The. holie. Bible. conteynyng the olde Testament and the newe.

¶The .xxxiii. Chapter.

He setteth out the office of the gouernours and ministers, 14 He strengthneth them that dispaire▪ and boldneth them with the promise of mercie, 30 The worde of the Lorde against the remnaunt of the people, against the mockers of the wordes of the prophete.

[unspec A] 1 AGaine, the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying:

2 Thou sonne of man, speake to the children of thy people, and tell them: When I sende a sworde vpon a lande, if the people of the lande take a man of their coastes, and set him to be their (a) 1.1 watchman:

3 If when he seeth the sworde come vp∣on the lande, he shall blow the trumpet and warne the people:

4 Then he that heareth the noyse of the trumpet and wyll not be warned, and the sworde come and take him away, his blood shalbe vpon his owne head.

5 For he heard the sounde of the trum∣pet, and would not be warned, therefore his blood be vpon him: but he that re∣ceaueth warning, he shall saue his lyfe.

6 Againe, if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, so that the people is not warned, if the sworde come then, and take any man from a∣mong them: the same shalbe (b) 1.2 taken a∣way in his owne sinne, but his blood wyl I require at the watchmans hand.

7 And thou O sonne at man, I haue made thee a watchman vnto the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt here the worde at * 1.3 my mouth, and thou shalt warne them from me.

8 If I say vnto the wicked, thou wic∣ked, thou shalt surely dye: & thou spea∣kest not to admonish the wicked of his way: that wicked man shall dye in his owne sinne, but his blood wyl I require

at thy hande.

9 Neuerthelesse, if thou warne the wic∣ked of his way to tourne from it, and he yet wyll not be turned from his way: then shal he dye in his iniquitie, but thou hast deliuered thy soule.

10 Therfore O thou sonne of man, speake vnto the house of Israel, yea say thus: If our offences and sinnes lye vpon vs, and we be consumed in them, (d) 1.4 howe should we then liue?

11 Tell them, as truely as I liue saith the Lorde God, * 1.5 I haue no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but much rather that the wicked tourne from his way, and lyue: Turne you, turne you from your wicked wayes, for why wil ye dye O ye of the house of Israel?

12 Therefore thou sonne of man, tell the children of thy people, * 1.6 the righteous∣nes of the righteous shall not saue him in the day of his iniquitie: againe, the wickednes of the wicked shall not ouer∣throw him for it in the day that he re∣turneth from his wickednes: neither shall the righteous lyue for * 1.7 it in the day that he sinneth.

13 If I say vnto the righteous, he shall surely lyue, and so he trust to his owne righteousnes, and do sinne: then shall his righteousnes be no more thought vpon, but in his wickednes that he hath done, in it he shall dye.

14 Againe, if I say vnto the wicked, thou shalt surely dye: and so he turne from his sinnes, and (f) 1.8 do the thing that is lawfull and right,

15 Insomuch that the same wicked man geueth the pledge againe, restoreth that he had takē away by robbery, walketh in the commaundementes of lyfe, and doth none iniquitie: then shall he surely lyue and not dye.

16 None of the sinnes that he hath com∣mitted shalbe mentioned vnto him: for insomuch as he doth now the thing that is lawfull and right, he shall lyue,

17 And yet the children of thy people say, * 1.9the way of the Lorde is not equall: but their owne way is rather vnequall.

18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousnes, and doth the thing that is wicked, he shall dye therein.

19 But if the wicked turne from his wic∣kednes, doing the thing that is lawfull and right, he shall lyue therefore.

20 Yet ye say, the way of the Lorde is not equall: O ye house of Israel, I wyll iudge euery one of you after his wayes.

21 In the twelfth yere, the fift day of the tenth moneth of our (g) 1.10 captiuitie, one which was escaped out of Hierusa∣lem, came vnto me and said, The citie is smitten.

22 Nowe the (h) 1.11 hande of the Lorde had ben vpon me the euening afore this man which was escaped came vnto me, and had (i) 1.12 opened my mouth vntill the morning that he came to me: yea, my mouth was opened, so that I was no more dumbe.

23 Then came the worde of the Lorde vn∣to me, and saide:

24 Thou sonne of man, these that dwell in the wasted lande of Israel talke and say:(k) 1.13 Abraham was but one man, and he had the lande in possession: nowe are we many, and the lande is geuen vs to possesse also.

25 And therefore tel them, thus saith the Lorde God, * 1.14 In the blood haue ye ea∣ten, your eyes haue ye lift vp to idols, and haue shed blood: shall ye then haue the lande in possession?

26 Ye (l) 1.15 leane vpon your swordes, ye worke abhominations, euery one defi∣leth his neighbours wyfe: and shall ye then possesse the lande?

27 Say thou thus vnto them, thus saith the lorde God: As truely as I liue, they that are in the desolate places shall fall by the sworde, and him that is vpon the fielde wyll I geue vnto the beastes to be deuoured: and they that be in the strong holdes and dennes shall dye of the pestilence.

28 For I wyll make the lande so desolate and waste, that the * 1.16 pompe of her strength shall ceasse: the mountaynes of Israel shalbe so waste, that no man shall trauaile thereby.

29 Then shall they knowe that I am the Lorde, when I make the land deso∣late and waste, because of all their abho∣minations that they haue wrought.

30 And thou sonne of man, the children of thy people that talke of thee by the waters and in the doores of their hou∣ses, and speake one to another, euery one to his brother, saying, Come I praye you, let vs heare what worde is gone foorth from the Lorde:

31 They come vnto thee as the people vseth to come, and my people syt before

thee, and heare thy wordes, but they do not therafter: for in their mouthes they make a (m) 1.17 iest of them, and their heart goeth after their couetousnes.

32 And lo, thou art vnto them as a (n) 1.18 ie∣sting song of one that hath a pleasaunt voyce, and can sing well: for they heare thy wordes, but do them not.

33 When this commeth to passe (lo it com∣meth:) then shall they knowe that there hath ben a prophete among them.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  He she∣w••th that the people ought continually to haue gouer∣nours and teachers, wh••ch may haue a care ••uer them, and to ••ne them euer of the daungers which are at hande.
• (b) 1.2

  Signifi∣ing that the wicked shall not escape pu∣nishment, though the watchmen be negligent: but if the watch∣men blowe the trumpet, and then he wyll not obay, he shall de¦serue double punishment. Chap. ••. c.
• * 1.3

  Which teacheth that he that recei∣ueth not his charge and watchworde at the Lordes mouth▪ ••s a spot, and not a true watch∣man.
• (d) 1.4

  Thus the wicked when they heare of Gods iudge∣mentes for their sinnes, dispaire of his mercies and murmure.
• * 1.5

  Eze. xviii. c.
• * 1.6

  Eze. xviii. c.
• * 1.7

  Namely, his righteous∣nes.
• (f) 1.8

  Hereby he condēpneth al them of hypo∣crisie, which pretend to for∣sake wicked∣nes, and yet declare not them selues such by their fruites: that is, in obeying gods commaunde∣mentes, and by godly lyfe.
• * 1.9

  Eze. xviii. c.
• (g) 1.10

  When the prophete was led away cap∣tiue with Ie∣coniah.
• (h) 1.11

  I was endued with the spirite of prophecie as Chap 8. a.
• (i) 1.12

  Whereby is signifieth that the mi∣nisters of god can not speake till God geue them courage, and open their mouthes. Chap. 14. d.
• (k) 1.13

  Thus the wicked thinke them selues more worthy to enioy gods promise then the lam••tes of God, to whō they were made: & would binde God to be subiect to them, though they woulde not be bounde to him.
• * 1.14

  Leui. 17. c.
• (l) 1.15

  As they that are redy still to shed blood.
• * 1.16

  Eze. vii. d.
• (m) 1.17

  This de∣clareth that we ought to heare gods worde with such zeale and affection, that we should not onely bought therein to heare it prea∣ched, but also in al pointes obey it: els we abuse the worde to our owne cōdem∣nation, and make of the ministers as though they were iestes to serue mens fantasies.
• (n) 1.18

  Or a song of pastime and pleasure,