Jeremiah 14
1 The word of the Lord, that was maad to Jeremye, of the wordis of dryenesse.
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
2 Jude weilide, and the yatis therof fellen doun, and ben maad derk in erthe, and the cry of Jerusalem stiede.
“Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 Grettere men senten her lesse men to water; thei camen to drawe watir, and thei foundun no water, thei brouyten ayen her vessels voide; thei weren schent and turmentid,
The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads.
4 and thei hiliden her heedis for distriyng of the lond, for reyn cam not in the lond. Erthe tilieris weren schent, thei hiliden her heedis.
The ground is cracked because no rain has fallen on the land. The farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads.
5 For whi and an hynde caluyde in the feeld, and lefte her calues, for noon eerbe was;
Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass.
6 and wield assis stoden in rochis, and drowen wynde as dragouns; her iyen failiden, for noon eerbe was.
Wild donkeys stand on barren heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail for lack of pasture.”
7 If oure wickidnessis answeren to vs, Lord, do thou for thi name, for oure turnyngis awei ben manye; we han synned ayens thee.
Although our iniquities testify against us, O LORD, act for the sake of Your name. Indeed, our rebellions are many; we have sinned against You.
8 Thou abidyng of Israel, the sauyour therof in the tyme of tribulacioun,
O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are You like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays but a night?
9 whi schalt thou be as a comelyng in the lond, and as a weigoere bowynge to dwelle? whi schalt thou be as a man of vnstable dwellyng, as a strong man that mai not saue? Forsothe, Lord, thou art in vs, and thin hooli name is clepid to help on vs; forsake thou not vs.
Why are You like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? Yet You are among us, O LORD, and we are called by Your name. Do not forsake us!
10 The Lord seith these thingis to this puple, that louede to stire hise feet, and restide not, and pleside not the Lord; now he schal haue mynde on the wickidnesses of hem, and he schal visite the synnes of hem.
This is what the LORD says about this people: “Truly they love to wander; they have not restrained their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; He will now remember their guilt and call their sins to account.”
11 And the Lord seide to me, Nyle thou preie for this puple in to good.
Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people.
12 Whanne thei schulen faste, Y schal not here the preieris of hem; and if thei offren brent sacrifices and slayn sacrifices, Y schal not resseyue tho, for Y schal waste hem bi swerd and hungur and pestilence.
Although they may fast, I will not listen to their cry; although they may offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off by sword and famine and plague.”
13 And Y seide, A! A! A! Lord God, profetis seien to hem, Ye schulen not se swerd, and hungur schal not be in you, but he schal yyue to you veri pees in this place.
“Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”
14 And the Lord seide to me, The profetis profesien falsli in my name; Y sente not hem, and Y comaundide not to hem, nether Y spak to hem; thei profesien to you a fals reuelacioun, and a gileful dyuynyng, and the disseyuyng of her herte.
“The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds.
15 Therfor the Lord seith these thingis of the profetis that profesien in my name, whiche Y sente not, and seien, Swerd and hungur schal not be in this lond; Tho profetis schulen be wastid bi swerd and hungur.
Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who prophesy in My name: I did not send them, yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end!
16 And the puplis, to whiche thei profesieden, schulen be cast forth in the weies of Jerusalem, for hungur and swerd, and noon schal be, that schal birie hem; they and the wyues of hem, the sones and the douytris of hem `schulen be cast forth; and Y schal schede out on hem her yuel.
And the people to whom they prophesy will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out their own evil upon them.
17 And thou schalt seie to hem this word, Myn iyen lede doun a teer bi niyt and dai, and be not stille, for the virgyn, the douyter of my puple, is defoulid bi greet defoulying, with the worste wounde greetli.
You are to speak this word to them: ‘My eyes overflow with tears; day and night they do not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people has been shattered by a crushing blow, a severely grievous wound.
18 If Y go out to feeldis, lo! men ben slayn bi swerd; and if Y entre in to the citee, lo! men ben maad leene for hungur; also a profete and a prest yeden in to the lond which thei knewen not.
If I go out to the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I enter the city, I see those ravaged by famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know.’”
19 Whether thou castynge awei hast cast awei Juda, ether thi soule hath wlatid Sion? whi therfor hast thou smyte vs, so that noon heelthe is? We abididen pees, and no good is; and we abididen time of heeling, and lo! disturbling is.
Have You rejected Judah completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We hoped for peace, but no good has come, and for the time of healing, but there was only terror.
20 Lord, we han know oure vnfeithfulnessis, and the wickidnessis of oure fadris, for we han synned to thee.
We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, the guilt of our fathers; indeed, we have sinned against You.
21 Yyue thou not vs in to schenschip, for thi name, nether do thou dispite to vs; haue thou mynde on the seete of thi glorie, make thou not voide thi boond of pees with vs.
For the sake of Your name do not despise us; do not disgrace Your glorious throne. Remember Your covenant with us; do not break it.
22 Whether in grauun ymagis of hethene men ben thei that reynen, ethir heuenes moun yyue reynes? whether thou art not oure Lord God, whom we abididen? For thou madist alle these thingis.
Can the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies alone send showers? Is this not by You, O LORD our God? So we put our hope in You, for You have done all these things.
