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¹ Alas, how hath ye LORDE darckened the doughter of Sion so sore in his wrath? As for the honoure of Israel, he hath casten it downe from heauen: How happeneth it, that he remembred not his owne fote stole, when he was angrie?² The LORDE hath cast downe all the glory of Iacob without eny fauoure: All the stronge places of the doughter Iuda hath he broken in his wrath, & throwne them downe to the grounde: hir kyngdome & hir prynces hath he suspended.³ In the wrath of his indignacion he hath broken all the horne of Israel: he hath withdrawe his right honde from the enemie: yee a flame of fyre is kyndled in Iacob, & hath consumed vp all rounde aboute.⁴ He hath bent his bowe like an enemie, he hath fastened his right honde as an aduersary; and euery thinge that was pleasaut to se, he hath smyten it downe. He hath poured out his wrath like a fyre, in to the tabernacle of the doughter Sion.⁵ The LORDE is become, like as it were an enemie, he hath cast downe Israel & all his places: yee all his stronge holdes hath he destroyed, and fylled the doughter of Iuda wt moch sorow and heuynesse.⁶ Hir tabernacle (which was like a garden of pleasure) hath he destroyed: hir hie solepne feastes hath he put downe. The LORDE hath brought it so to passe, that the hie solempne feastes and Sabbathes in Sion, are clene forgotte. In his heuy displeasure hath he made the kynge & prestes to be despised.⁷ The LORDE hath forsaken his owne aulter, & is wroth with his owne Sanctuary, & hath geuen the walles of their towres in to the hondes of the enemie. Their enemies made a noyse in the house of the LORDE, as it had bene in a solempne feast daye.⁸ The LORDE thought to breake downe the walles of the doughter Sion, he spred out his lyne, & drewe not in his honde, till he had destroyed them. Therfore mourne the turrettes and the broken walles together.⁹ Hir portes are casten downe to the grounde, hir barres are broken & smytten in sonder: hir kynge & prynces are caried awaye to the Getiles. They haue nether lawe ner prophetes, ner yet eny vision from the LORDE.

¹⁰ The Senatours of the doughter Sion sit vpon the grounde in sylence, they haue strowed a?shes vpon their heades, and gyrded them selues with sack cloth. The maydens of Ierusalem hange downe their heades to the grounde.¹¹ Myne eyes begynne to fayle me thorow wepinge, my body is disquieted, my leuer is poured vpon the earth, for the greate hurte of my people, seynge the children and babes dyd swowne in the stretes of the cite.¹² Euen when they spake to their mothers: where is meate and drynke? for whyle they so sayde, they fell downe in the stretes of the cite, like as they had bene wounded, and some dyed in their mothers bosome.¹³ What shal I saye of the (O thou doughter Ierusalem) to whom shall I licke the? To whom shal I copare the (o thou doughter Sion) to comforte the withall? Thy hurte is like a mayne see, who maye heale the?¹⁴ Thy prophetes haue loked out vayne & folish thinges for the, they haue not shewed the of thy wickednesse, to kepe the from captiuyte: but haue ouerladen the, and thorow falsede scatred the abrode.¹⁵ All they that go by the, clappe their hondes at the: hissinge and wagginge their heades vpon the doughter Ierusalem, and saye: is this the cite that men call so fayre, wherin the whole londe reioyseth?¹⁶ All thine enemies gape vpon the, whisperinge and bytinge their teth, sayenge: let vs deuoure, for the tyme that we loked for, is come: we haue founde and sene it.¹⁷ The LORDE hath fulfilled the thinge, that he was purposed to do: and perfourmed that he had deuysed longe agoo: he hath destroyed, and not spared. He hath caused thine aduersary to tryumphe ouer the, and set vp the horne of thine enemie.¹⁸ Let thine hert crie vnto the LORDE, O thou cite of the doughter Sion: let thy teares rune downe like a ryuer daye & night: rest not, & let not the aple of thine eye leaue of.¹⁹ Stonde vp, and make thy prayer in the first watch of the night, poure out thine hert like water before the LORDE: lift vp thine hondes, for the lyues of thy yonge children, that dye of honger in the stretes.²⁰ Beholde (O LORDE) & considre, why hast thou gathered me vp so clene? Shal the women then eate their owne frute, euen children of a spanne longe? Shal the prestes and prophetes be slayne thus in the Sanctuary of the LORDE?²¹ Yonge & olde lye behinde the stretes vpon the grounde, my maydens & yonge men are slayne with the swearde: whom thou in the daye of thy wrothfull indignacion hast put to death: Yee euen thou hast put them to death, & not spared them.²² My neghbours that are rounde aboute me, hast thou called, as it were to a feast daye: so that in the daye of the LORDES wrath none escaped, nether was eny left behinde. Those that I had brought vp & norisshed, hath myne enemy destroyed.