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.

CAPI. VI.

¶ A copye of the epistle that Ieremye sent vn¦to the Iewes, whiche were led awaye pryso∣ners by the kynge of Babylon: wherin he certyfyeth them of the thynge that was cō∣maunded hym of God.

BEcause of the synnes that ye haue done [ A] agaynste God,* 1.1 ye shall be led away cap¦tyue vnto Babylon euen of Nabucho∣donosor the kynge of Babylon. So when ye be come into Babilon, ye shal remayne there many yeres & for a lōg season: namely .vij. ge¦neracions: and after that wyll I bryng you awaye peaceably from thence. Now shall ye se in Babylon goddes of golde, of syluer, of wood, & of stone: borne vpō mens shoulders to cast out a fearfulnes before the Hethen. But loke that ye do not as the other: be not ye afrayd, and let not the feare of them ouer come you.

Therfore whē ye se the multytude of peo∣ple [ B] woryshppynge them behynde and before saye ye in your hertes: O Lorde, it is thou, that oughtest only to be worshypped?* 1.2 Myne aungel also shal be wyth you, and I my self wyll care for your soules. As for the tymbre of those goddes, the carpēter hath polysshed them: yea gylted be they, & layed ouer with syluer, ye•• are they but vayne thynges, & can not speke. L••••e as a wēch that loueth pe••a∣mours is trymlye dechte, euen so are these

made and hanged with golde. Crownes of golde haue theyr goddes vpon theyr heedes: so the prestes them selues take the golde and syluer from them, and put it to theyr owne vses: yea they gyue of the same vnto harlots, and trymme theyr hoores withall:* 1.3 agayne, they take it from the hoores, and decke theyr goddes therwith.* 1.4 Yet can not these goddes delyuer them selues frome rust and mothes. When they haue couered theym with clo∣thynge of purple, they wype theyr faces for the dust of the temple, wherof there is moch among them. One hath a sceptre in his hand, as though he were iudge of the countrey: yet can he not slaye suche as offende hym. An o∣ther hathe a swearde or an axe in his hande, for all that, is he neyther hable to defende hym selfe frome battayle, nor from murthe∣rers.

By this ye maye vnderstande, that they [ C] be no goddes, therfore se that ye neither wor∣ship them, nor feare them. For lyke as a ves∣sell that a man vseth▪ is nothinge worth whē it is broken, euen so is it with theyr goddes. when they be set vp in the temple, their eyes be full of dust, thorow the fete of those that come in. And lyke as the dores are shutte in, rounde about vpon hym that hath offended the kynge: Or as it were a deed body kepte besyde the graue: Euen so the prestes kepe the dores with barres and lockes, lest theyr Goddes be spoyled with robbers. They set vp candels before them* 1.5 (yea veryly and that many) wherof they can not se one, but euen as blockes, so stande they in the temple. It is sayd: that the serpentes and wormes, whi∣che come of the earth, gnawe out theyr her∣tes, eatynge them and theyr clothes also, and yet they fele it not. Theyr faces are blacke, thorowe the smoke that is in the temple. The owles, swalowes, and byrdes flye vpon them, yea and the cattes runne ouer theyr heedes.

[ D] By this ye maye be sure, that they are not goddes, therfore feare them not. The golde that they haue, is to make them bewtyfull: and yet neuerthelesse, onles some body wype of theyr rust, they wyll gyue no shyne: and when they were cast in to a fourme, they felt it not. They are bought for money, and haue no breth of lyfe within them. They must be borne vpon mens shoulders, as those that haue no fete: wherby they declare vnto men, that they be nothynge worth. Confounded be they then, that worship them. For yf they fall to the grounde, they can not ryse vp a∣gayne of them selues. Yea though one helpe them vp and set them ryght, yet are they not hable to stande alone: but must haue proppes see vnder them lyke deed men. As for y^e thing that is offred vnto them, theyr prestes sell it, and abuse it: yea y^e prestes wyues take therof, but vnto y^e sycke & poore they gyue nothyng of it, the women with childe and the mēstru∣ous laye handes of their offringes. By this ye maye be sure, that they are no goddes, ther∣fore be not ye afrayed of them. From whence commeth it then, that they be called goddes?

The women syt before the goddes of syl∣uer, gold, and wod, & the prestes syt in their temples, hauynge open clothes, whose hea∣des and berdes are shauen & haue nothynge vpon their heades: rorynge and crying vpon their goddes, as men do at the feast, when one is deed.

The prestes also take awaye the garmen∣tes [ E] of the ymages, and decke their wyues & chyldren withal. Whether it be good or euel that any man do vnto them, they are not ha¦ble to recōpence it: they can neyther set vp a kynge nor put him downe. In lyke maner they may neither gyue ryches, nor reward e∣uyll. Thoughe a man make a vowe vn∣to them and kepe it not,* 1.6 they wyll not re∣quyre it. They can not restore a blynde man to his syght, ne helpe any at his nede. They can shewe no mercy to the wydow, nor doo good to the fatherles. Theyr goddes of wod stone, golde and siluer, are but euen as other stones, that be hewen of the mountayne. They that worshyp them shal be confoun∣ded. Howe shulde they then be taken for goddes? yea howe dare men call them god∣des? And thoughe the Caldees worshypped them not, hearynge that they were but dom and coulde not speake: Yet they them selues offre vnto Bel, and wold fayne haue him to speake: as who saye, they coulde fele, that maye not moue. But when these men come to vnderstandyng, they shall forsake thē, for their goddes haue no felynge.

A greate sort of women gyrde with cordes [ F] syt in the stretes, & burne olyue beryes. Now yf one of them be conueyed away and lye w^t any such as come by: she casteth her neygh∣bouresse in the teeth, because she was not so worthelye reputed, nor her corde broken. What so euer is done for thē, it is but vayne & lost: Howe may it then be thought or sayd that they are goddes? Carpenters and gold smythes make them, neyther be they anye o∣ther thynge, but euen what the worke men wyll make of them. Yea the goldsmithes thē selues that make them, are of no longe conty¦nuaunce: How shulde then the thynges that are made of them, be goddes? Vayne therfore are the thynges (yea verye shame is it) that they leaue behind thē for their posteritie. For as soone as there cōmeth any warre or plage vpon theym, the prestes ymagyn, where they maye hyde them selues with them. How can men thynke then they be goddes, whiche nei¦ther may defende them selues frome warre nor delyuer them fro mysfortyne? For seyng they be but of wod, of stone, of syluer and of golde: al people and kynges shal know here after, that they be but vayne thinges: yea it shal be openly declared, that they be no god∣des: but euen the very workes of mens hā∣des, & that God hath nothīg to do with thē. They can set no kynge in the lande nor gyue rayne vnto men. They can gyue no sentence of a matter, neither defende the lande frome wrong: For they are not hable to do so moch as a crowe, that flyeth betwene heauen and earth.

[ G] When there happeneth a fyre in to the house of those goddes of wod, of syluer and of golde, the prestes wyll escape and saue thē selues, but the goddes burne as the balkes therin. They can not withstande any kynge or battayle: how maye it then be thought or graunted, that they be goddes? Moreouer, these goddes of wodde, of stone, of golde and syluer, maye neither defende them selues frō theues ne robbers: yea the very wycked are stronger then they. These stryp them out of theyr apparell, that they be clothed withall, these take theyr golde and syluer from them, and so get them away: yet can they not helpe them selues. Therfore it is moch better for a man to be a kynge, and to shewe his power•• or els a profytable vessell in a house, wherin he that oweth it, myght haue pleasure: yea or to be a dore in a house, to kepe such thynges safe as be therin, then to be such a vayne god. The Sunne, the Moone, and all the starres when they gyue theyr shyne and lyght, are o∣bedyent, and do men good: When the lyghte∣nynge glystreth, all is cleere: The wynde blo∣weth in euery countrey, and when God com∣maundeth the cloudes to go rounde aboute the hole worlde, they do as they are bydden: when the fyre is sent downe from aboue and commaunded, it burneth vp hylles & woddes.

But those goddes are not lyke one of these [ H] thynges, neither in bewtye nor in strengthe. Wherfore men shall not thynke nor say that they be goddes, seinge they can neither gyue sentence in iudgement, nor do men any good. Wherfore for asmoche as ye be now assured, that they be no goddes, se ye feare them not: for they can speake neither good ne euyll of kynges. They can shewe no tokens in hea∣uen for the Heythen, neyther shyne as the Sunne, ne gyue light as the Moone. Yea the vnreasonable beastes are better then they, for they can get them vnder the shade, and do them selues good. So can ye be certifyed by no maner of meanes, that they be goddes: therfore feare them not.* 1.7 For lyke as a fray∣boggarde in a garden of cucumbers kepeth nothynge, euen so are theyr goddes of wod, of syluer & golde: and lyke as a whyte thorne in an orcharde, that euery byrde sytteth vpon: yea lyke as a deed body that is cast in y^e datke: Euē so is it with those goddes of wod, syluer and golde. By the purple and scarlet whiche they haue vpō them, and soone fadeth away, ye maye vnderstande, that they be no goddes: yea they them selues shall be consumed at y^e last, which shall be a great confusyon of the lande. Blessed is the goldy man, that hath no ymages and wor∣shippeth none, for he shall be far from reprofe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iere .xxv. a.b.
• * 1.2

  Deuter .vi .c
• * 1.3

  ☞
• * 1.4

  Ieremye .x. a
• * 1.5

  Settynge vp of candels be∣fore ydolles.
• * 1.6

  Eccle .v. a
• * 1.7

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••og∣•• i•• a thīg 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of clow¦•• ••••the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vp in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 selde, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 birdes 〈…〉〈…〉 ••••yer a∣•••••• whi∣•••• ••ge he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••neth 〈◊〉〈◊〉.