Chap. I. He complayneth vnto God of the wickednes of the people, and threateneth them with the plage of God.

Chap. II. He reproueth the cuvetous and vnrightuous men.

Chap. III. A prayer of the prophet. The first Chapter.

A    ^noteThis is the heuy burth&ebar;, which the prophet Abacuc dyd se. O LORDE, how longe shal I crie, ∧ thou wilt not heare? ^noteHow longe shall I complayne vnto the, suffrynge wronge, and thou wilt not helpe? Why lettest thou me se weerynesse and laboure? Tyr&abar;ny and violence are before me, power ouergoeth right: for the lawe is torne in peces, and there can no right iudgment go forth. And why? the vngodly is more set by then the rightuous: this is the cause, þt; wronge iudgment procedeth. ^noteBeholde amonge the Heithen, and loke wel: wondre at it, and be aba&esset;shed: for I wil do a thinge in youre tyme, which though it be tolde you, ye shal not beleue.

B    ^noteFor lo, I wil rase vp þe; Caldees, that bytter and swifte people: which shal go as wyde as the londe is, to take possession of dwellinge places, that be not their owne. A grymme ∧ boysteous people is it, these shal syt in iudgment ∧ punyshe. Their horses are swifter then the cattes of the mountayne, ∧ byte sorer then þe; wolues in þe; euenynge. ^noteTheir horsmen come by greate heapes from farre, they fle hastely to deuo&highr; as the Aegle. They come all to spoyle: out of them commeth an east wynde, which bloweth and gathereth their captyues, like as the sonde. They shall mocke the kinges, and laugh the prynces to scorne. They shal not set by eny stronge holde, for they shal laye ordinaunce agaynst it, and take it. Then shal they take a fresh corage vnto them, to go forth ∧ to do more euell, ^note ∧ so ascrybe that power vnto their God.

C   But thou o LORDE my God, my holy one, thou art from the begynnynge, therfore shal we not dye. O LORDE, thou hast ordened them for a punyshm&ebar;t, and set them to reproue the mightie. Thine eyes are clene, thou mayest not se euell, thou canst not beholde þe; thinge that is wicked. ^noteWherfore then dost thou loke vpon the vngodly, and holdest thy tunge, when the wicked deuoureth the man that is better th&ebar; himself? Thou makest men as the fish in the see, and like as the crepinge beestes, that haue no gyde. They take vp all with their angle, they catch it in their net, ∧ gather it in their yarne: wherof they reioyce and are glad. Therfore offre they vnto their net, and do sacrifice vnto their yarne: because that thorow it their porcion is become so fat, and their meate so pleteous. Wherfore they cast out their net agayne, ∧ neuer ceasse to slaye the people. The II. Chapter.

A   I stode vpon my watch, and set me vpon my bulworke, to loke ∧ se what he wolde saye vnto me, and what answere I shulde geue him þt; reproueth me. But the LORDE answered me, and sayde: Wryte the vision planely vpon thy tables, that who so commeth by, maye rede it: for þe; visi&obar; is yet farre of for a tyme, ^note but at þe; last it shal come to passe, ∧ not fayle. And though he tary, yet wait thou for him, ^note for in very dede he wil come, and not be slacke. Beholde, who so wil not beleue, his soule shal not prospere: but the iust shal lyue by his faith. ^noteLike as the wyne disceaueth the dronckarde, euen so the proude shal fayle ∧ not endure. He openeth his desyre wyde vp as the hell, ∧ is as vnsaciable as death. ^noteAll Heithen gathereth he to him, ∧ heapeth vnto him all people.

B   But shall not all these take vp a prouerbe agaynst him, and mocke him with a byworde, and saye: Wo vnto him that heapeth vp other mens goodes? How longe wil he lade himself with thicke claye? O how sodenly wil they stonde vp, þt; shal byte the, ∧ awake, that shal teare þe; in peces? yee thou shalt be their pray. ^noteSeinge thou hast spoyled many Heithen, therfore shall the remnaunt of the people spoyle the: because of mens bloude, ∧ for the wronge done in the londe, in the cite ∧ vnto all them that dwel therin.

^noteWo vnto him, that couetously gathereth euell gotten goodes in to his house: that he maye set his nest an hye, ^note to escape from the power of mysfortune. Thou hast deuysed þe; shame of thine owne house, for thou hast slayne to moch people, and hast wilfully offended:

^note so that the very stones of the wall shal crie out of it, and the tymbre that lieth betwixte the ioyntes of the buyldinge shall answere. ^noteWo vnto him, þt; buyldeth the towne with bloude, and maynteneth þe; cite with vnrightuousnes. Shal not the LORDE of hoostes bringe this to passe, that the laboures of the people shal be brent with a greate fyre, and that the thinge wher vpon the people haue weeried them selues, shall be lost? ^noteFor the earth shalbe full of knowlege of the LORDES honoure, like as the waters that couer the see.

C   Wo vnto him that geueth his neghboure dryncke, to get him wrothfull displeasure for his dronckennesse: ^note that he maye se his preuytees. Therfore with shame shalt thou be fylled, in steade of honoure. Dryncke thou also, till thou slombre withall: for the cuppe of the LORDES right h&obar;de shall compasse the aboute, and shamefull spewinge in steade of thy worshipe. For the wr&obar;ge that thou hast done in Libanus, ^note shal ouerwhelme the, and the wilde beastes shal make the afrayed: because of mens bloude, and for the wronge done in the londe, in the cite, and vnto all soch as dwel therin.

What helpe than wil þe; ymage do, whom the workman hath fashioned? Or the vayne cast ymage, wherin because the craftesman putteth his trust, therfore maketh he domme Idols? Wo vnto him, that saieth to a pece of wod: arise, and to a domme stone: stonde vp. For what instrucci&obar; maye soch one geue? Beholde, it is layed ouer with golde and syluer, ∧ there is no breth in it. ^noteBut the LORDE in his holy t&ebar;ple is he, whom all the worlde shulde feare. The III. Chapter. A prayer of the prophet Abacuc for the ignoraunt.

A   O Lorde, when I herde speake of þe;, I was afrayed. The worke þt; thou hast taken in honde, shalt thou perfourme in his tyme, O LORDE: and when thy tyme commeth, thou shalt declare it. In thy very wrath thou thinkest vpon mercy. God commeth from Theman, and the holy one from the mount of Pharan. Sela.

His glory couereth the heauens, and the earth is full of his prayse. His shyne is as þe; sonne, ∧ beames of light go out of his hondes, there is his power hid. Destrucci&obar; goeth before him, and burnynge cressettes go from his fete. He stondeth, ∧ measureth the earth: He loketh, ∧ the people consume awaye, the mo&ubar;taynes of þe; worlde fall downe to powlder, and the hilles are fayne to bowe them selues, for his goinges are euerlastinge and sure.

I sawe, that the pauilions of the Morians and the tentes of the londe of Madian were vexed for weerynesse. Wast thou not angrie (o LORDE) in the waters? was not thy wrath in the floudes, and thy displeasure in the see? yes, wh&ebar; thou sattest vpon thine horse, and when thy charettes had the victory. Thou shewdest thy bowe op&ebar;ly, ^note like as thou haddest promised with an ooth vnto the trybes. Sela.

B   Thou didest deuyde the waters of the earth. When the mountaynes saw the, they were afrayed, þe; water streame w&ebar;te awaye: the depe made a noyse at the liftinge vp of thine honde. ^noteThe Sonne and Mone remayned still in their habitacion. Thine arowes wente out glisteringe, and thy speares as the shyne of the lightenynge. ^noteThou trodest downe the londe in thine anger, and didest throsshe the Heithen in thy displeasure. Thou camest forth to helpe thy people, to helpe thine anoynted. Thou smotest downe the heade in the house of the vngodly, ∧ discoueredest his foundacions, eu&ebar; vnto þe; necke of him. Sela.

Thou cursest his septers, the captayne of his men of warre: which come as a stormy wynde to scatre me abrode, ∧ are glad when they maye eat vp þe; poore secretly. C   Thou makest a waye for thine horses in the see, euen in the mudde of greate waters. Wh&ebar; I heare this, my body is vexed, my lippes tremble at þe; voyce therof, my bones corruppe, I am afrayed where I stonde. O that I might rest in the daye of trouble, that I might go vp vnto oure people, which are alredy prepared.

For the fyge trees shal not be grene, ∧ the vynes shal beare no frute. The laboure of þe; olyue shalbe but lost, and the londe shall bringe no corne: the shepe shalbe taken out of þe; folde, and there shalbe no catell in þe; stalles. But as for me, I wil be glad in the LORDE, and will reioyce in God my Sauioure. ^noteThe LORDE God is my strength, he shall make my fete as the fete of hertes: ∧ he which geueth þe; victory, shal bringe me to my hye places, synginge vpon my psalmes. The ende of the prophet Abacuc.

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