Study Desk

And they shal go forth, and loke vpo the caryons of them, that haue transgressed agaynst me. For their wormes shal not dye, nether shal their fyre be quenched, & all flesh shal abhorre them.

The sayde I: Oh LORDE God, I am vnmete, for I am yet but yonge.

And the LORDE answered me thus: Saye not so, I am to yonge: For thou shalt go to all that I shall sende the vnto, and what so euer I comaunde the, that shalt thou speake.

Be not afrayed of their faces, for I wilbe with the, to delyuer the, saieth the LORDE.

Then sayde ye LORDE: thou hast sene right, for I will watch diligently vpon my worde, to perfourme it.

For lo, I will call all the officers of the kyngdomes of the north, (saieth the LORDE.) And they shall come, and euery one shall set his seate in the gates of Ierusalem, and in all their walles rounde aboute, and thorow all the cities of Iuda.

For beholde, this daye do I make the a stroge fensed towne, an yron pyler, and a wall of stele agaynst ye whole londe, agaynst the kinges and mightie men of Iuda, agaynst the prestes and people of the londe.

They shall fight agaynst the, but they shall not be able to ouercome the: for I am wt the, to delyuer the, saieth the LORDE.

Go thy waye, crie in the eares of Ierusale, & saye: Thus saieth the LORDE: I remembre the for the kyndnesse of thy youth, and because of thy stedfast loue: in that thou folowdest me thorow the wildernesse, in an vntilled londe.

whether the Gentiles themselues deale so falsly & vntruly with their goddes (which yet are no goddes in dede.) But my people hath geuen ouer their hie honoure, for a thinge that maye not helpe them.

For my people hath done two euels. They haue forsake me the well of the water of life, and digged them pittes, yee vile and broken pittes, that holde no water.

For they saye to a stock, thou art my father, and to a stone: thou hast begotten me, yee they haue turned their back vpon me, & not their face. But in the tyme of their trouble, when they saye: stonde vp, and helpe vs,

I shal answere the: Where are now thy goddes, that thou hast made the? byd them stonde vp, and helpe the in the tyme of nede? For loke how many cities thou hast (o Iuda) so many goddes hast thou also.

It is but lost laboure, that I smyte youre children, for they receaue not my correction. Youre owne swearde destroyeth youre prophetes, like a deuouringe lyon.

O how euel wil it be for the, to abyde it: when it shall be knowne, how oft thou hast gone bacwarde? For thou shalt be confounded, as wel of Egipte, as of the Assirians:

Comonly, when a man putteth awaye his wife, and she goeth from him, and marieth with another, then the question is: shulde he resorte vnto her eny more after that? Is not this felde then defyled and vnclene? But as for the, thou hast played the harlot with many louers, yet turne agayne to me, saieth the LORDE.

Lift vp thine eyes on euery syde, and loke, yf thou be not defyled. Thou hast waited for them in the stretes, and as a murtherer in the wildernesse. Thorow thy whordome and shamefull blasphemies, is the londe defyled.

Namely, that affter I had well sene the aduoutrye of the shrenkinge harlot Israel, I put her awaye, and gaue her a byll of deuorcement. For all this, hir vnfaithfull sister Iuda was not ashamed, but wente backe and played the whore also.

Yee and the noyse of hir whordome hath defyled the whole lode. For she hath committed hir aduoutrie with stones and stockes.

and therfore go preach these wordes towarde the north, & saye: Thou shrenkinge Israel, turne agayne (saieth the LORDE,) and I will not turne my face from you, for I am merciful, saieth the LORDE, & I will not allwaye beare displeasure agaynst the: