1 Maccabees 1

¹ On this thing Y schal weile and yelle, Y schal go spuylid and nakid; Y schal make weilyng of dragouns, and mournyng as of ostrigis. ² For wounde therof is dispeirid; for it cam til to Juda, it touchide the yate of my puple, til to Jerusalem. ³ In Geth nyle ye telle, bi teeris wepe ye not; in the hous of dust with dust togidere sprynge you. ⁴ And ye a fair dwellyng passe, which is confoundid with yuel fame; it is not goon out, which dwellith in the goyng out; a niy hous schal take of you weilyng, which stood to it silf. ⁵ For it is maad sijk to good, which dwellith in bitternessis. For yuel cam doun fro the Lord in to the yate of Jerusalem, noise of foure horsid cart, ⁶ of drede to the puple dwellynge at Lachis. It is the bigynnyng of synne of the douyter of Sion, for the grete trespassis of Israel ben foundun in thee. ⁷ Therfor he schal yyue werriours on the eritage of Geth, on housis of leesyng in to deseit to kyngis of Israel. ⁸ Yit Y schal brynge an eir to thee, that dwellist in Maresa; the glorie of Israel schal come til to Odolla. ⁹ Be thou maad ballid, and be thou clippid on the sones of thi delices; alarge thi ballidnesse as an egle, for thei ben lad caitif fro thee. ¹¹ Wo to you, that thenken vnprofitable thing, and worchen yuele in youre beddis; in the morewtid liyt thei don it, for the hond of hem is ayenus God. ¹² Thei coueitiden feeldis, and tooken violentli; and rauyschiden housis, and falsli calengiden a man and his hous, a man and his eritage. ¹³ Therfor the Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y thenke on this meynee yuel, fro which ye schulen not take awei youre neckis; and ye schulen not walke proude, for the worste tyme is. ¹⁴ In that dai a parable schal be takun on you, and a song schal be songun with swetnesse of men, seiynge, Bi robbyng we ben distried; a part of my puple is chaungid; hou schal he go awei fro me, whanne he turneth ayen that schal departe youre cuntreis? ¹⁵ For this thing noon schal be to thee sendynge a litil corde of sort in cumpeny of the Lord. 16 A! thou Israel, speke ye not spekyng; it schal not droppe on these men, confusioun schal not catche, 17 seith the hous of Jacob. Whether the Spirit of the Lord is abreggid, either siche ben the thouytis of hym? Whether my wordis ben not gode, with hym that goith riytli? 18 And ayenward my puple roos togidere in to an aduersarie; ye token awei the mantil aboue the coote, and ye turneden in to batel hem that wenten sympli. 19 Ye castiden the wymmen of my puple out of the hous of her delices; fro the litle children of hem ye token awei myn heriyng with outen ende. 20 Rise ye, and go, for here ye han not reste; for the vnclennesse therof it schal be corrupt with the worst rot. 21 Y wolde that Y were not a man hauynge spirit, and rathere Y spak a leesyng. Y schal droppe to thee in to wyn, and in to drunkenesse; and this puple schal be, on whom it is droppid. 22 With gaderyng Y schal gadere Jacob; Y schal lede togidere thee al in to oon, the relifs of Israel. Y schal put hym togidere, as a floc in folde; as scheep in the myddil of fooldis thei schulen make noise, of multitude of men. 23 For he schal stie schewynge weie bifore hem; thei schulen departe, and passe the yate, and schulen go out therbi; and the kyng of hem schal passe bifore hem, and the Lord in the heed of hem. 25 And Y seide, Ye princis of Jacob, and duykis of the hous of Israel, here. Whether it be not youre for to knowe doom, whiche haten good, 26 and louen yuele? Whiche violentli taken awei the skynnes of hem fro aboue hem, and the fleisch of hem fro aboue the bonys of hem. 27 Whiche eeten the fleisch of my puple, and hiliden the skyn of hem fro aboue; and broken togidere the boonys of hem, and kittiden togidere as in a cawdroun, and as fleisch in the myddil of a pot. 28 Thanne thei schulen crie to the Lord, and he schal not here hem; and he schal hide hise face fro hem in that tyme, as thei diden wickidli in her fyndingis. 29 The Lord God seith these thingis on the profetis that disseyuen my puple, and biten with her teeth, and prechen pees; and if ony man yyueth not in the mouth of hem ony thing, thei halewen batel on hym. 30 Therfor niyt schal be to you for visioun, or profesie, and derknessis to you for dyuynacioun; and sunne schal go doun on the profetis, and the dai schal be maad derk on hem. 31 And thei schulen be confoundid that seen visiouns, and dyuynours schulen be confoundid, and alle schulen hile her cheris, for it is not the answer of God. 32 Netheles Y am fillid with strengthe of Spirit of the Lord, and in doom and vertu, that Y schewe to Jacob his greet trespas, and to Israel his synne. 33 Here these thingis, ye princes of the hous of Jacob, and domesmen of the hous of Israel, whiche wlaten dom, and peruerten alle riyt thingis; 34 whiche bilden Sion in bloodis, and Jerusalem in wickidnesse. 35 Princes therof demyden for yiftis, and prestis therof tauyten for hire, and profetis therof dyuyneden for money; and on the Lord thei restiden, and seiden, Whether the Lord is not in the myddil of us? yuelis schulen not come on vs. 36 For this thing bi cause of you, Sion as a feeld schal be erid; and Jerusalem schal be as an heep of stoonys, and the hil of the temple schal be in to hiye thingis of woodis. 38 And in the laste of daies the hil of the hous of the Lord schal be maad redi in the cop of hillis, and hiy ouer smale hillis. And puplis schulen flete to him, and many puplis schulen haaste, 39 and shulen seie, Come ye, stie we til to the hil of the Lord, and to the hous of God of Jacob; and he schal teche vs of hise weies, and we schulen go in hise pathis. For lawe schal go out fro Syon, and the word of the Lord fro Jerusalem; 40 and he schal deme bitwixe many puplis, and schal chastise stronge folkis til in to fer. And thei schulen bete togidere her swerdis in to scharis, and her speris in to picoisis; a folc schal not take swerd ayens folc, and thei schulen no more lerne for to fiyte. 41 And a man schal sitte vndur his vyneyerd, and vndur his fige tree; and ther schal not be that schal make aferd, for the mouth of the Lord of oostis spak. 42 For alle puplis schulen go, ech man in the name of his Lord God; but we schulen walke in the name of oure Lord God in to the world, and ouer. 43 In that dai, seith the Lord, Y schal gadere the haltynge, and Y schal gadere hir that Y castide awei, and whom Y turmentide Y schal coumforte. 44 And Y schal putte the haltynge in to relifs, ether remenauntis, and hir that trauelide, in a strong folc. And the Lord schal regne on hem in the hil of Sion, fro this now and til in to with outen ende. 45 And thou, derk tour of the floc of the douyter of Sion, til to thee he schal come, and the first power schal come, the rewme of the douytir of Jerusalem. 46 Now whi art thou drawun togidere with mournyng? whether a kyng is not to thee, ether thi counselour perischide? for sorowe hath take thee, as a womman trauelinge of child. 47 Thou douyter of Sion, make sorewe, and haaste, as a womman trauelynge of child; for now thou schalt go out of the citee, and schalt dwelle in cuntree, and schalt come til to Babiloyne; there thou schalt be delyuered, there the Lord schal ayen bie thee, fro the hond of thin enemyes. ⁴⁸ And now many folkis ben gaderid on thee, whiche seien, Be it stonyd, and oure iye biholde in to Sion. ⁴⁹ Forsothe thei knewen not the thouytis of the Lord, and vndurstoden not the councel of hym, for he gaderide hem as the hei of feeld. ⁵⁰ Rise thou, douyter of Sion, and threische, for Y schal putte thin horn of irun, and Y schal putte thi nailis brasun; and thou schalt make lesse, ether waste, many puplis, and schalt sle to the Lord the raueyns of hem, and the strengthe of hem to the Lord of al erthe. ⁵² Now thou, douyter of a theef, schalt be distried; thei puttiden on vs bisegyng, in a yerde thei schulen smyte the cheke of the iuge of Israel. ⁵³ And thou, Bethleem Effrata, art litil in the thousyndis of Juda; he that is the lordli gouernour in Israel, schal go out of thee to me; and the goyng out of hym is fro bigynnyng, fro daies of euerlastyngnesse. ⁵⁴ For this thing he shal yyue hem til to the tyme in which the trauelinge of child schal bere child, and the relifs of hise britheren schulen be conuertid to the sones of Israel. ⁵⁵ And he schal stonde, and schal fede in the strengthe of the Lord, in the heiythe of the name of his Lord God; and thei schulen be conuertid, for now he schal be magnefied til to the endis of al erthe. ⁵⁶ And this schal be pees, whanne Assirius schal come in to oure lond, and whanne he schal trede in oure housis; and we schulen reise on hym seuene scheepherdis, and eiyte primatis men, ether the firste in dignytee. ⁵⁷ And thei schulen frete the lond of Assur bi swerd, and the lond of Nembroth bi speris of hym; and he schal delyuere vs fro Assur, whanne he schal come in to oure lond, and whanne he schal trede in oure coostis. ⁵⁸ And relifs of Jacob schulen be in the myddil of many puplis, as dew of the Lord, and as dropis on erbe, whiche abidith not man, and schal not abide sones of men. ⁵⁹ And relifs of Jacob schulen be in hethene men, in the myddil of many puplis, as a lioun in beestis of the woodis, and as a whelpe of a lioun rorynge in flockis of scheep; and whanne he passith, and defoulith, and takith, there is not that schal delyuere. ⁶⁰ And thin hond schal be reisid on thin enemyes, and alle thin enemyes schulen perische. ⁶¹ And it schal be, in that dai, seith the Lord, Y schal take awei thin horsis fro the myddil of thee, and Y schal distrie thi foure horsid cartis. ⁶² And Y schal leese the citees of thi lond, and Y schal distrie alle thi strengthis; and Y schal do awei witchecraftis fro thin hond, and dyuynaciouns schulen not be in thee. ⁶³ And Y schal make for to perische thi `grauun ymagis, and Y schal breke togidere fro the myddil of thee thin ymagis, and thou schalt no more worschipe the werkis of thin hondis. ⁶⁴ And Y schal drawe out of the middis of thee thi woodis, and Y schal al to-breke thi citees.