Jeremiah 2
1 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 and seide, Go thou, and crye in the eeris of Jerusalem, and seie, The Lord seith these thingis, Y hadde mynde on thee, and Y hadde merci on thee in thi yong wexynge age, and on the charite of thi spousyng, whanne thou suedist me in desert, in the lond which is not sowun.
Go and say in the ears of Jerusalem, The Lord says, I still keep the memory of your kind heart when you were young, and your love when you became my bride; how you went after me in the waste of sand, in an unplanted land.
3 Israel was hooli to the Lord, the firste of fruytis of hym; alle men that deuouren that Israel, trespassen; yuelis schulen come on hem, seith the Lord.
Israel was holy to the Lord, the first-fruits of his increase: all who made attacks on him were judged as wrongdoers, evil came on them, says the Lord.
4 The hous of Jacob, and alle the lynagis of the hous of Israel, here ye the word of the Lord.
Give ear to the words of the Lord, O sons of Jacob and all the families of Israel:
5 The Lord seith these thingis, What of wickidnesse foundun youre fadris in me, for thei yeden fer awey fro me, and yeden after vanyte, and weren maad veyn?
These are the words of the Lord: What evil have your fathers seen in me that they have gone far from me, and, walking after what is false, have become false?
6 And thei seiden not, Where is the Lord, that made vs to stie fro the lond of Egipt, that ledde vs ouer thorou desert, bi the lond vnabitable and with out weie, bi the lond of thirst, and bi the ymage of deeth, bi the lond in whiche a man yede not, nether a man dwellide.
And they never said, Where is the Lord, who took us up out of the land of Egypt; who was our guide through the waste of sand, through an unplanted land full of deep holes, through a dry land of deep shade, which no one went through and where no man was living?
7 And Y brouyte you in to the lond of Carmele, that ye schulden ete the fruyt therof, and the goodis therof; and ye entriden, and defouliden my lond, and settiden myn eritage in to abhomynacioun.
And I took you into a fertile land, where you were living on its fruit and its wealth; but when you came in, you made my land unclean, and made my heritage a disgusting thing.
8 Preestis seiden not, Where is the Lord? and thei that helden the lawe, knewen not me; and scheepherdis trespassiden ayens me, and profetis profesieden in Baal, and sueden idols.
The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? and those who were expert in the law had no knowledge of me: and the rulers did evil against me, and the prophets became prophets of the Baal, going after things without value.
9 Therfor yit Y schal stryue with you in doom, seith the Lord, and Y schal dispute with youre sones.
For this reason, I will again put forward my cause against you, says the Lord, even against you and against your children's children.
10 Go ye to the ilis of Cethym, and se ye; and sende ye in to Cedar, and biholde ye greetli; and se ye,
For go over to the sea-lands of Kittim and see; send to Kedar and give deep thought to it; and see if there has ever been such a thing.
11 if siche a thing is doon, if a folk chaungide hise goddis; and certeynli thei ben no goddis; but my puple chaungide hise glorie in to an ydol.
Has any nation ever made a change in their gods, though they are no gods? but my people have given up their glory in exchange for what is of no profit.
12 Heuenes, be ye astonyed on this thing, and, ye yatis of heuene, be ye desolat greetli, seith the Lord.
Be full of wonder, O heavens, at this; be overcome with fear, be completely waste, says the Lord.
13 For whi my puple hath don tweyne yuels; thei han forsake me, the welle of quyke watir, and han diggid to hem cisternes, `that weren distried, that moun not holde watris.
For my people have done two evils; they have given up me, the fountain of living waters, and have made for themselves water-holes, cut out from the rock, broken water-holes, of no use for storing water.
14 Whether Israel is a boond man, ether is borun boonde?
Is Israel a servant? has he been a house-servant from birth? why has he been made waste?
15 Whi therfor is he maad in to prey? Liouns roriden on hym, and yauen her vois; thei han set the londe of hym in to wildernesse, the citees of him ben brent, and noon is that dwellith in tho.
The young lions have made an outcry against him with a loud voice: they have made his land waste; his towns are burned up, with no one living in them.
16 Also the sones of Menfis and of Tafnys han defoulid thee, `til to the cop of the heed.
Even the children of Noph and Tahpanhes have put shame on you.
17 Whether this is not don to thee, for thou forsokist thi Lord God, in that tyme in which he ledde thee bi the weie?
Has not this come on you because you have given up the Lord your God, who was your guide by the way?
18 And now what wolt thou to thee in the weie of Egipt, that thou drynke troblid watir? And what is to thee with the weie of Assiriens, that thou drynke water of the flood?
And now, what have you to do on the way to Egypt, to get your drink from the waters of the Nile? or what have you to do on the way to Assyria, to get your drink from the waters of the River?
19 Thi malice schal repreue thee, and thi turnyng awei schal blame thee; wite thou and se, that it is yuel and bittir that thou hast forsake thi Lord God, and that his drede is not at thee, seith the Lord God of oostis.
The evil you yourselves have done will be your punishment, your errors will be your judge: be certain then, and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing to give up the Lord your God, and no longer to be moved by fear of me, says the Lord, the Lord of armies.
20 Fro the world thou hast broke my yok, thou hast broke my bondis, and seidist, Y schal not serue. For thou hoore didist hordom in ech hiy litil hil, and vndur ech tree ful of bowis.
For in the past, your yoke was broken by your hands and your cords parted; and you said, I will not be your servant; for on every high hill and under every branching tree, your behaviour was like that of a loose woman
21 Forsothe Y plauntide thee a chosun vyner, al trewe seed; hou therfor art thou, alien vyner, turned to me in to a schrewid thing?
But when you were planted by me, you were a noble vine, in every way a true seed: how then have you been changed into the branching plant of a strange vine?
22 Thouy thou waischist thee with fulleris clei, and multypliest to thee the erbe borith, thou art defoulid in thi wickidnesse bifore me, seith the Lord God.
For even if you are washed with soda and take much soap, still your evil-doing is marked before me, says the Lord God.
23 Hou seist thou, Y am not defoulid, Y yede not aftir Baalym? Se thi weies in the greet valei, wite thou what thou hast do; a swifte rennere ordeynynge hise weies.
How are you able to say, I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals? see your way in the valley, be clear about what you have done: you are a quick-footed camel twisting her way in and out;
24 A wielde asse customable in wildirnesse drow the wynd of his loue in the desire of his soule; no man schal turne awei it. Alle that seken it, schulen not faile; thei schulen fynde it in the flux of vncleene blood therof.
An untrained ass, used to the waste land, breathing up the wind in her desire; at her time, who is able to send her away? all those who are looking for her will have no need to make themselves tired; in her month they will get her.
25 Forbede thi foot fro nakidnesse, and thi throte fro thirst; and thou seidist, Y dispeiride, Y schal not do; for Y louede brennyngli alien goddis, and Y schal go aftir hem.
Do not let your foot be without shoes, or your throat dry from need of water: but you said, There is no hope: no, for I have been a lover of strange gods, and after them I will go.
26 As a theef is schent, whanne he is takun, so the hous of Israel ben schent; thei, and kyngis of hem, the princes, and prestis, and the prophetis of hem,
As the thief is shamed when he is taken, so is Israel shamed; they, their kings and their rulers, their priests and their prophets;
27 that seien to a tree, Thou art my fadir; and to a stoon, Thou hast gendrid me. Thei turneden to me the bak, and not the face; and in the tyme of her turment thei schulen seie, Ryse thou, and delyuere vs.
Who say to a tree, You are my father; and to a stone, You have given me life: for their backs have been turned to me, not their faces: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Up! and be our saviour.
28 Where ben thi goddis, whiche thou madist to thee? Rise thei, and delyuere thee in the tyme of thi turment; for aftir the noumbre of thi citees weren thi goddis, thou Juda.
But where are the gods you have made for yourselves? let them come, if they are able to give you salvation in the time of your trouble: for the number of your gods is as the number of your towns, O Judah.
29 What wolen ye stryue with me in doom? Alle ye han forsake me, seith the Lord.
Why will you put forward your cause against me? You have all done evil against me, says the Lord.
30 In veyn Y smoot youre sones, thei resseyueden not chastisyng; youre swerd deuouride youre prophetis, youre generacioun is distried as a lioun.
I gave your children blows to no purpose; they got no good from training: your sword has been the destruction of your prophets, like a death-giving lion.
31 Se ye the word of the Lord, whether Y am maad a wildirnesse to Israel, ether a lond late bryngynge forth fruyt? Whi therfor seide my puple, We han go awei, we schulen no more come to thee?
O generation, see the word of the Lord. Have I been a waste land to Israel? or a land of dark night? why do my people say, We have got loose, we will not come to you again?
32 Whethir a virgyn schal foryete hir ournement? and a spousesse `schal foryete hir brest girdil? But mi puple hath foryete me bi daies with out noumbre.
Is it possible for a virgin to put out of her memory her ornaments, or a bride her robes? but my people have put me out of their memories for unnumbered days.
33 What enforsist thou to schewe thi weie good to seke loue, which ferthermore bothe hast tauyt thi malices thi weies,
With what care are your ways ordered when you are looking for love! so ... your ways.
34 and the blood of pore men and innocentis is foundun in thi wyngis? Y fond not hem in dichis, but in alle thingis whiche Y remembride bifore.
And in the skirts of your robe may be seen the life-blood of those who have done no wrong: ...
35 And thou seidist, Y am with out synne and innocent; and therfor thi stronge veniaunce be turned awei fro me. Lo! Y schal stryue with thee in doom; for thou seidist, Y synnede not.
And still you said, I have done no wrong; truly, his wrath is turned away from me. See, I will take up the cause against you, because you say, I have done no wrong.
36 Hou vijl art thou maad, rehersynge thi weies? and thou schalt be schent of Egipt, as thou were schent of Assur.
Why do you go about so much for the purpose of changing your way? you will be shamed on account of Egypt, as you were shamed on account of Assyria.
37 For whi and thou schalt go out of this lond, and thin hondis schulen be on thin heed; for whi the Lord hath al to-broke thi trist, and thou schalt haue no thing to prosperite.
Truly, you will go out from him with your hands on your head: for the Lord has given up those in whom you have put your faith, and they will be of no help to you.
