A   Wo vnto the Babilon ∧ Asia, wo vnto þe; Egipte ∧ Syria: gyrde yo&highr; selues &wt; clothes of sack ∧ hayre, and mourne for youre childr&ebar;, be sory, for yo&highr; destruccion is at honde. A swerde is sent vpon you, ∧ who wil turne it back? A fyre is kyndled am&obar;ge you, ∧ who wil quench it? Plages are sent vnto you, ∧ what is he that wil dryue them awaye? Maye eny man dryue awaye an h&obar;grie lyon in the wod? Or maye eny m&abar; quench the fyre in the stubble, whan it hath begonne to burne? Maye one turne agayne the arowe, þt; is shot of a stronge archer? The mightie LORDE sendeth the plages, ∧ what is he that wil dryue them awaye? The fyre is kyndled ∧ gone forth in his wrath, ∧ what is he that will quench it? He shall cast lightenynges, ∧ who shal not feare? He shal thonder, and who shall not be afrayed? The LORDE shal threaten, ∧ who shal not vtterly be beaten to poulder at his presence? The earth quaketh, ∧ the foundacions therof: þe; see aryseth vp &wt; wawes from the depe, and the floudes of it are vnquyete, ∧ the fishes therof also before the LORDE, ∧ before the glory of his power. For stronge is his right hande that holdeth the bowe, his arowes that he shuteth, are sharpe, ∧ shall not mysse, whan they begynne to be shot in to þe; endes of the worlde.

B   Beholde, þe; plages are sent, ∧ shal not turne agayne, tyll they come vpon earth. The fyre is kyndled, ∧ shall not be put out, tyll it consume the foundacions of the earth. Like as an arowe which is shot of a mightie archer, returneth not bacwarde, euen so þe; plages þt; shal be sent vpon earth, shal not turne agayne. Wo is me, wo is me, who wyl delyuer me in those dayes? The begynnynge of sorowes ∧ greate mourninge: the begynnynge of derth ∧ greate death: the begynnynge of warres, ∧ the powers shal stonde in feare: the begynnynge of euels, ∧ they shal tremble euery one. What shal I do in these thinges, whan the plages come? Beholde, h&obar;ger and plage, trouble ∧ anguysh are sent, as scourges for amendement. But for all these thinges they shal not turne fr&obar; their wickednesses, ner be allwaye myndefull of þe; scourges.

C   Beholde, vitayles shalbe so good cheape vpon earth, þt; they shal thinke themselues to be in good case: and euen then shal myschefe growe vp&obar; earth, warres, derth ∧ greate disquietnes. For many of them that dwell vp&obar; earth shall perish of h&obar;ger, ∧ the other that escape the honger, shal the swerde destroye: ∧ the deed shalbe cast out as donge, ∧ there shalbe no man to c&obar;forte them. For þe; earth shalbe waisted, ∧ the cities shalbe cast downe: there shalbe no man left to tyll þe; earth ∧ to sowe it. The trees shal geue frute, ∧ who shal plucke th&ebar; of ∧ gather them? The grapes shal be ripe, ∧ who shal treade th&ebar;? For all places shalbe desolate of m&ebar;, so that one man shal desyre to se another, or to heare his voyce. For of one whole cite there shalbe ten left, ∧ two in the felde, which shall hyde th&ebar; selues in the thicke bu&esset;shes, ∧ in the clyffes of stones: like as whan there remayne thre or foure olyues vpon the olyue tre, or as whan a vynyarde is gathered, there are left some grapes, of them that dilig&ebar;tly sought thorow the vynyarde.

D   Euen so in those dayes there shalbe thre or foure left, for th&ebar; þt; search their houses &wt; the swerde. And the earth shalbe left waist, ∧ the feldes therof shall waxe olde: and hir wayes and all hir pathes shal growe full of thornes, because no man shal trauayle there thorow. The daughters shal mourne, hauinge no brydegromes: the wemen shal make lamentacion, hauynge no hu&esset;bandes, their daughters shal mourne, hauinge no helpe of their brydegrome. In the warres shall they be destroyed, ∧ their hu&esset;bandes shal perish of honger. O ye seruauntes of the LORDE, heare these thinges, ∧ marck th&ebar;. Beholde, the worde of the LORDE, O receaue it: beholde, the plages drawe nye, ∧ are not slack in tarienge. Like as a trauaylinge woman, which after þe; ix. moneth br&ibar;geth forth a sonne, whan the houre of the byrth is come, an

houre two or thre afore that the paynes come vp&obar; hir body, ∧ whan the childe c&obar;meth to the byrth, they tary not the twincklynge of an eye: Eu&ebar; so shall not þe; plages be slack to come vpon earth, ∧ the worlde shal mourne, ∧ sorowes shal come vp&obar; it on euery syde.

E   O my people, heare my worde, make you redy to the battayll: ∧ in all euell be euen as pylgrems vpon earth. He þt; selleth, let him be as he that flyeth his waye: ∧ he þt; byeth, as one that wil lese. ^noteWho so occupieth marcha&ubar;dies, as he that wynneth not: ∧ he that buyldeth, as he that shall not dwell therin: he that soweth, as one þt; shal not reape: he that twysteth the vynyarde, as he that shal not gather the grapes: they that mary, as they that shall get no children: ∧ they þt; mary not, as the wyddowes: ^note ∧ therfore they þt; laboure, labo&highr; in vayne. For straungers shall reape their frutes, ∧ spoyle their goodes, ouerthrowe their houses, ∧ take their childr&ebar; captyue, for in captiuyte ∧ honger shal they get children. And they that occupie their marchaundies &wt; robbery, how longe decke they their cities, their houses, their possessions ∧ personnes? the more wil I punysh them for their synnes, sayeth the LORDE. Like as an whore enuyeth an honest woman, so shall righteousnes hate iniquyte, whan she decketh hir self, and shall accuse her to hir face, whan he c&obar;meth that defendeth, which shal make inquysici&obar; for all synne vp&obar; earth. And therfore be not ye like there vnto, ner to the workes therof: for or euer it be longe, iniquite shalbe taken awaye out of the earth, and righteousnes shal raigne amonge you.

F   Let not the synner saye, that he hath not synned: for coles of fyre shal burne vpon his heade, which saieth before the LORDE God ∧ his glory: I haue not synned. Beholde, the LORDE knoweth all þe; workes of men, their ymaginacions, their thoughtes ∧ their hertes. ^noteFor he spake but the worde: let the earth be made, ∧ it was made: let the heau&ebar; be made, ∧ it was made. In his worde were þe; starres made, ∧ he knoweth the nombre of them. He searcheth the grounde of the depe, ∧ the treasures therof: he hath measured the see, ∧ what it conteyneth. He hath shut the see in the myddest of the waters, and &wt; his worde hath he hanged the earth vpon the waters. He spredeth out the heauen like a vowte, vpon the waters hath he founded it. In the deserte and drye wyldernes hath he made sprynges of water, and poles vp&obar; the toppe of the mountaynes, þt; the floudes might poure downe from þe; stony rockes to water the earth. He made man, and put his hert in the myddest of þe; body, and gaue him breth, life and vnderstandinge, yee and the sprete of þe; Allmightie God, which made all thinges, and hath searched the gro&ubar;de of all the secretes of the earth.

G   He knoweth youre ymaginacions ∧ inu&ebar;cions, and what ye thynke whan ye synne, ∧ wolde hyde youre synnes. Therfore hath þe; LORDE searched and sought out all yo&highr; workes, and he shal bewraye you all. And whan yo&highr; synnes are brought forth, ye shalbe ashamed before men, and youre owne synnes shalbe youre accusers in that daye. What wil ye do? Or how will ye hyde youre synnes before God and his angels? Beholde, God himself is the iudge, feare him, leaue of from youre synnes, and forget youre vnrighteousnesses, and medle nomore with them: so shal God lede you forth, and delyuer you from all trouble. For beholde, the heate of a greate multitude is kyndled ouer you, and they shal take awaye certayne of you, and fede the ydle &wt; Idols: and they that c&obar;sent vnto them, shalbe had in derision, laughed to scorne, ∧ trodden vnder fote.

For vnto the places there shalbe a place, and in the next cities a greate insurreccion vpon those that feare þe; LORDE. H   They shalbe like mad men, they shall spare no man: they shall spoyle and waist soch as feare the LORDE, their goodes shall they take from them, and shute them out of their houses. Then shall it be knowne who are my chosen, ∧ they shalbe tryed as the golde in the fyre. Heare O ye my beloued, saieth the LORDE: beholde, the dayes of trouble are at honde, but I wil delyuer you from the same. Be not ye afraied, dispayre not, for God is youre captayne.

Who so kepeth my c&obar;maundementes and preceptes (sayeth the LORDE God) let not youre synnes weye you downe, ∧ let not youre vnrighteousnesses be lift vp. Wo be vnto th&ebar; that are subdued vnto their synnes, and tangled in their wickednesses: like as a felde is hedged in with bu&esset;shes, and the path therof couered with thornes, þt; no man maye trauayle thorow: and so is he taken, and cast in the fyre, and brent. The ende of the IIII. boke of E&esset;dras.

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