Jeremiah 16 Thus sayde the Lord vnto me.

Great⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Thus sayde the Lord vnto me. ² Thou shalt take the no wyfe, ner beget chyldren in this place, ³ For of the chyldren that are borne in this place, of theyr mothers that haue borne them, and of their fathers that haue begotten them in this lande thus sayeth the Lorde. ⁴ They shall dye an horrible deeth, no man shall mourne for them ner bury them, but they shall lye as donge vpon the earth. They shall perishe thorow the swearde and honger, and theyr bodyes shall be meate for the foules of the ayre, and beastes of the earth. ⁵ For thus saieth the Lorde: Go not thou in vnto them ner come to mourne and wepe for them: for I haue taken my peace from thys people (sayeth the Lorde) yee my fauoure & my mercy. ⁶ And in this lande shall they dye, olde and yonge, and shall not be buried: no man shall bewepe them, no man shall clyppe or shaue him selfe for them. ⁷ There shal not one viset another, to mourne wyth them for their deed, or to comforte them. One shal not offre another the cuppe of consolacyon, to forget theyr heuynes for father and mother. ⁸ Thou shalt not go into theyr feast house, to syt downe, to eate or drincke with them. ⁹ For thus sayeth the Lorde of Hostes the God of Israell: Beholde, I shall take awaye out of this place, the voyce of myrth and gladnesse, the voyce of the brydegrome and of the bryde: yee, and that in youre dayes, that ye maye se it. ¹⁰ Now when thou shewest this people all these wordes, & they saye vnto the. Wherfore hath the Lorde deuysed all thys greate plage for vs? Or what is the offence & synne, that we haue done agaynst the Lorde our God? ¹¹ Then make thou them this answere: Because youre fathers haue forsaken me (sayeth the Lorde) and haue walked after straunge goddes, whom they haue honoured and worshypped: but me haue they forsaken, and haue not kepte my lawe. ¹² And ye with your shamefull blasphemyes, haue exceaded the wyckednes of youre fathers. For euery one of you hath folowed the frowarde and euell ymaginacion of his awne herte, and is not obedient vnto me. ¹³ Therfore wyll I cast you oute of thys lande, into a lande that ye and youre fathers knowe not: and there shall ye serue straunge goddes daye and nyght, there wyll I shewe you no fauoure. ¹⁴ Beholde therfore (sayeth the Lorde) the dayes are come, that it shall nomore be sayde: The Lorde lyueth, which brought the children of Israel out of the lande of Egypte: ¹⁵ but, it shall be sayde, the Lorde lyueth, that brought the children of Israell from the North, and from all landes where he had scatred them. For I wyl brynge them agayne into the lande, that I gaue vnto theyr fathers. ¹⁶ Beholde (sayeth the Lorde) I wyl sende out many fyshers to take them, and after that wyll I sende out many hunters to hunte them out, from all mountaynes and hylles and out of the caues of stone. ¹⁷ For myne eyes beholde al theyr wayes, and they cannot be hyd fro my face, nether can theyr wycked dedes be kepte close out of my syghte. ¹⁸ But first wyll I sufficiently rewarde their shamefull blasphemies and synnes, because they haue defyled my lande: Namely with theyr stincking Idols & with the carayns of their abhominacions, wherwith they haue filled myne herytage. ¹⁹ O Lorde, my strength, my power, and refuge in tyme of trouble. The Gentyles shall come vnto the from the endes of the worlde, and saye: Uerely our fathers haue cleaued vnto lyes, their Idols are but vayne & vnprofitable. ²⁰ How can a man make those his goddes, whyche are not able to be goddes? ²¹ And therfore I will once teach them, sayeth the Lorde, I wyll shewe them my hande & my power, that they maye knowe, that my name is the Lorde.