1   Wo to thee, Babylon and Asia: woe to thee, Egypt and Syria.

2   Girde your selues with sacke and hearecloth, and mourne your children, and be sorie: for your destruction is at hand.

3   A sworde is sent vnto you, and who wil turne it backe? a fire is sent among you, and who will quenche it?

4   Plagues are sent vnto you, and who can driue them away?

5   May any man driue away an hungry lyon in the wood? or quenche the fire in stubble when it hath once begunne to burne? may one turne againe the arrowe, that is shot of a strong archer?

6   The mightie Lorde sendeth the plagues, and who can driue them away? the fire is gone foorth in his wrath, and who can quenche it?

7   He shall cast lightnings, and who shall not feare? he shall thunder, and who shall not be afraid?

8   The Lorde shall threaten, and who shall not vtterly be broken in pieces at his presence? the earth quaketh and the foundation thereof: the sea ariseth vp with waues from the deeepe, and the waues thereof are troubled, and the fishes thereof, before the Lord, and the glorie of his power.

9   For strong is his right hand, that bendeth the bowe: his arrowes that he shooteth, are sharpe, and shall not misse, when they beginne to be shot into the endes of the world.

10   Beholde, the plagues are sent, and shall not turne againe, till they come vpon earth.

11   The fire is kindled, and shall not be put out, till it consume the foundations of the earth.

12   As an arrowe which is shotte of a mightie archer, returneth not backwarde, so the plagues that shall be sent vpon earth, shall not turne againe.

13   Wo is me, wo is me: who will deliuer me in those dayes?

14   The beginning of sorrowes and great mourning: the beginning of famine, and great death: the beginning of warres, and the powers shall feare the beginning of euils, and all shall tremble. What shall I doe in these thinges, when the plagues come?

15   Beholde, famine and plague, and trouble, and anguish are sent as scourges for amendement.

16   But for all these thinges they will not turne from their wickednesse, nor be alway mindfull of the scourges.

17   Beholde, vitailes shall be so good cheape vpon earth, that they shall thinke themselues to be in good case: but then shall the euils bud foorth vpon earth, euen the sworde, the famine and great confusion.

18   For many of them that dwell vpon earth, shall perish with famine, and the other that escape the famine, shall the sworde destroy.

19   And the dead shalbe cast out as dongue, and there shall be no man to comfort them: for the earth shalbe wasted, and the cities shalbe cast downe.

20   There shalbe no man left to till the earth, and to sowe it: the trees shall giue fruite, but who shall gather them?

21   The grapes shalbe ripe, but who shall treade them? for all places shalbe desolate, so that one man shall desire to see another, or to heare his voyce.

22   For of one citie there shall be tenne left, and two of the fielde, which shall hide themselues in the thicke woods, and in the cleftes of rockes.

23   As when there remaine three or foure oliues in the place where oliues growe, or among other trees,

24   Or as when a vineyard is gathered, there are left some grapes of them that diligently sought thorowe the vineyard:

25   So in those dayes there shalbe three or foure left by them that searche their houses with the sworde.

26   And the earth shall be left waste, & the fields

thereof shall waxe olde, and her waies and all her pathes shall growe full of thornes, because no man shall trauaile therethrough.

27   The virgins shall mourne, hauing no bridegromes: the women shall make lamentation, hauing no husbandes, their daughters shall mourne, hauing no helpers.

28   In the warres shall their bridegromes be destroyed, and their husbandes shall perish with famine.

29   But, yee seruauntes of the Lorde, heare these things, and marke them.

30   Beholde the woorde of the Lorde, receiue it: beleeue not the gods of whome the Lord speaketh: beholde the plagues draw neere, and are not slacke.

31   As a traueiling woman which in the nineth moneth bringeth foorth her sonne, when the houre of birth is come, two or three houres afore þe; paines come vpon her bodie, and when the childe commeth to the birth, they tarie not a whit:

32   So shall not the plagues bee slacke to come vpon the earth, and the worlde shall mourne, and sorrowes shall come vpon it on euery side.

33   O my people, heare my woorde: make you readie to the battell, and in the troubles be euen as strangers vpon earth.

34   Hee that selleth, let him be as hee that fleeth his way: and he that bieth, as one that will lose.

35   Who so occupieth marchandise, as hee that winneth not: and he that buildeth, as he that shall not dwell therein:

36   Hee that soweth, as one that shall not reape: he that cutteth the vine, as he that shall not gather the grapes:

37   They that marrie, as they that shall gette no children: and they that marrie not, so as the widdowes.

38   Therefore, they that labour, labour in vaine.

39   For strangers shall reape their fruites, and spoile their goods, and ouerthrowe their houses, and take their children captiue: for in captiuitie and famine shall they get their children.

40   And they that occupie their marchandise with couetousnesse, the more they decke their cities, their houses, their possessions, and their owne persones,

41   So much more will I be angrie against them for their sinnes, sayth the Lord.

42   As a whore enuieth an honest and vertuous woman,

43   So shall righteousnesse hate iniquitie, when shee decketh her selfe, and shall accuse her openly, when hee shall come that shall bridle the autor of all sinne vpon earth.

44   And therefore be yee not like thereunto, nor to the workes thereof: for or euer it be long, iniquitie shall be taken away out of the earth, and righteousnesse shall reigne among you.

45   Let not the sinner say, that he hath not sinned: for coales of fire shall burne vpon his head, which saith, I haue not sinned before the Lord God and his glorie.

46   Beholde, the Lord ^note knoweth all the workes of men, their imaginations, their thoughtes and their hearts.

47    ^noteFor assoone as hee sayde, Let the earth be made, it was made: let the heauen be made, and it was created.

48   By his woorde were the starres established, and he ^note knoweth the number of them.

49   Hee searcheth the depth, and the treasures thereof: he hath measured the sea, and what it conteineth.

50   Hee hath shutte the sea in the middes of the waters, and with his word hath he hanged the earth vpon the waters.

51   Hee spreadeth out the heauens like a vawte: vpon the waters hath he founded it.

52   In the desert hath he made springs of water, and pooles vpon the toppe of the mountaines, to powre out floodes from the high rockes to water the earth,

53   Hee made man, and put his heart in the mids of the bodie, and gaue him breath, life and vnderstanding.

54   And the Spirite of the almightie God, which made all things, and hath searched all the hid things in the secretes of the earth,

55   Hee knoweth your inuentions, and what yee imagine in your heart when yee sinne and woulde hide your sinnes.

56   Therefore hath the Lord searched & sought out all your woorkes, and wil put you all to shame.

57   And when your sinnes are brought foorth before men, ye shall be confounded, and your owne sinnes shall stand as your accusers in that day.

58   What will yee doe, or howe will ye hide your sinnes before God and his Angels?

59   Beholde, God him selfe is the iudge: feare him: cease from your sinnes, and forget your iniquities, and meddle no more from hencefoorth with them: so shall God lead you foorth, and deliuer you from all trouble.

60   For beholde, the heate of a great multitude is kindled against you, and they shall take away certaine of you, and shall slay you for meate to the idoles.

61   And they that consent vnto them, shall be had in derision and in reproche, and troden vnder foote.

62   For in euery place and cities that are neere, there shall be great insurrection against those that feare the Lorde.

63   They shall be like mad men: they shall spare none: they shall spoyle and wast such as yet feare the Lord.

64   For they then shall waste and spoyle their goods, and cast them out of their houses.

65   Then shall the triall of my chosen appeare, as the golde is tried by the fire.

66   Heare, O ye my beloued, sayth the Lord: beholde, the daies of trouble are at hande, but I will deliuer you from them: be not yee afraid: doute not, for God is your captaine.

67   Who so keepeth my commaundements and precepts, sayeth the Lorde God, let not your sinnes weigh you downe, and let not your iniquities lift them selues vp.

68   Woe vnto them that are bounde with their sinnes, and couered with their iniquities, as a fielde is hedged in with bushes, and the pathe thereof couered with thornes, whereby no man may trauaile: it is shutte vp, and is appointed to be deuoured with fire.

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