A   This is the worde of þe; Lord, which cam vnto Sophony the s&obar;ne of Chusi, the sonne of Gedoliah, þe; s&obar;ne of Amariah, the sonne of Hezekiah in the tyme of ^note Iosiah the sonne of ^note Am&obar; kyng of Iuda. I wyll gather vp all thynges in þe; lande (sayeth the Lord) I wyll gather vp man ∧ beast: I wyll gather vp the foules in þe; ayre and the fysh in the see (to þe; greate decaye of the wycked) and wyll vtterly destroye the men out of the lande, sayeth þe; Lord. B   I will stretch oute myne h&abar;de vpon Iuda, ∧ vpon all soch as dwell at Ierusal&ebar;. Thus will I rote oute þe; remna&ubar;t of Baal from this place, ∧ the names of the ^note Remurins and prestes: yee, ∧ ^note soch as vpon their house toppes worshyppe and bowe th&ebar; selues vnto the hoste of heauen: which sweare by þe; Lord, ∧ by their Malchom also: which starte a backe from the Lord, and nether seke after þe; Lord ner regarde hym.

^noteBe still at the presence of the Lord God for the daye of the Lord is at hande: yee, the Lord hath prepared a slayne offeryng, and called hys gestes therto. And thus shall it happen in the daye of the Lordes slaynofferyng. I will viset the princes, ^note þe; kynges chyldren, and all soch as were straunge clothinge. In the same daye also wyll I vyset all those, that treade ouer the thresholde so

proudly, which fyll their Lordes house with robbery ∧ falshede. C   At þe; same tyme (sayeth the Lorde) there shalbe herde a greate crye from the ^note fysh porte and an howlinge from the other porte, and a greate murthur from þe; hylles. Howle ye that dwell in þe; myll, for all the marcha&ubar;t people are gone, ∧ all they that were laden with syluer, are roted out.

At the same tyme wyll I seke thorow Ierusalem with lanternes, ∧ vyset them that continue in their dregges, and saye in their hertes: ^note Tush, þe; Lord wyll do nether good ner euell. Their goodes shalbe spoyled, and their houses layed waste: ^note they shal buylde houses, ∧ not dwell in them, they shall pl&abar;te vynyardes, but not drincke þt; wyne therof. D   For þe; greate ^note daye of þe; Lord is at hande, it is herde by ∧ commeth on a pace. Horrible is the tydinges of the Lordes daye, th&ebar; shal the giaunte crye out: for that daye is a daye of wrath, a daye of trouble and heuynesse, a daye of vtter destruccion ∧ misery, a darcke ∧ glomynge daye, a cloudy ∧ stormy daye, a daye of the noyse of tr&obar;pettes ∧ shawmes, agaynst the stronge cyties ∧ hie towres. I will bringe the people into soch vexacion, þt; they shal go aboute lyke blinde m&ebar;, because they haue synned agaynst the Lord. Their bloude shalbe shed as the dust, ∧ their bodies as the myre. ^noteNether their syluer ner their golde shalbe able to deliuer them in that wrothful daye of the Lorde, but the ^note whole lande shalbe consumed thorow þe; fyre of his gelousy: for he shall soone make clene ryddaunce of al them that dwell in the lande. ¶ The .ii. Chapter. ¶ He moueth to returne to God, prophecyinge vnto the one destruccyon, ∧ to the other delyueraunce.

A   Examyne youre selues ∧ serche O þu; Nacyon þt; hast no desire to þe; lawe or þe; thing go forth þt; God hath concluded, ∧ or the tyme come wherin man shall passe awaye as the dust: or þe; fearfull wrath of þe; Lord come vp&obar; you: yee, or þe; daye of þe; Lordes sore displeasure come vpon you. Seke þe; Lord all yee meke harted vp&obar; earth, ye þt; worcke after his iudgem&ebar;t: seke ryghteousnesse, seke ^note lowlynesse: þt; ye maye be defended in þe; wrothful daye of the Lord: ^note For Gaza shal be destroyed, and Ascalon shall be layed waste. They shall cast out Asdod at the noone daye, and Accaron shalbe pluckte vp by the rotes

B   Wo vnto you þt; dwell vpon the see coost ye murtherous people: the worde of þe; Lord shal come vpon you. O Canaan thou lande of the Philistines, I will destroye þe;, so that there shall no man dwell in the eny more, ∧ as for þe; see coast, it shall be heardemens cotages ∧ shepe foldes: yee, it shalbe a porcion for soch as remayne of the house of Iuda, to fede ther vpon. In þe; houses of Ascalon shall they rest towarde nyght: for the Lord their God shal vyset th&ebar;, ∧ turne awaye their captiuite. ^note C   I haue herde þe; despite of Moab, ∧ the blasphemyes of þe; children of Ammon how they haue shamefully &ibar;treated my people, ∧ magnified them selues within the borders of their lande. Therfore, as truly as I lyue (sayeth the Lord of hostes the God of Israel) Moab shalbe as Sodome ∧ Amm&obar; as Gomorra: eu&ebar; drie thorne hedges, salt pittes ∧ a perpetuall wyldernes. The resydue of my folcke shal spoyle th&ebar;, the r&ebar;naunt of my people shal haue th&ebar; in possessi&obar;. ^noteThis shall happen vnto them for their pryde, because they haue dealte so shamefully with þe; Lorde of hostes people, ∧ magnified th&ebar; selues aboue th&ebar;. The Lord shall be grymme vpon them, ^note ∧ destroye all the goddes in þe; lande. And all the Iles of the Heathen shall worshippe him, euery man in his place.

D   Ye Mory&abar;s also shall perish &wt; my swerde: yee, he shall stretch out his h&abar;de ouer the north, and destroye Assur. ^noteAs for Niniue, he shall make it desolate, drye ∧ waste. The flockes ∧ all the beastes of þe; people shall lye in þe; middest of it, pellicanes ∧ storckes shal abyde in the vpper postes of it, foules shall synge in the wyndowes, ∧ rauens shall sytt vpon þe; balckes, for þe; boordes of Cedre shalbe ryuen downe. This is the proude and carelesse citye, that sayde in her herte. ^noteI am, and there is els none. O how is she made so waste, that the beastes lye therin? Who so goeth by, mocketh her, and poynteth at her with his fynger. ¶ The .iii. Chapter. ¶ Agaynst þe; gouerners of Ierusalem, of þe; callynge of all the Gentyles. A c&obar;fort to the resydue of Israel.

A   Wo to þe; abhominable, fylthie, ∧ cruell cytie: which will not heare, ner be refourmed. Her trust is not in þe; Lorde, nether will she holde her to her God. Her rulers within her are as roarynge ^note ly&obar;s: her iudges are as ^note wolues in þe; euenyng, whych leaue nothyng beh&ibar;de them tyll þe; morowe. Her prophetes are lyght pers&obar;nes ∧ vnfaithfull m&ebar;: her prestes vnhalowe þe; sanctuary ∧ do wronge vnder the pretence of the lawe. But þe; iust lord þt; doth no vnright, was am&obar;ge th&ebar;, euery morning shewing th&ebar; his lawe clearly, ∧ ceassed not. But þe; vngodly wyll not lerne to be ashamed. Therfore wil I rote oute this people, ∧ destroye their towres: yee, &abar;d make their stretes so voyde, that no m&abar; shal goo therin. Their cityes shalbe broken downe, so that no body shall be left, ner dwell there eny more.

B   I sayd vnto th&ebar;: O feare me, and be content to be refourmed. That their dwellinge shulde not be destroyed, ∧ that there shulde happen vnto them none of these thynges,

wherwith I shall vyset th&ebar;. But neuertheles, they stande vp early; to folowe the fylthynes of their awne ymaginacions. Therfore, ye shall wayte vp&obar; me (sayth þe; Lorde) vntyll the tyme that I stande vp: for I am determined, to gather the people ∧ to bring the kingdomes together, that I may poure out myne anger, ye all my wrothfull ^note dyspleasure vpon th&ebar;. ^noteFor al the worlde shall be consumed with the fyre of my gelousy. And then wyll I cl&ebar;se the lyppes of the people, that they maye euerychone call vpon þe; name of the Lorde, and serue him with one shulder. Soche as I haue subdued, and my children also whom I haue scatred abrode, shall brynge me presentes beyonde the waters of Ethiopia.

In that tyme shalt thou nomore be confounded, because of all thy ymagynacions, wher thorow thou haddest offended me: for ^note I will take awaye the proude boasters of thyne honour fr&obar; the, so that thou shalt nomore triumphe because of my holy hyl. In þe; also wyll I leaue a small poore simple people, which shall trust in the name of þe; Lord. C   The remnaunt of Israell shall do no wyckednes, ner speake lyes: nether shall there eny disceatfull tunge be fo&ubar;de in their mouthes. For they shalbe fed, &abar;d take their rest, and no man shal make them afrayed. Geue th&abar;kes, O daughter Sy&obar;, be ioyfull, O Israel: reioyce ∧ be glad from thy whole hert, O daughter Ierusalem, for the Lorde hath tak&ebar; awaye thy punyshement, and turned backe thyne enemyes. The kyng of Israel, eu&ebar; the Lord hym selfe is with the: so þt; thou nedest nomore to feare eny mysfortune.

D   In that tyme it shalbe sayde to Ierusalem: feare not, ∧ to Syon: let not thyne h&abar;des be slacke, for the Lorde thy God is with the, it is he that hath power to saue: he hath a speciall pleasure in the, ∧ a maruelous loue towarde the: yee, he reioyseth ouer the &wt; gladnesse. Soch as haue bene in heuynesse, wyll I gather together, and take out of thy congregacion: as for the shame and reprofe that hath bene layed vpon the, it shalbe farre from the. And lo, in that tyme wyll I destroye al those that vexe þe;: ^note I wil helpe the lame, and gather vp the cast awaye: yee, I will get them prayse and honour in all landes, where they haue bene put to shame. At þt; same tyme wyll I brynge you in, ∧ at the same tyme will I gather you. I wil get you a name and a good reporte amonge all people of the erth, when I turne backe your captyuite before your eyes, sayeth the Lorde. ¶ The ende of the prophecy of Sophony

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