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| [1]Thus saith the Lord, Where is that bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have cast off? Or who is the creditor to whom I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities are ye sold, and because of your transgressions is your mother forsaken. |
[1]The Lord seith these thingis, What is this book of forsakyng of youre modir, bi which Y lefte her? ether who is he, to whom Y owe, to whom Y seeld you? For lo! ye ben seeld for youre wickidnessis, and for youre grete trespassis Y lefte youre modir. |
| [2]Wherefore came I, and there was no man? I called, and none answered: is mine hand so shortened, that it cannot help? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea: I make the floods desert: their fish rotteth for want of water, and dieth for thirst. |
[2]For Y cam, and no man was; Y clepide, and noon was that herde. Whether myn hond is abreggid, and maad litil, that Y mai not ayenbie? ether vertu is not in me for to delyuere? Lo! in my blamyng Y schal make the see forsakun, `ether desert, Y schal sette floodis in the drie place; fischis without watir schulen wexe rotun, and schulen dye for thirst. |
| [3]I clothe the heavens with darkness, and make a sack their covering. |
[3]Y schal clothe heuenes with derknessis, and Y schal sette a sak the hilyng of tho. |
| [4]The Lord God hath given me a tongue of the learned, that I should know to minister a word in time to him that is weary: he will raise me up in the morning: in the morning he will waken mine ear to hear, as the learned. |
[4]The Lord yaf to me a lerned tunge, that Y kunne susteyne hym bi word that failide; erli the fadir reisith, erli he reisith an eere to me, that Y here as a maister. |
| [5]The Lord God hath opened mine ear and I was not rebellious, neither turned I back. |
[5]The Lord God openede an eere to me; forsothe Y ayenseie not, Y yede not abak. |
| [6]I gave my back unto the smiters, and my cheeks to the nippers: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. |
[6]I yaf my bodi to smyteris, and my chekis to pulleris; Y turnede not a wei my face fro men blamynge, and spetynge on me. |
| [7]For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. |
[7]The Lord God is myn helpere, and therfor Y am not schent; therfor Y haue set my face as a stoon maad hard, and Y woot that Y schal not be schent. |
| [8]He is near that justifieth me: who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. |
[8]He is niy, that iustifieth me; who ayenseith me? stonde we togidere. Who is myn aduersarie? neiye he to me. |
| [9]Behold, the Lord God will help me: who is he that can condemn me? Lo, they shall wax old as a garment: the moth shall eat them up. |
[9]Lo! the Lord God is myn helpere; who therfor is he that condempneth me? Lo! alle schulen be defoulid as a cloth, and a mouyte schal ete hem. |
| [10]Who is among you that feareth the Lord? Let him hear the voice of his servant: he that walketh in darkness, and hath no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. |
[10]Who of you dredith the Lord, and herith the vois of his seruaunt? Who yede in dercnessis and liyt is not to hym, hope he in the name of the Lord, and triste he on his God. |
| [11]Behold, all you kindle a fire, and are compassed about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand: ye shall lie down in sorrow. |
[11]Lo! alle ye kyndlynge fier, and gird with flawmes, go in the liyt of youre fier, and in the flawmes whiche ye han kyndlid to you. This is maad of myn hond to you, ye schulen slepe in sorewis. |