Jeremiah · Chapter 9

[ edit] Who ſhal ȝyue to myn hed watir, and to myn eȝen a welle of teres? And I ſhal wepe dai and nyȝt þe ſlayne men of þe doȝter of my puple. Who ſhal ȝyue me in to wilderneſſe of dyuers weie goeres? And I ſhal forſake my puple, and gon awey fro þem. For alle auoutreris þei ben, and cumpanye of lawe brekeres; and þei benten out þer tunge as þer bowe of leſyng, and not of treuþe. Þei ben coumfortid in erþe, for fro euel to euel þei wenten out, and me þei knewe not, ſeiþ þe Lord. Eche kepe hymſelf fro his neȝhebore, and in eche broþer of hym haue he not troſt; for eche broþer ſupplauntende ſhal ſupplaunte, and eche frend gilendely ſhal go.

And a man his broþer ſhal ſcorne, and treuþe ſhal not ſpeke; þei taȝten forſoþe þer tunge to ſpeke leſing; þat wickely þei ſchulden don, þei trauaileden. Þi dwelling in þe myddel of treccherie; in treccherie þei forſoke me to knowen, ſeiþ þe Lord. Þerfore þeſe þingus ſeiþ þe Lord of oſtus, Lo! I ſhall ȝeete and preue þem; what forſoþe oþer þing ſhal Y do fro þe face of þe ſone of my puple? An arwe woundende þe tunge of hem, treccherie it ſpac; in his mouþ pes wiþ his frend he ſpekeþ, and priueli he putteþ to hym aſpies. Wheþer vp on þeſe þingus I ſhal not viſite, ſeiþ þe Lord, or in to ſuch a maner folc ſhal not be vengid my ſoule?

Vp on mounteynes Y ſhall take to weping and mournyng, and vp on þe faire þingus of deſert weilende, for þei ben brend vp; for þi þat þer was not a man paſſende þurȝ, and þei herden not þe vois of þe weldere; fro þe foul of heuene vn to þe beſtes, þei ȝiden ouer, and wenten awei. And Y ſhal ȝyue Jeruſalem in to hepes of grauel, and in to couches of dragounes; and þe cites of Juda Y ſhal ȝyuen in to deſolacioun, for þi þat þer is not a dwellere. Who is a wis man þat vnderſtant þis, and to whom þe wrd of þe mouþ of þe Lord be mad, þat he telle þis? Whi perſhede þe lond, ful out is brend as deſert, for þi þat þer ys not þat þurȝ paſſe?

And þe Lord ſeide, For þei forſoken my lawe, þat I ȝaf to þem, and þei herden not my vois, and þei ȝide not in yt; and ȝiden awei after þe ſhreudeneſſe of þer herte, and aftir Baalym, whom þei hadde lerned of þer fadris; þerfore þeſe þingus ſeiþ þe Lord of oſtus, God of Irael, Lo! I ſhal fede þis puple wiþ wrmod, and drinke Y ſhal ȝyue to þem water of galle. And Y ſhal ſcatere þem in Jentilis, þat knewe not þei and þe fadris of hem; and Y ſhal ſende vpon hem ſwerd, to þe tyme þat þei be ful waſtid. Þeſe þingus ſeiþ þe Lord of oſtus, God of Irael, Beholdeþ, and clepeþ weilende wymmen, and come þei; and to þem þat wiſe ben ſendeþ, and go þei forþ.

Heeȝe þei, and take þei to vp on vs mournyng; leden out oure eȝen teres, and oure eȝe lydis flowe þei doun wiþ watris; for þe vois of lamenting herd is fro Sion. What maner waſtid wee ben, and confoundid hugely? for we han forſake þe lond, for þrowen doun ben oure tabernacles. Hereþ þerfore, ȝee wymmen, þe wrd of þe Lord, and taken to ȝoure eres þe ſermoun of his mouþ; and techeþ ȝoure doȝtris lamenting, and eche womman hir neȝhebore weiling. For ſteȝede vp deþ bi ȝoure wyndowes, gon in is to ȝoure houſes, to ſcatere þe litle childer wiþoutforþ, and þe ȝunge men of þe ſtretis.

Spec, Þeſe þingus ſeiþ þe Lord, And þer ſhal falle þe dead careyn of man as drit vp on þe face of þe regioun, and as hey bihynde þe bac of þe mowere, and þer is not þat gedere. Þeſe þingus ſeiþ þe Lord, Glorie not a wis man in his wiſdam, and glorie not a ſtrong man in his ſtrengþe, and glorie not a riche man in his richeſſes; but in þis glorie he þat glorieþ, to witen and to knowe me, for I am þe Lord, þat do mercy and dom and riȝtwiſneſſe in erþe. Þeſe þingus forſoþe pleſen to me, ſeiþ þe Lord.

Lo! daȝes comen, ſeiþ þe Lord, and Y ſhal viſite vpon eche þat haþ þe vtmoſt ſkyn of þe ȝerde vncircumcidid; vp on Egipt, and vp on Juda, and vp on Edom, and vp on þe ſonus of Amon, and vp on Moab, and vp on alle þo þat ben dodded in to þe her, dwellende in deſert; for alle Jentiles han þe vtmoſt ſkyn of þe ȝerde, al forſoþe þe hous of Irael ben vncircumcidid þe herte.