The Doomed Flock

1Open thy dores (o Libanus) that the fyre maye consume thy Cedre trees.

2Howle ye Fyrre trees, for the Cedre is falle, yee all ye proude are waisted awaye Howle (o ye oke trees of Baasan) for ye mightie stronge wod is cut downe.

3Men maye heare the shepherdes mourne, for their glory is destroyed. Me maye heare the lyons whelpes roare, for the pryde off Iordane is waisted awaye.

4Thus sayeth the LORDE my God: Fede the shepe of ye slaughter, 5which shalbe slayne of those that possesse them: yet they take it for no synne, but they yt sell the, saye: The LORDE be thanked, I am rich: Yee their owne shepherdes spare them not. 6Therfore wil I nomore spare those that dwell in the londe (sayeth the LORDE) but lo, I will delyuer the people, euery man in to his neghbours honde, and in to the hode of his kynge: that they maye smyte the londe, and out off their hondes wil not I delyuer them.

7I myself fedde ye slaughter shepe (a poore flocke verely) ad toke vnto me two staues: the one I called louynge mekenesse, the other I called wo, and so I kepte the shepe. 8Thre shepherdes destroyed I in one moneth, for I might not awaye wt them, nether had they eny delyte in me. 9Then sayde I: I will fede you nomore, the thinge that dyeth, let it dye: and that wil perishe, let it perish, & let the renaunt eate, euery one the flesh of his neghboure.

Thirty Pieces of Silver
(Matthew 27:3–10)

10I toke also my louynge meke staff, ad brake it, that I might disanull the conuenaunt, which I made with all people, 11And so it was broken in that daye. Then the poore symple shepe that had a respecte vnto me, knewe therby, that it was the worde of the LORDE. 12And I sayde vnto them: yff ye thynke it good, brynge hither my pryce: yf no, then leaue. So they wayed downe xxx. syluer pens, ye value that I was prysed at. 13And the LORDE sayde vnto me: cast it vnto the potter (a goodly pryce for me to be valued at of them) and I toke the xxx. syluers pens, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORDE. 14Then brake I my other staff also (namely wo) that I might lowse the brotherheade betwixte Iuda and Israel.

15And the LORDE sayde vnto me: Take to the also the staff off a foolish shepherde: 16for lo, I will rayse vp a shepherde in the londe, which shall not seke after the thinges that be lost, ner care for soch as go astraye: he shall not heale the wounded, he shal not norish the thinge that is whole: but he shall eate the flesh off soch as be fat, and teare their clawes in peces.

17O Idols shepherde, that leaueth the flocke. The swerde shal come vpon his arme and vpon his right eye. His arme shalbe clene dried vp, and his right eye shalbe sore blynded.