Read the Bible

¹ It is niy that the tyme therof come, and the daies therof schulen not be maad fer; for whi the Lord schal haue merci of Jacob, and he schal chese yit of Israel, and schal make them for to reste on her lond; a comelyng schal be ioyned to them, and schal cleue to the house of Jacob.² And puplis schulen holde hem, and schulen brynge hem in to her place. And the hous of Israel schal haue hem in possessioun in to seruauntis and handmaidis on the lond of the Lord; and thei schulen take tho men that token hem, and thei schulen make suget her wrongful axeris.³ And it schal be in that dai, whanne God schal yyue to thee reste of thi trauel, and of thi shakyng, and of hard seruage, in which thou seruedist bifore,

⁴ thou schalt take this parable ayens the kyng of Babiloyne, and thou schalt sei, Hou ceesside the wrongful axere, restide tribute?⁵ The Lord hath al to-broke the staf of wickid men, the yerde of lordis,⁶ that beet puplis in indignacioun, with vncurable wounde, that sugetide folkis in woodnesse, that pursuede cruely.⁷ Ech lond restide, and was stille; it was ioiful, and made ful out ioie.⁸ Also fir trees and cedris of the Liban weren glad on thee; sithen thou sleptist, noon stieth that kittith vs doun.⁹ Helle vndur thee is disturblid for the meeting of thi comyng; he schal reise giauntis to thee; alle the princes of erthe han rise fro her seetis, alle the princes of naciouns.¹⁰ Alle thei schulen answere, and thei shulen seie to thee, And thou art woundid as and we, thou art maad lijk vs.¹¹ Thi pride is drawun doun to hellis, thi deed careyn felle doun; a mouyte schal be strewyd vndur thee, and thin hilyng schal be wormes.¹² A! Lucifer, that risidist eerli, hou feldist thou doun fro heuene; thou that woundist folkis, feldist doun togidere in to erthe.¹³ Which seidist in thin herte, Y schal stie in to heuene, Y schal enhaunse my seete aboue the staris of heuene; Y schal sitte in the hil of testament, in the sidis of the north.¹⁴ Y schal stie on the hiynesse of cloudis; Y schal be lijk the hiyeste.¹⁵ Netheles thou schalt be drawun doun to helle, in to the depthe of the lake.¹⁶ Thei that schulen se thee, schulen be bowid doun to thee, and schulen biholde thee. Whether this is the man, that disturblid erthe, that schook togidere rewmes?¹⁷ that settide the world desert, and distried the citees therof, and openyde not the prisoun to the boundun men of hym?¹⁸ Alle the kyngis of hethene men, alle slepten in glorie, a man in his hous.¹⁹ But thou art cast out of thi sepulcre, as an vnprofitable stok, as defoulid with rot; and wlappid with hem that ben slayn with swerd, and yeden doun to the foundement of the lake.²⁰ As a rotun careyn, thou schalt not haue felouschipe, nethir with hem in sepulture, for thou hast lost thi lond, thou hast slayn the puple; the seed of the worst men schal not be clepid with outen ende.²¹ Make ye redi hise sones to sleying, for the wickidnesse of her fadris; thei schulen not rise, nether thei schulen enherite the lond, nether thei schulen fille the face of the roundenesse of citees.²² And Y schal rise on hem, seith the Lord of oostis, and Y schal leese the name of Babyloyne, and the relifs, and generacioun, and seed, seith the Lord.²³ And Y schal sette that Babiloyne in to possessioun of an irchoun, and in to mareisis of watris; and Y schal swepe it with a beesme, and Y schal stampe, seith the Lord of oostis.

²⁴ The Lord of oostis swoor, seiynge, Whether it schal not be so, as Y gesside, and it schal bifalle so, as Y tretide in soule?²⁵ That Y al to-breke the kyng of Assiriens in my lond, and that Y defoule hym in myn hillis; and his yok schal be takun awei fro hem, and his birthun schal be takun awei fro the schuldur of hem.²⁶ This is the councel which Y thouyte on al the lond, and this is the hond stretchid forth on alle folkis.²⁷ For whi the Lord of oostis hath demed, and who mai make vnstidfaste? and his hond is stretchid forth, and who schal turne it awei?²⁸ The birthun of Filisteis. In the yeer wheryne kyng Achas diede, this birthun was maad.²⁹ Al thou Filistea, be not glad, for the yerde of thi smytere is maad lesse; for whi a cocatrice schal go out of the roote of an eddre, and his seed schal soupe up a brid.³⁰ And the firste gendrid of pore men schulen be fed, and pore men schulen reste feithfuli; and Y schal make thi throte to perisch in hungur, and Y schal sle thi relifs.³¹ Yelle, thou yate; cry, thou citee, al Filistea is cast doun; for whi smoke schal come fro the north, and noon is that schal ascape his oost.³² And what schal be answerid to the messangeris of folk? for the Lord hath foundid Sion, and the pore men of his puple schulen hope in hym.