Jeremiah 3
Jeremiah chapter 3 from the John Wycliffe Bible (c.1395)
1 Take thou a queerne stoon, and grynde thou mele; make thou nakid thi filthe, diskeuere the schuldur, schewe the hippis, passe thou floodis. 2 Thi schame schal be schewid, and thi schenschipe schal be seen; Y schal take veniaunce, and no man schal ayenstonde me. 3 Oure ayen biere, the Lord of oostis is his name, the hooli of Israel. 4 Douyter of Caldeis, sitte thou, be thou stille, and entre in to derknessis, for thou schalt no more be clepid the ladi of rewmes. 5 I was wrooth on my puple, Y defoulid myn eritage, and Y yaf hem in thin hond, and thou settidist not mercies to hem; thou madist greuouse the yok greetli on an eld man, 6 and thou seidist, With outen ende Y schal be ladi; thou puttidist not these thingis on thin herte, nether thou bithouytist on thi laste thing. 7 And now, thou delicat, and dwellynge tristili, here these thingis, which seist in thin herte, Y am, and outakun me ther is no more; Y schal not sitte widewe, and Y schal not knowe bareynesse. 8 These twei thingis, bareynesse and widewhod schulen come to thee sudenli in o dai; alle thingis camen on thee for the multitude of thi witchecraftis, and for the greet hardnesse of thin enchauntours, ether tregetours. 9 And thou haddist trist in thi malice, and seidist, Noon is that seeth me; this thi wisdom and thi kunnyng disseyuede thee; and thou seidist in thin herte, 10 Y am, and outakun me ther is noon other. Yuel schal come on thee, and thou schalt not knowe the bigynning therof; and wrecchidnesse schal falle on thee, which thou schalt not mowe clense; wretchidnesse which thou knowist not, schal come on thee sudenly. 11 Stonde thou with thin enchauntours, and with the multitude of thi witchis, in whiche thou trauelidist fro thi yongthe; if in hap thei profiten ony thing to thee, ether if thou maist be maad the strongere. 12 Thou failidist in the multitude of thi councels; the false dyuynours of heuene stonde, and saue thee, whiche bihelden staris, and noumbriden monethis, that thei schulden telle bi tho thingis to comynge to thee. 13 Lo! thei ben maad as stobil, the fier hath brent hem; thei schulen not delyuere her lijf fro the power of flawme; colis ben not, bi whiche thei schulen be warmed, nether fier, that thei sitte at it. 14 So tho thingis ben maad to thee in whiche euere thou trauelidist; thi marchauntis fro thi yongthe erriden, ech man in his weie; noon is, that schal saue thee. 16 The hows of Jacob, that ben clepid bi the name of Israel, and yeden out of the watris of Juda, here these thingis, whiche sweren in the name of the Lord, and han mynde on God of Israel, not in treuthe, nether in riytfulnesse. 17 For thei ben clepid of the hooli citee, and ben stablischid on the God of Israel, the Lord of oostis is his name. 18 Fro that tyme Y telde the former thingis, and tho yeden out of my mouth; and Y made tho knowun; sudenli Y wrouyte, and tho thingis camen. 19 For Y wiste that thou art hard, and thi nol is a senewe of irun, and thi forhed is of bras. 20 Y biforseide to thee fro that tyme, bifore that tho thingis camen, Y schewide to thee, lest perauenture thou woldist seie, Myn idols diden these thingis, and my grauun ymagis and my yotun 21 ymagis senten these thingis whiche thou herdist. Se thou alle thingis, but ye telden not. Y made herd newe thyngis to thee fro that tyme, and thingis ben kept whiche thou knowist not; 22 now tho ben maad of nouyt, and not fro that tyme, and bifor the dai, and thou herdist not tho thingis; lest perauenture thou seie, Lo! Y knew tho thingis. 23 Nether thou herdist, nether thou knewist, nether thin eere was openyd fro that tyme; for Y woot, that thou trespassynge schal trespasse, and Y clepide thee a trespassour fro the wombe. 24 For my name Y schal make fer my strong veniaunce, and with my preysyng Y schal refreyne thee, lest thou perische. 25 Lo! Y haue sode thee, but not as siluer; Y chees thee in the chymeney of pouert.
