The Babylonian Exile

Therefore thou shalt direct thy face towarde the siege of Ierusalem, and thine arme shalbe vncouered, and thou shalt prophesie against it.

And beholde, I will lay bands vpon thee, and thou shalt not turne thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the dayes of thy siege.

Thou shalt take also vnto thee wheate, and barley, and beanes, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessell, and make thee bread thereof according to the nomber of the dayes, that thou shalt sleepe vpon thy side: euen three hundreth and ninetie dayes shalt thou eate thereof.

And the meate, whereof thou shalt eate, shalbe by weight, euen twenty shekels a day: and from time to time shalt thou eate thereof.

Thou shalt drinke also water by measure, euen the sixt part of an Hin: from time to time shalt thou drinke.

And thou shalt eate it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it in the dongue that commeth out of man, in their sight.

And the Lord said, So shall the children of Israel eate their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will cast them.

Then said I, Ah, Lord God, beholde, my soule hath not bene polluted: for from my youth vp, euen vnto this houre, I haue not eaten of a thing dead, or torne in pieces, neither came there any vncleane flesh in my mouth.

Then he said vnto me, Loe, I haue giuen thee bullockes dongue for mans dongue, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.

Moreouer, he said vnto me, Sonne of man, beholde, I will breake the staffe of bread in Ierusalem, and they shall eate bread by weight, and with care, and they shall drinke water by measure, and with astonishment.

Because that bread and water shall faile, they shalbe astonied one with another, and shall consume away for their iniquitie.

And thou sonne of man, take thee a sharpe knife, or take thee a barbours rasor and cause it to passe vpon thine head, and vpon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and deuide the heare.

Thou shalt burne with fire the thirde part in the middes of the citie, when the dayes of the siege are fulfilled, and thou shalt take the other thirde part, and smite about it with a knife, and the last thirde part thou shalt scatter in the winde, and I will drawe out a sworde after them.

Thou shalt also take thereof a fewe in nomber, and binde them in thy lappe.

Then take of them againe and cast them into the middes of the fire, and burne them in the fire: for thereof shall a fire come foorth into all the house of Israel.

Thus saith the Lord God, This is Ierusalem: I haue set it in the middes of the nations and countreyes, that are rounde about her.

And she hath changed my iudgements into wickednes more then the nations, and my statutes more then the countreis, that are round about her: for they haue refused my iudgemets and my statutes, and they haue not walked in them.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because your multitude is greater then the nations that are rounde about you, and ye haue not walked in my statutes, neither haue ye kept my iudgements: no, ye haue not done according to the iudgements of the nations, that are rounde about you,

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Beholde, I, euen I come against thee, and will execute iudgement in the middes of thee, euen in the sight of the nations.

And I will doe in thee, that I neuer did before, neither will do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.

For in the middes of thee, the fathers shall eate their sonnes, and the sonnes shall eate their fathers, and I will execute iudgement in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the windes.

Wherefore, as I liue, saith the Lord God, Surely because thou hast defiled my Sanctuarie with all thy filthinesse, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also destroy thee, neither shall mine eye spare thee, neither will I haue any pitie.

The third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they bee consumed in the middes of thee: and another third part shall fall by the sword round about thee: and I will scatter the last third part into all windes, and I will drawe out a sword after them.

Thus shall mine anger bee accomplished, and I will cause my wrath to cease in them, and I will be comforted: and they shall knowe, that I the Lord haue spoke it in my zeale, when I haue accomplished my wrath in them.

Moreouer, I will make thee waste, and abhorred among the nations, that are round about thee, and in the sight of all that passe by.