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¹ The ryghteous perisheth, and no man regardeth it in his heart: good godly people are taken away, & no man considereth it, namely, that the righteous is conueyed away from the wicked.² He commeth into peace, and godly men rest in their chaumbers, and before the godly man goeth peace.

³ Come hyther therfore ye charmers children, ye sonnes of the adulterer and the whore.⁴ Wherin take ye your pleasure? vpon whom gape ye with your mouth, and bleare out your tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, and a seede of dissimulation?⁵ Ye make your fire vnder the okes, and vnder all greene trees, and ye offer children in the valleys and dennes of stone.⁶ Thy part shalbe with the stony rockes by the riuer, yea euen these shalbe thy part: For there thou hast powred meate & drynke offeryng vnto them: Shoulde I delyght in that?⁷ Thou hast made thy bed vpon hye mountaynes, thou wentest vp thyther, and there thou hast slayne sacrifices.⁸ Behynde the doores and postes hast thou set vp thy remembraunce, when thou hadst discouered thy selfe to another then me, when thou wentest vp and made thy bed wider, and with those idols hast thou made a couenaunt, and louedst their couches where thou sawest them.⁹ Thou wentest straight to kinges with oyle and diuers oyntmentes [that is] thou hast sent thy messengers farre of, and yet art thou fallen into the pit.¹⁰ Thou art weerie for the multitude of thyne owne wayes, yet saydest thou neuer, there is no hope: Thou hast had the life that thy handes wrought, and therefore thou art carelesse.¹¹ For whom wylt thou be abashed or feare, seing thou hast broken thy promise, and remembrest not me, neither hast me in thyne heart? Thinkest thou that I also wyll holde my peace as aforetime, that thou fearest me not?¹² Yea veryly I wyll declare thy goodnesse and thy workes, but they shall not profite thee.

¹³ When thou cryest, let thy chosen heape deliuer thee: but the winde shall blowe them foorth, and vanitie shal take them all away: Neuerthelesse they that put their trust in me, shall inherite the land, and haue my holy hill in possession.¹⁴ And therefore thus he saith: make playne, make playne, and clense the streete, take vp the stumbling blockes out of the way of my people.¹⁵ For thus saith the hye and excellent, euen he that dwelleth in euerlastingnesse, whose name is the holy one: I dwell hye aboue and in the sanctuarie, and with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirite do I dwell, that I may heale a troubled minde, and a contrite heart.¹⁶ For I chyde not euer, and am not wroth without ende: but the blasting goeth from me, and is included in the body, and I made the breath.

¹⁷ I am wroth with hym for his couetousnesse, I smite hym, I hide me and am angrie, and he turneth himselfe, and foloweth thee by the way of his owne heart.¹⁸ I haue seene his wayes, and I heale hym, I leade him, and restore to hym comfort, and to those that were sorie for hym.¹⁹ I make the fruites of thankesgeuing, that he may say, peace, peace, vnto the that are farre of, and to them that are nye saith the Lorde, I make hym whole.²⁰ But the wicked are lyke the raging sea that can not rest, whose water fometh with the mire and grauell.²¹ Euen so the wicked haue no peace, saith God.