A Lamentation against Israel

1Heare this worde (o ye house of Israel) and why? I must make this mone for you:

2The vyrgin Israel shall fall, & neuer ryse vp agayne: she shall be cast downe vpon hir owne grounde, and no man shal helpe hir vp.

3For thus sayeth ye LORDE God: Where as there dwelt a M. in one cite, there shalbe left scarce an C. therin: and where yere dwelt an C. there shal scarce ten be left for the house off Israel.

A Call to Repentance
(Joel 1:13–20; Zephaniah 2:1–3; Luke 13:1–5)

4Neuertheles, thus sayeth the LORDE vnto ye house of Israel: Seke after me, ad ye shal lyue,

5but seke not after Bethel. Come not at Galgal, and go not to Bersaba: for Galgal shall be caried awaye captyue, and Bethel shal come to naught.

6Seke the LORDE, yt ye maye lyue: lest the house of Ioseph be brent with fyre and cosumed, and lest there be none to quench Bethel.

7Ye turne the lawe to wormwod, and cast downe rightuousnes vnto the grounde.

8The LORDE maketh the vij. starres and the Oryons, he turneth the night in to daye, and off the daye he maketh darcknesse. He calleth ye waters of the see, and poureth them out vpon the playne grounde: the LORDE is his name.

9He rayseth destruccion vpon the mightie people, & bryngeth downe the stronge holde:

10but they owe him euel will, yt reproueth them openly: and who so telleth the the playne treuth, they abhorre him.

11For so moch the as ye oppresse ye poore, and robbe him of his best sustenaunce: therfore, where as ye haue buylded houses off square stone, ye shall not dwell in them. Maruelos pleasaunt vynyardes shall ye plante, but the wyne of the shal ye not drynke: and why?

12as for the multitude of youre wickednesses and youre stoute synnes, I knowe them right well. Enemies are ye off the rightuous, ye take rewardes, ye oppresse the poore in iudgment.

13Therfore the wyse must now be fayne to holde his tuge, so wicked a tyme is it.

14Seke after the thinge that is good, & not euell, so shall ye lyue: yee the LORDE God off hoostes shal be with you, acordinge to youre owne desyre.

15Hate the euell, and loue the good: set vp right agayne in the porte: & (no doute) the LORDE God of hoostes shall be mercifull vnto the remnaunt of Ioseph.

Woe to Rebellious Israel
(Acts 7:39–43)

16Yff no (sayeth the LORDE God, the God of hoostes) there shal be mourninge in all stretes, yee they shal saye i euery strete: alas, alas. They shall call the housbonde man to lamentacio, and soch as can mourne, to mournynge.

17In all vynyardes there shal be heuynesse, for I will come amonge you, sayeth the LORDE.

18Wo be vnto them that desyre the daye off ye LORDE: Wherfore wolde ye haue it? As for that daye of the LORDE, it shalbe darcke ad not cleare:

19Yee like as when a ma runeth fro a lyon, and a Beer meteth with him: or, whe he commeth into the house, and leeneth his honde vpon the wall, a serpent byteth him.

20Shall not the daye of the LORDE be darcke, and not cleare? shal it not be cloudy, and no shyne in it?

21I hate and abhorre youre holy dayes, ad where as ye cense me when ye come together I will not accepte it.

22And though ye offre me brentofferinges and meatofferinges, yet haue I no pleasure therin: As for youre fat thankofferynges, I wil not loke vpon them.

23Awaye with that noyse of thy songes, I wil not heare thy playes of musick:

24but se that equyte flowe as the water, and rightuousnesse as a mightie streame.

25O ye house of Israel, gaue ye me offeringes and sacrifices those xl. yeares longe in the wyldernesse? 26Yet haue ye set vp tabernacles to youre Moloch, and ymages of youre Idols, Yee ad the starre of youre god Rempha, figures which ye made to worshipe them. 27Therfore wil I cause you be caried awaye beyonde Damascus, sayeth the LORDE, whose name is the God off hoostes.