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¹ For lo! the lordli gouernour, the Lord of oostis, schal take awei fro Jerusalem and fro Juda a myyti man, and strong, and al the strengthe of breed, and al the strengthe of watir;² a strong man, and a man a werriour, and a domesman, and a profete, and a false dyuynour in auteris, and an elde man,³ a prince ouer fifti men, and a worschipful man in cheer, and a counselour, and a wijs man of principal crafti men, and a prudent man of mystik, ethir goostli, speche.⁴ And Y schal yyue children the princes of hem, and men of wymmens condiciouns schulen be lordis of hem.⁵ And the puple schal falle doun, a man to a man, ech man to his neiybore; a child schal make noyse ayens an eld man, and an vnnoble man ayens a noble man.⁶ For a man schal take his brother, the meneal of his fadir, and schal seie, A clooth is to thee, be thou oure prince; forsothe this fallyng be vndur thin hond.⁷ And he schal answere in that dai, and seie, Y am no leche, and nether breed, nether cloth is in myn hous; nyle ye make me prince of the puple.⁸ For whi Jerusalem felle doun, and Juda felle doun togidere; for the tunge of hem, and the fyndingis of hem weren ayens the Lord, for to terre to wraththe the iyen of his mageste.

⁹ The knowyng of her cheer schal answere to hem; and thei prechiden her synne, as Sodom dide, and hidden not. Wo to the soule of hem, for whi yuels ben yoldun to hem.¹⁰ Seie ye to the iust man, that it schal be to hym wel; for he schal ete the fruyt of hise fyndyngis.¹¹ Wo to the wickid man in to yuel; for whi the yeldyng of hise hondis schal be maad to hym.¹² The wrongful axeris of my puple robbiden it, and wymmen weren lordis therof. Mi puple, thei that seien thee blessid, disseyuen thee, and distrien the weie of thi steppis.¹³ The Lord stondith for to deme, and `the Lord stondith for to deme puplis;¹⁴ the Lord schal come to doom, with the eldere men of his puple, and with hise princes; for ye han wastid my vyner, and the raueyn of a pore man is in youre hous.¹⁵ Whi al to-breken ye my puple, and grynden togidere the faces of pore men? seith the Lord God of oostis.

¹⁶ And the Lord God seide, For that that the douytris of Syon weren reisid, and yeden with a necke stretchid forth, and yeden bi signes of iyen, and flappiden with hondis, and yeden, and with her feet yeden in wel araied goyng,¹⁷ the Lord schal make ballyd the nol of the douytris of Sion, and the Lord schal make nakid the heer of hem.¹⁸ In that dai the Lord schal take awei the ournement of schoon, and goldun litle bellis lijk the moone,¹⁹ and ribans, and brochis, and ournementis of armes nyy the schuldris, and mytris, ether chapelettis,²⁰ and coombis, and ournementis of armes niy the hondis, and goldun ourenementis lijk laumpreis, and litil vessels of oynementis,²¹ and eere ryngis, and ryngis, and preciouse stoonys hangynge in the forheed,²² and chaungynge clothis, and mentils, and schetis, ether smockis, and needlis,²³ and myrouris, and smal lynun clothis aboute the schuldris, and kercheues, and roketis.²⁴ And stynk shal be for swete odour, and a corde for the girdil; ballidnesse schal be for crispe heer, and an heire for a brest girdil.²⁵ Also thi faireste men schulen falle bi swerd, and thi stronge men schulen falle in batel.²⁶ And the yatis therof schulen weile, and morene; and it schal sitte desolat in erthe.