons, he turneth the night into daye, and off the daye he maketh darcknesse. He calleth ye [ B] waters of the see, and poureth them out v∣pon the playne grounde: the LORDE is his name. Herayseth destruccion vpon the migh¦tie people, & bryngeth downe the stronge hol¦de: but they owe him euel will, yt reproueth them openly: and who so telleth thē the play∣ne treuth, they abhorre him. For so moch thē as ye oppresse ye poore, and robbe him of his best sustenaunce: therfore, whereas ye haue buylded houses off square stone, ye shall not dwell in them. Maruelōs pleasaunt vynyar∣des shall ye plante, but the wyne of thē shal ye not drynke: and why? as for the multitude of youre wickednesses and youre stoute syn∣nes, I knowe them right well. Enemies are ye off the rightuous, ye take rewardes, ye op¦presse the poore in iudgment. Therfore the wyse must now be fayne to holde his tūge, so wicked a tyme is it.
Seke after the thinge that is good, & not euell, so shall ye lyue: yee the LORDE God off hoostes shal be with you, acordinge to youre owne desyre. Hate the euell, and loue the good: set vp right agayne in the porte: & (no doute) the LORDE God of hoostes shall be mercifull vnto the remnaunt of Ioseph. Yff [ C] no (sayeth the LORDE God, the God of hoos∣tes) there shal be mourninge in all stretes, yee they shal saye ī euery strete: alas, alas. They shall call the housbonde man to lamentaciō, and soch as can mourne, to mournynge. In all vynyardes there shal be heuynesse, for I will come amonge you, sayeth the LORDE. Wo be vnto them that desyre the daye off ye LORDE: Wherfore wolde ye haue it? As for that daye of the LORDE, it shalbe darcke ād not cleare: Yee like as when a mā rūneth frō a lyon, and a Beer meteth with him: or, whē he commeth into the house, and leeneth his honde vpon the wall, a serpent byteth him▪ Shall not the daye of the LORDE be darcke, and not cleare? shal it not be cloudy, and no shyne in it?
I hate and abhorre youre holy dayes, ād [ D] where as ye cense me when ye come together I will not accepte it. And though ye offre me brentofferinges and meatofferinges, yet haue I no pleasure therin: As for youre fat thankofferynges, I wil not loke vpon them. Awaye with that noyse of thy songes, I wil not heare thy playes of musick: but se that equyte flowe as the water, and rightuousnes¦se as a mightie streame. O ye house of Isra∣el, gaue ye me offeringes and sacrifices those xl. yeares longe in the wyldernesse? Yet haue ye set vp tabernacles to youre Moloch, and ymages of youre Idols, Yee ād the starre of youre god Rempha, figures which ye made to worshipe them. Therfore wil I cause you be caried awaye beyonde Damascus, sayeth the LORDE, whose name is the God off hoos¦tes.
The VI. Chapter.
WO be to the proude welthy in Siō, [ A] to soch as thinke thē so sure vpon ye mount of Samaria? which holde them selues for the best of the worlde, and ru¦le the house of Israel, euē as they list. Go vn¦to Calne, and se: and from thence get you to Hemath the greate cite, and so go downe to Gath of the Philistines: be they better at ea¦se then these kyngdomes, or the border of the ir londe wyder then yours? Ye are taken out for the euel daye, euen ye that syt in the stole of wylfulnesse: Ye that lye vpon beddes off yuery, and vse youre wantonnesse vpon you∣re couches: ye that eate the best lambes of ye flocke, and the fattest calues off the droaue: ye that synge to the lute, and in playenge off instrumentes compare youre selues vnto Da¦uid: ye that drynke wyne out of goblettes, & anoynte youreselues with the best oyle, but no man is sory for Ioseps hurte. Therfore now shall ye be the first of them, that shal be led awaye captyue, and the lusty chere of the wylfull shall come to an ende.
The LORDE God hath sworne euen by [ B] himself (sayeth the LORDE God of hoostes:) I hate the pryde of Iacob, and I abhorre his palaces: and I wil geue ouer the cite, wt all that is therin: so that though there remay¦ne