Heare the word of the lorde o ye children of Israel. For the lord must punish them, that dwel in the land. And why? There is no faithfulnes, there is no mercy there is no knoweledge of God in the lande:
Neuertheles this shal come vpon them, because my people is become folysh, and hath vtterly no vnderstandynge. They are the children of folishnes, and without any dyscrecion. To do euill, they haue wyt ynoughe: but to do wel, they haue no wisdome.
O heare the punishment of the Lord, ye mountaynes, & ye myghtie foundacions of the earth: for the Lorde wyll reproue hys people, and reason with Israel:
And as it semed not good vnto them to be a knowen of God, euen so God deliuered them vp vnto a leud minde, that they should do those thinges, whiche were not comly,
The Lorde hath a courte to holde with Iuda, and wil punishe Iacob. After their owne wayes and accordinge to their owne inuencyons shall he recompence them.
Therfore I thought in my selfe: peraduenture they are so symple and folish, that they vnderstande nothinge of the Lordes waye, and iudgementes of our God.
Nowe go to (sayth the Lorde) we will talke together. Is it not so? Thoughe youre synnes be as reade as scarlet, shal they not be whyther then snowe? And though they were lyke purple, shall they not be lyke white wolle?
and ye haue not knowen hym: but I knowe hym, And yf I shoulde saye: I knowe hym not, I shoulde be a lyer lyke vnto you. But I knowe hym, and kepe hys saiynge.
O ye priestes: hear this, take hede o thou houshold of Israel: geue eare, O thou kyngly house: for thys punyshemente will come vpon you, that are become a snare vnto Myzphah, and a spred net to the mount of Thabor.
& saye thus vnto them: Heare the worde of the Lorde, ye kynges of Iuda, and ye cytesyns of Ierusalem: Thus sayeth the Lord of Hostes the God of Israel: Beholde, I will bring soche a plage vpon this place, that the eares of all that heare it, shall glowe.
Yet heare the worde of the Lorde (O ye wemen) and let your eares regard the wordes of hys mouth: that ye may learne your doughters to mourne, and that euerye one maye teache her neighbouresse, to make lamentacyon.
Therfore shalte thou saye vnto them: This is the people that neyther heareth the voyce of the Lord theyr God, nor receyueth hys correccyon. Faithfulues & trueth is cleane roted oute of theyr mouth.
And therfore let the earth mourne and let the heauen be sory aboue: for the thing that I haue purposed and taken vpon me to do, shall not repente me, and I wil not go from it.
Heare the worde of God all ye, that feare the thynge whyche he speaketh. Your brethren that hate you, and cast you out for my names sake, saye: Let the Lorde magnyfye him selfe, that we may see youre gladnesse: and yet they shalbe confounded.
And Micheah saide: heare therfore the worde of the Lorde. I sawe the Lorde sytte on hys seate and al the company of heauen standinge aboute him, on his right hand and on his left.
Noman regardeth righteousnes, and noman iudged truely. Euery man hopeth in vayne thinges, and ymagyneth disceyte, conceyueth werynesse, and bringeth forth euyl.
They bende theyr tunges lyke bowes, to shute oute lyes. As for the trueth, they may nothynge awaye with all in the worlde. For they go from one wyckednes to another, & hold nothinge of me, sayeth the Lorde.
As for Israel and Iuda, they shal not be forsaken of theyr God, of the Lorde of Hostes, of the holy one of Israel: no, thoughe they haue fylled all theyr lande full of synne.
Heare O ye elders, pondre this well, al ye that dwell in the lande, yf euer there happened suche a thynge in youre dayes, or in the dayes of youre fathers.
For I haue diligently exorted youre fathers, euer sence the tyme that I broughte them oute of the land of Egipte, vnto this daye. I gaue them warnyng by tymes, sayenge: herken vnto my voyce: