The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ I copye of the epystle that Ieremy sent vnto the Iewes, whiche were led awaye presoners by the kynge of Babylon: wherin he certifieth them of the thynge, that was commaun¦ded him of God.

CAPI. VI.

BEcause of the synnes that ye haue done [unspec A] agaynst God / ye shall be * 1.1 led away cap¦tyue vnto Babylon / euen of Nabuchodono∣sor the Kynge of Babylon. So whan ye be¦come into Babylon / ye shall remayne there many yeares, and for alonge season: namely seuen generacions: & after that wyl I bringe you awaye peaceably from thence. Nowe

shall ye se in Babylon goddes of golde, of sil¦uer, of wod & of stone: borne vpon mens shul¦ders, to cast out a fearfulnesse before the Hea¦then. But loke that ye do not as the other: be not ye afrayed, & let not the feare of them o∣uer come you.

Therfore, whan ye se the multitude of peo¦ple [unspec B] worshyppyng them behynde & before, say ye in your hertes: O Lorde, & it is thou / that oughtest onely to be worshypped? Myne An gell also shalbe with you, and I my selfe wyl care for yoursoules. As for the tibre of those goddes, y^• carpenter hath polyshed them: yee gylted be they, & layed ouer with syluer, yet are they but vaine thinges, & can not speake Lyke as a wenche that loueth peramours is trymly deckte, euen so are these made & han∣ged with golde. Crownes of golde verely ha¦ue their goddes vpon theyr heades: so the pre¦stes thēselues take y^• golde & syluer from thē and put it to theyr owne vses: yee they geue of the same vnto harlottes, •• trymme theyr whores withal: agayne, they take it from the whores, & decke theyr goddes therwith. ‡ 1.2 Yet* 1.3 can not these goddes deliuer themselues frō ruste and mothes. When they haue couered them with clothynge of purple, they wype theyr faces for the dust of the temple, wherof their is much among them. One hath a scep∣tre in hys hande / as thoughe he were iudge of the countre: yet can he not fley suche as of∣fende hym. Another hath a swearde or an axe in his hande / for al that, is he neither able to defende hym selfe from battayle / nor frome murtherers.

By thys ye maye vnderstande / that they be no goddes: therfore se that ye neither wor∣shyppe [unspec C] them / nor feare them. For lyke as a vessell that a man vseth / is nothynge worth when it is broken / euen so is it with theyr goddes. When they be set vp in the temple / theyr eyes be full of duste, thorowe the fete of those that come in. And lyke as the dores are shut in rounde aboute vpon hym that hathe offended the kynge. Or as it were a deed bo∣dy kepte besyde the graue. Euen so the pre∣stes kepe the dores with barres and lockes / leest theyr Goddes be spoyled with robbers. They set vp candels before them (yee verely and that many) wherof they cānot se one, but euen as blockes, so stande they in the temple It is sayde, that the serpentes and wormes / whiche come of the earthe, gnawe out theyr hertes, eatyng them and theyr clothes also / & yet they fele it not. Theyr faces are blacke thorow the smoke that is in the temple. The oules / swalowes / and byrdes / he vpon them yee and the cattes runne ouer theyr heades.

By this ye maye be sure, that they are not [unspec D] goddes, therfore feare them not. The golde that they haue / is to make them bewtyfull: for all that, excepte some body dyght of theyr rust / they wyll geue no shyne: and when they were cast īto a fourme / they felt it not. They are bought for money / and haue no breth of lyfe within thē. * 1.4 They must be borne vpon mens shoulders / as those that haue no fere: wherby they declare vnto men / that they be ntohynge worth. * 1.5 Confounded be they then that worshyppe them. For yf they fall to the groūde they can not rise vp agayne of them¦selues. Yee though one helpe them vp and set them ryght / yet are they not able to stande a lone: but must haue proppes set vnder them lyke deed men. As for the thynge that is of∣fred vnto them / their prestes sel it, and abuse it: yee the prestes wyues take therof, but vn∣to the sycke & poore they geue nothyng of it / the wemen with childe & the menstruous lay handes of theyr offringes. By this ye may be sure, y^t they are no goddes, therfore be not ye afrayde of thē. From whence cōmeth it then, that they be called goddes? The wemen syt before the goddes of syluer / golde & wodde / and the prestes syt in theyr temples / hauyng open clothes, whose heades & beerdes are sha¦uen & haue nothyng vpon theyr heades: to∣ryng and crieng vpon their goddes, as men do at the feast / when one is deed.

The prestes also take awaye the garmen∣tes [unspec E] of the ymages, and decke their wyues & chyldren with all. Whether it be good or euil that any man do vnto thē / they are not able to recompence it: they can neyther set vp a kynge nor put hym downe. In lyke maner they may neither geue ryches, nor rewarde e∣uyl. * 1.6 Though a man make a vowe vnto thē and kepe it not / they wyll not requyre it. They can saue no man from death / neyther delyuer the weake from the myghtye. They can not restore a blinde man to his sight / nor helpe any man at hys nede. They can shewe no mercy to y^• wyddowe / nor do good to the fatherlesse. Theyr goddes of woode, stone / golde / and syluer / are but euen as other sto∣nes▪ that be hewen of the mountayne. They that worshyppe them / shalbe confounded. Howe shulde they then be taken for Goddes? Yee howe darre men call them goddes? And thoughe the ••aldees worshypped them not, hearynge that they were but domme & could not speake. Yet they themselues offre vnto Bel / and wolde fayne haue him to speake: as who saye / they coulde fele / that maye not

moue. But whan these men come to vnder∣standyng / they shal forsake thē / for their god¦des haue no felynge. A great sorte of wemen gyrde with coardes / syt in the stretes / and burne olyue beryes. Nowe yf one of them be conueyed awaye / and lye with any suche as come by: she casteth her neghbours in y^• teth▪ because she was not so worthely reputed / nor her coorde broken. What so euer is done for them / it is but in vayne and loste. Howe maye it then be thought or sayde / that they are goddes? Carpenters and golde smythes make them / nether be they any other thyng, but euen what the worcke men wyll make of them. Yee the gold smythes them selues that make them / are of no longe contynuaunce. Howe shulde then the thynges that are made of them / be Goddes? Uayne therfore are the thinges (yee very shame is it) that they leaue behynde them for theyr prosperyte. For as soone as there commeth any warre or plage vpon them / then the prestes ymagyn, where they may hyde themselues with them. Howe can men thyncke then that they be Goddes / whiche neither may defende thēselues from warre / nor delyuer them from mysfortune? For seynge they be but of wood / of stone / of syluer and of golde: all people and kynges shall knowe herafter / that they be but vayne thynges: yee it shalbe openly declared / that they be no goddes: but euen the very workes of mēs handes / and that God hath nothinge to do with thē. (It is manifest then that they are no goddes, but the worckes of mens han¦des / and no worke of God in them. (They cā set no kyng in the lande / nor geue rayne vn∣to men. They can gyue no sentence of a mat∣ter / nether defende the land from wrong. For they are not able to do so muche as a crowe / that flyeth betwixte heauen and earth.

Whan there happeneth a fyre into the hou¦se [unspec G] of those goddes of wodde / and syluer / and of golde, the prestes wyl escape and saue thē¦selues / but the Goddes burne as the balkes therin. They cannot withstande any kynge or batayle: howe maye it then be thought or graunted, that they be goddes? Moreouer / these goddes of wodde, of stone, of golde and syluer may neyther defende thēselues from theues nor robbers: yee the very wycked are stronger then they. These stripe them out of their appparel, that they be clothed withall, these take theyr golde and siluer from them, and so get thē away: yet can they not helpe themselues. Therfore it is much better for a mā, to be a kyng, and so to shewe his power: or els a profitable vessell in a house, wherin he that oweth it, might haue pleasure: yee or to be a dore in a house, to kepe such thynges safe as be therin, then to be such a vaine god The Sunne, the Moone and al the startes▪ seynge they gyue theyr shyne and lyght, are obediēt, and do men good. Whan the lyght∣nynge glystreth, all is cleare. The wynde bloweth in euery countre: and whā God cō∣maundeth the cloudes to go rounde aboute the whole worlde, they do as they are byddē: whan the fyre is sent downe from aboue and cōmaunded, it burneth vp hylles & woddes▪ But as for those Goddes, they are not lyke one of these thynges, nether in bewty, nether strength. Wherfore men shulde not thynke▪ nor saye that they be goddes, seyng they can nether gyue sentence in iudgment, nor do mē good. For so muche nowe as ye are sure, that [unspec H] they be no goddes / then feare them not. For they can nether speake euyl nor good of kyn¦ges. They can shewe no tokens in heauē for the Heythen, nether shyne as the Sunne, nor geue lyght as the Moone: yee the vnreaso∣nable beastes are better then they, for they can get them vnder the rofe, and do themsel¦ues good. So can ye be certyfyed by no ma∣ner of meanes, that they be goddes: therfore feare them not. For lyke as a searcrowe in a garden of herbes kepeth nothynge, euen so are theyr goddes of wod, of syluer and gold: and lyke as a whyte thorne in an Orcharde, that euery byrde sytteth vpon: yee lyke as a deed body that is cast in the darcke. Euen so is it with those goddes of wood, syluer and golde: By the purple and scarlet which they haue vpon them, and soone faydeth awaye, ye maye vnderstande, that they be no Goddes: yee they them selues shal be consumed at the last, whi∣che shalbe a greate confu∣sion of the land. Bles∣sed is the Godlye man, that hath no Images and wor∣shyp∣peth none, for he shalbe farre from reprofe.

¶ The ende of the Boke of the Prophete Baruch / whiche is not in the Canon of the Hebrue.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iere. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••. ••
• ‡ 1.2

  Deute. vs. c
• * 1.3

  ••Iere. x a
• * 1.4

  Sepi. 14▪
• * 1.5

  Psal. 114▪
• * 1.6

  Eccle. v, ••