Ezekiel 23

¹ And Y schal brynge the worste of hethene men, and thei schulen haue in possessioun the housis of hem; and Y schal make the pride of miyti men to ceesse, and enemyes schulen haue in possessioun the seyntuaries of hem. ² In anguysch comynge aboue thei schulen seke pees, and it schal not be. ³ Disturblyng schal come on disturblyng, and heryng on heryng; and thei schulen seke of the profete a reuelacioun, and lawe shal perische fro the preest, and counsel fro eldre men. ⁴ The kyng schal mourne, and the prince schal be clothid in weilyng, and the hondis of the puple of the lond schulen be disturblid; bi the weie of hem Y schal do to hem, and bi the domes of hem Y schal deme hem; and thei schulen wite, that Y am the Lord. ⁶ And it was doon in the sixte yeer, in the sixte monethe, in the fyuethe dai of the monethe, Y sat in myn hous, and the elde men of Juda saten bifore me; and the hond of the Lord God felle there on me. ⁷ And Y siy, and lo! a licnesse as the biholdyng of fier; fro the biholding of hise leendis and bynethe was fier, and fro hise leendis and aboue was as the biholdyng of schynyng, as the siyt of electre. ⁸ And the licnesse of an hond was sent out, and took me bi the heer of myn heed; and the spirit reiside me bitwixe heuene and erthe, and brouyte me in to Jerusalem, in the siyt of God, bisidis the ynnere dore that bihelde to the north, where the idol of enuye was set, to stire indignacioun. ⁹ And lo! the glorie of God of Israel was there, bi siyt which Y siy in the feeld. ¹⁰ And he seide to me, Thou, sone of man, reise thin iyen to the weie of the north; and Y reiside myn iyen to the weie of the north, and lo! fro the north of the yate of the auter the idol of enuye was in that entryng. ¹¹ And he seide to me, Sone of man, gessist thou whether thou seest what thing these men doon, the grete abhomynaciouns whiche the hous of Israel doith here, that Y go fer awei fro my seyntuarie? and yit thou schalt turne, and schalt se grettere abhomynaciouns. ¹² And he ledde me with ynne to the dore of the halle; and Y siy, and lo! oon hoole in the wal. ¹³ And he seide to me, Sone of man, digge thou the wal; and whanne Y hadde diggid the wal, o dore apperide. ¹⁴ And he seide to me, Entre thou, and se the worste abhomynaciouns, whiche these men doon here. ¹⁵ And Y entride, and siy; and lo! ech licnesse of `crepynge beestis, and abhomynacioun of beestis, and alle idols of the hous of Israel, weren peyntid in the wal al aboute in cumpas. ¹⁶ And seuenti men of the eldere of the hous of Israel stoden; and Jeconye, the sone of Saphan, stood in the myddis of hem, stondynge bifore the peyntyngis; and ech man hadde a censere in his hond, and the smoke of a cloude of encense stiede. ¹⁷ And he seide to me, Certis, sone of man, thou seest what thingis the eldere men of the hous of Israel doen in derknessis, ech man in the hid place of his bed; for thei seiyn, The Lord seeth not vs, the Lord hath forsake the lond. ¹⁸ And the Lord seide to me, Yit thou schalt turne, and schalt se gretter abhomynaciouns, whiche these men doon. ¹⁹ And he ledde me with ynne, bi the dore of the yate of the hous of the Lord, which dore bihelde to the north; and lo! wymmen saten there, biweilynge Adonydes. ²⁰ And the Lord seide to me, Certis, sone of man, thou hast seyn; yit thou schalt turne, and schalt se gretere abhomynaciouns than these. ²¹ And he ledde me with ynne, in to the ynnere halle of the hous of the Lord; and lo! in the dore of the temple of the Lord, bitwixe the porche and the auter, weren as fyue and twenti men hauynge the backis ayens the temple of the Lord, and her faces to the eest; and thei worschipiden at the risyng of the sunne. ²² And the Lord seide to me, Certis, sone of man, thou hast seyn; whether this is a liyt thing to the hous of Juda, that thei schulden do these abhomynaciouns, whiche thei diden here? For thei filliden the lond with wickidnesse, and turneden to terre me to wraththe; and lo! thei applien a braunche to her nose thirlis. ²³ Therfor and Y schal do in strong veniaunce; myn iye schal not spare, nether Y schal do merci; and whanne thei schulen crie to myn eris with greet vois, Y schal not here hem. ²⁵ And he criede in myn eeris with greet vois, and seide, The visityngis of the citee han neiyed, and ech man hath in his hond an instrument of sleyng. ²⁶ And lo! sixe men camen fro the weie of the hiyere yate, that biholdith to the north, and the instrument of deth of ech man was in his hond; also o man in the myddis of hem was clothid with lynnun clothis, and a pennere of a writere at hise reynes; and thei entriden, and stoden bisidis the brasun auter. ²⁷ And the glorie of the Lord of Israel was takun vp fro cherub, which glorie was on it, to the threisfold of the hous; and the Lord clepide the man that was clothid with lynun clothis, and hadde a pennere of a writere in hise leendis. ²⁸ And the Lord seide to hym, Passe thou bi the myddis of the citee, in the myddis of Jerusalem, and marke thou Thau on the forhedis of men weilynge and sorewynge on alle abhomynaciouns that ben doon in the myddis therof. ²⁹ And he seide to hem in myn heryng, Go ye thorouy the citee, and sue ye hym, and smytte ye; youre iye spare not, nether do ye merci. ³⁰ Sle ye til to deth, an eld man, a yong man, and a virgyn, a litil child, and wymmen; but sle ye not ony man, on whom ye seen Thau; and bigynne ye at my seyntuarie. Therfore thei bigunnen at the eldere men, that weren bifore the face of the hous. ³¹ And he seide to hem, Defoule ye the hous, and fille ye the hallis with slayn men; go ye out. And thei yeden out, and killiden hem that weren in the citee. ³² And lo! whanne the sleyng was fillid, Y was left. And Y felle doun on my face, and Y criede, and seide, Alas! alas! alas! Lord God, therfor whether thou schalt leese alle remenauntis of Israel, and schalt schede out thi stronge veniaunce on Jerusalem? ³³ And he seide to me, The wickidnesse of the hous of Israel and of Juda is ful greet, and the lond is fillid of bloodis, and the citee is fillid with turnyng awei; for thei seiden, The Lord hath forsake the lond, and the Lord seeth not. ³⁴ Therfor and myn iye schal not spare, nether Y schal do merci; Y schal yelde the weie of hem on the heed of hem. ³⁵ And lo! the man that was clothid in lynun clothis, that hadde a pennere in his bak, answeride a word, and seide, Y haue do, as thou comaundidist to me. ³⁷ And Y siy, and lo! in the firmament that was on the heed of cherubyns, as a saphir stoon, and as the fourme of licnesse of a kyngis seete apperide theron. ³⁸ And he seide to the man that was clothid in lynnun clothis, and spak, Entre thou in the myddis of wheelis, that ben vndur cherubyns, and fille thin hond with coolis of fier, that ben bitwixe cherubyns, and schede thou out on the citee. ³⁹ And he entride in my siyt; forsothe cherubyns stoden at the riyt side of the hous, whanne the man entride, and a clowde fillide the ynnere halle. ⁴⁰ And the glorie of the Lord was reisid fro aboue cherubyns to the threisfold of the hous; and the hous was fillid with a cloude, and the halle was fillid with schynyng of the glorie of the Lord. ⁴¹ And the sown of wyngis of cherubyns was herd til to the outermere halle, as the vois of almyyti God spekynge. ⁴² And whanne he hadde comaundid to the man that was clothid in lynnun clothis, and hadde seid, Take thou fier fro the myddis of the wheelis, that ben bitwixe cherubyns, he entride, and stood bisidis the wheel. ⁴³ And cherub stretchide forth his hond fro the myddis of cherubyns, to the fier that was bitwixe cherubyns; and took, and yaf in to the hondis of hym that was clothid in lynnun clothis; and he took, and yede out. ⁴⁴ And the licnesse of the hond of a man apperide in cherubyns, vndur the wyngis of tho. ⁴⁵ And Y siy, and lo! foure wheelis weren bisidis cherubyns; o wheel bisidis o cherub, and another wheel bisidis another cherub; forsothe the licnesse of wheelis was as the siyt of the stoon crisolitis. ⁴⁶ And the biholdyng of tho was o licnesse of foure, as if a wheel be in the myddis of a wheel. ⁴⁷ And whanne tho yeden, tho yeden in to foure partis; tho turneden not ayen goynge, but to the place to which that that was the firste wheel bowide to go, also othere suyden, and turneden not ayen. ⁴⁸ And al the bodi of tho wheelis, and the neckis, and hondis, and wyngis of the beestis, and the cerclis, weren ful of iyen, in the cumpas of foure wheelis. ⁴⁹ And he clepide tho wheelis volible, ether able to go al aboute, in myn heryng.