Jeremias 12
1 Righteous are you, O Lord, that I may make my defence to you, yes, I will speak to you [of] judgements. Why [is it] that the way of ungodly [men] prospers? [that] all that deal very treacherously are flourishing?
Forsothe, Lord, thou art iust; if Y dispute with thee, netheles Y schal speke iust thingis to thee. Whi hath the weie of wickid men prosperite? It is wel to alle men that breken the lawe, and doen wickidli?
2 You have planted them, and they have taken root; they have begotten children, and become fruitful; you are near to their mouth, and far from their reins.
Thou hast plauntid hem, and thei senten roote; thei encreessen, and maken fruyt; thou art niy to the mouth of hem, and fer fro the reynes of hem.
3 But you, Lord, know me; you have proved my heart before you; purify them for the day of their slaughter.
And thou, Lord, hast knowe me, thou hast seyn me, and hast preued myn herte with thee. Gadere thou hem togidere as a flok to slayn sacrifice, and halewe thou hem in the dai of sleyng.
4 How long shall the land mourn, and the grass of the field wither, for the wickedness of them, that dwell in it? the beasts and birds are utterly destroyed; because [the people] said, God shall not see our ways.
Hou long schal the erthe mourne, and ech eerbe of the feeld schal be dried, for the malice of hem that dwellen ther ynne? A beeste is wastid, and a brid, for thei seiden, The Lord schal not se oure laste thingis.
5 Your feet run, and they cause you to faint; how will you prepare [to ride] upon horses? and you have been confident in the land of your peace? how will you do in the roaring of Jordan?
If thou trauelist rennynge with foot men, hou schalt thou mow stryue with horsis? but whanne thou art sikur in the lond of pees, what schalt thou do in the pride of Jordan?
6 For even your brethren and the house of your father, even these have dealt treacherously with you; and they have cried out, they are gathered together in pursuit of you; trust not you in them, though they shall speak fair [words] to you.
For whi bothe thi britheren and the hous of thi fadir, yhe, thei fouyten ayens thee, and crieden with ful vois aftir thee; bileue thou not to hem, whanne thei speken goodis to thee.
7 I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given my beloved one into the hands of her enemies.
I haue left myn hous, Y haue forsake myn eritage; Y yaf my loued soule in to the hondis of enemyes therof.
8 My inheritance has become to me as a lion in a forest; she has uttered her voice against me; therefore have I hated her.
Myn eritage is maad as a lioun in the wode to me; it yaf vois ayens me, therfor Y hate it.
9 Is not my inheritance to me a hyaena's cave, or a cave round about her? Go you, gather together all the wild beasts of the field, and let them come to devour her.
Whether myn eritage is a brid of dyuerse colours to me? whether it is a brid died thorou out? Alle beestis of the feeld, come ye, be ye gaderid togidere; haste ye for to deuoure.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have defiled my portion, they have made my desirable portion a trackless wilderness;
Many scheepherdis distrieden my vyner, defouliden my part, yauen my desirable porcioun in to desert of wildirnesse;
11 it is made a complete ruin: for my sake the whole land has been utterly ruined, because there is none that lays [the matter] to heart.
thei settiden it in to scateryng, and it mourenyde on me; al the lond is desolat bi desolacioun, for noon is that ayenthenkith in herte.
12 The ravagers are come to every passage in the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord will devour from one end of the land to the other: no flesh has any peace.
Alle distrieris of the lond camen on alle the weies of desert, for the swerd of the Lord schal deuoure fro the laste part of the lond `til to the laste part therof; no pees is to al fleisch.
13 Sow wheat, and reap thorns; their portions shall not profit them: be ashamed of your boasting, because of reproach before the Lord.
Thei sowiden wheete, and repiden thornes; thei token erytage, and it schal not profite to hem. Ye schulen be schent of youre fruytis, for the wraththe of the stronge veniaunce of the Lord.
14 For thus says the Lord, concerning all the evil neighbours that touch mine inheritance, which I have divided to my people Israel; Behold, I [will] draw them away from their land, and I will cast out Juda from the midst of them.
The Lord seith these thingis ayens alle my worst neiyboris, that touchen the eritage which Y departide to my puple Israel, Lo! Y schal drawe hem out of her lond, and Y schal drawe the hous of Juda out of the myddis of hem.
15 And it shall come to pass, after I have cast them out, [that] I will return, and have mercy upon them, and will cause them to dwell every one in his inheritance, and every one in his land.
And whanne Y schal drawe out thilke Jewis, Y schal conuerte, and haue merci on hem; and Y schal lede hem ayen, a man to his eritage, and a man in to his lond.
16 And it shall be, if they will indeed learn the way of my people, to swear by my name, [saying], The Lord lives; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall [that nation] be built in the midst of my people.
And it schal be, if thei `that ben tauyt lernen the weies of my puple, that thei swere in my name, The Lord lyueth, as thei tauyten my puple to swere in Baal, thei schulen be bildid in the myddis of my puple.
17 But if they will not return, then will I cut off that nation with utter ruin and destruction.
That if thei heren not, Y schal drawe out that folk by drawyng out and perdicioun, seith the Lord.
