Beholde the hyre of the labourers which haue reped doun your fieldes (which hyer is of you kept backe by fraude) crieth: & the cryes of them whiche haue reped, are entred into the eares of the Lorde Sabaoth
and ye haue a respecte to hym that weareth the gaye clothynge, and saye vnto hym. Sitte thou here in a good place: and saye vnto the pore, stande thou there, or sitte here vnder my fotestole:
But when they found them not, they drue Iason and certayne brethren vnto the heades of the citie, criynge: these that trouble the worlde are come hyther also,
But the, Iewes moued the worshypfull and honorable women, & the chiefe men of the citie, and raysed persecucion agaynste Paule and Barnabas, & expelled them out of theyr costes.
For so muche then as ye oppresse the poore, & robbe him of his best sustenaunce: therfore, where as ye haue buylded houses of square stone, ye shall not dwel in them. Maruelous pleasaunt vyneyardes shal ye plante, but the wyne of them shall ye not drynck: and why?
If thou seyst the poore to be oppressed and wrongeously dealt withall, so that equite & the right of the law is wrasted in the lande: maruell not thou at such iudgement, for one great man kepeth touch with another, and the mightye helpe them selfes together.
Now for the troubles sake of the oppressed, and because of the complainte of the poore I will vp (sayeth the Lord) I wil helpe them, & set them at rest.
Thys thou seyst, for thou consyderest the mysery and sorowe. The poore geueth him selfe ouer into thy hande, and committeth hym vnto the, for thou art the helper of the frendlesse.
Thou cursest hys scepters, the captayne of men of warre: whiche come as a stormy wind to scatre me abroade, and are glad when they maye eate vp the poore secretely.
O heare thys worde ye fat kyne, that be vpon the hil of Samaria: ye that do poore men wronge, and oppresse the nedy: ye that saye to your Lordes: bring hyther, let vs drincke.
He shalbe the most simple, and despysed of all, which yet hath good experience of sorowes & infyrmyties. We shall reken him so symple and so vyle, that we shall hyde our faces from hym.