Jeremiah 2

Matthew^{(i) 1} Moreouer, the worde of the Lord commaunded me thus: ² Go thy waye, crye in the eares of Ierusalem, and saye: Thus sayeth the Lorde: I remembre the for the kindnesse of thy youth, and because of thy stedfast loue: in that thou folowdest me thorowe the wildernesse, in an vntilled lande. ³ Thou Israel wast halowed vnto the Lorde, and so was his fyrst frutes. Al they that deuoured Israel, offended: mysfortune fell vpon them, sayeth the Lorde. ⁴ Heare therfore the worde of the Lorde, O thou house of Iacob, and al the generacion of the house of Israell. ⁵ Thus sayeth the Lorde vnto you. What vnfaythfulnesse founde youre fathers in me, that they wente so farre awaye from me, fallinge to lightnesse, and beynge so vaine? ⁶ They thought not in their hertes: Where haue we left the Lorde, that broughte vs oute of the lande of Egipte, that led vs thorowe the wildernesse, thorow a desert and roughe lande, thorow a drye and deadly land yea a lande that no man had gone thorowe, and wherin noman had dwelt. ⁷ And when I had brought you into a plasaunt welbuilded lande, that ye might enioye the frutes and all the commodities of the same: ye went forth, and defyled my lande, and brought myne heretage to abhomynacion. ⁸ The pryestes them selues sayde not once: where is the Lorde? They that haue the lawe in their handes, knowe me not. The sheperdes offende against me. The Prophetes do seruice vnto Baal, and folowe suche thinges as shall brynge them no profyt. ⁹ Wherfore I am constrayned (sayeth the Lorde) to make my complaynte vpon you, and vpon youre chyldren. ¹⁰ Go into the Iles of Cethim, and loke well: sende vnto Cedar, take diligent hede, and se, whether suche thinges be done there, ¹¹ whether the Gentiles them selues deale so fastly and vntruly with their goddes (whiche yet are no Goddes in dede.) But my people hath geuen ouer their hye honoure, for a thinge that maye not helpe them. ¹² Be astonished (O ye heauens) be afrayde and abashed at such thinge, sayeth the Lorde. ¹³ For my people hath done two euyls. They haue forsaken me the well of the water of life and dygged them pyttes, yea vyle & broken pittes, that holde no water. ¹⁴ Is Israell a bond seruaunt, or one of the houshold? Why is he then so spoiled? ¹⁵ Why do they roare, and crye then vpon him, as a lyon? They haue made his lande waste, his cities are so brent vp, that there is noman dwellynge in them. ¹⁶ Yea the chyldren of Noph and Taphnes haue defyled thy neck. ¹⁷ Commeth not this vnto the, because thou hast forsaken the Lorde thy God, euer sence he led the by the waye. ¹⁸ And what hast thou nowe to do in the strete of Egipte? to drincke foule water? Ether, what makest thou in the way to Assiria? To drincke water of the floud? ¹⁹ Thyne owne wickednesse shall reproue the, and thy turnynge awaye shal condemne the: that thou maiest know and vnderstand, how euyl and hurtful a thinge it is, that thou hast forsaken thy Lorde thy God, and not feared him, sayeth the Lorde God of Hostes. ²⁰ I haue euer broken thy yocke of olde, and burste thy bondes: yet sayest thou: I wil nomore serue, but (lyke an harlot) thou runnest aboute vpon all hye hilles, and amonge all grene trees, ²¹ where as I planted the out of noble grapes & good rotes. How art thou turned then into a bitter, vnfrutefull, and straunge grape? ²² Yea, & that so sore: that thoughe thou wasshe the with Nitrus, and make thy self to fauoure with that swete smelling herbe of Borith: yet in my sight thou art stayned with thy wyckednesse, sayeth the Lorde thy God. ²³ Saye not now: I am not vncleane, and I haue not folowed the Goddes. Loke vpon thyne owne wayes in the woddes, valleyes and dennes, so shalt thou knowe, what thou hast done. Thou art lyke a swyft Dromedary, that goeth easely in his waye: ²⁴ and thy wantonnes is like a wilde Asse, that vseth the wildernesse, and that snoffeth and bloweth at his wyll. Who can tame the? All they that seke the, shal not fayle, but finde the in thine owne vnclennes. ²⁵ Thou kepest thy fote from nakednes, and thy throte from thyrste, and thynkest thus in thy selfe: tushe, I will take no sorow, I will loue the straunge Goddes, and hang vpon them. ²⁶ Lyke as a thefe that is taken with the dede commeth to shame, euen so is the house of Israell come to confusyon, the comen people their kynges and rulers, their priestes & prophetes. ²⁷ For they saye to a stocke: thou art my father, and to a stone: thou hast be gotten me, yea they haue turned their backe vpon me, & not their face. But in the tyme of their trouble, when they saye: stande vp, and helpe vs, ²⁸ I shal answere them: Where are now thy Goddes, that thou hast made the? byd them stande vp, & helpe the in the time of nede? For loke how many cityes thou hast (O Iuda) so many Goddes hast thou also. ²⁹ Wherfore then will ye go to lawe wyth me, seynge ye are all synners agaynste me, sayeth the Lorde? ³⁰ It is but lost laboure, that I smyte youre children, for they receyue not my correccyon. Youre owne swearde destroyeth youre Prophetes, lyke a deuourynge lyon. ³¹ Yf ye be the people of the Lorde, then herken vnto this worde: Am I then become a wyldernesse vnto the people of Israel? or a lande that hath no light? Wherfore sayeth my people then: we are fallen of, and we wyl come no more vnto the? ³² Doth a mayden forget her rayment, or a bryde her stomacher? And doth my people forget me so long? ³³ Why boastest thou thy wayes so hylye (to obtayne fauoure there thorowe) when thou hast yet stayned them with blasphemyes? ³⁴ Vpon thy wynges is founde the bloude of poore and innocent people, and that not in corners and holes onlye, but openly in all these places. ³⁵ Yet darrest thou saye: I am giltlesse: Tush, his wrath can not come vpon me. Beholde, I will reason with the because thou darrest say: I haue not offended. ³⁶ O how euill wil it before the, to abyde it, when it shalbe knowne, how oft thou hast gone bacwarde? For thou shalt be confounded, as well of Egipte, as of the Assirians: ³⁷ yea thou shalt go thy waye from them, and smyte thine handes together vpon thy heade. Because the Lorde shall brynge that confydence and hope of thyne to naught, and thou shalt not prospere with all.