Study Desk

Their mother hath broken hir wedlocke, and she that bare them, is come to cofucion. For she sayde: I wil go after my louers, that geue me my water and my bred, my woll & my flax, my oyle and my drynke.

and though she runne after hir louers, yet shall she not get them: she shal seke them, but not fynde them. Then shal she saye: well, I will go turne agayne to my first hu?bonde, for at yt tyme was I better at ease, then now:

I will punysh her also for the dayes of Baal, wherin she censed him, deckynge him with hir earynges and cheynes: when she folowed hir louers, and forgat me, saieth the LORDE.

for I wil take awaye those names of Baal from hir mouth, yee she shal neuer remembre their names eny more.

Then will I make a couenaunt with them, with the wylde beastes, with the foules of the ayre, & with euerythinge that crepeth vpon the earth. As for bowe, swerde and batel, I will destroye soch out of the londe, & wil make them to slepe safely.

Thus wil I mary the vnto myne owne self for euermore: yee euen to my self wil I mary the, in rightuousnesse, in equyte, in louynge kyndnesse and mercy.

I wil sowe them vpo earth, for a sede to myne owne self, & wil haue mercy vpon her, yt was without mercy. And to the which were not my people, I wil saye: thou art my people. And he shal saye: thou art my God.

So I gat her for xv. syluerlinges, and for an Homer and an half of barlye,

& sayde vnto her: Thou shalt byde with me a longe season, but se that thou playest not the harlot, and loke thou medle with none other man, & then wil I kepe my self for the.

Heare ye worde of the LORDE, o ye children of Israel: For the LORDE must punysh the, yt dwel in the londe. And why? There is no faithfulnesse, there is no mercy, there is no knowlege of God in the lode:

my people perish, because they haue no knowlege. Seinge then that thou hast refused vnderstondinge, therfore wil I refuse ye also: so that thou shalt nomore be my prest. And for so moch as thou hast forgotten the lawe of thy God, I wil also forget thy childre.

Thus the prest is become like the people. Wherfore I will punysh them for their wicked wayes, & rewarde them acordinge to their owne ymaginacions.

My people axe councel at their stockes, their staffe must tell them. For an whorish mynde hath disceaued them, so yt they comitte fornicacion agaynst their God.

They make sacrifice vpon the hie mountaynes, & burne their incense vpon the hilles, yee amonge the okes, groues & bu?shes, for there are good shadowes. Therfore yor doughters are become harlottes, and youre spouses haue broke their wedlocke

I wil not punish yor doughters for beinge defyled, & yor brydes that became whores: seinge the fathers themselues haue medled with harlottes, and offered with vnthriftes: but the people that wil not vnderstonde, must be punyshed.

For Israel is gone backe, like a waton cowe. The LORDE therfore shal make hir fede, as ye labe yt goeth astraye.

Heare this, o ye prestes: take hede, o thou housholde of Israel: geue eare, o thou kingly house: for this punyshment wil come vpon you, that are become a snare vnto Myspa, and a spred net vnto the mount of Thabor.

I knowe Ephraim well ynough, & Israel is not hyd fro me: for Ephraim is become an harlot, and Israel is defyled.

They are not mynded to turne vnto their God, for they haue an whorish herte, so yt they can not knowe the LORDE.

But the pryde of Israel wil be rewarded him in his face, yee both Israel and Ephraim shal fall for their wickednesse, and Iuda with them also.