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 ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that doeth justly, that seeketh truth; and I will pardon her.
2 That if also thei seien, The Lord lyueth, yhe, thei schulen swere this falsli.
And though they say, As the LORD liveth; 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 not thine eyes look upon truth? thou hast stricken them, but they were not grieved; thou hast 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 know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment 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 get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they know the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God. But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bands.
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.
Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities, every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and] their backslidings are 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 thee? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the harlots’ 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 in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’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?
shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not 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 ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not 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, saith 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 upon 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.
and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto 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.
Wherefore thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy 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.
Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
16 The arowe caas therof is as an opyn sepulcre; alle ben stronge men.
Their quiver is an open sepulchre, 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.
And they shall eat up thine harvest and thy bread, [which] thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall beat down thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustest, with the sword.
18 Netheles in tho daies, seith the Lord, Y schal not make you in to endyng.
But even in those days, saith 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.
And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD our God done all these things unto us? then shalt thou say unto them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye 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 ye 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, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
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.
Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it? and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it.
23 Forsothe an herte vnbileueful and terrynge to wraththe is maad to this puple; thei departiden,
But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are 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 say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; that reserveth unto 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 withholden 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 are become great, and waxen 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 are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness: they plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they should prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
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 visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30 Wondur and merueilouse thingis ben maad in the lond;
A wonderful and horrible thing is come to pass 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 priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
