1 WYC Sones of Beniamyn, be ye coumfortid in the myddil of Jerusalem, and make ye noise with a clarioun in Thecua, and reise ye a baner on Bethecarem; for whi yuel and greet sorewe is seyn fro the north. BSB BSB: “Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin; flee from Jerusalem! Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa; send up a signal over Beth-haccherem, for disaster looms from the north, even great destruction.
2 WYC Y haue licned the douytir of Sion to a fair womman and delicat. BSB BSB: Though she is beautiful and delicate, I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.
3 WYC Scheepherdis and her flockis schulen come to it; thei han piyt tentis in it in cumpas; ech man schal feede hem, that ben vndur his hond. BSB BSB: Shepherds and their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents all around her, each tending his own portion:
4 WYC Halewe ye batel on it. Rise ye togidire, and stie we in myddai. Wo to vs, for the dai is bowid doun, for shadewis ben maad lengere in the euentid. BSB BSB: ‘Prepare for battle against her; rise up, let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the daylight is fading; the evening shadows grow long.
5 WYC Rise ye, and stie we in the niyt, and distry we the housis therof. BSB BSB: Rise up, let us attack by night and destroy her fortresses!’”
6 WYC For the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Kitte ye doun the tre therof, and schede ye erthe aboute Jerusalem; this is the citee of visitacioun; al fals caleng is in the myddis therof. BSB BSB: For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.
7 WYC As a cisterne makith his water coold, so it made his malice coold; wickidnesse and distriyng schal euer be herd ther ynne bifore me, sikenesse and wounde. BSB BSB: As a well gushes its water, so she pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me.
8 WYC Jerusalem, be thou tauyt, lest perauenture my soule go awei fro thee; lest perauenture Y sette thee forsakun, a loond vnhabitable. BSB BSB: Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitant.”
9 WYC The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Thei schulen gadere til to a racyn, thei schulen gadere the remenauntis of Israel as in a vyner; turne thin hond, as a gaderer of grapis to the bascat. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine. Pass your hand once more like a grape gatherer over the branches.”
10 WYC To whom schal Y speke, and to whom schal Y seie witnessing, that he here? Lo! the eeris of hem ben vncircumcidid, and thei moun not here; lo! the word of the Lord is maad to hem in to dispit, and thei schulen not resseiue it. BSB BSB: To whom can I give this warning? Who will listen to me? Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot hear. See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.
11 WYC Therfor Y am ful of the strong veniaunce of the Lord, and Y trauelide suffrynge. Schede thou out on a litil child with outforth, and on the counsel of yonge men togidere; for a man with his wijf schal be takun, and an eeld man with him that is ful of daies. BSB BSB: But I am full of the LORD’s wrath; I am tired of holding it back. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the young men gathered together. For both husband and wife will be captured, the old and the very old alike.
12 WYC And the housis of hem, the feeldis and wyues togidere, schulen go to othere men; for Y schal stretche forth myn hond on the dwelleris of the lond, seith the Lord. BSB BSB: Their houses will be turned over to others, their fields and wives as well, for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the LORD.
13 WYC For fro the lesse `til to the grettere, alle studien to auerise; and alle doon gile, fro the profete `til to the preest. BSB BSB: “For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
14 WYC And thei heeliden the sorewe of the douyter of my puple with yuel fame, seiynge, Pees, pees, and no pees was. BSB BSB: They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.
15 WYC Thei ben schent, that diden abhomynacioun; yhe, rathere thei weren not schent bi confusioun, and thei kouden not be aschamed. Wherfor thei schulen falle doun among hem that schulen falle doun; thei schulen falle doun in the tyme of her visitacioun, seith the Lord. BSB BSB: Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD.
16 WYC The Lord seith these thingis, Stonde ye on weies, and se ye, and axe ye of elde pathis, which is the good weie; and go ye ther ynne, and ye schulen fynde refreischyng to youre soulis. And thei seiden, We schulen not go. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’
17 WYC And Y ordeynede aspieris on you, and Y seide, Here ye the vois of a trumpe. And thei seiden, We schulen not here. BSB BSB: I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’ But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’
18 WYC Therfor, hethene men, here ye, and, thou congregacioun, knowe, hou grete thingis Y schal do to hem. BSB BSB: Therefore hear, O nations, and learn, O congregations, what will happen to them.
19 WYC Thou erthe, here, lo! Y schal brynge yuels on this puple, the fruit of her thouytis; for thei herden not my wordis, and castiden awei my lawe. BSB BSB: Hear, O earth! I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their own schemes, because they have paid no attention to My word and have rejected My instruction.
20 WYC Wherto bryngen ye to me encense fro Saba, and a tre of spicerie smellynge swetli fro a fer lond? Youre brent sacrifices ben not acceptid, and youre slayn sacrifices plesiden not me. BSB BSB: What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”
21 WYC Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal yyue fallyngis in to this puple, and fadris and sones togidere, a neiybore and kynesman, schulen falle in hem, and schulen perische. BSB BSB: Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I will lay stumbling blocks before this people; fathers and sons alike will be staggered; friends and neighbors will perish.”
22 WYC The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! a puple cometh fro the lond of the north, and a greet folk schal rise togidere fro the endis of erthe. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says: “Behold, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is stirred up from the ends of the earth.
23 WYC It schal take an arowe and scheld; it is cruel, and schal not haue merci; the vois therof schal sowne as the see, and thei maad redi as a man to batel schulen stie on horsis ayens thee, thou douyter of Sion. BSB BSB: They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Zion.”
24 WYC We herden the fame therof, oure hondis ben `a clumsid; tribulacioun hath take vs, sorewis han take vs as a womman trauelinge of child. BSB BSB: We have heard the report; our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor.
25 WYC Nyle ye go out to the feeldis, and go ye not in the weie, for the swerd of the enemye, drede in cumpas. BSB BSB: Do not go out to the fields; do not walk the road. For the enemy has a sword; terror is on every side.
26 WYC The douytir of my puple, be thou gird with heire, and be thou spreynt togidere with aische; make to thee mourenyng of oon aloone gendrid sone, a bitter weilyng, for whi a wastere schal come sodenli on you. BSB BSB: O daughter of my people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter wailing, as you would for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.
27 WYC I yaf thee a strong preuere in my puple, and thou schalt knowe, and preue the weie of hem. BSB BSB: “I have appointed you to examine My people like ore, so you may know and try their ways.
28 WYC Alle these princis bowynge awei, goynge gilefuli, ben metal and irun; alle ben corrupt. BSB BSB: All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.
29 WYC The belu failide, leed is waastid in the fier, the wellere wellide in veyn; for the malices of hem ben not wastid. BSB BSB: The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain, for the wicked are not purged.
30 WYC Clepe ye hem repreuable siluer, for the Lord hath cast hem awei. BSB BSB: They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.