1 Maccabees 4

¹ God schal come fro the south, and the hooli fro the mount of Faran. The glorie of hym kyueride heuenes, and the erthe is ful of his heriyng. ² The schynyng of hym schal be as liyt; hornes in hondis of hym. ³ There the strengthe of hym was hid, deth schal go bifore his face; the deuel schal go out bifore hise feet. ⁴ He stood, and mat the erthe; he bihelde, and vnboond folkis, and hillis of the world weren al to-brokun; the litle hillis of the world weren bowid doun, of the weies of his euerlastyngnesse. ⁵ For wickidnesse Y saiy the tentis of Ethiope, the skynnes of the lond of Madian schulen be troblid. ⁶ Lord, whether in floodis thou art wrooth, ether in floodis is thi strong veniaunce, ether in the see is thin indignacioun? Which shalt stie on thin horsis; and thi foure horsid cartis is saluacioun. ⁷ Thou reisynge schalt reise thi bouwe, othis to lynagis whiche thou hast spoke; thou schalt departe the floodis of erthe. ⁸ Watris saien thee, and hillis sorewiden, the goter of watris passide; depnesse yaf his vois, hiynesse reiside hise hondis. ⁹ The sunne and moone stoden in her dwellyng place; in the liyt of thin arowis thei schulen go, in the schynyng of thi spere glisnynge. ¹⁰ In gnastyng thou schalt defoule erthe, and in strong veniaunce thou schalt astonye folkis. ¹¹ Thou art gon out in to helthe of thi puple, in to helthe with thi crist; thou hast smyte the heed of the hous of the vnpitouse man, thou hast maad nakid the foundement til to the necke. ¹² Thou cursidist the ceptris, ether powers, of hym, the heed of hise fiyteris, to men comynge as whirlewynde for to scatere me; the ioiyng withoutforth of hem, as of hym that deuourith a pore man in hidlis. ¹³ Thou madist a weie in the see to thin horsis, in clei of many watris. ¹⁴ Y herde, and my wombe is troblid togidere; my lippis trembliden togidere of the vois. Rot entre in my boonys, and sprenge vndur me; that Y reste ayen in the dai of tribulacioun, and Y schal stie vp to oure puple gird togidere. ¹⁵ For the fige tre schal not floure, and buriownyng schal not be in vynyerdis; the werk of olyue tre schal lie, and feeldis schulen not brynge mete; a scheep schal be kit awei fro the fold, and droue schal not be in cratchis. ¹⁶ Forsothe Y schal haue ioye in the Lord, and Y schal make ioie with outforth in God my Jhesu. ¹⁷ God the Lord is my strengthe, and he schal putte my feet as of hertis; and on myn hiye thingis, the ouercomere schal lede forth me, syngynge in salmes. ¹⁸ Sofonye ²⁰ The word of the Lord, that was maad to Sofonye, sone of Chusi, sone of Godolie, sone of Amasie, sone of Ezechie, in the daies of Josie, the sone of Amon, king of Juda. ²¹ Y gaderinge schal gadere alle thingis fro the face of erthe, seith the Lord; ²² Y gaderynge man and beeste, Y gaderynge volatils of heuene, and fischis of the see; and fallyngis of vnpitouse men schulen be, and Y schal leese men fro face of erthe, seith the Lord. ²³ And Y schal stretche out myn hond on Juda, and on alle dwellers of Jerusalem; and Y schal lese fro this place the relifs of Baal, and the names of keperis of housis, with prestis; ²⁴ and hem that worschipen on roouys the knyythod of heuene, and worschipen, and sweren in the Lord, and sweren in Melchon; ²⁵ and whiche ben turned awei bihynde the bak of the Lord, and whiche souyten not the Lord, nether enserchiden hym. 26 Be ye stille fro the face of the Lord God, for niy is the dai of the Lord; for the Lord made redi a sacrifice, halewide hise clepid men. 27 And it schal be, in the dai of sacrifice of the Lord, Y schal visite on princes, and on sones of the kyng, and on alle that ben clothid with pilgrimys, ether straunge, clothing. 28 And Y schal visite on ech that proudli entrith on the threisfold in that dai, whiche fillen the hous of her Lord God with wickidnesse and gile. 29 And ther schal be in that dai, seith the Lord, a vois of cry fro the yate of fischis, and yellynge fro the secounde yate, and greet defoulyng fro litle hillis. 30 Yelle ye, dwelleris of Pila; al the puple of Canaan was stille togidere, alle men wlappid in siluer perischiden. 31 And it schal be, in that tyme Y schal seke Jerusalem with lanternes, and Y schal visite on alle men piyt in her darstis, whiche seien in her hertis, The Lord schal not do wel, and he schal not do yuele. 32 And the strengthe of hem schal be in to rauyschyng, and the housis of hem in to desert; and thei schulen bilde housis, and schulen not enhabite; and thei schulen plaunte vyneyerdis, and thei schulen not drynke the wyn of hem. 33 Nyy is the greet dai of the Lord, niy and swift ful myche; the vois of the dai of the Lord is bittir, a strong man schal be in tribulacioun there. 34 The ilke dai is a dai of wraththe, dai of tribulacioun and angwisch, dai of nedynesse and wretchidnesse, dai of derknessis and myist, dai of cloude and whirlewynd, ³⁵ dai of trumpe and noise on strong citees and on hiye corneris. ³⁶ And Y schal troble men, and thei schulen walke as blynde, for thei han synned ayens the Lord; and the blood of hem schal be sched out as erthe, and the bodies of hem schulen be as tordis. ³⁷ But and the siluer of hem, and gold of hem, schal not mowe delyuere hem in the dai of wraththe of the Lord; in fier of his feruour al erthe schal be deuourid, for he schal make ende with haastyng to alle men enhabitynge the erthe. ³⁹ Come ye togidere, be gaderid, ye folc not worthi to be loued, ⁴⁰ bifore that comaundyng brynge forth as dust passyng dai; bifore that wraththe of strong veniaunce of the Lord come on you, bifor that the dai of his indignacioun come on you. ⁴¹ Alle myelde men of erthe, seke ye the Lord, whiche han wrouyt the doom of hym; seke ye the iust, seke ye the mylde, if ony maner ye be hid in the dai of strong veniaunce of the Lord. ⁴² For Gasa schal be distried, and Ascalon schal be in to desert; thei schulen caste out Azotus in myddai, and Accaron schal be drawun out bi the root. ⁴³ Wo to you that dwellen in the litil part of the see, a folc of loste men. The word of the Lord on you, Canaan, the lond of Filisteis, and Y schal distrie thee, so that a dwellere be not; ⁴⁴ and the litil part of the see schal be reste of scheepherdis, and foldis of scheep. ⁴⁵ And it schal be a litil part of hym, that schal be left of the hous of Juda, there thei schulen be fed in the housis of Ascalon; at euentid thei schulen reste, for the Lord God of hem schal visite hem, and schal turne awei the caitifte of hem. ⁴⁶ Y herde the schenschip of Moab, and blasfemyes of sones of Amon, whiche thei seiden schentfuli to my puple, and thei weren magnefied on the termes of hem. ⁴⁷ Therfor Y lyue, seith the Lord of oostis, God of Israel, for Moab schal be as Sodom, and the sones of Amon as Gomorre; drynesse of thornes, and hepis of salt, and desert, til in to withouten ende. The relifs of my puple schulen rauysche hem, the residues of my folc schulen welde hem. ⁴⁸ Sotheli this thing schal come to hem for her pride, for thei blasfemeden, and weren magnefied on the puple of the Lord of oostis. ⁴⁹ The Lord schal be orible on hem, and he schal make feble alle goddis of erthe; and men of her place schulen worschipe hym, alle the ilis of hethene men. ⁵⁰ But and ye, Ethiopiens, schulen be slayn bi my swerd. ⁵¹ And he schal stretche forth his hond on the north, and schal leese Assur; and he schal putte the feir citee Nynyue in to wildirnesse, and into with out weie, and as desert. ⁵² And flockis, and alle the beestis of folkis, schulen ligge in the myddil therof; and onacratalus, and irchun schulen dwelle in threshfoldis therof; vois of the syngynge in wyndow, and crow in the lyntil, for Y schal make thinne the strengthe therof. ⁵³ This is the gloriouse citee dwellynge in trist, which seide in hir herte, Y am, and ther is noon other more withouten me. Hou is it maad vnto desert, a couche of beeste; ech man that schal passe bi it, schal hisse, and schal moue his hond. ⁵⁵ Wo! thou citee, terrere to wraththe, and bouyt ayen a culuer. ⁵⁶ It herde not the vois of the Lord, and resseyuede not techyng, ether chastisyng; it tristenyde not in the Lord, it neiyide not to her God. ⁵⁷ Princes therof in myddil therof weren as liouns rorynge; iugis therof weren wolues, in the euentid thei leften not in to morewe. ⁵⁸ Profetis therof weren woode, vnfeithful men; prestis therof defouliden hooli thing, thei diden vniustli ayens the lawe. ⁵⁹ The Lord iust in the myddil therof, schal not do wickidnesse; erli, erli he schal yyue his dom in liyt, and it schal not be hid; forsothe the wickid puple knew not confusioun. ⁶⁰ Y loste folkis, and the corneris of hem ben distried; Y made the weies of hem desert, while there is not that schal passe. The citees of hem ben desolat, for a man is not left, nether ony dwellere. ⁶¹ Y seide, Netheles thou schalt drede me, thou schalt resseyue techyng; and the dwellyng place therof schal not perische, for alle thingis in whiche Y visitide it; netheles ful eerli thei risynge han corrupt alle her thouytis.