< Micah 3 >

1 And Y seide, Ye princis of Jacob, and duykis of the hous of Israel, here. Whether it be not youre for to knowe doom, whiche haten good,
And I said, Hear, I pray you, O ye heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know what is justice?
2 and louen yuele? Whiche violentli taken awei the skynnes of hem fro aboue hem, and the fleisch of hem fro aboue the bonys of hem.
[But they are those] who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;
3 Whiche eeten the fleisch of my puple, and hiliden the skyn of hem fro aboue; and broken togidere the boonys of hem, and kittiden togidere as in a cawdroun, and as fleisch in the myddil of a pot.
Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and who crush their bones, and chop them in pieces, as that to be put in a pot, and as flesh within a caldron.
4 Thanne thei schulen crie to the Lord, and he schal not here hem; and he schal hide hise face fro hem in that tyme, as thei diden wickidli in her fyndingis.
Then will they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them; and he will hide his face from them at that time, as they have committed their evil deeds.
5 The Lord God seith these thingis on the profetis that disseyuen my puple, and biten with her teeth, and prechen pees; and if ony man yyueth not in the mouth of hem ony thing, thei halewen batel on hym.
Thus hath said the Lord concerning the prophets that mislead my people, who, when they have something to bite with their teeth, cry, Peace; but who prepare war against him who putteth nothing in their mouth:
6 Therfor niyt schal be to you for visioun, or profesie, and derknessis to you for dyuynacioun; and sunne schal go doun on the profetis, and the dai schal be maad derk on hem.
Therefore shall the night be unto you, without a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, without divining; and the sun shall go down around the prophets, and the day shall be obscured around them.
7 And thei schulen be confoundid that seen visiouns, and dyuynours schulen be confoundid, and alle schulen hile her cheris, for it is not the answer of God.
Thus shall the seers be made ashamed, and the diviners be put to the blush: yea, they shall all wrap themselves up to the upper lip; for there is no answer of God.
8 Netheles Y am fillid with strengthe of Spirit of the Lord, and in doom and vertu, that Y schewe to Jacob his greet trespas, and to Israel his synne.
But truly I am indeed full of strength by the spirit of the Lord, and [of power] of judging, and of might, to tell unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
9 Here these thingis, ye princes of the hous of Jacob, and domesmen of the hous of Israel, whiche wlaten dom, and peruerten alle riyt thingis;
Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and make crooked all that is straight.
10 whiche bilden Sion in bloodis, and Jerusalem in wickidnesse.
They build up Zion with blood-guiltiness, and Jerusalem with wrong.
11 Princes therof demyden for yiftis, and prestis therof tauyten for hire, and profetis therof dyuyneden for money; and on the Lord thei restiden, and seiden, Whether the Lord is not in the myddil of us? yuelis schulen not come on vs.
Her heads judge for bribes, and her priests teach for reward, and her prophets divine for money: and yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? evil cannot come over us.
12 For this thing bi cause of you, Sion as a feeld schal be erid; and Jerusalem schal be as an heep of stoonys, and the hil of the temple schal be in to hiye thingis of woodis.
Therefore for your sake shall Zion be ploughed up as a field, and Jerusalem shall become ruinous heaps, and the mount of the house, forest-covered high-places.

< Micah 3 >