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[1]And nowe, O Lorde almightie, thou God of Israel: our soule that is in trouble, and our spirite that is vexed cryeth vnto thee:
[2]Heare vs O Lord, and haue pitie vpon vs, for thou art a mercifull God: be gracious vnto vs, for we haue sinned before thee.
[3]Thou endurest for euer: shoulde we then vtterly perishe?
[4]O Lorde almightie, thou God of Israel, heare nowe the prayer of the dead Israelites and of their children, whiche haue sinned before thee, and not hearkened vnto the voyce of the Lorde their God, for the whiche cause these plagues hang nowe vpon vs.
[5]O Lord remember not the wickednesse of our forefathers, but thinke vpon thy power and name nowe at this time:
[6]For thou art the Lorde our God, and thee O Lorde will we prayse.
[7]For thou hast put thy feare in our heartes, to the intent that we should call vpon thy name and prayse thee in our captiuitie, & that we might turne from the wickednesse of our forefathers that sinned before thee.
[8]Behold, we are yet this day in our captiuitie, where as thou hast scattered vs to be an abhomination, curse, and subiect to exactions: like as it hath happened vnto our fathers also, because of al their wickednesse and departing from thee.
[9]O Israel heare the commaundementes of lyfe, ponder them well with thyne eares, that thou maiest learne wisdome.
[10]But howe happeneth it Israel that thou art in thyne enemies lande? thou art waxen olde in a straunge countrey, and defiled with the dead.
[11]Why art thou become lyke them that go downe to their graues?
[12]Euen because thou hast forsaken the well of wysdome.
[13]For if thou hadst walked in the way of God truely, thou shouldest haue remayned still safe in thyne owne lande.
[14]O learne then where is wysdome, where vertue is, where vnderstanding is: that thou mayest knowe also from whence commeth long continuance and lyfe, the light of the eyes, and quietnesse.
[15]Who euer founde out her place? or who came euer into her treasures?
[16]Where are the princes of the heathen become, and such as ruled the beastes vpon the earth,
[17]They that had their pastime with the foules of the ayre, they that hoorded vp siluer & gold wherin men trust so much, and made no end of their gathering?
[18]What is become of them that coyned siluer, and were so carefull, and coulde not bring their workes to passe?
[19]They be rooted out and gone downe to hell, and other men are come vp in their steades.
[20]Young men haue seene light, and dwelt vpon earth: but the way of reformation haue they not knowen.
[21]Nor vnderstande the pathes thereof: neither haue their children receaued it, yea right farre is it from them.
[22]It hath not ben heard of in the land of Chanaan, neither hath it ben seene at Theman.
[23]The Agarenes sought after wisdome, but that whiche is earthly, like as the marchauntes of the lande do: they of Theman are cunning also, they labour for wysdome & vnderstanding: but the way of true wysedome they knowe not, neither do they thinke vpon the pathes therof.
[24]O Israel howe great is the house of God? and howe large is the place of his possession?
[25]Great is he, and hath none ende: yea hye and vnmeasurable.
[26]What is become of those famous giauntes, that were so great of bodies, and so worthy men of warre?
[27]Those hath not the Lorde chosen, neither haue they founde the way of reformation:
[28]Therfore were they destroyed, and for so much as they had no wysdome, they perished because of their foolishenesse.
[29]Who hath gone vp into heauen, to take wisdome there, and brought her downe from the cloudes?
[30]Who hath gone ouer the sea to fynde her, and hath chosen her aboue golde, and so brought her hyther?
[31]No man knoweth the wayes of wysedome, neither is there any that can seke out her pathes.
[32]But he that woteth all thinges, knoweth her, and hath founde her out with his foreknowledge: this same is he whiche prepared the earth at the beginning, and filled it with all maner of foules and beastes.
[33]When he sendeth out the light, it goeth: and when he calleth it againe, it obeyeth him with feare.
[34]The starres kepe their watch and geue their light, yea and that gladly: When he calleth them they say, Here we be: and so with chearfulnesse they shewe light vnto him that made them.
[35]This is our God, and there shal none other be compared vnto him.
[36]It is he that hath founde out all wysedome, and hath geuen her vnto Iacob his seruaunt, and to Israel his beloued.
[37]Afterwarde did he shewe hym selfe vpon earth, and dwelt among men.
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