Micah 2
1 Wo to you, that thenken vnprofitable thing, and worchen yuele in youre beddis; in the morewtid liyt thei don it, for the hond of hem is ayenus God.
Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they execute it, because it is in the power of their hand.
2 Thei coueitiden feeldis, and tooken violentli; and rauyschiden housis, and falsli calengiden a man and his hous, a man and his eritage.
And they covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away; thus they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
3 Therfor the Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y thenke on this meynee yuel, fro which ye schulen not take awei youre neckis; and ye schulen not walke proude, for the worste tyme is.
Therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye walk upright; for it shall be an evil time.
4 In that dai a parable schal be takun on you, and a song schal be songun with swetnesse of men, seiynge, Bi robbyng we ben distried; a part of my puple is chaungid; hou schal he go awei fro me, whanne he turneth ayen that schal departe youre cuntreis?
In that day shall they take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say: 'We are utterly ruined; he changeth the portion of my people; how doth he remove it from me! Instead of restoring our fields, he divideth them.'
5 For this thing `noon schal be to thee sendynge a litil corde of sort in cumpeny of the Lord.
Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast the line by lot in the congregation of the LORD.
6 A! thou Israel, speke ye not spekyng; it schal not droppe on these men, confusioun schal not catche,
'Preach ye not', they preach; 'They shall not preach of these things, that they shall not take shame.'
7 seith the hous of Jacob. Whether the Spirit of the Lord is abreggid, either siche ben the thouytis of hym? Whether my wordis ben not gode, with hym that goith riytli?
Do I change, O house of Jacob? Is the spirit of the LORD straitened? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
8 And ayenward my puple roos togidere in to an aduersarie; ye token awei the mantil aboue the coote, and ye turneden in to batel hem that wenten sympli.
But of late My people is risen up as an enemy; with the garment ye strip also the mantle from them that pass by securely, so that they are as men returning from war.
9 Ye castiden the wymmen of my puple out of the hous of her delices; fro the litle children of hem ye token awei myn heriyng with outen ende.
The women of My people ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their young children ye take away My glory for ever.
10 Rise ye, and go, for here ye han not reste; for the vnclennesse therof it schal be corrupt with the worst rot.
Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your resting-place; because of the uncleanness thereof, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
11 Y wolde that Y were not a man hauynge spirit, and rathere Y spak a leesyng. Y schal droppe to thee in to wyn, and in to drunkenesse; and this puple schal be, on whom it is droppid.
If a man walking in wind and falsehood do lie: 'I will preach unto thee of wine and of strong drink'; he shall even be the preacher of this people.
12 With gaderyng Y schal gadere Jacob; Y schal lede togidere thee al in to oon, the relifs of Israel. Y schal put hym togidere, as a floc in folde; as scheep in the myddil of fooldis thei schulen make noise, of multitude of men.
I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will render them all as sheep in a fold; as a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
13 For he schal stie schewynge weie bifore hem; thei schulen departe, and passe the yate, and schulen go out therbi; and the kyng of hem schal passe bifore hem, and the Lord in the heed of hem.
The breaker is gone up before them; they have broken forth and passed on, by the gate, and are gone out thereat; and their king is passed on before them, and the LORD at the head of them.
