of the false prophetes / al my bones shake: I am become lyke a dronken man (that by the reason of wine cā take no rest) for very feare of the Lorde, & of his holy wordes: Because the laude is full of aduoulterers & thorowe swearyng it mourneth & the pleasaūt pa∣stures of the deserte are dried vp. Yee, y• way that mē take, is wycked, & theyr gouernaūce [unspec C] is nothyng lyke the holy worde of the Lorde For Prophetes & the prestes them selues are poluted ypocrytes, & theyr wyckednes haue I foūde in my house, sayeth the Lorde. Wher¦fore, theyr way shalbe slyppery in the darcke¦nesse, wherin they may stacker & fall. For I wyl bryng a plage vpon them, euen the yere of theyr visitacion sayeth the Lorde. I haue seue foly amonge the Prophetes of Sama∣ria, that they preached for Baal, & disceaued my people of Israel.
I haue sene also amonge the Prophetes of Ierusalem foule aduoutry, & presumptu¦ous lyes. They take the most shameful men by the hande, flatterynge them, so that they can not returne from theyr wyekednes. All these wt their citesyns are vnto me, as So∣dome, and as the inhabytours of Gomorre.
Therfore thus sayeth the Lord of Hostes concernynge the Prophetes: Beholde / I wyll fede them with wormewod, and make them drynke the water of gall. For frome the Prophetes of Ierusalem is ypocrysye come into all the lande.
And therfore the Lorde of Hostes geueth [unspec D] you this warnyng. Heare not the wordes of the Prophetes, that preache vnto you / & disceaue you, for they speake the meanynge of theyr owne herte, & not out of the mouth of the Lorde. They saye vnto them, that despyse me: The Lord hath spoken it: Tush: ye shall prospere ryght well. And vnto all them, that walke after the lust of their owne herte, they say: Tush, there shall no mysfor∣tune happen you. For who hath sitten in the councel of the Lorde, that he hath herde and vnderstande, what he is aboute to do? Who hath marked his deuyse, and herde it? Be∣holde / the stormye wether of the Lorde (that is, his indignacion) shall go forth, and shall fall downe vpon the heade of the vngodly. And the wrath of the Lorde shall not turne agayne, vntyll he perfourme and fulfyll the thought of his hert. And in the latter day∣es ye shall knowe his meanynge.
I haue not sent these Prophetes (sayeth the Lorde) and yet they ranne. I haue not [unspec E] spoken to them / and yet they preached. But yf they had contynued in my counsell and herde my wordes: they had turned my peo∣ple from theyr euyll wayes and wycked y∣magynacions. Am I then God that seyth but the thynge / whiche is nye at hande, and not that is farre of? sayeth the Lorde. Maye any man hyde hym selfe so / that I shall not se hym? sayeth the Lorde. Do not I fulfyll heauen and earthe? sayeth the Lorde. I haue herde well ynoughe, what the Prophetes saye / that preache lyes in my name, sayenge: I haue dreamed / I haue dreamed. Howe longe wyll this contynue in the Prophetes herte / to tell lyes / and to preache the craftye sotyltye of theyre owne herte? Whose purpose is (with the drea∣mes that euery one tell) to make my people forget my name / as theyr forefathers dyd / when Baal came vp. The Prophete that hath a dreame / let hym tell it and he that vnderstandeth my worde / let hym shewe it faythfully.
For what hathe chaffe and wheate to do together? sayeth the Lord. Is not my worde [unspec F] lyke a fyre / sayeth the Lorde / and lyke an hammer, that breaketh the harde stone? Therfore thus sayeth the Lorde: beholde, I wyll vpon the Prophetes / that steale my worde priuely from euery mā: Beholde, here am I (sayeth the Lord) agaynst the prophe∣tes / that take vpon theyr tonges to speake: The Lorde hath sayde it. Beholde, here am I (sayeth the Lorde) agaynst those Prophe∣tes / that dare prophecye lyes, and dysceaue my people with theyr vanyties, and myra∣cles, whom I neuer sent / nor commaunded them. They shal do this people great harme sayeth the Lorde.
If this people, other any prophet or prest aske the and saye: what is ☞ the burthen of the Lord? Thou shalt say vnto thē. What burthen? Therfore wyll I caste you fro me (sayeth the Lord) because ye your selues are a burthen. And the Prophet, prest or people that vseth thys terme (the burthen of the Lorde) him wyll I vyset, and his house also
But thus shall ye saye, euery one to ano∣ther. ☞ What answere hath the Lorde ge∣uē? or what is the Lordes commaundemēt? And as for the burthen of the Lord, ye shall [unspec G] speake nomore of it: for euerye mans owne worde is his burthen, because ye haue alte∣red the wordes of the lyuyng God the Lorde of Hostes our God.
Thus shall euery man saye to the Pro∣phetes: what answere hath the Lorde geuen the? Or / what sayeth the Lorde? And not once to name the burthen of the Lord. Ther¦fore