1 Maccabees 2

² Here ye whiche thingis the Lord spekith. Rise thou, stryue thou bi doom ayens mounteyns, and litle hillis here thi vois. ³ Mounteyns, and the stronge foundementis of erthe, here the doom of the Lord; for the doom of the Lord with his puple, and he schal be demyd with Israel. ⁴ Mi puple, what haue Y don to thee, ether what was Y greuouse to thee? Answere thou to me. ⁵ For Y ledde thee out of the lond of Egipt, and of the hous of seruage Y delyuerede thee; and Y sente bifore thi face Moises, and Aaron, and Marye. ⁶ My puple, bithenke, Y preie, what Balaac, kyng of Moab, thouyte, and what Balaam, sone of Beor, of Sethym, answeride to hym til to Galgala, that thou schuldist knowe the riytwisnesse of the Lord. ⁷ What worthi thing schal Y offre to the Lord? schal Y bowe the knee to the hiye God? Whether Y schal offre to hym brent sacrifices, and calues of o yeer? ⁸ Whether God mai be paid in thousyndis of wetheris, ether in many thousyndis of fatte geet buckis? Whether Y schal yyue my firste bigetun for my greet trespas, the fruyt of my wombe for synne of my soule? ⁹ Y schal schewe to thee, thou man, what is good, and what the Lord axith of thee; forsothe for to do doom, and for to loue merci, and be bisi for to walke with thi God. ¹⁰ The vois of the Lord crieth to the citee, and heelthe schal be to alle men dredynge thi name. Ye lynagis, here; and who schal approue it? ¹¹ Yit fier is in the hous of the vnpitouse man, the tresouris of wickidnesse, and a lesse mesure ful of wraththe. ¹² Whether Y schal iustifie the wickid balaunce, and the gileful weiytis of litil sak, ¹³ in whiche riche men therof ben fillid with wickidnesse? And men dwellynge ther ynne spaken leesyng, and the tunge of hem was gileful in the mouth of hem. ¹⁴ And Y therfor bigan for to smyte thee, in perdicioun on thi synnes. ¹⁵ Thou schalt ete, and schalt not be fillid, and thi mekyng is in the middil of thee; and thou schalt take, and schalt not saue; and which thou schalt saue, Y schal yyue in to swerd. ¹⁶ Thou schalt sowe, and schal not repe; thou schalt trede the frut of oliue, and schalt not be anoyntid with oile; and must, and schalt not drynke wyn. 17 And thou keptist the heestis of Amry, and al the werk of the hous of Acab, and hast walkid in the lustis of hem, that Y schulde yyue thee in to perdicioun, and men dwellynge in it in to scornyng, and ye schulen bere the schenschipe of my puple. 19 Wo to me, for Y am maad as he that gaderith in heruest rasyns of grapis; there is no clustre for to ete; my soule desiride figis ripe bifore othere. 20 The hooli perischide fro erthe, and riytful is not in men; alle aspien, ether setten tresoun, in blood, a man huntith his brother to deth. 21 The yuel of her hondis thei seien good; the prince axith, and the domesman is in yeldyng; and a greet man spak the desir of his soule, and thei sturbliden togidere it. 22 He that is best in hem, is as a paluyre; and he that is riytful, is as a thorn of hegge. The dai of thi biholdyng, thi visityng cometh, now schal be distriyng of hem. 23 Nyle ye bileue to a frend, and nyle ye truste in a duyk; fro hir that slepith in thi bosum, kepe thou closyngis of thi mouth. 24 For the sone doith wrong to the fadir, and the douyter schal rise ayens hir modir, and the wijf of the sone ayens the modir of hir hosebonde; the enemyes of a man ben the homeli, ether houshold meynee, of hym. 25 Forsothe Y schal biholde to the Lord, Y schal abide God my sauyour; the Lord my God schal here me. 26 Thou, myn enemye, be not glad on me, for Y felle doun, Y schal rise; whanne Y sitte in derknessis, the Lord is my liyt. 27 Y schal bere wraththe of the Lord, for Y haue synned to hym, til he deme my cause, and make my doom; he schal lede out me in to liyt, Y schal se riytwisnesse of hym. 28 And myn enemye schal biholde me, and sche schal be hilid with confusioun, which seith to me, Where is thi Lord God? Myn iyen schulen se hir, now sche schal be in to defoulyng, as clei of stretis. 29 Dai schal come, that thi wallis be bildid; in that dai lawe schal be maad afer. 30 In that dai and Assur schal come til to thee, and til to stronge citees, and fro stronge citees til to flood; and to see fro see, and to hil fro hil. ³¹ And erthe schal be in to desolacioun for her dwelleris, and for fruyt of the thouytis of hem. ³² Fede thou thi puple in thi yerde, the floc of thin eritage, that dwellen aloone in wielde wode; in the myddil of Carmel thei schulen be fed of Basan and of Galaad, ³³ bi elde daies, bi daies of thi goyng out of the lond of Egipt. Y schal schewe to hym wondurful thingis; ³⁴ hethene men schulen se, and thei schulen be confoundid on al her strengthe; thei schulen putte hondis on her mouth, the eris of hem schulen be deef; ³⁵ thei schulen licke dust as a serpent; as crepynge thingis of erthe thei schulen be disturblid of her housis; thei schulen not desire oure Lord God, and thei schulen drede thee. ³⁶ God, who is lijk thee, that doist awei wickidnesse, and berist ouer the synne of relifs of thin eritage? He shal no more sende in his stronge veniaunce, for he is willynge merci; he schal turne ayen, ³⁷ and haue merci on vs. He schal put doun oure wickidnessis, and schal caste fer in to depnesse of the see alle oure synnes. ³⁸ Thou schalt yyue treuthe to Jacob, merci to Abraham, whiche thou sworist to oure fadris fro elde daies. ⁴¹ The birthun of Nynyue; the book of visioun of Naum Helcesei. ⁴² The Lord is a punyschere, and the Lord is vengynge; the Lord is venginge, and hauynge strong veniaunce; the Lord is vengynge ayens hise aduersaries, and he is wraththing to hise enemyes. ⁴³ The Lord is pacient, and greet in strengthe, and he clensynge schal not make innocent. The Lord cometh in tempest, and the weies of hym ben in whirlwynd, and cloudis ben the dust of hise feet; ⁴⁴ he blameth the see, and drieth it, and bryngith alle flodis to desert. Basan is maad sijk, and Carmel, and the flour of Liban langwischide. ⁴⁵ Mounteyns ben mouyd togidere of hym, and litil hillis ben desolat. And erthe tremblide togidere fro the face of him, and the roundenesse of erthe, and alle dwellynge ther ynne. ⁴⁶ Who schal stonde bifore the face of his indignacioun? and who schal ayenstonde in the wraththe of his stronge veniaunce? His indignacioun is sched out as fier, and stoonys ben brokun of hym. ⁴⁷ The Lord is good, and coumfortynge in the dai of tribulacioun, and knowynge hem that hopen in hym. ⁴⁸ And in greet flood passynge forth, he schal make ende of his place; and derknessis schulen pursue hise enemyes. ⁴⁹ What thenken ye ayens the Lord? He schal make ende; double tribulacioun schal not rise togidere. ⁵⁰ For as thornes byclippen hem togidere, so the feeste of hem drynkynge togidere schal be wastyd, as stobul ful of drienesse. ⁵¹ Of thee schal go out a man thenkynge malice ayens the Lord, and trete trespassyng in soule. ⁵² The Lord seith these thingis, If thei schulen be parfit, and so manye, and thus thei shulen be clippid, and it schal passe bi. I turmentide thee, and Y schal no more turmente thee. ⁵³ And now Y schal al to-breke the yerde of hym fro thi bak, and Y schal breke thi bondis. ⁵⁴ And the Lord schal comaunde on thee, it schal no more be sowun of thi name. Of the hous of thi god Y schal sle; Y schal putte thi sepulcre a `grauun ymage, and wellid togidere, for thou art vnworschipid. ⁵⁵ Lo! on hillis the feet of the euangelisynge and tellynge pees. Juda, halewe thou thi feeste daies, and yelde thi vowis, for whi Belial schal no more put to, that he passe forth in thee; al Belial perischide. ⁵⁷ He stiede up, that schal scatere bifore thee, that schal kepe bisechyng; biholde thou the weie, coumforte leendis, strengthe thou vertu greetli. ⁵⁸ For as the Lord yeldide the pride of Jacob, so the pride of Israel; for distrieris scateriden hem, and distrieden the generaciouns of hem. ⁵⁹ The scheld of stronge men of hym ben firi, men of the oost ben in rede clothis; raynes of fire of chare, in the dai of his makyng redi; and the leederis therof ben asleep. ⁶⁰ In weies thei ben troblid togidere, cartis of foure horsis ben hurtlid togidere in stretis; the siyte of hem as laumpis, as leitis rennynge aboute. ⁶¹ He schal bithenke of his stronge men, thei schulen falle in her weies; and swiftli thei schulen stie on the wallis therof, and schadewyng place schal be maad redi. ⁶² Yatis of floodis ben openyd, and the temple is brokun doun to erthe. ⁶³ And a knyyt is led awei caitif, and the handmaidis therof schulen be dryuun sorewynge as culueris, grutchynge in her hertis. ⁶⁴ And Nynyue, as a cisterne of watris the watris therof; forsothe thei fledden; stonde ye, stonde ye, and there is not that schal turne ayen. ⁶⁵ Rauysche ye siluer, rauysche ye gold; and there is noon ende of richessis, of alle desirable vessels. ⁶⁶ It is distried, and kit, and to-rent, and herte failynge, and vnknyttinge of smale knees, and failynge in alle reynes; and the face of alle ben as blacnesse of a pot. ⁶⁷ Where is the dwellyng of liouns, and lesewis of whelpis of liouns? To whiche citee the lioun yede, that the whelp of the lioun schulde entre thidur, and there is not that schal make aferd. ⁶⁸ The lioun took ynow to hise whelpis, and slowy to his lionessis; and fillide her dennes with prei, and his couche with raueyn. ⁶⁹ Lo! Y to thee, seith the Lord God of oostis; and Y schal brenne thi cartis of foure horsis til to the hiyeste, and swerd schal ete thi smale liouns; and Y schal distrie thi prei fro the lond, and the vois of thi messangeris schulen no more be herd.