Read the Bible

¹ Forsothe after that these thingis weren fillid, the princes neiyeden to me, and seiden, The puple of Israel, and the prestis, and dekenes, ben not depertid fro the `puplis of londis, and fro abhominaciouns of hem, that is, of Cananei, of Ethei, and of Pheresei, and of Jebusei, and of Amonytis, and of Moabitis, and of Egipcians, and of Ammorreis.<sup>2</sup> For thei han take `of her douytris wyues to hem silf, and to her sones, and thei han medlid hooli seed with the puplis of londis; also the hond of princes and of magistratis was the firste in this trespassyng.³ And whanne Y hadde herd this word, Y torente my mentil and coote, and Y pullide awei the heeris of myn heed and berd, and Y sat morenynge.⁴ Forsothe alle that dredden the word of God of Israel camen togidere to me, for the trespassyng of hem that weren comun fro caitifte; and Y sat sori `til to the sacrifice of euentid.

⁵ And in the sacrifice of euentid Y roos fro myn afflicioun, and aftir that Y to-rente the mentil and coote, Y bowide my knees, and I spredde abrood myn hondis to `my Lord God,<sup>6</sup> and Y seide, My God, Y am confoundid and aschamed to reise my face to thee, for oure wickidnessis ben multiplied `on myn heed, and oure trespassis encreessiden `til to heuene,<sup>7</sup> fro the daies of oure fadris; but also we vs silf han synned greuousli `til to this dai, and for our wickidnessis we, and oure kyngis, and oure prestis ben bitakun in the hondis of kyngis of londis, bothe in to swerd, and in to caitifte, in to raueyn, and in to schenship of cheer, as also in this dai.⁸ And now as at a litil and at a moment oure preier is maad anentis `oure Lord God, that relikis schulden be left to vs, and that `his pees schulde be youun in his hooli place, and that oure God schulde liytne oure iyen, and yyue to vs a litil lijf in oure seruage.⁹ For we ben seruauntis, and oure God forsoke vs not in oure seruage; and he bowide merci on vs bifor the king of Persis, that he schulde yyue lijf to vs, and enhaunse the hows of oure God, and that he schulde bilde the wildernessis therof, and yyue to vs hope in Juda and in Jerusalem.¹⁰ And now, `oure Lord God, what schulen we seie after these thingis? For we han forsake thi comaundementis,<sup>11</sup> whiche thou comaundidist in the hond of thi seruauntis profetis, and seidist, The lond, to which ye schulen entre, to holde it in possessioun, is an vnclene lond, bi the vnclennesse of puplis, and of othere londis, in the abhomynaciouns of hem, that filliden it with her defoulyng, fro the mouth `til to the mouth.¹² Now therfor yiue ye not youre douytris to her sones, and take ye not her douytris to youre sones; and seke ye not the pees of hem and the prosperite `of hem `til in to with outen ende; that ye be coumfortid, and ete the goodis, that ben of the lond, and that ye haue eiris, youre sones, `til in to `the world.¹³ And after alle thingis that camen on vs in oure werste werkis, and in oure grete trespas, for thou, oure God, hast delyuered vs fro oure wickidnesse, and hast youe helthe to vs,¹⁴ as `it is to dai, that we schulden not be turned, and make voide thi comaundementis, and that we schulden not ioyne matrimonyes with the puplis of these abhomynacouns. Whether thou art wrooth to vs `til to the endyng, that thou schuldist not leeue to us remenauntis, and helthe?¹⁵ Lord God of Israel, thou art iust; for we ben left, that schulden be sauyd as in this day, lo! we ben bifor thee in oure synne; for me may `not stonde bifor thee on this thing.