Jeremiæ 10
1 Audite verbum quod locutus est Dominus super vos, domus Israël.
The hous of Israel, here ye the word which the Lord spak on you.
2 Hæc dicit Dominus: Juxta vias gentium nolite discere, et a signis cæli nolite metuere, quæ timent gentes,
The Lord seith these thingis, Nyle ye lerne aftir the weies of hethene men, and nyle ye drede of the signes of heuene, whiche signes hethene men dreden.
3 quia leges populorum vanæ sunt. Quia lignum de saltu præcidit opus manus artificis in ascia:
For the lawis of puplis ben veyn, for whi the werk of hondis of a crafti man hath kit doun with an axe a tre of the forest.
4 argento et auro decoravit illud: clavis et malleis compegit, ut non dissolvatur:
He made it fair with siluer and gold; with naylis and hameris he ioynede it togidere, that it be not loosid.
5 in similitudinem palmæ fabricata sunt, et non loquentur: portata tollentur, quia incedere non valent. Nolite ergo timere ea, quia nec male possunt facere, nec bene.
Idols ben maad in the licnesse of a palm tree, and schulen not speke; tho schulen be takun and be borun, for tho moun not go; therfor nyle ye drede tho, for tho moun nether do yuel, nethir wel.
6 Non est similis tui, Domine: magnus es tu, et magnum nomen tuum in fortitudine.
Lord, noon is lijk thee; thou art greet, and thi name is greet in strengthe.
7 Quis non timebit te, o Rex gentium? tuum est enim decus: inter cunctos sapientes gentium, et in universis regnis eorum, nullus est similis tui.
A! thou king of folkis, who schal not drede thee? for whi onour is thin among alle wise men of hethene men, and in alle the rewmes of hem noon is lijk thee.
8 Pariter insipientes et fatui probabuntur: doctrina vanitatis eorum lignum est.
Thei schulen be preued, vnwise and foolis togidere; the techyng of her vanyte is a tre.
9 Argentum involutum de Tharsis affertur, et aurum de Ophaz: opus artificis et manus ærarii. Hyacinthus et purpura indumentum eorum: opus artificum universa hæc.
Siluer wlappid is brouyt fro Tharsis, and gold fro Ophaz; it is the werk of a crafti man, and of the hond of a worchere in metel; iacynct and purpur ben the clothing of tho; alle these thingis ben the werk of werk men.
10 Dominus autem Deus verus est, ipse Deus vivens, et rex sempiternus. Ab indignatione ejus commovebitur terra, et non sustinebunt gentes comminationem ejus.
Forsothe the Lord is veri God; he is God lyuynge, and a kyng euerlastynge; the erthe schal be mouyd togidere of his indignacioun, and hethene men schulen not suffre the manaassing of hym.
11 Sic ergo dicetis eis: Dii qui cælos et terram non fecerunt, pereant de terra et de his quæ sub cælo sunt!
Therfor thus ye schulen seie to hem, Goddis that maden not heuene and erthe, perische fro erthe, and fro these thingis that ben vndur heuene.
12 Qui facit terram in fortitudine sua, præparat orbem in sapientia sua, et prudentia sua extendit cælos:
He is God, that makith the erthe in his strengthe, makith redi the world in his wisdom, and stretchith forth heuenes bi his prudence.
13 ad vocem suam dat multitudinem aquarum in cælo, et elevat nebulas ab extremitatibus terræ: fulgura in pluviam facit, et educit ventum de thesauris suis.
At his vois he yyueth the multitude of watris in heuene, and he reisith mystis fro the endis of erthe; he makith leitis into reyn, and ledith out wynd of his tresouris.
14 Stultus factus est omnis homo a scientia: confusus est artifex omnis in sculptili, quoniam falsum est quod conflavit, et non est spiritus in eis.
Ech man is maad a fool of kunnyng, ech crafti man is schent in a grauun ymage; for whi that that he wellide togidere is fals, and no spirit is in tho.
15 Vana sunt, et opus risu dignum: in tempore visitationis suæ peribunt.
Tho ben veyn, and a werk worthi of scorn; tho schulen perische in the tyme of her visitacioun.
16 Non est his similis pars Jacob: qui enim formavit omnia, ipse est, et Israël virga hæreditatis ejus: Dominus exercituum nomen illi.
The part of Jacob is not lijk these, for he that formede alle thingis is God of Jacob, and Israel is the yerde of his eritage; the Lord of oostis is name to hym.
17 Congrega de terra confusionem tuam, quæ habitas in obsidione:
Thou that dwellist in bisegyng, gadere fro the lond thi schenschipe;
18 quia hæc dicit Dominus: Ecce ego longe projiciam habitatores terræ in hac vice, et tribulabo eos ita ut inveniantur.
for the Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal caste awei fer the dwelleris of the loond in this while; and Y schal yyue tribulacioun to hem, so that thei be not foundun.
19 Væ mihi super contritione mea: pessima plaga mea. Ego autem dixi: Plane hæc infirmitas mea est, et portabo illam.
Wo to me on my sorewe, my wounde is ful yuel; forsothe Y seide, Pleynli this is my sikenesse, and Y schal bere it.
20 Tabernaculum meum vastatum est; omnes funiculi mei dirupti sunt: filii mei exierunt a me, et non subsistunt. Non est qui extendat ultra tentorium meum, et erigat pelles meas.
My tabernacle is distried, alle my roopis ben brokun; my sones yeden out fro me, and ben not; noon is that schal stretche forth more my tente, and schal reyse my skynnes.
21 Quia stulte egerunt pastores, et Dominum non quæsierunt: propterea non intellexerunt, et omnis grex eorum dispersus est.
For the scheepherdis diden folili, and souyten not the Lord; therfor thei vndurstoden not, and alle the flok of hem is scaterid.
22 Vox auditionis ecce venit, et commotio magna de terra aquilonis: ut ponat civitates Juda solitudinem, et habitaculum draconum.
Lo! the vois of hering cometh, and a greet mouynge togidere fro the lond of the north, that it sette the citees of Juda in to wildirnesse, and a dwellynge place of dragouns.
23 Scio, Domine, quia non est hominis via ejus, nec viri est ut ambulet, et dirigat gressus suos.
Lord, Y woot, that the weie of a man is not of hym, nether it is of a man that he go, and dresse hise steppis.
24 Corripe me, Domine, verumtamen in judicio, et non in furore tuo, ne forte ad nihilum redigas me.
Lord, chastise thou me; netheles in doom and not in thi strong veniaunce, lest perauenture thou dryue me to nouyt.
25 Effunde indignationem tuam super gentes quæ non cognoverunt te, et super provincias quæ nomen tuum non invocaverunt: quia comederunt Jacob, et devoraverunt eum, et consumpserunt illum, et decus ejus dissipaverunt.
Schede out thin indignacioun on hethene men that knewen not thee, and on prouynces that clepiden not thi name to help; for thei eeten Jacob, and deuouriden hym, and wastiden hym, and destrieden the onour of hym.
