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¹ And it was doon in the seuenthe yeer, in the fyuethe monethe, in the tenthe dai of the monethe, men of the eldris of Israel camen to axe the Lord; and thei saten bifor me.² And the word of the Lord was maad to me,³ and he seide, Sone of man, speke thou to the eldere men of Israel; and thou schalt seie to hem, The Lord God seith these thingis, Whether ye camen to axe me? Y lyue, for Y schal not answere to you, seith the Lord God. Sone of man,⁴ if thou demest hem, if thou demest, schewe thou to hem the abhomynaciouns of her fadris.

⁵ And thou schalt seie to hem, The Lord God seith these thingis, In the dai in which Y chees Israel, and reiside myn hond for the generacioun of the hous of Jacob, and Y apperide to hem in the lond of Egipt, and Y reiside myn hond for hem, and Y seide, Y am youre Lord God,⁶ in that dai Y reiside myn hond for hem, that Y schulde leede hem out of the lond of Egipt, in to the lond which Y hadde purueiede to hem, the lond flowynge with mylk and hony, which is noble among alle londis.⁷ And Y seide to hem, Ech man caste awei the offenciouns of hise iyen, and nyle ye be defoulid in the idols of Egipt; Y am youre Lord God.⁸ And thei terriden me to wraththe, and nolden here me; ech man castide not awei the abhomynaciouns of hise iyen, nether thei forsoken the idols of Egipt.⁹ And Y seide, that Y wold schede out myn indignacioun on hem, and fille my wraththe in hem, in the myddis of the lond of Egipt. And Y dide for my name, that it schulde not be defoulid bifore hethene men, in the myddis of whiche thei weren, and among whiche Y apperide to hem, that Y schulde lede hem out of the lond of Egipt.

¹⁰ Therfor Y castide hem out of the lond of Egipt, and Y ledde hem out in to desert;¹¹ and Y yaf to hem my comaundementis, and Y schewide to hem my doomes, which a man schal do, and lyue in tho.¹² Ferthermore and Y yaf to hem my sabatis, that it schulde be a sygne bitwixe me and hem, and that thei schulden wite, that Y am the Lord halewynge hem.¹³ And the hous of Israel terriden me to wraththe in desert; thei yeden not in my comaundementis, and thei castiden awei my domes, whiche a man that doith, schal lyue in tho; and thei defouliden greetli my sabatis. Therfor Y seide, that Y wolde schede out my strong veniaunce on hem in desert, and waste hem;¹⁴ and Y dide for my name, lest it were defoulid bifor hethene men, fro whiche Y castide hem out in the siyt of tho.¹⁵ Therfor Y reiside myn hond on hem in the desert, that Y brouyte not hem in to the lond which Y yaf to hem, the lond flowynge with mylk and hony, the beste of alle londis.¹⁶ For thei castiden awei my domes, and yeden not in my comaundementis, and thei defouliden my sabatis; for the herte of hem yede after idols.¹⁷ And myn iye sparide on hem, that Y killide not hem, nether Y wastide hem in the desert.¹⁸ Forsothe Y seide to the sones of hem in wildirnesse, Nyle ye go in the comaundementis of youre fadris, nether kepe ye the domes of hem, nethir be ye defoulid in the idols of hem.¹⁹ Y am youre Lord God, go ye in my comaundementis, and kepe ye my domes, and do ye tho.²⁰ And halowe ye my sabatis, that it be a signe bitwixe me and you, and that it be knowun, that Y am youre Lord God.²¹ And the sones terriden me to wraththe, and yeden not in my comaundementis, and kepten not my domes, that thei diden tho, whiche whanne a man hath do, he schal lyue in tho, and thei defouliden my sabatis. And Y manaasside to hem, that Y wolde schede out my stronge veniaunce on hem, and fille my wraththe in hem in the desert.²² But Y turnede awei myn hond, and Y dide this for my name, that it were not defoulid bifore hethene men, fro whiche Y castide hem out bifore the iyen of tho.²³ Eft Y reiside myn hond ayens hem in wildirnesse, that Y schulde scatere hem in to naciouns, and wyndewe hem in to londis;²⁴ for that that thei hadden not do my domes, and hadden repreuyd my comaundementis, and hadden defoulid my sabatis, and her iyen hadden be after the idols of her fadris.²⁵ Therfor and Y yaf to hem comaundementis not good, and domes in whiche thei schulen not lyue.²⁶ And Y defoulide hem in her yiftis, whanne thei offriden to me for her trespassis al thing that openeth the wombe; and thei schulen wite, that Y am the Lord.

²⁷ Wherfor speke thou, sone of man, to the hous of Israel, and thou schalt seie to hem, The Lord God seith these thingis, Yit and in this youre fadris blasfemyden me, whanne thei dispisynge hadden forsake me,²⁸ and Y hadde brouyte hem in to the lond on which Y reiside myn hond, that Y schulde yiue to hem, thei siyen ech hiy litil hil, and ech tree ful of boowis, and thei offriden there her sacrifices, and thei yauen there her offryngis, in to terring to wraththe; and thei settiden there the odour of her swetnesse, and thei offriden her moiste sacrifices.²⁹ And Y seide to hem, What is the hiy thing, to whiche ye entren? And the name therof is clepid Hiy Thing til to this dai.³⁰ Therfor seie thou to the hous of Israel, The Lord God seith these thingis, Certis ye ben defoulid in the weie of youre fadris, and ye don fornycacioun aftir the offendingis of hem,³¹ and in the offryng of youre yiftis, whanne ye leden ouer youre sones bi fier, ye ben defoulid in alle youre idols til to dai, and schal Y answere to you, the hous of Israel? Y lyue, seith the Lord God, for Y schal not answere to you;³² nether the thouyte of youre soul schal be don, that seien, We schulen be as hethene men, and as naciouns of erthe, that we worschipe trees and stoonys.

³³ Y lyue, seith the Lord God, for in strong hond, and in arm stretchid forth, and in strong veniaunce sched out, I schal regne on you.³⁴ And Y schal lede out you fro puplis, and Y schal gadere you fro londis, in whiche ye ben scaterid; in strong hond, and in arm stretchid forth, and in strong veniaunce sched out Y schal regne on you.³⁵ And Y schal bringe you in to desert of puplis, and Y schal be demed there with you face to face.³⁶ As Y stryuede in doom ayens youre fadris in the desert of the lond of Egipt, so Y schal deme you, seith the Lord;³⁷ and Y schal make you suget to my septre, and Y schal bringe in you in the boondis of pees.³⁸ And Y schal chese of you trespassouris, and wickid men; and Y schal leede hem out of the lond of her dwelling, and thei schulen not entre in to the lond of Israel; and ye schulen wite, that Y am the Lord.³⁹ And ye, the hous of Israel, the Lord God seith these thingis, Go ye ech man aftir youre idols, and serue ye tho. That and if ye heren not me in this, and defoulen more myn hooli name in youre yiftis,⁴⁰ and in youre idols, in myn hooli hil, in the hiy hil of Israel, seith the Lord God, ye schulen be punyschid greuousliere. There al the hous of Israel schal serue me, sotheli alle men in the lond, in which thei schulen plese me; and there Y schal seke youre firste fruytis, and the bigynnyng of youre tithis in alle youre halewyngis.⁴¹ Y schal resseiue you in to odour of swetnesse, whanne Y schal leede you out of puplis, and schal gadere you fro londis, in whiche ye weren scaterid; and Y schal be halewid in you bifor the iyen of naciouns.⁴² And ye schulen wite, that Y am the Lord, whanne Y schal bringe you in to the lond of Israel, in to the lond for which Y reiside myn hond, that Y schulde yyue it to youre fadris.⁴³ And ye schulen haue mynde there on youre weies, and on alle youre grete trespassis, bi whiche ye ben defoulid in tho; and ye schulen displese you in youre siyt, in alle youre malices whiche ye diden.⁴⁴ And ye schulen wite, that Y am the Lord, whanne Y schal do wel to you for my name; not bi youre yuel weies, nether bi youre worste trespassis, ye hous of Israel, seith the Lord God.

⁴⁵ And the word of the Lord was maad to me,⁴⁶ and he seide, Thou, sone of man, sette thi face ayens the weie of the south, and droppe thou to the south, and profesie thou to the forest of the myddai feeld.⁴⁷ And thou schalt seie to the myddai forest, Here thou the word of the Lord. The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal kyndle a fier in thee, and Y schal brenne in thee ech green tre, and ech drie tre; the flawme of brennyng schal not be quenchid, and ech face schal be brent ther ynne, fro the south til to the north.⁴⁸ And ech man schal se, that Y the Lord haue kyndlid it, and it schal not be quenchid.⁴⁹ And Y seide, A! A! A! Lord God, thei seien of me, Whethir this man spekith not bi parablis?