Jeremiah 5

¹ And thou schalt seie in thin herte, Who gendride these sones to me? Y am bareyn, not berynge child; Y am led ouer, and prisoner; and who nurschide these sones? Y am destitute, and aloone; and where weren these? ² The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y reise myn hond to hethene men, and Y schal enhaunce my signe to puplis; and thei schulen brynge thi sones in armes, and thei schulen bere thi douytris on shuldris. ³ And kingis shulen be thi nurseris, and quenys shulen be thi nursis; with cheer cast doun in to erthe thei schulen worschipe thee, and thei schulen licke the dust of thi feet; and thou schalt wite, that Y am the Lord, on whom thei schulen not be schent, that abiden hym. ⁴ Whether prey schal be takun awei fro a strong man? ether that that is takun of a stalworthe man, mai be saaf? ⁵ For the Lord seith these thingis, Sotheli and caitifte schal be takun awey fro the stronge man, and that that is takun awei of a stalworthe man, schal be saued. Forsothe Y schal deme hem, that demyden thee, and Y schal saue thi sones. ⁶ And Y schal fede thin enemyes with her fleischis, and thei schulen be greetli fillid with her blood as with must; and eche man schal wite, that Y am the Lord, sauynge thee, and thin ayenbiere, the strong of Jacob. ⁸ The Lord seith these thingis, What is this book of forsakyng of youre modir, bi which Y lefte her? ether who is he, to whom Y owe, to whom Y seeld you? For lo! ye ben seeld for youre wickidnessis, and for youre grete trespassis Y lefte youre modir. ⁹ For Y cam, and no man was; Y clepide, and noon was that herde. Whether myn hond is abreggid, and maad litil, that Y mai not ayenbie? ether vertu is not in me for to delyuere? Lo! in my blamyng Y schal make the see forsakun, ether desert, Y schal sette floodis in the drie place; fischis without watir schulen wexe rotun, and schulen dye for thirst. 10 Y schal clothe heuenes with derknessis, and Y schal sette a sak the hilyng of tho. 11 The Lord yaf to me a lerned tunge, that Y kunne susteyne hym bi word that failide; erli the fadir reisith, erli he reisith an eere to me, that Y here as a maister. 12 The Lord God openede an eere to me; forsothe Y ayenseie not, Y yede not abak. 13 I yaf my bodi to smyteris, and my chekis to pulleris; Y turnede not a wei my face fro men blamynge, and spetynge on me. 14 The Lord God is myn helpere, and therfor Y am not schent; therfor Y haue set my face as a stoon maad hard, and Y woot that Y schal not be schent. 15 He is niy, that iustifieth me; who ayenseith me? stonde we togidere. Who is myn aduersarie? neiye he to me. 16 Lo! the Lord God is myn helpere; who therfor is he that condempneth me? Lo! alle schulen be defoulid as a cloth, and a mouyte schal ete hem. 17 Who of you dredith the Lord, and herith the vois of his seruaunt? Who yede in dercnessis and liyt is not to hym, hope he in the name of the Lord, and triste he on his God. 18 Lo! alle ye kyndlynge fier, and gird with flawmes, go in the liyt of youre fier, and in the flawmes whiche ye han kyndlid to you. This is maad of myn hond to you, ye schulen slepe in sorewis. 20 Here ye me, that suen that that is iust, and seken the Lord. Take ye hede to the stoon, fro whennys ye ben hewun doun, and to the caue of the lake, fro which ye ben kit doun. 21 Take ye heede to Abraham, youre fadir, and to Sare, that childide you; for Y clepide hym oon, and Y blesside hym, and Y multipliede hym. 22 Therfor the Lord schal coumforte Sion, and he schal coumforte alle the fallyngis therof; and he schal sette the desert therof as delices, and the wildirnesse therof as a gardyn of the Lord; ioie and gladnesse schal be foundun therynne, the doyng of thankyngis and the vois of heriyng. 23 Mi puple, take ye heede to me, and, my lynage, here ye me; for whi a lawe schal go out fro me, and my doom schal reste in to the liyt of puplis. 24 My iust man is nyy, my sauyour is gon out, and myn armes schulen deme puplis; ilis schulen abide me, and schulen suffre myn arm. 25 Reise youre iyen to heuene, and se ye vndur erthe bynethe; for whi heuenes schulen melte awei as smoke, and the erthe schal be al to-brokun as a cloth, and the dwelleris therof schulen perische as these thingis; but myn helthe schal be withouten ende, and my riytfulnesse schal not fayle. 26 Ye puple, that knowen the iust man, here me, my lawe is in the herte of hem; nyle ye drede the schenschipe of men, and drede ye not the blasfemyes of hem. 27 For whi a worm schal ete hem so as a cloth, and a mouyte schal deuoure hem so as wolle; but myn helthe schal be withouten ende, and my riytfulnesse in to generaciouns of generaciouns. 28 Rise thou, rise thou, arm of the Lord, be thou clothyd in strengthe; rise thou, as in elde daies, in generaciouns of worldis. Whether thou smytidist not the proude man, woundidist not the dragoun? 29 Whether thou driedist not the see, the watir of the greet depthe, which settidist the depthe of the see a weie, that men that weren delyuered, schulden passe? ³⁰ And now thei that ben ayenbouyt of the Lord schulen turne ayen, and schulen come heriynge in to Syon, and euerlastynge gladnesse on the heedis of hem; thei schulen holde ioie and gladnesse, sorewe and weilyng schal fle awei. ³¹ `Y my silf schal coumforte you; what art thou, that thou drede of a deedli man, and of the sone of man, that schal wexe drie so as hei?