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¹ The Lord seith these thingis, Heuene is my seete, and the erthe is the stool of my feet. Which is this hous, which ye schulen bilde to me, and which is this place of my reste?² Myn hond made alle these thingis, and alle these thingis ben maad, seith the Lord; but to whom schal Y biholde, no but to a pore man and contrit in spirit, and greetli dredynge my wordis?³ He that offrith an oxe, is as he that sleeth a man; he that sleeth a scheep, is as he that brayneth a dogge; he that offrith an offryng, is as he that offrith swynes blood; he that thenketh on encense, is as he that blessith an idol; thei chesiden alle thes thingis in her weies, and her soule delitide in her abhomynaciouns.⁴ Wherfor and Y schal chese the scornyngis of hem, and Y schal brynge to hem tho thingis whiche thei dredden; for Y clepide, and noon was that answeride; Y spak, and thei herden not; and thei diden yuel bifor myn iyen, and chesiden tho thingis whiche Y nolde.

⁵ Here ye the word of the Lord, whiche quaken at his word; youre britheren hatynge you, and castynge a wey for my name, seiden, The Lord be glorified, and we schulen se in youre gladnesse; forsothe thei schulen be schent.⁶ The vois of the puple fro the citee, the vois fro the temple, the vois of the Lord yeldynge a reward to hise enemyes.⁷ Bifor that sche trauelide of child, sche childide; bifor that the sorewe of hir child beryng cam, sche childide a sone.⁸ Who herde euere suche a thing, and who siy a thing lijk this? Whether the erthe schal trauele of child in o dai, ether whether a folk schal be childide togidere? For whi Sion trauelede of child, and childide hir sones.⁹ Whether that Y `my silf that make othere to bere child, schal not ber child? seith the Lord. Whether Y that yyue generacioun to othere men, schal be bareyn? seith thi Lord God.¹⁰ Be ye glad with Jerusalem, and alle ye that louen that, make ful out ioye ther ynne; alle ye that mourenen on that Jerusalem, make ye ioye with it in ioie;¹¹ that bothe ye souke, and be fillid of the tetis and coumfort therof, that ye mylke, and flowe in delicis, of al maner glorie therof.¹² For whi the Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal bowe doun on it, as a flood of pees, and as a flowynge streem the glorie of hethene men, which ye schulen souke; ye schulen be borun at tetis, and on knees thei schulen speke plesauntly to you.¹³ As if a modir spekith faire to ony child, so Y schal coumforte you, and ye schulen be coumfortid in Jerusalem.¹⁴ Ye schulen se, and youre herte schal haue ioie, and youre boonys schulen buriowne as an erbe. And the hond of the Lord schal be knowun in hise seruauntis, and he schal haue indignacioun to hise enemyes.

¹⁵ For lo! the Lord schal come in fier, and as a whirlwynd hise charis, to yelde in indignacioun hise strong veniaunce, and his blamyng in the flawme of fier.¹⁶ For whi the Lord schal deme in fier, and in hys swerd to ech fleisch; and slayn men of the Lord schulen be multiplied,¹⁷ that weren halewid, and gessiden hem cleene, in gardyns aftir o yate with ynne; that eten swynes fleisch, and abhomynacioun, and a mows, thei schulen be waastid togidere, seith the Lord.¹⁸ Forsothe Y come to gadere togidere the werkis of hem, and the thouytis of hem, with alle folkis and langagis; and thei schulen come, and schulen se my glorie.¹⁹ And Y schal sette a signe in hem, and Y schal sende of hem that ben sauyd to hethene men, in to the see, in to Affrik, and in to Liddia, and to hem that holden arowe, in to Italie, and Greek lond, to ilis fer, to hem that herden not of me, and sien not my glorie. And thei schulen telle my glorie to hethene men,²⁰ and thei schulen brynge alle youre britheren of alle folkis a yifte to the Lord, in horsis, and charis, and in literis, and in mulis, and in cartis, to myn hooli hil, Jerusalem, seith the Lord; as if the sones of Israel bryngen a yifte in a cleene vessel in to the hous of the Lord.²¹ And Y schal take of hem in to preestis and dekenes, seith the Lord.²² For as newe heuenes and newe erthe, whiche Y make to stonde bifore me, seith the Lord, so youre seed schal stonde, and youre name.²³ And a monethe schal be of monethe, and a sabat of sabat; ech man schal come for to worschipe bifore my face, seith the Lord.²⁴ And thei schulen go out, and schulen se the careyns of men, that trespassiden ayens me; the worm of hem schal not die, and the fier of hem schal not be quenchid; and thei schulen be `til to fillyng of siyt to ech man.