The word of the Lord, that is maad to Joel, the sone of Fatuel. Heere ȝe, olde men, this, and with eeris perceyue ȝe, alle dwellers of erthe. Ȝif this thing is don in ȝour days, or in days of ȝour faders. Vpon this thing telle ȝe to ȝour sones, and ȝour sonys to her sonys, and the sonys of hem to an other generacioun. A locust eete the residue of eruke, that is, a worme of bowis, and a bruke eete the residue of locust, and rust eete the residue of bruke. Awake ȝe, drunken men, and weepe; and ȝoule ȝe, alle that drynken wyne in swetnesse; for it perishide fro ȝour mouth. Forsothe folk hath styed vpon my lond, stronge and vnnoumbreable. The teeth of hym as teeth of lyoun, and his wangteeth as whelpis of a lyoun. He hath putte my vyne ȝerd in to desert, and hath drawen of the barc of my fijg tree. He nakynge robbide it, and castide awey; the braunchis therof ben maad whijt. Weile thou, as a mayden gird with a sacche vpon the husbonde of hir puberte, that is, tyme of weddynge. Sacrifice perishide, and libacioun, that is, offryng fleetynge thingus, of the hous of the Lord; and prestis, mynystris of the Lord, murneden. The cuntree is robbid, the erthe mournede; for whete is waastid, and wijn is confoundid, and oyle langwishide, or failide. Erthe tiliers ben confoundid, vyne tiliers ȝouliden vpon whete, wijn, and barly; for corn of the feeld perishide. The vyne ȝerd is confoundid, and the fyge tree langwishide. Poumgarnet, and palme tree, and maal tree, or fir, of whom mastis ben maad, and alle trees of the feeld dryeden; for ioye is confoundid fro sonys of men. Ȝe prestis, gyrde ȝou, and weile; ȝe mynystris of the auter, ȝoule. Ȝe mynystris of my God, entre ȝe yn, ligge ȝe in sak; for sacrifice perishide of the hous of ȝour God, and offryng of fleetyng thing. Halewe ȝe fastyng, clepe ȝe cumpanye, gadre ȝe olde men, and alle dwellers of the lond in to the hous of ȝour God; and crye ȝe to the Lord, A! A! A! to the day; for the day of the Lord is niȝ, and as waastynge it shal cum of the miȝty. Wher not before ȝour eeȝen fodis perishen of the hous of your God; gladnesse and ioye with outen forth? Beestus wexiden roten to gidre in her drit. Berns ben destruyed, celers ben scaterd, for whete is confusid. What sorewide a beest with ynne? flockis of grete beestis lowiden? for lesewe is not to hem; bot and flockis of sheep perishiden. To thee, Lord, Y shal crye, for fijre ete the fair thingus of desert, and flawme brente alle trees of the cuntree. Bot and beestis of the feeld, as a feeld thristynge rayn, byhelden vp to thee; for wellis of watris ben dryed vp, and fijr deuourede the fair thingis of desert.
Synge ȝe with trumpe in Syon, ȝoule ȝe in myn holy mounteyn. Alle dwellers of erthe be trublid to gydre; for the day of the Lord cummeth, for niȝ is the day of derknessis and myst, and day of cloude and of whirlwynd. As the mornyng sprad abrood, vpon hillis myche peple and strong. Lijc to hym was not fro the bygynnyng, and after hym shal not be, vnto ȝeeris of generacioun and generacioun. Byfore the face of hym fijr deuourynge, and after hym brenyng flawme; as a ȝerde of voluptee the erthe byfore hym, and after hym aloonenesse of desert, nether ther is that shal ascape hym. As the siȝt of horsis the siȝt of hem, and as horsmen so thei shuln renne. As sown of cartis on coppis of hillis shuln lijpe; so the sown of flawme of fijre deuourynge stoble, as a stronge peple maad redy to bataile. Of the face of hym peplis shuln be tourmentid, alle cheeris shuln be dryuen in to a pot. As stronge thei shuln renne, as men fiȝters thei shuln stye on the walle. Men shuln go in her wayes, and thei shuln not bowe awey fro her pathes. Eche shal not streyte his brother, eche shuln go in his path; bot and by wyndowis thei shuln falle, and thei shuln not be distruyed. Thei shuln entre in to the cyte, thei shuln renne in the wall; thei shuln stye vpon housis, thei shuln entre by wyndowis as a niȝt theef. Of the face of hym the erthe tremblide togydre, heuens ben moued, the sunne and the mone ben maad derk, and sterris withdrowen her liȝt. And the Lord ȝaue his voice byfore the face of his oost, for many ben the castels of hym ful myche; for stronge, and doynge the word of hym. Forsothe the day of the Lord grete, and dreedful ful myche, and who shal susteyne it? Now therfor saith the Lord, Be ȝe conuerted to me in al ȝour herte, in fastyng, and weepyng, and weylyng; and kerue ȝe ȝour hertis, and not ȝour clothingus, and be ȝe conuertid to the Lord ȝour God, for he is benygne, and mercyful, pacient, and of myche mercy, and abydynge vpon malice. Who wote, ȝif God be conuertid, and forȝeue, and leue after hym blessyng? sacrifice and offryng of fleetynge thingus to the Lord ȝour God. Synge ȝe with trump in Syon, halewe ȝe fastyng, clepe ȝe cumpanye; gadre ȝe the peple, halewe ȝe the chirche, gadre ȝe to gidre olde men, gadre ȝe litil children, and soukynge tetis; the husbonde go out of his couche, and the wijf of hir chaumbre. Bitwix the vestiarie and the auter prestis, mynystris of the Lord, shuln weepe, and shuln saye, Lord! spare thou, spare to thi peple, and ȝeue not thin eritage into schendship, that naciouns be lordis to hem. Whi sothely sayn thei in peplis, Wher is the God of hem? The Lord louede his lond, and sparide to his peple. And the Lord answerde, and saide to his peple, Loo! Y shal sende to ȝou whete, and wijn, and oyle, and ȝe shuln be fulfilled in hem; and Y shal namore ȝeue ȝou shenship in hethen men. And Y shal make fer fro ȝou hym that is of the north; and Y shal putte hym awey in to a lond with outen way, and desert; the face therof aȝeinus the eest see, and the last therof to the last see; and the stynk of hym shal stye vp, and the root of hym shal stye vp, for he did proudly. Erthe, nyl thou dreede, bot ioye thou with outforth, and be glad; for the Lord magnyfiede that he shulde do. Nyl ȝe dreede, ȝe beestis of the cuntre, for the faire thingus of desert buriowneden; for a tree brouȝte to his fruyte, the fijge tree and the vyneȝerd ȝauen her vertue. And ioye ȝe, sonys of Syon, and gladde ȝe in the Lord ȝour God, for he ȝaue to ȝou a techer of riȝtwisnesse, and he shal make for to cum doun to ȝou morewe rayn, and late, as fro the bygynnyng. And feeldis shuln be fulfillid with whete, and pressours shuln be plenteuouse in wijn, and oyle. And Y shal ȝeelde to you the ȝeris whom the locust eete, and bruke, and rust, and eruke, my grete strengthe, whom Y sente in to ȝou. And ȝe shuln ete etynge, and ye shuln be fulfillid; and ye shuln herie the name of the Lord ȝour God, that did with ȝou marueilis; and my peple shal not be confounded in to with outen eende. And ȝe shuln wite, for in the mydil of Yrael Y am; and Y the Lord ȝour God, and there is not more; and my peple shal not be confoundid in to with outen eende. And it shal be, after these thingus Y shal helde out my spirit vpon eche fleshe, and ȝour sonys shuln prophecie, and ȝoure douȝters; ȝour olde men shuln mete sweuens, and ȝour ȝunge men shuln see visiouns. But and on my seruauntis, and hond maydens, in tho days Y shal heelde out my spirit; and Y shal ȝeue wondris in heuen, and in erthe, blood, and fijr, and vapour of smoke. The sunne shal be turned in to dercknessis, and the mone in to blood, byfore that the grete day and orrible of the Lord cumme. And it shal be, eche man that shal inclepe the name of the Lord, shal be saaf; for in the hill of Syon and in Jerusalem shal be saluacioun, as the Lord saide, and in the residue, whom the Lord shal clepe.
For loo! in tho days, and in that tyme, whanne Y shal to gydre turne the caitiftee of Juda and Jerusalem, Y shal gedre alle folkis, and Y shal leede hem forth in to the valey of Josaphath; and Y shal dispute there with hem on my peple, and myn eritage Yrael, whom thei scaterden in naciouns; and thei departiden my lond, and on my peple thei senten lot; and thei puttiden a chijld in the bordel hous, and solden a meydchijld for wijn, that thei shulden drynke. Sothely what to me and ȝou, Tyrus, and Sydon, and alle the terme of Palestynys? Wher ȝe shuln ȝelde vengyng to me? and ȝif ȝe vengen ȝou aȝeinus me, soone swiftly Y shal ȝeelde the whilnesse to ȝou on ȝour hed. Forsothe ȝe token my syluer and gold, and my desireable and most faire thingus ȝe baren in to ȝour templis. And ȝe solden sonys of Juda, and sonys of Jerusalem to the sonys of Greekis, that ȝe shulden make hem fer fro her coostis. Loo! Y shal reyse hem of the place in whiche ȝe solden hem; and Y shal turne to gydre ȝour ȝeldyng in to ȝour hed. And Y shal selle ȝour sonys and ȝour douȝtris in the hondis of the sonys of Juda, and thei shuln selle hem to Sabeis, a fer folc, for the Lord spac. Crie ȝe this thing in heithen men, halewe ȝe bateile, reyse ȝe strong men; alle menfiȝters, cum to, and stey vp. Bete to gydre ȝour plowis in to swerdis, and ȝour pikoysis, or mattokis, in to speris; the seeke man saye, for Y am strong. Breste ȝe out, and come ȝe, alle folkis of cumpas, and be ȝe gadrid; there the Lord shal make thi stronge men for to dye. Folkis rijse to gydre, and stie vp in to the valey of Josephath; for there I shal sitte, that Y deme alle folkis in cumpas. Sende ȝe sykelis, for the corn hath rypid; cum ȝe, and discende ȝe, for the pressoure is ful; pressours ben plenteuouse, for the malice of hem is multiplied. Peplis, peplis in the valey of concisioun, or sleaynge to gydre; for the day of the Lord is niȝ in the valey of concisioun. The sonne and mone ben maad derck, and sterris withdrewen her shynyng. And the Lord of Syon shal rore, and of Jerusalem shal ȝeue his voice, and heuens and erthe shuln be moued; and the Lord hoope of his peple, and strengthe of the sonys of Yrael. And ȝe shuln wite, for Y the Lord ȝour God, dwellynge in Syon, in my holy hyll; and Jerusalem shal be holy, and aliens shuln namore passe therby. And it shal be, in that day mounteyns shuln droppe swetnes, and litil hillis shuln flowe with mylk, and by alle the reuers of Juda waters shuln go; and a welle shal go out of the hous of the Lord, and shal moiste the reyny streme of thornys. Egypt shal be in to desolacioun, and Ydume in to desert of perdicioun; for that that thei diden wickidly in to sonys of Juda, and shedden out innocent blood in her lond. And Jude in to with oute eende shal be enhabited, and Jerusalem in to generacioun and generacioun. And Y shal clense the blood of hem, whiche Y clenside not; and the Lord shal dwelle in Syon.
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