Read the Bible

¹ The Lord seith these thingis, Go thou doun in to the hous of the kyng of Juda, and thou schalt speke there this word, and schalt seie,² Thou kyng of Juda, that sittist on the seete of Dauid, here the word of the Lord, thou, and thi seruauntis, and thi puple, that entren bi these yatis.³ The Lord seith these thingis, Do ye doom, and riytfulnesse, and delyuere ye hym that is oppressid bi violence fro the hond of the fals chalenger; and nyle ye make sori, nether oppresse ye wickidli a comelyng, and a fadirles child, and a widewe, and schede ye not out innocent blood in this place.⁴ For if ye doynge don this word, kyngis of the kyn of Dauid sittynge on his trone schulen entre bi the yatis of this hous, and schulen stie on charis and horsis, thei, and the seruauntis, and the puple of hem.⁵ That if ye heren not these wordis, Y swoore in my silf, seith the Lord, that this hous schal be in to wildirnesse.⁶ For the Lord seith these thingis on the hous of the kyng of Juda, Galaad, thou art to me the heed of the Liban; credence be not youun to me, if Y sette not thee a wildirnesse, citees vnhabitable.⁷ And Y schal halewe on thee a man sleynge, and hise armuris; and thei schulen kitte doun thi chosun cedris, and schulen caste doun in to fier.⁸ And many folkis schulen passe bi this citee, and ech man schal seie to his neiybore, Whi dide the Lord thus to this greet citee?⁹ And thei schulen answere, For thei forsoken the couenaunt of her Lord God, and worschipiden alien goddis, and serueden hem.

¹⁰ Nyle ye biwepe hym that is deed, nether weile ye on hym bi wepyng; biweile ye hym that goith out, for he schal no more turne ayen, nether he schal se the lond of his birthe.¹¹ For the Lord seith these thingis to Sellum, the sone of Josie, the kyng of Juda, that regnede for Josye, his fadir, He that yede out of this place, schal no more turne ayen hidur;¹² but in the place to which Y translatide him, there he schal die, and he schal no more se this lond.¹³ Wo to him that bildith his hous in vnriytfulnesse, and his soleris not in doom; he schal oppresse his freend in veyn, and he schal not yelde his hire to hym.¹⁴ Which seith, Y schal bilde to me a large hous, and wide soleris; which openeth wyndows to hym silf, and makith couplis of cedre, and peyntith with reed colour.¹⁵ Whether thou schalt regne, for thou comparisonest thee to a cedre? whether thi fadir eet not, and drank, and dide doom and riytfulnesse thanne, whanne it was wel to hym?¹⁶ He demyde the cause of a pore man, and nedi, in to his good; whether not therfor for he knew me? seith the Lord.¹⁷ Forsothe thin iyen and herte ben to aueryce, and to schede innocent blood, and to fals caleng, and to the perfourmyng of yuel werk.¹⁸ Therfor the Lord seith these thingis to Joachym, the sone of Josie, the kyng of Juda, Thei schulen not biweile hym, Wo brother! and wo sistir! thei schulen not sowne togidere to hym, Wo lord! and wo noble man!¹⁹ He schal be biried with the biriyng of an asse, he schal be rotun, and cast forth without the yatis of Jerusalem.

²⁰ Stie thou on the Liban, and cry thou, and yyue thi vois in Basan, and cry to hem that passen forth, for alle thi louyeris ben al to-brokun.²¹ Y spak to thee in thi plentee, and thou seidist, Y schal not here; this is thi weie fro thi yongthe, for thou herdist not my vois.²² Wynd schal feede alle thi scheepherdis, and thi louyeris schulen go in to caitifte;²³ and thanne thou that sittist in the Liban, and makist nest in cedris, schalt be schent, and be aschamed of al thi malice. Hou weilidist thou, whanne sorewis weren comun to thee, as the sorew of a womman trauelynge of child?²⁴ I lyue, seith the Lord, for thouy Jeconye, the sone of Joachym, kyng of Juda, were a ring in my riyt hond, fro thennus Y schal drawe awei hym.²⁵ And Y schal yyue thee in the hond of hem that seken thi lijf, and in the hond of hem whos face thou dredist, and in the hond of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and in the hond of Caldeis.²⁶ And Y schal sende thee, and thi moder that gendride thee, in to an alien lond, in which ye weren not borun, and there ye schulen die;²⁷ and thei schulen not turne ayen in to the lond, to which thei reisen her soule, that thei turne ayen thidur.²⁸ Whether this man Jeconye is an erthene vessel, and al to-brokun? whether a vessel withouten al likyng? Whi ben he and his seed cast awei, and cast forth in to a lond which thei knewen not?²⁹ Erthe, erthe, erthe, here thou the word of the Lord.³⁰ The Lord seith these thingis, Write thou this man bareyn, a man that schal not haue prosperite in hise daies; for of his seed schal be no man, that schal sitte on the seete of Dauid, and haue powere ferthere in Juda.