1   Take courege ye children of Beniamin in the middes of Ierusalem, and in Thecua sound with the trumpet, & ouer Bethacarem lift vp the standart: because there is euil seene from the North, and great destruction.

2   I haue resembled the daughter of Sion to a beautiful & delicate woman.

3   To her shal ^note pastours come, and their flockes: they

haue pitcht tents in her round about: euerie one shal feede them that are vnder his hand.

4   Sanctifie ye battel vpon her: arise, and let vs go vp in the midday: wo vnto vs, because the day is declined, because the shaddowes of the euening are waxen longer.

5   Arise, and let vs goe vp in the night, and destroy her houses.

6   Because thus saith the Lord of hostes: Hew downe her wood, cast a trench about Ierusalem: this is the citie of visitation, al oppression is in the middes thereof.

7   As a cesterne maketh colde the water therof, so hath she made colde her malice: iniquitie and spoile shal be heard in her, infirmitie and plague alwaies before me.

8   Be thou taught Ierusalem, lest perhaps my soule depart from thee, lest perhaps I make thee a desert land not habitable.

9   Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Euen to one cluster shal they gather as in a vineyard the remaines of Israel, turne back thy hand, as the grapegatherer to the basket.

10   To whom shal I speake? and whom shal I contest, that he may heare? behold, their eares are vncircumcised, and they can not heare: behold the word of our Lord is become vnto them as a reproche: and they wil not receiue it.

11   Therefore am I ful of the furie of our Lord, I haue laboured sustayning: power out vpon the litle one without, and vpon the counsel of the yong men together: for man with woman shal be taken, the ancient with him that is ful of daies.

12   And their houses shal passe to others, their landes and wiues together: because I wil extend my hand vpon the inhabitants of the land, saith our Lord.

13   For from the lesser euen to the greater, al studie auarice: and from the prophets euen to the priest, al commit guile.

14   And they cured the destruction of the daughter of my people with ignominie, saying: Peace, peace: & there was not peace.

15   They were confounded, because they did abomination: yea rather they were not confounded with confusion, and they knew not how to blush, for the which thing, they shal fal among them that fal: in the time of their visitation, they shal fal downe, saith our Lord.

16   Thus saith our Lord: Stand ye vpon the waies, and see, and aske of the old pathes, which is the good way, and walke ye in it: and you shal find refreshing for your soules. And they said: We wil not walke.

17   And I appointed watchmen ouer you. Heare yee the voice of the trumpet. And they said: We wil not heare.

18    ^noteTherefore heare ye, ô Gentiles, and thou congregation know, what

great thinges I wil doe to them.

19   Heare ô earth: Behold I wil bring euils vpon this people, the fruites of their cogitations: because they haue not heard my wordes, and they haue cast of my law.

20   To what purpose bring you me frankencense from Saba, and the sweete smelling cane from a farre countrie? your holocaustes are not acceptable, and your victimes haue not pleased me.

21   Therefore thus saith our Lord: Behold I wil bring ruine vpon this people, & the fathers with the children shal fal in them together, neighbour and neighbour, and they shal perish.

22   Thus saith our Lord: Behold there cometh a people from the land of the ^note North, & a great nation shal arise vp from the endes of the earth.

23   It shal take arrow and shild: it is cruel, and wil haue no mercie. The voice thereof shal sound as the sea: & they shal mount vpon horses, prepared as a man to battel, against thee ô daughter of Sion.

24   We haue heard the fame thereof, our handes are dissolued: tribulation hath caught vs, sorowes as a woman in trauel.

25   Goe not out to the fieldes and walke not in the way: because the sword of the enemie is feare round about.

26   Be girded with sackcloth ô daughter of my people, & be sprinkled with ashes: make thee a bitter lamentation as the mourning of the only begotten, because the destroyer shal sodenly come vpon vs.

27   I haue sette thee a strong prouer in my people: and thou shalt know, and proue their way.

28   Al these princes are declyning, walking deceitfully, brasse and yron: they are al corrupted.

29   The bellowes haue failed, the lead is consumed in the fire, the founder hath melted in vaine: for their malices are not consumed.

30   Cal ye them reprobate siluer, because our Lord hath reiected them.

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