Jeremiah 13
1 This is what the Lord said to me: Go and get yourself a linen band and put it round you and do not put it in water.
The Lord seith these thingis to me, Go, and take in possessioun to thee a lynnun breigirdil; and thou schalt putte it on thi leendis, and thou schalt not bere it in to watir.
2 So, as the Lord said, I got a band for a price and put it round my body.
And Y took in possessioun a breigirdil, bi the word of the Lord; and Y puttide aboute my leendis.
3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying,
And the word of the Lord was maad to me in the secounde tyme,
4 Take the band which you got for a price, which is round your body, and go to Parah and put it in a secret place there in a hole of the rock.
and seide, Take the brigirdil, which thou haddist in possessioun, which is aboute thi leendis; and rise thou, and go to Eufrates, and hide thou it there, in the hoole of a stoon.
5 So I went and put it in a secret place by Parah, as the Lord had said to me.
And Y yede, and hidde it in Eufrates, as the Lord comaundide to me.
6 Then after a long time, the Lord said to me, Up! go to Parah and get the band which I gave you orders to put there.
And it was don aftir ful many daies, the Lord seide to me, Rise thou, and go to Eufrates, and take fro thennus the brigirdil, whiche Y comaundide to thee, that thou schuldist hide it there.
7 So I went to Parah and, uncovering the hole, took the band from the place where I had put it away: and the band was damaged and of no use for anything.
And Y yede to Eufrates, and diggide out, and Y took the breigirdil fro the place, where Y hadde hidde it; and lo! the breigirdil was rotun, so that it was not able to ony vss.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord was maad to me,
9 The Lord has said, In this way I will do damage to the pride of Judah and to the great pride of Jerusalem.
and seide, The Lord seith these thingis, So Y schal make rotun the pride of Juda, and the myche pride of Jerusalem,
10 These evil people who say they will not give ear to my words, who go on in the pride of their hearts and have become servants and worshippers of other gods, will become like this band which is of no use for anything.
and this worste puple, that nylen here my wordis, and goen in the schrewidnesse of her herte; and thei yeden aftir alien goddis, to serue hem, and to worschipe hem; and thei schulen be as this breigirdil, which is not able to ony vss.
11 For as a band goes tightly round a man's body, so I made all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah tightly united to me; so that they might be a people for me and a name and a praise and a glory: but they would not give ear.
For as a breigirdil cleueth to the leendis of a man, so Y ioynede faste to me al the hous of Israel, and al the hous of Juda, seith the Lord, that thei schulden be to me in to a puple, and in to name, and in to heriyng, and in to glorie; and thei herden not.
12 So you are to say this word to them: This is the word of the Lord, the God of Israel: Every skin bottle will be full of wine; and they will say to you, Is it not quite clear to us that every skin bottle will be full of wine?
Therfor thou schalt seie to hem this word, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Ech potel schal be fillid of wyn. And thei schulen seie to thee, Whether we witen not, that ech potel schal be fillid of wyn?
13 Then you are to say to them, The Lord has said, I will make all the people of this land, even the kings seated on David's seat, and the priests and the prophets and all the people of Jerusalem, overcome with strong drink.
And thou schalt seie to hem, The Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y shal fille with drunkenesse alle the dwelleris of this lond, and the kyngis of the generacioun of Dauith, that sitten on his trone, and the prestis, and profetis, and alle the dwelleris of Jerusalem.
14 I will have them smashed against one another, fathers and sons together, says the Lord: I will have no pity or mercy, I will have no feeling for them to keep me from giving them to destruction.
And Y schal scatere hem, a man fro his brother, and the fadris and sones togidere, seith the Lord; Y schal not spare, and Y schal not graunte, nether Y schal do mercy, that I leese not hem.
15 Give ear and let your ears be open; be not lifted up: for these are the words of the Lord.
Here ye, and perseyue with eeris; nyle ye be reisid, for the Lord spak.
16 Give glory to the Lord your God, before he makes it dark, and before your feet are slipping on the dark mountains, and, while you are looking for a light, he makes it into deep dark, into black night.
Yyue ye glorie to youre Lord God, bifore that it wexe derk, and bifor that youre feet hirte at derk hillis; ye schulen abide liyt, and he schal sette it in to the schadewe of deeth, and in to derknesse.
17 But if you do not give ear to it, my soul will be weeping in secret for your pride; my eye will be weeping bitterly, streaming with water, because the Lord's flock has been taken away as prisoners.
That if ye heren not this, my soule schal wepe in hid place for the face of pride; it wepynge schal wepe, and myn iye shal caste out a teer, for the floc of the Lord is takun.
18 Say to the king and to the queen-mother, Make yourselves low, be seated on the earth: for the crown of your glory has come down from your heads.
Seye thou to the kyng, and to the ladi, Be ye mekid, sitte ye, for the coroun of youre glorie schal go doun fro youre heed.
19 The towns of the south are shut up, and there is no one to make them open: Judah is taken away as prisoners; all Judah is taken away as prisoners.
The cities of the south ben closid, and noon is that openith; al Juda is translatid bi perfit passyng ouere, ether goynge out of her lond.
20 Let your eyes be lifted up (O Jerusalem), and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock which was given to you, your beautiful flock?
Reise ye youre iyen, and se ye, what men comen fro the north; where is the floc which is youun to thee, thi noble scheep?
21 What will you say when he puts over you those whom you yourself have made your friends? will not pains take you like a woman in childbirth?
What schalt thou seie, whanne he schal visite thee? for thou hast tauyt hem ayens thee, and thou hast tauyt ayens thin heed. Whether sorewis han not take thee, as a womman trauelynge of child?
22 And if you say in your heart, Why have these things come on me? because of the number of your sins, your skirts have been uncovered and violent punishment overtakes you.
That if thou seist in thin herte, Whi camen these thingis to me? for the multitude of thi wickidnesse thi schamefulere thingis ben schewid, thi feet ben defoulid.
23 Is it possible for the skin of the Ethiopian to be changed, or the markings on the leopard? Then it might be possible for you to do good, who have been trained to do evil.
If a man of Ethiopie mai chaunge his skyn, ether a pard mai chaunge hise dyuersitees, and ye moun do wel, whanne ye han lerned yuel.
24 So I will send them in all directions, as dry grass is taken away by the wind of the waste land.
And Y schal sowe hem abrood, as stobil which is rauyschid of the wynd in desert.
25 This is your fate, the part measured out to you by me, says the Lord, because you have put me out of your memory and put your faith in what is false.
This is thi lot, and the part of thi mesure of me, seith the Lord; for thou foryetidist me, and tristidist in a leesyng.
26 So I will have your skirts uncovered before your face, in order that your shame may be seen.
Wherfor and Y made nakid thin hipis ayens thi face, and thi schenschipe apperide,
27 I have seen your disgusting acts, even your false behaviour and your cries of desire and your loose ways on the hills in the field. Unhappy are you, O Jerusalem, you have no desire to be made clean; how long will you be in turning back to me?
thin auowtries, and thin neyyng, and the felonye of thi fornycacioun on litle hillis in the feeld; Y siy thin abhomynaciouns. Jerusalem, wo to thee, thou schalt not be clensid after me til yit.
