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¹ Wo! Ariel, Ariel, the citee which Dauid ouercam; yeer is addid to yeer, solempnytees ben passyd.² And Y schal cumpasse Ariel, and it schal be soreuful and morenynge; and Jerusalem schal be to me as Ariel.³ And Y schal cumpasse as a round trendil in thi cumpasse, and Y schal caste erthe ayens thee, and Y schal sette engynes in to thi bisegyng.⁴ Thou schalt be maad low, thou schalt speke of erthe, and thi speche schal be herd fro the erthe; and thi vois schal be as the vois of a deed man reisid bi coniuring, and thi speche schal ofte grutche of the erthe.⁵ And the multitude of hem that wyndewen thee, schal be as thynne dust; and the multitude of hem that hadden the maistrie ayens thee, schal be as a deed sparcle passynge.⁶ And it schal be sudenli, anoon it schal be visitid of the Lord of oostis, in thundur, and in mouyng of the erthe, and in greet vois of whirlwynd, and of tempest, and of flawme of fier deuowrynge.⁷ And the multitude of alle folkis that fouyten ayens Ariel schal be as the dreem of a nyytis visioun; and alle men that fouyten, and bisegiden, and hadden the maistrie ayens it.⁸ And as an hungry man dremyth, and etith, but whanne he is awakid, his soule is voide; and as a thirsti man dremeth, and drynkith, and after that he is awakid, he is weri, and thirstith yit, and his soule is voide, so schal be the multitude of alle folkis, that fouyten ayens the hil of Sion.

⁹ Be ye astonyed, and wondre; wake ye, and douyte ye; be ye drunken, and not of wyn; be ye moued, and not with drunkenesse.¹⁰ For the Lord hath meddlid to you the spirit of sleep; he schal close youre iyen, and schal hile youre profetis, and princes that sien visiouns.¹¹ And the visioun of alle profetis schal be to you as the wordis of a book aseelid; which whanne thei schulen yyue to hym that kan lettris, thei schulen seie, Rede thou this book; and he schal answere, Y may not, for it is aseelid.¹² And the book schal be youun to him that kan not lettris, and it schal be seid to hym, Rede thou; and he schal answere, Y kan no lettris.¹³ And the Lord seide, For that this puple neiyeth with her mouth, and glorifieth me with her lippis, but her herte is fer fro me; and thei dredden me for the comaundement and techyngis of men, therfor lo!¹⁴ Y schal adde, that Y make wondryng to this puple, in a greet myracle and wondurful; for whi wisdom schal perische fro wise men therof, and the vndurstondyng of prudent men therof schal be hid.¹⁵ Wo to you that ben hiye of herte, that ye hide counsel fro the Lord; the werkis of whiche ben in derknessis, and thei seien, Who seeth vs, and who knowith vs?¹⁶ This thouyt of you is weiward, as if cley thenke ayens a pottere, and the werk seie to his makere, Thou madist not me; and a thing `that is maad, seie to his makere, Thou vndurstondist not.

¹⁷ Whether not yit in a litil time and schort the Liban schal be turned in to Chermel, and Chermel schal be arettid in to the forest?¹⁸ And in that dai deef men schulen here the wordis of the book, and the iyen of blynde men schulen se fro derknessis and myisty;¹⁹ and mylde men schulen encreesse gladnesse in the Lord, and pore men schulen make ful out ioie in the hooli of Israel.²⁰ For he that hadde the maistrie, failide, and the scornere is endid, and alle thei ben kit doun that walkiden on wickidnesse;²¹ whiche maden men to do synne in word, and disseyueden a repreuere in the yate, and bowiden awey in veyn fro a iust man.²² For this thing the Lord, that ayen bouyte Abraham, seith these thingis to the hous of Jacob, Jacob schal not be confoundid now, nether now his cheer schal be aschamed; but whanne he schal se hise sones,²³ the werkis of myn hondis, halewynge my name in the myddis of hym. And thei schulen halewe the hooli of Jacob, and thei schulen preche God of Israel;²⁴ and thei that erren in spirit, schulen knowe vndurstondyng, and idil men schulen lerne the lawe.