The Razor of Judgment

1Take the then a sharpe knyfe (O thou sonne of man) namely, a rasoure. Take that, and shaue the hayre off thy heade and beerd: Then take the scoales and the waight, and deuyde the hayre a sunder. 2And burne the thirde parte therof in the fyre in the myddest off the cite, and cut the other thirde parte in peces with a knyfe. As for the thirde parte that remayneth, cast it in the wynde, and then shewe the bare knyfe. 3Yet afterwarde take a litle off the same, & bynde it in they cote lappe. 4Then take a curtesy of it, and cast it in the myddest of ye fyre, and burne it in the fyre. Out of the same fyre shall there go a flame, vpon the whole house of Israel.

5Morouer, thus sayde the LORDE God: This same is Ierusalem. I set her in the middest of the Heithen and nacions, that are rounde aboute her, 6but she hath despised my iudgmetes more then ye Gentiles the selues, and broken my comaundementes more then the nacions, that lye rounde aboute her: For they haue cast out myne ordinaunces, and not walked in my lawes. 7Therfore, thus saieth the LORDE God: For so moch as ye wt youre wickednesse farre exceade the Heithe, that dwell rounde aboute you: (For ye haue not walked in my lawes, nether haue ye kepte myne ordinauces) 8Therfore thus saieth ye LORDE God: I will also come vpon the, for in the myddest of the will I syt in iugdmet, in the sight of the Heithen, 9and will handle the of soch a fashion, as I neuer dyd before, and as I neuer wil do from that tyme forth, and that because of all thy abhominacions. 10For in the the fathers shal be fayne to eate their owne sonnes, and the sonnes their owne fathers. Soch a courte will I kepe in the, and the whole remnaunt will I scatre in to all the wyndes.

Famine, Sword, and Dispersion

11Wherfore, as truly as I lyue (saieth the LORDE God) seynge thou hast defyled my Sanctuary, with all maner off abhominacions and with all thy shamefull offences: For this cause will I also destroye the. Myne eye shall not ouersee the, nether will I spare the.

12One thirde parte within the, shall die of the pestilence and of honger: Another thirde parte shall be slayne downe rounde aboute the, with the swearde: The other thirde parte that remayneth, will I scatre abrode towarde all the wyndes, and drawe out the swearde after them.

13Thus wil I perfourme my indignacion and set my wrath agaynst them, and ease my self. So that when I haue fulfilled myne anger agaynst them, they shall knowe, that I am the LORDE, which wt a feruent gelousy haue spoken it. 14Morouer I will make the waist and abhorred, before all the Heithen that dwell aboute the, and in the sight off all them, that go by the: 15so that when I punysh the in my wrath, in myne anger, and with the plage off my whote displeasure: thou shalt be a very abhominacion, shame, a gasinge and wondringe stocke, amonge the Heithen that lye aboute the. Euen I the LORDE haue spoken it, and it shall come to passe, 16when I shute amonge them the perlous dartes of hoger, which shalbe but death: Yee therfore shall I shute them, because I will destroye you. I will encrease hunger, and mynish all the prouysion off bred amonge you. 17Plages and mysery will I sende you, yee and wilde beestes also to destroye yon. Pestilence and bloudsheddinge shall come vpon you, and the swearde wil I bringe ouer you. Euen I the LORDE, haue sayde it.