God

I hearkened and heard, but none spake aright: no man repented him of his wickednesse, saying, What haue I done? euery one turned to their race, as the horse rusheth into the battell.

Euen the storke in the aire knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle and the crane and the swallowe obserue the time of their comming, but my people knoweth not the iudgement of the Lord.

Howe doe yee say, Wee are wise, and the Lawe of the Lord is with vs? Loe, certeinly in vaine made hee it, the penne of the scribes is in vaine.

The wise men are ashamed: they are afraid and taken. loe, they haue reiected the word of the Lord, and what wisdome is in them?

Therefore will I giue their wiues vnto others, and their fieldes to them that shall possesse them: for euery one from the least euen vnto the greatest is giuen to couetousnesse, and from the Prophet euen vnto the Priest, euery one dealeth falsely.

For they haue healed the hurt of the daughter of my people with sweete woordes, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.

Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not ashamed, neither coulde they haue any shame: therefore shall they fall among the slaine: when I shall visite them, they shall be cast downe, sayeth the Lord.

I wil surely consume them, sayth the Lord: there shalbe no grapes on the vine, nor figges on the figtree, and the leafe shall fade, and the things that I haue giuen them, shall depart from them.

Why doe we stay? assemble your selues, and let vs enter into the strong cities, and let vs be quiet there: for the Lord our God hath put vs to silence and giuen vs water with gall to drinke, because we haue sinned against the Lord.

For beholde, I will sende serpents, and cockatrices among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall sting you, sayth the Lord.

Behold, the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people for feare of them of a farre countrey, Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why haue they prouoked mee to anger with their grauen images, and with the vanities of a strange god?

And they bende their tongues like their bowes for lyes: but they haue no courage for the trueth vpon the earth: for they proceede from euill to worse, and they haue not knowen mee, sayth the Lord.

Thine habitation is in the middes of deceiuers: because of their deceit they refuse to know me, sayth the Lord.

Therefore thus sayth the Lord of hostes, Behold, I wil melt them, and trie them: for what should I els do for the daughter of my people?

Shal I not visit them for these things, saith the Lord? or shall not my soule be auenged on such a nation as this?

Vpon the mountaines will I take vp a weeping and a lamentation, and vpon the fayre places of the wildernes a mourning, because they are burnt vp: so that none can passe through them, neyther can men heare the voyce of the flocke: both the foule of the aire, and the beast are fled away and gone.

And I wil make Ierusalem an heape, and a den of dragons, and I will make the cities of Iudah waste, without an inhabitant.

Who is wise, to vnderstande this? and to whome the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, euen he shall declare it. Why doth the land perish, and is burnt vp like a wildernesse, that none passeth through?

And the Lord sayeth, Because they haue forsaken my Lawe, which I set before them, and haue not obeyed my voice, neither walked thereafter,

Therefore thus sayth the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feede this people with wormewood, and giue them waters of gall to drinke:

I wil scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers haue knowen, and I will send a sworde after them, til I haue consumed them.

Thus sayeth the Lord of hostes, Take heede, and call for the mourning women, that they may come, and send for skilfull women that they may come,

Therefore heare the worde of the Lord, O ye women, and let your eares regard the words of his mouth, and teach your daughters to mourne, and euery one her neighbour to lament.

Speake, thus sayth the Lord, The carkeises of men shall lye, euen as the doung vpon the fielde, and as the handfull after the mower, and none shall gather them.

Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome, nor the strong man glorie in his strength, neyther the riche man glorie in his riches.