¶ A complaynt agaynst Israel and her prestes,
CAPI. I.
THe heuy burthen whi∣che [unspec A] the Lorde sheweth agaynst Israel by Malachy. I haue lo∣ued you / sayeth the Lorde: and yet ye say: wheri hast thou loued vs? * 1.1 was not Esau Iacobs brother, saieth the Lorde? ‡ 1.2 yet haue I loued Iacob, & hated Esau: yee I haue made his hilles wast, & his heritage a wildernes for dragōs. And though Edom sayde: well / we are destroyed / we wyll go builde vp againe the places, that be wasted yet (sayeth the Lorde of hostes) * 1.3 what they builded, that brake I downe: so that it was called a cursed lande, & a people / whom the [unspec B] Lord hath euer bene angry withal. Youre eyes haue sene it, & ye your selues must con∣fesse, yt the Lord hath brought ye lāde of Is∣rael to great honour. ‡ 1.4 Shulde not a sonne honour his father, & a seruaūt his master? * 1.5 If I be now a father wher is mine honour? If I be the Lord, wher am I feared? sayeth the Lorde of hostes. Now to you prestes yt despise my name. And if ye say: wherin haue we despised thy name? In this yt ye offre vn∣clene bred vpō myne aulter. And yf ye wyll saye: wherin haue we offered any vnclene thing vnto y•? In this that ye say: the aulter [unspec C] of ye Lord is not to be regarded. If ye offre ye blynde, is not that euyl? And if ye offre the lame & sycke, is not that euyl? * 1.6 Yee, offre it vnto thy prīce, shal he be cōtent with the / or accept thy persōne, sayeth ye Lorde of hostes?
And nowe make your prayer before God, that he may haue mercy vpon vs: for suche thiges haue ye done. Shal he regarde your persōnes, thīke ye, saieth ye Lorde of hostes? Yee, what is he among you y• wyll do so mu∣che as to shut the dores, or to kindle the fyre [unspec D] vpon myne aulter for naught? * 1.7 I haue no pleasure in you saieth ye Lord of hostes: ‡ 1.8 & as for ye meatoffringe. I wyl not accept it at your hāde. ‡ For from ye rising vp of ye sunne vnto the going downe of the same, my name is great amōg ye Gētiles: yee, in euery place shal their sacryfyte be done, & a clene meat∣offring offred vp vnto my name: for my na∣me is great among ye Heathē, saith ye Lorde of hostes. But ye haue vnhalowed it, ī that ye say, ye aulter of ye Lord is not to be regar∣ded / & the thīge that is set therupon, not wor¦thy to be eaten. Now say ye: It is but la∣bour and trauayle, & thus haue ye thought scorne at it (saieth the Lorde of hostes (offe∣ring robbery. yee, the lame and the sycke. Ye haue brought me ī a meat offering, shulde I accept it of your hāde, saieth the Lord? Cur∣sed be the dissēbler, which hath in his flocke one yt is male, & when he maketh a vowe of∣fereth a spotted one vnto ye Lord. For I am a great kyng (sayeth the lorde of hostes) and my name is fearfull among the Heathen.