Jeremiah · Chapter 12

[ edit] Riȝtwis forſoþe þou art, Lord; if Y diſpute wiþ þee, nerþelatere riȝte þingus I ſhal ſpeke to þee. Whi þe weie of vnpitous men is maad welſum? Well is to alle þat þe lawe breken, and wickeli don? Þou haſt plauntid hem, and roote þei ſenten; þei profiten, and maken frute; nyȝ þou art to þe mouþ of þem, and aferr fro þe reenes of þem. And, þou, Lord, haſt knowe me, ſeen me, and proued myn herte wiþ þee. Gedere þem as a floc to ſlayn ſacrifiſe, and halewe þem in þe dai of ſlaȝter. Hou longe weilen ſhal þe erþe, and þe erbe of alle regioun ſhal be dried, for þe malice of men dwellende in it? Waſtid is þe beſte, and foul, for þei ſeiden, He ſhal not ſeen oure laſte.

If wiþ foot men rennende þou trauailedeſt, hou ſhalt þou moun ſtriue wiþ hors? whan forſoþe in þe lond of pes ſiker þou were not, what ſhuldeſt þou do in þe pride of Jordan? For whi and þi breþern and þe hous of þi fader, alſo þei foȝten aȝen þee, and crieden after þee wiþ pleyn vois; ne leeue þou hem, whan þei ſhul ſpeke to þee goode þingus. I haue forſake myn hous, Y lafte myn eritage; Y ȝaf my loued ſoule in to þe hondus of his enemys. Mad is to me myn eritage as a leoun in þe wode; he ȝaf aȝen me a vois, and þerfore Y hatede it. Wheþer a brid of dyuers coloures myn eritage to me? wheþer a brid died þurȝ out? Comeþ, beþ gedered, alle ȝee beſtes of þe erþe; haſte ȝee to deuouren.

Manye ſhepperdis waſteden my vyneȝerd, totreeden my part, ȝauen my deſirable porcioun in to deſert of wilderneſſe, putten it in to waſting, and it weilede vp on me; wiþ deſolacioun deſolat is al þe lond, for no man is þat aȝeen þenke in herte. Vp on alle þe weies of deſert camen alle þe waſteres of þe lond, for þe ſwerd of þe Lord ſhal deuoure fro þe vtmoſtus of þe erþe vnto þe vtmoſt of it; þer is not pes to alle fleſh. Þei ſewen whete, and repeden þornes; þe erytage þei token, and to þem it ſhal not profiten. Ȝee ſhul be confoundid of ȝoure frutus, for þe wraþe of þe wodneſſe of þe Lord.

Þeſe þingus ſeiþ þe Lord aȝen alle my werſte neȝhebores, þat touchen þe eritage þat Y delide to my puple Irael, Lo! Y ſhal pullen vp þem fro þer lond, and þe hous of Juda Y ſhal pullen vp fro þe myddes of þem. And whan Y ſhal pullen vp þem, Y ſhal be turned, and han merci of þem; and Y ſhal bringe þem aȝeen, a man to his eritage, and a man to his lond. And it ſhal be, if taȝt men lerneden þe weies of my puple, þat þei ſwere in my name, Lyueþ þe Lord, as þei taȝten my puple to ſwern in Baal, þei ſhuln be bild vp in þe myddel of my puple. Þat if þei ſchul not heren, Y ſhal pulle awei þat folc wiþ pulling awei and perdicioun, ſeiþ þe Lord.