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¹ Rvnne to and fro by the streetes of Ierusalem, and beholde nowe, and knowe, and inquire in the open places thereof, if ye can finde a man, or if there be any that executeth iudgement, and seeketh the trueth, and I will spare it.² For though they say, The Lord liueth, yet doe they sweare falsely.³ O Lord, are not thine eyes vpo the trueth? thou hast striken them, but they haue not sorowed: thou hast consumed them, but they haue refused to receiue correction: they haue made their faces harder then a stone, and haue refused to returne.⁴ Therefore I saide, Surely they are poore, they are foolish, for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the iudgement of their God.⁵ I will get me vnto the great men, and will speake vnto them: for they haue knowen the way of the Lord, and the iudgement of their God: but these haue altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bondes.⁶ Wherefore a lyon out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolfe of the wildernesse shall destroy them: a leopard shall watch ouer their cities: euery one that goeth out thence, shall be torne in pieces, because their trespasses are many, and their rebellions are increased.⁷ Howe should I spare thee for this? thy children haue forsaken me, and sworne by them that are no gods: though I fed them to the full, yet they committed adulterie, and assembled them selues by companies in the harlots houses.⁸ They rose vp in the morning like fed horses: for euery man neyed after his neighbours wife.⁹ Shall I not visite for these things, saith the Lorde? Shall not my soule be auenged on such a nation as this?

¹⁰ Clime vp vpon their walles, and destroy them, but make not a full ende: take away their batilments, for they are not the Lords.¹¹ For the house of Israel, and the house of Iudah haue grieuously trespassed against me, saith the Lord.¹² They haue denied the Lorde, and saide, It is not he, neither shall the plague come vpon vs, neither shall we see sworde nor famine.¹³ And the Prophetes shall be as winde, and the worde is not in them: thus shall it come vnto them.¹⁴ Wherefore thus saith the Lorde God of hostes, Because ye speake such wordes, beholde, I will put my wordes into thy mouth, like a fire, and this people shall be as wood, and it shall deuoure them.¹⁵ Loe, I will bring a nation vpon you from farre, O house of Israel, saith the Lord, which is a mightie nation, and an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither vnderstandest what they say.¹⁶ Whose quiuer is as an open sepulchre: they are all very strong.¹⁷ And they shall eate thine haruest and thy bread: they shall deuoure thy sonnes and thy daughters: they shall eate vp thy sheepe and thy bullocks: they shall eate thy vines and thy figge trees: they shall destroy with the sworde thy fensed cities, wherein thou didest trust.¹⁸ Neuerthelesse at those dayes, sayth the Lord, I will not make a full ende of you.¹⁹ And when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God doe these things vnto vs? then shalt thou answere them, Like as ye haue forsaken me and serued strange gods in your land, so shall ye serue strangers in a land that is not yours.

²⁰ Declare this in the house of Iaakob, and publish it in Iudah, saying,²¹ Heare nowe this, O foolish people, and without vnderstanding, which haue eyes and see not, which haue eares and heare not.²² Feare ye not me, saith the Lord? or will ye not be afraide at my presence, which haue placed the sand for the bounds of the sea by the perpetuall decree that it cannot passe it, and though the waues thereof rage, yet can they not preuaile, though they roare, yet can they not passe ouer it?²³ But this people hath an vnfaithfull and rebellious heart: they are departed and gone.²⁴ For they say not in their heart, Let vs nowe feare the Lorde our God, that giueth raine both early and late in due season: hee reserueth vnto vs the appointed weekes of the haruest.

²⁵ Yet your iniquities haue turned away these things, and your sinnes haue hindred good things from you.²⁶ For among my people are founde wicked persons, that lay waite as hee that setteth snares: they haue made a pit, to catch men.²⁷ As a cage is full of birdes, so are their houses full of deceite: thereby they are become great and waxen riche.²⁸ They are waxen fat and shining: they doe ouerpasse the deedes of the wicked: they execute no iudgement, no not the iudgement of the fatherlesse: yet they prosper, though they execute no iudgement for the poore.²⁹ Shall I not visite for these things, sayth the Lord? or shall not my soule be auenged on such a nation as this?³⁰ An horrible and filthie thing is committed in the land.³¹ The Prophets prophesie lies, and ye Priests receiue giftes in their handes, and my people delite therein. What will ye then doe in the ende thereof?