The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ He threateneth the oppressours of the poore, and prophecyeth agaynste Sennather••b.

CAPI. X.

WO be vnto you that make vnryghtous [ A] lawes, and deuyse thynges, which be to harde for to kepe: wher thorow y^e poore are oppressed on euery syde, and the innocen∣tes of my people ar therwith robbed of iud∣gement, that wydowes maye be your praye, and that ye may robbe the fatherlesse. What wyll ye do in tyme of the visitacion and de∣struction, that shall come from farre? To whō wyll ye renne for helpe, or to whome wyll ye geue your honoure, that he maye kepe it? that ye come not amonge the presoners, or lye a∣monge [ B] the deade? After all this shall not the wrath of the Lorde ceasse, but yet shall his hande be stretched oute styll.

Wo be also vnto Assur, whiche is a staf of my wrath, in whose hand is the rod of my pu¦nyshmente. For I shall sende hym amonge those ypocrytysh people, amonge the people that haue deserued my disfauoure, shall I sende hym, that he maye vtterly robbe them, spoyle them, and treade them downe lyke the myre in the streete. Howe be it, his meanynge is not so, neyther thynketh his herte of this fashyon. But he ymagyneth onely, howe he maye ouerthrowe and destroye moch people, for he sayeth: are not my prynces all kynges. Is not Caino as easye to wynne, as Char∣chamis? Is it harder to conquere Antiochia [ C] then Arphad? Or is it lyghter to ouercome Damascus then Samaria? As who saye: I were hable to wynne the kyngedome of the Idolaters and theyr goddes, but not Ierusa∣lem and Samaria. Shall I not do vnto Ie∣rusalem and theyr ymages as I dyd vnto Sa¦maria and theyr ymages?

Wherfore the Lorde sayeth: As soone as I haue perfourmed my hole worke vpon the hyll of Syon and Ierusalem, then wyll I al¦so vyset the noble and stoute kynge of Assi∣ria, with his wysdome and pryde. For he stan¦deth thus in his owne conceyte. This do I, thorowe the power of myne owne hande, and thorowe my wysdome. For I am wyse, I am he that remoue the landes of the people, I robbe theyr prynces, and (lyke one of the wor¦thyes) I dryue them frome theyr hye sea••••s. My hande hath founde out the Hostes of the [ D] people, as it were a nest. And lyke as egges that were layde here and there, are gathered together. So do I gather all countrees. And there is no man, that darre be so bolde, as to touche a fether, that darre open his mouth, or ones whysper.

But doth y^e oxe boost it selfe, agaynste hym that heweth therwith, or doth the saw make any krackynge, agaynste hym that ruleth it? That were euen lyke, as yf the rod dyd exalte it selfe agaynste hym that beareth it, or as thoughe the fla•• shulde magnifye it selfe, as [ E] who laye: it were no wod. Therfore shall the Lorde of Hostes sende hym pouerte in his ryches, and burne vp his power, as it were

with a fyre. But the lyght of Israel shall be that fyre, & his Sanctuary shalbe the flamme and it shall kyndle, and burne vp his thornes and breers in one day, yea all the glory of his woddes and feldes shalbe consumed with bo¦dy and soule. As for hymself, he shalbe as one chased away. The trees also of his ••elde shal be of soche a nombre, that a chylde maye tell them.

After that daye shall the remnaunt of Is∣raell, and soch as are escaped out of the house of Iacob, seke no more comforte at hym that smote them, but shal cōfort themselues with faythfulnesse and trouth in the Lorde, the ho¦ly [ F] one of Israell. The remnaunt, yea and the posterite of Iacob, shall conuerte vnto God the myghty one. For thoughe thy people (O Israell) be as the sande of the see, yet shall but the remnaunt of them onely conuerte vn¦to hym. Perfect is the iudgemēt of hym that floweth in ryghtousnesse, and therfore the Lorde of Hostes shall perfectlye fulfyll the thynge, that he hath determined in the myd∣dest of the hole worlde. Therfore thus sayeth the Lorde God of Hostes: Thou my people, that dwellest in Sion, be not afrayed for the kynge of the Assirians. He shall wag his staf at the, yea and beate the with the roo, as the Egypcians dyd some tyme. But soone after, shall my wrath and myne indignation be ful∣fylled agaynst theyr blasphemyes.

Moreouer the Lorde of Hostes shall pre∣pare [ G] a scourge for hym, lyke as was the pu∣nyshment of Madian vpon the mount of O∣reb. And he shall lyfte vp his roo ouer the see, as he dyd somtyme ouer the Egypciās. Then shall his burthen be taken frō thy shoulders, & his yocke frō thy necke, yea the same yocke shall be corrupte for very fatnesse. He shall come to Aiath, and go thorowe toward Mi∣geon. But at Machmas shall he muster his Hoste, & goo ouer the sworde. Gabaah shall be theyr restynge place, Rhamah shall be a∣frayed, Gabaah Saul shall fle awaye. The voyce of the noyse of thy horses (O daughter Gallim) shalbe herde vnto Lais and to Ana∣thoth, which also shalbe in trouble. Madme∣na shall tremble for feare, but the cy••••••ins of Gabin are māly, yet shall he remayne at Nob that daye. After that, shal he lyft vs his hand agaynste the mounte Sion, and agaynste the hyll of Ierusalem. But se, the Lorde God of Hostes shal take away the proude frō thence with fe••re. He shall hewe downe the proude and fell the hye mynded. The thornes of the wod shalbe roted out with yron, and Liba∣nus shall haue a myghty fall.

Notes

• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉