1 Maccabees 7

¹ And the aungel aunsweride, and seide to me, These ben foure wyndis of heuene, whiche goen out, that thei stonde bifor the lordschipere of al erthe. ² In which weren blake horsis, wenten out in to the lond of the north; and the white wenten out aftir hem; and the dyuerse wenten out to the lond of the south. ³ Forsothe thei that weren strengeste wenten out, and souyten for to go, and renne aboute bi al erthe. And he seide, Go ye, and walke ye thorouy the erthe. And thei walkiden thorouy erthe. ⁴ And he clepide me, and spak to me, and seide, Lo! thei that goon out in to lond of north, maden my spirit for to reste in the lond of north. ⁵ And the word of the Lord was maad to me, and seide, ⁶ Take thou of the transmygracioun, ether caitiftee, of Oldai, and of Tobie, and of Idaye; and thou schalt come in that dai, and schalt entre in to the hous of Josie, sone of Sofonye, that camen fro Babiloyne. ⁷ And thou schalt take gold and siluer, and schalt make corouns, and putte on the heed of Jhesu, the greet preest, sone of Josedech; ⁸ and schalt speke to hym, and seie, The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, seiynge, Lo! a man, Comynge forth, ether Borun, is his name, and vndir him it schal sprynge. And he schal bilde a temple to the Lord, ⁹ and he schal make a temple to the Lord; and he schal bere glorie, and schal sitte, and schal be lord on his seete; and the preest schal be on his seete, and counsel of pees schal be bitwixe hem tweyne. ¹⁰ And corouns schulen be to Helem, and to Tobie, and to Idaie, and to Hen, sone of Sofonye, a memorial in the temple of the Lord. ¹¹ And thei that ben fer, schulen come, and bilde in the temple of the Lord; and ye schulen wite, that the Lord of oostis sente me to you. Sotheli this thing schal be, if bi heryng ye schulen here the vois of youre Lord God. ¹³ And it is maad in the fourthe yeer of Darius, kyng, the word of the Lord was maad to Sacarie, in the fourthe dai of the nynthe monethe, that is Caslew. ¹⁴ And Sarasar, and Rogumelech, and men that weren with hem, senten to the hous of the Lord, for to preye the face of the Lord; ¹⁵ that thei schulden seie to prestis of the hous of the Lord of oostis, and to profetis, and speke, Whether it is to wepe to me in the fyuethe monethe, ether Y schal halowe me, as Y dide now many yeeris? ¹⁶ And the word of the Lord was maad to me, ¹⁷ and seide, Speke thou to al the puple of the lond, and to prestis, and seie thou, Whanne ye fastiden, and weiliden in the fyueth and seuenthe monethe, bi these seuenti yeeris, whether ye fastiden a fast to me? ¹⁸ And whanne ye eeten, and drunken, whether ye eten not to you, and drunken not to you silf? ¹⁹ Whether wordis of profetis ben not, whiche the Lord spak in the hond of the formere profetis, whanne yit Jerusalem was enhabited, and was ful of richessis, and it, and citees therof in cumpas therof, and at the south and in feeldi place was enhabited? ²⁰ And the word of the Lord was maad to Sacarie, and seide, The Lord of oostis saith these thingis, and spekith, ²¹ Deme ye trewe dom, and do ye merci, and doyngis of merci, ech man with his brother. ²² And nyle ye falsli calenge a widewe, and fadirles, ether modirles, and comelyng, and pore man; and a man thenke not in his herte yuel to his brother. ²³ And thei wolden not take heede, and thei turneden awei the schuldre, and yeden awei, and maden heuy her eeris, lest thei herden. ²⁴ And thei puttiden her herte as adamaunt, lest thei herden the lawe, and wordis whiche the Lord of oostis sente in his Spirit, bi the hond of the formere profetis; and greet indignacioun was maad of the Lord of oostis. ²⁵ And it is doon, as he spak; and as thei herden not, so thei schulen crie, and Y schal not here, seith the Lord of oostis. ²⁶ And Y scateride hem bi alle rewmes, whiche thei knewen not, and the lond is desolat fro hem; for that there was not a man goynge and turnynge ayen, and thei han put desirable lond in to desert. ²⁸ And the word of the Lord of oostis was maad to me, ²⁹ and seide, The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Y hatide Sion with greet feruour, and with greet indignacioun Y hatide it. ³⁰ The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Y am turned ayen to Sion, and Y schal dwelle in the myddil of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem schal be clepid a citee of treuthe, and hil of the Lord schal be clepid an hil halewid. ³¹ The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Yit elde men and elde wymmen schulen dwelle in the stretis of Jerusalem, and the staf of man in his hond, for the multitude of yeeris. ³² And the stretis of the cite schulen be fillid with yonge children and maidens, pleiynge in the stretis of it. ³³ The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Though it schal be seyn hard bifor the iyen of relifs of this puple in tho daies, whether bifor myn iyen it schal be hard, seith the Lord of oostis? ³⁴ The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal saue my puple fro the lond of the eest, and fro lond of goynge doun of the sunne; ³⁵ and Y schal brynge hem, and thei schulen dwelle in the myddil of Jerusalem; and thei schulen be to me in to a puple, and Y schal be to hem in to God, and in treuthe, and in riytwisnesse. ³⁶ The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Be youre hondis coumfortid, whiche heren in these daies these wordis bi the mouth of profetis, in the dai in which the hous of the Lord of oostis is foundid, that the temple schulde be bildid. ³⁷ Sotheli bifore tho daies hire of men was not, nether hire of werk beestis was, nether to man entrynge and goynge out was pees for tribulacioun; and Y lefte alle men, ech ayens his neiybore. ³⁸ But now not after the formere daies Y schal do to relifs of this puple, seith the Lord of oostis, ³⁹ but seed of pees schal be; vyneyerd schal yyue his fruyt, and erthe schal yyue his buriownyng, and heuenes schulen yyue her dew; and Y schal make the relifs of this puple for to welde alle these thingis. ⁴⁰ And it schal be, as the hous of Juda and hous of Israel weren cursyng in hethene men, so Y schal saue you, and ye schulen be blessyng. Nyle ye drede, be youre hondis coumfortid; ⁴¹ for the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, As Y thouyte for to turmente you, whanne youre fadris hadden terrid me to wraththe, ⁴² seith the Lord, and Y hadde not merci, so Y conuertid thouyte in these daies for to do wel to the hous of Juda and Jerusalem; nyle ye drede. ⁴³ Therfor these ben the wordis whiche ye schulen do; speke ye treuthe, ech man with his neiybore; deme ye treuthe and dom of pees in youre yatis; ⁴⁴ and thenke ye not in youre hertis, ony man yuel ayens his frend, and loue ye not a fals ooth; for alle thes thingis it ben, whiche Y hate, seith the Lord. ⁴⁵ And the word of the Lord of oostis was maad to me, ⁴⁶ and seide, The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Fastyng of the fourthe monethe, `and fastyng of the fyuethe, and fastyng of the seuenthe, and fasting of the tenthe, schal be to the hous of Juda in to ioie and gladnes, and in to solempnitees ful cleer; loue ye oneli treuthe and pees. ⁴⁷ The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Puplis schulen come on ech side, and dwelle in many citees; ⁴⁸ and the dwelleris schulen go, oon to an other, and seie, Go we, and biseche the face of the Lord, and seke we the Lord of oostis; also I shal go. ⁴⁹ And many puplis schulen come, and strong folkis, for to seke the Lord of oostis in Jerusalem, and for to biseche the face of the Lord. ⁵⁰ The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, In tho daies, in whiche ten men of alle langagis of hethene men schulen catche, and thei schulen catche the hemme of a man Jew, and seye, We schulen go with you; for we han herd, that God is with you.