Read the Bible

¹ So heare now, o Iacob my seruaunt, and Israel whom I haue chose.² For thus saieth the LORDE, that made the, fashioned the, and helped the, euen from thy mothers wombe: Be not afrayde (o Iacob my seruaunte,) thou rightuous, whom I haue chosen.³ For I shal poure water vpon the drie grounde, and ryuers vpon the thurstie. I shal poure my sprete vpon thi sede, and myne encrease vpo thy stocke.⁴ They shal growe together, like as the grasse, and as the Willies by the waters side.⁵ One will saye: I am the LORDES. Another wil call vnder the name of Iacob. The thirde shal subscrybe with his honde vnto ye LORDE, and geue him self vnder the name of Israel.⁶ Morouer, thus hath the LORDE spoke: euen the kinge of Israel, and his avenger, ye LORDE of hoostes: I am the first, and the last, and without me is there no God.⁷ For what is he, that euer was like me, which am from euerlastinge? Let him shewe his name and do wherthorow he maye be lickened vnto me. Let him tell you forth planely thiges, that are past and for to come:⁸ yee and that without eny feare or stoppe. For haue not I euer tolde you hyther to, & warned you? Ye can beare me recorde youre selues. Is there eny God excepte me? or eny maker, that I shulde not knowe him?

⁹ Wherfore all caruers of Idols are but vayne, and their laboure lost. They must beare recorde them selues, that (seinge they can nether se ner vnderstonde) they shalbe confounded.¹⁰ Who shulde now make a god, or fashio an Idol, that is profitable for nothinge?¹¹ Beholde all the felashippe of the must be brought to confucion. Let all the workmasters of them come and stonde together from amonge men: they must be abashed and confouded one with another.¹² The smyth taketh yron, and tempreth it with hote coles, and fashioneth it with hammers, & maketh it wt all the strength of his armes: Yee somtyme he is faynt for very hunger, and so thurstie, that he hath no more power.¹³ The carpenter (or ymage caruer) taketh me the tymbre, and spredeth forth his lyne: he marketh it with some coloure: he playneth it, he ruleth it, ad squareth it, and maketh it after the ymage of a man, and acordinge to the bewtie of a man: that it maye stonde in the temple.¹⁴ Morouer, he goeth out to hewe downe Cedre trees: He bringeth home Elmes and okes, and other tymbre of the wodd. Or els the Fyrre trees which he planted himself, ad soch as the rayne hath swelled,¹⁵ which wodde serueth for me to burne. Of this he taketh and warmeth himself withall: he maketh a fyre of it to bake bred. And after warde maketh a god there of, to honoure it: and an Idol, to knele before it.¹⁶ One pece he burneth in the fyre, with another he rosteth flesh, that he maye eate roste his bely full: with the thirde he warmeth himself, and saieth: Aha: I am well warmed, I haue bene at the fyre.¹⁷ And of the residue, he maketh him a god, and an Idol for himself. He kneleth before it, he worshippeth it, he prayeth vnto it, and sayeth: delyuer me, for thou art my god.¹⁸ Yet men nether considre ner vnderstonde, because their eyes are stopped, that they can not se: and their hertes, that they cannot perceaue.¹⁹ They pondre not in their myndes (for they haue nether knowlege ner vnderstodinge) to thinke thus: I haue bret one pece in the fyre, I haue baked bred wt ye coles there of, I haue rosted flesh withall, & eaten it: Shal I now of the residue make an abhominacion, and fall downe before a rotten pece of wodd?²⁰ The kepinge of dust, and folishnesse of herte hath turned them a syde: so that none of them can haue a fre conscience to thinke: maye not I erre?

²¹ Cosidre this (o Iacob and Israel) for thou art my seruaut. I haue made the, that thou mightest serue me. O Israel, forget me not.²² As for thyne offences, I dryue them awaye like the cloudes, and thy synnes as the myst. Turne ye agayne vnto me, & I will delyuer ye.²³ Be glad ye heauens, whom the LORDE hath made, let all yt is here beneth vpon the earth, be ioyfull. Reioyse ye mountaynes & woddes, with all the trees that are in you: for ye LORDE shal redeme Iacob, & shewe his glory vpon Israel.²⁴ For thus saieth the LORDE thy redemer, euen he that fashioned the from thy mothers wombe: I am the LORDE, which do all thinges my self alone. I only haue spred out the heauens, and I only haue layde the foundacion of the earth.²⁵ I destroye the tokens of witches, and make the Sothsayers go wronge. As for the wise, I turne them bacward, and make their conninge folishnesse.²⁶ But I set vp the purpose of my seruauntes, and fulfil the councel of my messaugers. I saye to Ierusale: turne agayne: And to the cities of Iuda, be ye buylded agayne: and I repayre their decayed places.²⁷ I saye to the grounde: be drie. And I drie vp thy water floudes.²⁸ I saye to Cirus: thou art myne hyrd man, so that he shal fulfill all thinges after my will. I saye to Ierusalem: be thou buylded, and to the teple: be thou fast grounded.