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.

CAPI. II.

[unspec A]

The Synagoge syndeth faute with her owne chyldrē. The Gentles are called.

THVS sayeth the Lorde: I brought thys people out of bondage, I gaue them my commaundementes by my seruair∣tes the Prophetes / whiche they wholde nat heare / but despysed my counsels. The mother that bare them / sayeth vnto them: Go youre waye ye chyldren / for I am a wyd¦dowe and forsaken: I brought you vp with gladnesse / but with sorowe and heuynes haue I loste you: for ye haue synned before the Lorde youre God, and done the thynge that is euell before hym. But what shall I

nowe do vnto you? I am a wyddowe and forsaken: go youre waye, O my chyldrē, and aske mercy of the Lorde. As for me, O fa∣ther / I call vpon the for a wytnesse ouer the mother of these chyldren, whiche wolde not kepe my couenaunt, that thou brynge them to confusyon, and theyr mothers to spoyle, that she beare no more. Let theyr names be scatred abroade amonge the Heathen, let them be put out of the earth, for they haue thought scorne of my couenaunte.

Wo be vnto the Assur / thou that hydest y^• vnryghtuous by the. Thou wycked people, remēbre what I dyd vnto Sodome & Go∣morre, whose lāde is turned to pytch and as∣shes. Euen so also wyll I do vnto all them / that heare me not, sayeth y^• almyghty Lorde. Thus sayeth the Lorde vnto Esdras: Tell my people / y^t I wyl geue thē the Kyngdome of Iesusalem, whiche I wolde haue geuen vnto Israel. Theyr glory also wyll I take vnto me / & geue them the euerlastynge ta∣bernacles / whiche I had prepared for those.

The tree of lyfe shalbe vnto them a swete [unspec B] smellynge oyntement: they shall neyther la∣boure nor be weery. Go ye youre waye / and ye shall receaue it. Praye for youre selues a fewe dayes / y^t they maye dwel therin. Nowe is the Kyngdome prepared for you, therfore watche. Take heauen & earth to witnesse for I haue broken the euell in peaces, & created the good / for I lyue sayeth the Lorde. Mo∣ther embrace thy chyldren, & brynge thē vp with gladnesse: make theyr fote as fast as a py••er / for I haue chosen the, sayeth y^• Lorde.

And those that be dead wyll I rayse vp agayne from theyr places, and brynge them out of the graues / for I haue knowen my name in Israell. Feare nat thou mother of the chyldren / for I haue chosen the, sayeth the Lorde. And for thy helpe I shall sende the my seruauntes Esay and Ieremy / after whose councel I haue sanctifyed and prepa¦red for the twelue trees loded with dyuerse frutes / and as many welles, flowynge with mylke & hony / and seuen moūtaynes / wher¦vpon there growe roses and lylyes / wherin I wyll fyll my chyldren with ioye. Execute iustyce for the wyddowe, be iudge for the fa∣therles: geue to the poore: defende the com∣forteles: clothe y^• naked: heale the wounded and sycke: laugh ••at a lame man to scorne: defende the crepel, and let the blynde come into the syght of my clearnes, kepe the old & the yonge within thy walles. Whersoeuer thou fyndest the dead / take them, and burye them / & I shal geue the / the ty••st place in my resurreccyon. Holde styll (O my people) and take thy rest, for thy quietnes is come. Feade [unspec C] thy chyldren. O thou good norsse / stablysh theyr fete: As for the seruauntes whom I haue geuen the / there shall nat one of them perysh, for I wyl seke them from thy nōbre, vexe nat thy selfe.

For when the daye of trouble and heuy∣nes cōmeth / other shall wepe and be sorow∣full / but thou shalt be mery and plenteous. The Heathē shalbe gelous, but they shalbe able to do nothynge agaynst the / sayeth the Lorde. My handes shall couer the / so that thy children shal nat se the fyre enerlastyng. Be ioyfull, O thou mother with thy chyl∣dren / for I wyll delyuer the / sayeth y^• Lorde. Remembre thy deed chyldren / for I shall brynge them out of the earth / and shewe mercy vnto them / for I am mercyfull / sayeth the Lorde almyghty.

Embrace thy chyldren / vntyll I come, and shewe mercy vnto them / for my welles runne ouer / and my grace shall nat fayle.

I Esdras receaued a charge of the Lorde vpon the mount Oreb / that I shulde go vn¦to Israell. But when I came vnto Israell they set me at naught and despised the com∣maundemente of the Lorde. And therfore I saye vnto you, O ye Heathē that heare and vnderstande: Loke for youre shepherde / he shall geue you euerlastynge rest, for he is nye at hande / that shall come in the ende of the worlde. Be readye to the rewarde of the kyngdome, for the euerlastynge lyght shall shyne vpon you for euermore. Fle the sha∣dowe of this worlde / receaue the ioyfulnes of your glory. I testifie my sauyour openly: O receaue the gyfte that is geuen you / & be glad, geuynge thankes vnto hym y^• hathe called you to the heauenly kyngdome.

Aryse vp, and stande faste: beholde the [unspec D] nombre of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lorde, whiche are departed from the shadowe of the worlde / and haue receaued gloryous garmentes of the Lorde. Take thy nombre O Syon / and shut vp thy pury¦fyed, whiche haue fulfylled the lawe of the Lorde. The nombre of thy chyldren whom thou longedest for / is fulfylled: beseche the power of the Lorde, that thy people whiche haue bene called frō the begynnynge / maye be halowed.

I Esdras sawe vpon the mount Syon a great people / whom I coulde nat nombre, and they all prysed the Lorde with songes of thankesgeuynge. And in the myddest of them there was a yonge man of an hye

stature, more excellente then al they, & vpon euery one of theyr heades he set a crowne, & was euer higher and higher, whiche I mar∣ueled at greatly. So I asked the angel, and sayd: Syr, what are these? He answered and sayde vnto me: These be they, that haue put of the mortall clothynge and put on the im∣mortal, and haue testifyed and knowledged the name of God. Nowe are they crowned, & receyue the rewarde.

Then sayde I vnto the Aungell: what yonge personne is it, that crowneth them / & geueth thē the palmes in theyr handes? So he answered, & sayde vnto me: It is y^• sonne of God, whom they haue knowledged in the worlde. Then begāne I greately to cōmende thē, y^• stode so styfly for the name of the Lord And so the angel sayd vnto me: Go thy way, & tell my people, what maner of thinges and howe greate wonders of the Lorde thy God, thou hast sene.

Notes

• Gene. xix. ••
• Tobi. i. d.
• 〈…〉〈…〉