Jeremiah 5
1 Cumpasse ye the weies of Jerusalem, and loke, and biholde ye, and seke ye in the stretis therof, whether ye fynden a man doynge doom, and sekynge feith; and Y schal be merciful to hem.
"Run back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places of it, if you can find a man, if there are any who does justly, who seeks truth; and I will pardon her.
2 That if also thei seien, The Lord lyueth, yhe, thei schulen swere this falsli.
Though they say, 'As the LORD lives;' surely they swear falsely."
3 Lord, thin iyen biholden feith; thou hast smyte hem, and thei maden not sorewe; thou hast al tobroke hem, and thei forsoken to take chastisyng; thei maden her faces hardere than a stoon, and nolden turne ayen.
O LORD, do your eyes not look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock. They have refused to return.
4 Forsothe Y seide, In hap thei ben pore men, and foolis, that knowen not the weie of the Lord, and the doom of her God.
Then I said, "Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they do not know the way of the LORD, nor the law of their God.
5 Therfor Y schal go to the principal men, and Y schal speke to hem; for thei knewen the weie of the Lord, and the doom of her God. And lo! thei han more broke togidere the yok, and han broke boondis.
I will go to the great men, and will speak to them; for they know the way of the LORD, and the law of their God." But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
6 Therfor a lioun of the wode smoot hem; a wolf at euentid wastide hem, a parde wakynge on the citees of hem. Ech man that goith out of hem, schal be takun; for the trespassyngis of hem ben multiplied, the turnyngis awei of hem ben coumfortid.
Therefore a lion out of the forest shall kill them, a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch against their cities; everyone who goes out there shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, and their backsliding is increased.
7 On what thing mai Y be merciful to thee? Thi sones han forsake me, and sweren bi hem that ben not goddis. Y fillide hem, and thei diden auowtrie, and in the hous of an hoore thei diden letcherie.
"How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and sworn by what are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the prostitutes' houses.
8 Thei ben maad horsis, and stalouns, louyeris to wymmen; ech man neiyede to the wijf of his neiybore.
They were as fed horses roaming at large: everyone neighed after his neighbor's wife.
9 Whether Y schal not visite on these thingis, seith the Lord, and schal not my soule take veniaunce in siche a folk?
Shouldn't I punish them for these things?" says the LORD; "and shouldn't my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 Stye ye on the wallis therof, and distrie ye; but nyle ye make an endyng. Do ye awei the siouns therof, for thei ben not seruauntis of the Lord.
"Go up on her walls, and destroy; but do not make a full end. Take away her branches; for they are not the LORD's.
11 For whi the hous of Israel and the hous of Juda hath trespassid bi trespassyng ayens me, seith the Lord;
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me," says the LORD.
12 thei denyeden the Lord, and seiden, He is not, nether yuel schal come on vs; we schulen not se swerd and hungur.
They have denied the LORD, and said, "It is not he; neither shall evil come on us; neither shall we see sword nor famine.
13 The profetis spaken ayens the wynd, and noon answer was in hem; therfor these thingis schulen come to hem.
The prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them."
14 The Lord God of oostis seith these thingis, For ye spaken this word, lo! Y yyue my wordis in thi mouth in to fier, and this puple in to trees, and it schal deuoure hem.
Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, "Because you speak this word, look, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15 Lo! thou hous of Israel, seith the Lord, Y schal brynge on you a folk fro fer; a strong folk, an eeld folk, `a folk whos langage thou schalt not knowe, nether schalt vndurstonde what it spekith.
Look, I will bring a nation on you from far, house of Israel," says the LORD. "It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, neither understand what they say.
16 The arowe caas therof is as an opyn sepulcre; alle ben stronge men.
Their quiver is an open tomb, they are all mighty men.
17 And it schal ete thi cornes, and it schal deuoure thi breed, thi sones and thi douytris; it schal ete thi flok, and thi droues, it schal ete also thi vyner, and thi fige tre; and it schal al to-breke thi stronge citees bi swerd, in whiche thou hast trist.
They shall eat up your harvest, and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat. They shall eat up your flocks and your herds. They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees. They shall beat down your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.
18 Netheles in tho daies, seith the Lord, Y schal not make you in to endyng.
"But even in those days," says the LORD, "I will not make a full end with you.
19 That if ye seien, Whi hath oure Lord God do alle these thingis to vs? thou schalt seie to hem, As ye forsoken me, and serueden an alien god in youre lond, so ye schulen serue alien goddis in a lond not youre.
It will happen, when you say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' Then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD, Just like you have forsaken me, and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'
20 Telle ye this to the hous of Jacob, and make ye herd in Juda, and seie ye,
"Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,
21 Here, thou fonned puple, that hast noon herte; whiche han iyen, and seen not, and eeris, and heren not.
'Hear now this, foolish people, and without understanding; who have eyes, and do not see; who have ears, and do not hear:
22 Therfor schulen not ye drede me, seith the Lord, and schulen not ye make sorewe for my face? Whiche haue set grauel a terme, ether ende, to the see, an euerlastynge comaundement, whiche it schal not passe; and the wawis therof schulen be mouyd, and schulen not haue power; and schulen wexe greet, and schulen not passe it.
Do you not fear me?' says the LORD 'Won't you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it can't pass it? And though its waves toss themselves, yet they can't prevail; though they roar, yet they can't pass over it.'
23 Forsothe an herte vnbileueful and terrynge to wraththe is maad to this puple; thei departiden,
"But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; they have revolted and gone.
24 and yeden awei, and thei seiden not in her herte, Drede we oure Lord God, that yiueth to vs reyn tymeful, and lateful in his tyme; that kepith to vs the plente of heruest of the yeer.
Neither do they say in their heart, 'Let us now fear the LORD our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; who preserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.'
25 Youre wickidnessis diden awei these thingis, and youre synnes forbediden good fro you.
"Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good from you.
26 For ther ben foundun in my puple wickid men, settynge tresoun, as fouleres settynge snaris and trappis, to take men.
For among my people are found wicked men. They watch, as fowlers lie in wait. They set a trap. They catch men.
27 As a net, ether a trap, ful of briddis, so the housis of hem ben ful of gile. Therfor thei ben magnefied,
As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore they have become great, and grew rich.
28 and maad riche, maad fat with ynne, and maad fat with outforth, and thei passiden worst my wordis; thei demyden not a cause of a widewe, thei dressiden not the cause of a fadirles child, and thei demyden not the doom of pore men.
They have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they do not judge the right of the needy.
29 Whether Y schal not visite on these thingis, seith the Lord, ether schal not my soule take veniaunce on sich a folk?
"Shall I not punish for these things?" says the LORD. "Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30 Wondur and merueilouse thingis ben maad in the lond;
"An astonishing and horrible thing has happened in the land.
31 profetis profesieden leesyng, and prestis ioieden with her hondis, and my puple louyde siche thingis. What therfor schal be don in the laste thing therof?
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the cohanim rule by their own authority; and my people love to have it so. What will you do in the end of it?
