The Sins of Jerusalem

1Morouer, the worde of ye LORDE came vnto me, & sayde: 2Thou sonne of man, wilt thou not reproue this bloudthurstie cite? Shewe the their abhominacios, 3& tell them: Thus saieth the LORDE God: O thou cite, yt sheddest bloude in ye myddest of the, yt thy tyme maye come also: and makest the Idols to defyle the withall. 4Thou hast made thy self gilty, in ye bloude yt thou hast shed: & defyled ye i ye ydols, which thou hast made. Thou hast caused thy daies to drawe nye, & made the tyme of thy yeares to come. Therfore will I make ye to be confounded amoge the Heithe, & to be despised in all the lodes, 5whether they be nye or farre fro the: they shal laugh ye to scorne, thou yt hast gotte the so foule a name, & art full off myschefe.

6Beholde, the rulers of Israel haue brought euery man his power, to shed bloude in the. 7In the haue they despised father & mother, in the haue they oppressed the strauger, in the haue they vexed the wyddowe & the fatherlesse. 8Thou hast despysed my Sactuary, and vnhalowed my Sabbath. 9Murtherers are there in the, that shed bloude, & eate vpon the hilles, and in the they vse vnhappynesse. 10In ye haue they discouered their fathers shame, in the haue they vexed women in their sicknesse. 11Euery ma hath dealte shamefully with his neghbours wife, & abhominably defyled his doughter in lawe. In the hath euery man forced his owne sister, euen his fathers doughter: 12Yee giftes haue bene receaued in the, to shed bloude. Thou hast taken vsury & encreace, thou hast oppressed thy neghbours by extorcion, and forgotten me, saieth the LORDE God.

13Beholde, I haue smytten my hondes vpo thy couetousnesse, that thou hast vsed, and vpon the bloude which hath bene shed in the. 14Is thy herte able to endure it, or maye thy hondes defende them selues, in the tyme that I shall bringe vpon the? Euen I the LORDE that speake it, will bringe it also to passe. 15I will scatre the amonge the Heithen, & strowe the aboute in the lodes, and wil cause thy fylthynesse to ceasse out off the: 16yee and I will haue the in possession in the sight of the Heithen, that thou mayest knowe, that I am the LORDE,

The Refining Furnace

17And the worde off the LORDE came vnto me, sayenge: 18Thou sonne of man, the house of Israel is turned to drosse. C All they that shulde be brasse, tynne, yro & leade, are in the fyre become drosse. 19Therfore, thus saieth the LORDE God: For so moch as ye all are turned in to drosse, beholde: I will brynge you together vnto Ierusalem, 20like as syluer, brasse, yron, tynne and leade are put together in the fornace, and the fyre blowen there vnder to melt them: Euen so will I gather you, put you in together, and melt you in my wrath and indignacion. 21I will brynge you together, and kyndle the fyre of my cruell displeasure vnder you, that ye maye be melted therin. 22Like as the syluer is melted in the fyre, so shall ye also be melted therin: that ye maye knowe, how that I the LORDE haue poured my wrath vpon you.

Israel’s Wicked Leaders

23And the worde off the LORDE came vnto me, sayege: 24Thou sonne of ma, tell her: Thou art an vn clene londe, which is not rayned vpon in the daye off the cruell wrath: 25thy prophetes that are in the, are sworne together to deuoure soules, like as a roaringe Lyon, that lyueth by his pray. They receaue riches and good, and make many wyddowes in ye. 26Thy prestes breake my lawe, and defyle my Sanctuary. They put no dyfference betwene the holy and vnholy, nether discerne betwene the clene and vnclene: they turne their eyes fro my Sabbathes, and I am vnhalowed amonge them. 27Thy rulers in the are like rauyshinge wolues, to shed bloude, and to destroye soules, for their owne covetous lucre. 28As for thy prophetes, they dawbe with vntempered claye, they se vanities, and prophecie lies vnto them, sayenge: the LORDE God sayeth so, where as the LORDE hath not spoken 29The people in the londe vseth wicked extorcio and robbery. They vexe the poore and nedy: and oppresse the straunger agaynst right. 30And I sought in the londe for a man, that wolde make vp the hedge, and set him self in the gappe before me in the lodes behalfe, yt I shulde not vtterly destroye it: but I coude fynde none. 31Therfore wil I poure out my cruell displeasure vpon them, and burne them in the fyre of my wrath: their owne wayes will I recompence vpo their heades, saieth the LORDE God.