The charge of word of the Lord to Yrael, in the hond of Malachie, prophete. Y louyde ȝou, saith the Lord, and ȝee saiden, In what thing louydist thou vs? Wher Esau was not the brother of Jacob, saith the Lord, and Y louyde Jacob, forsothe Y hadde Esau in hate? And Y haue putte Seir his hillis in to wildrenesse, and his eritage in to dragouns of desert. That ȝif Ydume shal say, We be distruyed, but we turnynge aȝein shuln beelde, whiche thingus ben distruyed; these thingus saith the Lord of oostis, These shuln beelde, and Y shal distruye; and thei shuln be cleepid termes of wickednesse, and a peple to whom the Lord is wroth, til vnto withouten eende. And ȝour eeȝen shuln see, and ȝee shuln saye, Magnyfied be the Lord on the terme of Yrael. The sone honoureth the fadir, and the seruaunt shal drede his lord; therfore ȝif Y am fadir, wher is myn honour? and ȝif Y am lord, wher is my dreed? saith the Lord of oostis. O! prestis, to ȝou that dispisen my name; and ȝe saiden, Wher yn haue we dispisid thi name? Ȝe offren on myn auter defoulid, or vnclene, breed, and ȝe sayn, Wherynne han we defoulide thee? In that thing that ȝe sayn, The bord of the Lord is dispisid. Ȝif ȝe offren a blynd thing for to be offrid, wher it is not yuel? And ȝif ȝe offren a crokid and seek, wher it is not yuel? Offre it to thi duyk, ȝif it shal plese to hym, or ȝif he shal resceyue thi face, saith the Lord of oostis. And nowe biseeche the cheere of the Lord, that he haue mercy on ȝou; forsothe of ȝour hond this thing is don, ȝif eny manere he resceyue ȝour faces, saith the Lord of oostis. Who is in ȝou that closith doris, and brenneth myn auter of his own wille, or freeli? Wille is not to me in ȝou, saith the Lord of oostus; and Y shal not resceyue a ȝift of ȝour hond. Forsothe fro rysyng of the sunne vn to goyng doun, my name is grete in heythen men; and in eche place a cleene offryng is halewid, and offrid to my name; for my name is grete in heithen men, saith the Lord of oostis. And ȝe han defoulid it in that that ȝe sayn, The bord of the Lord is defoulid, and that that is putt on is contemptible, or worthi for to be dispisid, with the fijr that deuourith it. And ȝe saiden, Loo! of traueil; and ȝe han blowe it awey, saith the Lord of oostis. And ȝe brouȝten yn of raueins a krokid thing, and seeke, and brouȝten yn a ȝift; wher Y shal resceyue it of ȝour hond? saith the Lord. Cursid the gylful, that hath in his floc a male beest, and he makynge a vowe offrith a feble to the Lord; for I a grete kyng, saith the Lord of oostus, and my name orrible in folkis.
And now, O! prestis, to ȝou this maundement, ȝif ȝe woln heere. And ȝif ȝe woln not putte on the herte, that ȝe ȝeue glorie to my name, saith the Lord of oostis, Y shal sende in ȝou nedynesse, and Y shal curse to ȝour blessyngis; and Y shal curse hem, for ȝe han not putte on the herte. Loo! Y shal caste to ȝou arme, and Y shal scatere on ȝour cheere the dritt of ȝoure solempnytees, and it shal take ȝou with it. And ȝe shuln wite, for Y sente to ȝou this maundement, that my couenaunt were with Leuy, saith the Lord of oostis. My couenaunt was with hym of lijf and pees; and Y ȝaue to hym a dreed, and he dredde me, and he dredde of the face of my name. The lawe of trewthe was in his mouth, and wickidnesse is not founden in his lippis; in pees and in equitee he walkide with me, and many men he turnyde awey fro wickidnesse. Forsothe lippis of the prest kepen science, or kunnyng, and thei shuln seeke aȝein the lawe of the mouth of hem, for he is an aungel of the Lord of oostis. Forsothe ȝe wenten awey fro the weye, and sclaundren ful many men in the lawe; ȝe maden voide the couenaunt of Leuy, these thingus saith the Lord of oostis. For whiche thing and Y ȝaue ȝou worthi to be dispisid, and meeke, or lowe, to alle peplis, as ȝe kepten not my wayes, and token folc in the lawe. Wher not oo fadir of alle ȝou? wher oo God made ȝou not of nouȝt? Whi therfore ech of ȝou dispisith his brother, defoulynge the couenaunt of ȝour faders? Judas trespaside, and abomynacioun is maad in Yrael, and in Jerusalem; for Judas defoulide the halewing of the Lord, whiche he louyde, and aliens hadden the douȝter of the Lord. The Lord shal distruye the man that dide this thinge, the maystir and disciple, of tabernaclis of Jacob, and the offryng a ȝift to the Lord of oostis. And eftsoone ȝe diden this thing; ȝe hilliden with teris the auter of the Lord, with weepyng and mournyng, so that Y biholde namore to sacrifice, nether resceyue eny thing plesaunt of ȝour hond. And ȝe saiden, For what cause? For the Lord witnesside bitwixe thee and the wijf of thi pubertee, that is, tyme of mariage, whiche thou dispisidist, and this thi parcener, and wijf of thi couenaunt. Wher oon dide not, and the residue of his spirit is? and what seekith oon, no bot the seed of God? Therfore kepe ȝe ȝoure spirit, and nyl thou dispise the wijf of thi ȝongthe; whanne thou shalt haue hir in hate, leue thou hir, saith the Lord God of Yrael. Forsothe wickidnesse keuere the closyng of hir, saith the Lord of oostis; kepe ȝe ȝoure spirit, and nyl ȝe dispise. Ȝe maden the Lord for to traueile in ȝour wordis, and ȝe saiden, Wheryn made we hym for to traueile? In that that ȝe sayen, Eche man that doth yuel, is good in the siȝt of the Lord, and siche plesen to hym; or certis wher is God of dom?
Loo! Y shal sende myn aungel, and he shal make redy the waye byfore my face; and anoon the lordshiper, whom ȝe seken, shal cum to his holy temple, and the aungel of testament, whom ȝe woln. Loo! he cummeth, saith the Lord of oostis; and who shal mowe thenke the day of his cummyng? and who shal stonde for to see hym? Forsothe he as fijr wellynge to gidre, and as the erbe of fullers; and he shal sitte wellinge to gidre and clensynge syluer, and shal purge the sonys of Leuy; and shal purge hem as gold and as syluer, and thei shuln be offrynge to the Lord sacrifices in riȝtwisnessis. And sacrifice of Juda and Jerusalem shal plese to the Lord, as days of the world, and as olde ȝeeris. And Y shal cum to ȝou in dom, and Y shal be a swyft witnesse to mysdoars, to poysonners, or enchaunters bi the deuyls craft, and to auowters, and forsworne men, and that falsly chalenge the hijr of the hirid man, and meeken widues, and faderlesse childre, and moderlesse, and oppressen the pylgryme, nether dredden me, saith the Lord of oostis. Forsothe Y the Lord, and Y am not chaungid; and ȝe sonnys of Jacob ben not waastid. Forsothe fro the days of ȝour fadres ȝe wenten awey fro my lawful thingus, and kepten not; turne ȝe aȝein to me, and Y shal aȝein turne to ȝou, saith the Lord of oostis. And ȝe saiden, In what thing shuln we turne aȝein? Ȝif a man shal turmente God? for ȝe to gydre fitchen me. And ȝe saiden, In what thing togidre fitchen we thee? In tythes, and in premissis, or first fruytis, and in myseyse, or nedynesse, ȝe ben cursid; and al ȝe folk disceyuen me, and to gidre fitchen. Brenge ȝe yn eche tithe in to my berne, that mete be in my hous, and proue ȝe me on this thing, saith the Lord, ȝif Y shal not opne to ȝou the gutters of heuen, and shal sheede out to ȝou blessyng, vnto aboundaunce. And Y shal blame for ȝou the deuourynge, and he shal not corrumpe, or distruye, the fruyte of ȝour londe; nether bareyn vyneȝerd shal be in the feeld, saith the Lord of oostis, and alle folkis shuln sayn ȝou blessid; sothely ȝe shuln be a desyrable lond, saith the Lord of oostis. Ȝoure wordis wexiden stronge on me, saith the Lord; and ȝe saiden, What han we spoken aȝeins thee? And ȝee saiden, He is veyn, that serueth God; and what wynnynge for we kepten his heestis, and for we wenten sorewful bifore the Lord of oostis? Therfore now we sayn proud men blessid; sotheli thei ben beeldid doynge vnpite, and thei temptiden God, and ben maad saaf. Thanne men dredinge God spaken, eche with his neiȝboure; and the Lord perceuyde, and herde, and a boke of mynde is writen bifore hym to men dreedinge God, and thinkynge his name. And thei shuln be to me, saith the Lord of oostis, in the day in whiche Y shal make, into a special tresoure; and Y shal spare hem, as a man sparith his sone seruynge to hym. And ȝe shuln be conuertid, and ȝe shuln see, what is bitwixe the iust man and the vnpitouse, bitwixe the seruynge to the Lord and not seruynge to hym.
Loo! forsothe the day shal cumme, brennynge as a chymney; and alle proude men, and alle doynge vnpite shuln be stobil; and the day cummynge shal enflawme hem, saith the Lord of oostis, whiche shal not leue to hem rote and buriownyng. And to ȝou dredynge my name the sunne of riȝtwisnesse shal springe, and helthe in pennys of hym; ȝe shuln go out, and ȝe shuln lippe, as a calf of the droue. And ȝe shuln to-trede vnpytouse men, whanne thei shuln be ashe vndir the soole of ȝoure feet, in the day in whiche Y do, saith the Lord of oostis. Bithenke ȝe of the lawe of my seruaunt Moyses, whiche Y comaundide to hym in Oreb, to alle Yrael comaundementis and domys. Loo! Y shal sende to ȝou Hely, the prophete, bifore that the grete day and orrible of the Lord cumme. And he shal conuerte the herte of faders to sonys, and the herte of sonys to her faders, lest per auenture Y cumme, and smyte the erthe with curse.
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