Ezekiel 33
Ezekiel chapter 33 from the John Wycliffe Bible (c.1395)
1 Forsothe if a iust man turneth awey hym silf fro his riytfulnesse, and doith wickidnesse bi alle hise abhomynaciouns, which a wickid man is wont to worche, whether he schal lyue? Alle hise riytfulnessis whiche he dide, schulen not be had in mynde; in his trespassyng bi which he trespasside, and in his synne which he synnede, he schal die in tho. 2 And ye seiden, The weie of the Lord is not euene. Therfor, the hous of Israel, here ye, whether my weie is not euene, and not more youre weies ben schrewid? 3 For whanne a riytful man turneth awei hym silf fro his riytfulnesse, and doith wickidnesse, he schal die in it, he schal die in the vnriytwisnesse which he wrouyte. 4 And whanne a wickid man turneth awei him silf fro his wickidnesse which he wrouyte, and doith dom and riytfulnesse, he schal quykene his soule. 5 For he biholdinge and turnynge awei hym silf fro alle hise wickidnessis which he wrouyte, schal lyue in lijf, and schal not die. 6 And the sones of Israel seien, The weie of the Lord is not euene. Whether my weies ben not euene, ye hous of Israel, and not more youre weies ben schrewid? 7 Therfor, thou hous of Israel, Y schal deme ech man bi hise weies, seith the Lord God. Turne ye togidere, and do ye penaunce for alle youre wickidnessis, and wickidnesse schal not be to you in to falling. 8 Caste awei fro you alle youre trespassingis, bi whiche ye trespassiden, and make ye a newe herte and a newe spirit to you, and whi schulen ye die, the hous of Israel? 9 For Y nyle the deeth of hym that dieth, seith the Lord God; turne ye ayen, and lyue ye. 11 And thou, sone of man, take weiling on the princes of Israel; 12 and thou schalt seie, Whi thi modir, a lionesse, lai among liouns? In the myddis of litle liouns sche nurschide hir whelpis, 13 and ledde out oon of hir litle liouns; he was maad a lioun, and he lernyde to take prei, and to ete men. 14 And hethene men herden of hym, and token hym not withouten her woundis; and thei brouyten hym in chaynes in to the lond of Egipt. 15 Which modir whanne sche hadde seyn, that sche was sijk, and the abiding of hym perischide, took oon of her litle liouns, and made hym a lioun. 16 Which yede among liouns, and was maad a lioun; 17 and lernede to take prey, and to deuoure men. He lernyde to make widewis, and to brynge the citees of men in to desert; and the lond and the fulnesse therof was maad desolat, of the vois of his roryng. 18 And hethene men camen togidere ayens hym on ech side fro prouynces, and spredden on hym her net; he was takun in the woundis of tho hethene men. 19 And thei senten hym in to a caue in chaines, and brouyten hym to the kyng of Babiloyne; and thei senten hym in to prisoun, that his vois were no more herd on the hillis of Israel. 20 Thi modir as a vyner in thi blood was plauntid on watre; the fruitis therof and the boowis therof encreessiden of many watris. 21 And sadde yerdis weren maad to it in to septris of lordis, and the stature therof was enhaunsid among boowis; and it siy his hiynesse in the multitude of hise siouns. 22 And it was drawun out in wraththe, and was cast forth in to erthe; and a brennynge wynd dryede the fruyt therof, and the yerdis of strengthe therof welewiden, and weren maad drie, and fier eet it. 23 And now it is plauntid ouer in desert, in a lond with out weie, and thristi. 24 And fier yede out of the yerde of the braunchis therof, that eet the fruyt therof. And a stronge yerde, the ceptre of lordis, was not in it. It is weilyng, and it schal be in to weilyng. 26 And it was doon in the seuenthe yeer, in the fyuethe monethe, in the tenthe dai of the monethe, men of the eldris of Israel camen to axe the Lord; and thei saten bifor me. 27 And the word of the Lord was maad to me, 28 and he seide, Sone of man, speke thou to the eldere men of Israel; and thou schalt seie to hem, The Lord God seith these thingis, Whether ye camen to axe me? Y lyue, for Y schal not answere to you, seith the Lord God. Sone of man, 29 if thou demest hem, if thou demest, schewe thou to hem the abhomynaciouns of her fadris. 30 And thou schalt seie to hem, The Lord God seith these thingis, In the dai in which Y chees Israel, and reiside myn hond for the generacioun of the hous of Jacob, and Y apperide to hem in the lond of Egipt, and Y reiside myn hond for hem, and Y seide, Y am youre Lord God, 31 in that dai Y reiside myn hond for hem, that Y schulde leede hem out of the lond of Egipt, in to the lond which Y hadde purueiede to hem, the lond flowynge with mylk and hony, which is noble among alle londis. 32 And Y seide to hem, Ech man caste awei the offenciouns of hise iyen, and nyle ye be defoulid in the idols of Egipt; Y am youre Lord God. 33 And thei terriden me to wraththe, and nolden here me; ech man castide not awei the abhomynaciouns of hise iyen, nether thei forsoken the idols of Egipt.
