1   Goth aboute the weies of Jerusalem, and looketh, and beholdeth, and secheth in his stretes, whether &yogh;ee fynde a man doende dom, and sechende feith; and merciful Y shal be to hem. 2   That if also, The Lord lyueth, thei `shul sey, and that falsly thei shuln swern. 3   Lord, thin e&yogh;en biholden feith; thou hast smyte them, and thei soreweden not; thou to-treede them, and thei forsoken to taken discipline; thei inwardli hardeden ther faces vp on the ston, and wolden not be turned a&yogh;een. 4   I forsothe seid, Par auenture pore men thei ben, and foolis, vnknowende the weie of the Lord, the dom of ther God. 5   I shal go therfor to the cheef men, and speke to them; thei forsothe knewen the weie of the Lord, and the dom of ther God. And lo! more these togidere al to-breeken the &yogh;oc, and brosten out the bondis. 6   Therfore hath smyte them a leoun of the wode; a wlf at euen wastede them, a parde wakende vp on the cites of them. Eche that shal gon out of them, shal be take; for multeplied ben the lawe brekyngus of them, coumfortid ben the turnyngus awei of them. 7   Vp on what thing to thee plesid shal Y moun be? Thi sonus forsoken me, and swern in tho thingus that ben not godis. I fulfilde them, and thei diden fornycacioun, and in the hous of the strumpet thei diden leccherie. 8   Horses loueres in to wymmen, and courseres thei ben mad; eche to the wif of his ne&yogh;hebore ney&yogh;ede. 9   Whether vp on these thingus Y shal not visite, seith the Lord, and in such a folc of kinde shal not be vengid my soule? 10   Ste&yogh;eth vp his wallis, and scatereth; ful wasting forsothe wileth not do. Doth awei his forthgetingus, for thei ben not the Lordis. 11   Thur&yogh; lawe breking forsothe `tresspasede a&yogh;en me the hous of Irael

and the hous of Juda, seith the Lord; thei denyeden `the Lord, 12   and seiden, It is not he, nether shal come vp on vs euel; swerd and hunger wee shul not see. 13   The profetus speeken in to the wind, and answere was not in them; these thingus therfore out come shul to them. 14   These thingus seith the Lord God of ostis, For &yogh;ee speeken this wrd, lo! Y &yogh;yue my wrdus in thi mouth in to fyr, and this puple in to trees, and it shal deuoure them. 15   Lo! Y shal bringe to vp on &yogh;ou a folc of kinde fro aferr, of the hous of Irael, seith the Lord; a stalwrthe folc of kinde, an old folc of kinde, a folc of kinde, whos tunge thou shalt vnknowe, ne vnderstonde what it speke. 16   His arewe cas as a sepulcre opene; alle stronge men. 17   And it shal ete thi cornes, and thi bred deuoure, thi sonus and thi do&yogh;tris; it shal ete thi floc, and thi droues, and shal eten thi vyne, and thi fige tree; and to-brose thi strengthid cites, in whiche thou hast trost, with swerd. 18   Nerthelatere in tho da&yogh;es, seith the Lord, Y shal not make &yogh;ou in to ful ending. 19   That if &yogh;ee shul seye, Whi to vs dide the Lord oure God alle these thingus? thou shalt sei to them, As &yogh;ee han forsake mee, and seruede to an alien god in &yogh;our lond, so &yogh;ee shul serue to alien goddis in the lond not &yogh;oure. 20   Telleth this to the hous of Jacob, and herd maketh in Juda, seiende, Here, thou fool puple, that hast not herte; 21    that hauende e&yogh;en, &yogh;ee seen not, and eres, and heren not. 22   Me therfor &yogh;ee shul not drede, seith the Lord, and fro my face not sorewen? Which `Y putte grauel terme to the se, euere durende heste, that it shal not passe; and thei shul be to-moued, and thei shul not moun; and to-swelle shul his flodis, and shul not passen it. 23   To this puple forsothe is mad an herte mystrowende and oute sharpende; thei wente bacward, and &yogh;iden

awei, 24   and seiden not in ther herte, Drede wee the Lord oure God, that &yogh;yueth to vs tymeli rein, and late comende in his cesoun, plentenesse of &yogh;eres rip comende to vs. 25   Oure wickenesses boweden doun these thingus, and oure synnes defendeden good fro vs. 26   For ther ben founden in my puple vnpitous men, waitende as fouleres, grenes puttende, and feet gynnes, to ben ca&yogh;t men. 27   As a pit falle ful of briddes, so the hous of hem ful of treccherie. Therfore thei ben magnefied, and richid inwardli, 28   grecid, and fattid, and thei passeden biside my wrdus alther werst; the cause of the widewe thei demeden not, the cause of the faderles child ri&yogh;t reuleden not, and the dom of pore men demeden not. 29   Whether vp on these thingus I shal not visiten, seith the Lord, or `vp on such maner folc shal not be vengid my soule? 30   Stoneyng and merueiles ben mad in the erthe; 31   profetis profecieden lesing, and prestus flappeden for io&yogh;e with ther hondus, and my puple louede suche thingus. What thanne shal ben don in his laste?

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