Study Desk

As for Israel & Iuda, they shall not be forsake of their God, of the LORDE of hoostes, of the holyone of Israel: no, though they haue fylled all their londe full of synne.

Fle awaye from Babilon, euery man saue his life. Let no man holde his tunge to hir wickednes, for the tyme of the LORDES vengeaunce is come, yee he shal rewarde her agayne.

But sodenly is Babilon fallen, and destroyed. Mourne for her, brynge plasters for hir woundes, yf she maye peraduenture be healed agayne.

We wolde haue made Babilon whole (saye they) but she is not recouered. Therfore wil we let her alone, & go euery ma in to his owne countre. For hir iudgmet is come in to heauen, & is gone vp to the cloudes.

Make sharpe the arowes, and fyll the quyuers: for the LORDE shall rayse vp the sprete of the kynge of the Meedes, which hath allready a desyre to destroye Babilon. This shalbe the vengeaunce of the LORDES, and the vengeaunce of his temple.

Set vp tokens vpon the walles of Babilon, make youre watch stronge, set yor watch men in araye, yee holde preuye watches: & yet for all that shall the LORDE go forth with the deuyce, which he hath taken vpon them that dwell in Babilon.

By the reason of wy?dome, all men are become fooles. Confounded be all the casters of ymages: for ye thinge that they make, is but disceate, & hath no breath.

so that nether corner stones, ner pinnacles, ner foundacion stones shalbe taken enymore out of the but waist & desolate shalt thou lie for euermore, saieth the LORDE.

For thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: The doughter of Babilon hath bene in hir tyme like as a thre?shinge floore, but shortly shal hir haruest come.

Babilon shal become an heape of stones, a dwellinge place for dragons, a fearfulnes & wondringe, because no man dwelleth there.

In their heate I shal set drynke before the, & they shalbe droncken for ioye: Then shal they slepe an euerlastinge slepe, & neuer wake, saieth the LORDE.

Be not faynte herted, & feare not at euery rumoure that shalbe herde in the londe: for euery yeare bringeth new tydinges, yee straunge wickednes and lordshipe.

for we were ashamed to heare the blasphemies: oure faces were couered with shame, because the straunge aleauntes came in to the Sanctuary of the LORDE.

For the destroyers shall come vpon her (euen vpon Babilon) which shal take hir worthies, and brake their bowes: for God is disposed to avenge him self vpon them, & sufficiently to recompence the.

and saye: O LORDE, thou art determed to rote out this place, so that nether people ner catell shal dwell there eny more, but to lie waist for euer:

And in the fourth Moneth, the ix daye of the Moneth, there was so greate honger in the cite: that there were no more vitayles for the people of the londe.

As for the poore people & soch folke as yet was left in the cite, which also were fallen to the kinge of Babilon, yee & what people as yet remayned: Nabusaradan the chefe captayne caried them awaye presoners

For euery piler was xviij cubites hie, & the rope that went aboute it, was xij cubites, & foure fingers thick and rounde:

She wepeth sore in the night, so that ye teares runne downe hir chekes: for amonge all hir louers, there is none, that geueth her eny comforte: yee hir nexte frendes abhorre her, & are become hir enemies.

Iuda is taken presoner, because she was defyled: & for seruynge so many straunge goddes, she dwelleth now amonge the Heithen. She fyndeth no rest, all they that persecuted her, toke her, and so she dwelleth amonge hir enemies.