The charge of Nynyue; the boke of visioun of Naum Helchesey. The Lord a louer, and the Lord vengeynge; the Lord vengynge, and hauynge woodnesse; the Lord vengynge in to his enmyes, and he wrathinge to his enmyes. The Lord pacient, and grete in strengthe, and he clensynge shal not make innocent. The Lord in tempest, and in whirlwynd the wayes of hym, and cloudis dust of his feet; blamynge the see, and dryinge it, and bryngynge alle flodis to desert. Basan is maad seek, and Carmele, and the flour of Liban langwishide. Mounteyns ben moued to gidre of hym, and litil hillis ben desolate. And the erthe tremblide to gydre fro the face of hym, and the roundnesse of erthe, and alle the dwellyng theryn. Bifore the face of his indignacioun who shal stonde? and who shal aȝein stonde in the wrath of his woodnesse? His indignacioun is shed out as fijre, and stoonus ben dissolued, or broken, of hym. The Lord good, and coumfortynge in the day of tribulacioun, and he knowynge men hoopynge in hym. And in grete floode passynge by, he shal make eende of his place; and dercnessis shuln pursue his enmyes. What thinken ȝe aȝeinus the Lord? He shal make eend; double tribulacioun shal not ryse to gydre. For as thornys biclippen hem to gydre, so the feest of hem drynkynge to gydre shal be eendid, as stoble ful of drynesse. Forsothe of thee shal go out the thynkynge malice aȝeinus the Lord, in soule, or mynde, tretynge trespassyng. These thingus saith the Lord, Ȝif thei shuln be perfit, and so mo, and thus thei shuln be clippid, and it shal passe by. Y tourmentide thee, and Y shal namore tourmente thee. And now Y shal to gydre breke the ȝerd of hym of thi bac, and Y shal breke thi boondis. And the Lord shal comaunde on thee, it shal namore be sown of thi name. Of the hous of thi god Y shal slea; a sculptil, or grauen ymage, and wellid to gydre, Y shal putte thi sepulcre, for thou art vnwirshipid. Loo! on hillis the feet of euangelizinge and tellynge pees. Juda, halewe thou thi feest days, and ȝeelde thi vowis, for he shal namore putte to, that he passe by in thee; al Belial perishide.
He styede vp, that schal scatere byfore thee, that shal kepe the byseeging; byholde thou the waye, coumforte leendis, strengthe thou vertu gretely. For as the Lord ȝeldide the pride of Jacob, so the pryde of Yrael; for distruyers scatriden hem, and corrumpten, or distruyiden, the generaciouns of hem. The sheeld of the strong of hym fijry, men of the hoost in rede clothis; raynes of fijre of the chaare, in the day of his makyng redy; and the leeders therof ben asleepe. In wayes thei ben trublid to gydre, cartis of foure horsis he hurtlide to gydre in stretis; the siȝt of hem as laumpis, as leiȝtis rennynge aboute. He shal bythenke of his strenger, thei shulen falle in her wayes; and swyftly thei shuln stye vp the wallis therof, and the shadewynge place shal be maad redy. Ȝatis of flodis shuln be opnyd, and the temple broken doun to the erthe. And a kniȝt caitif is led to, and the hond maydens therof shuln be dryuen sorewyng as culuers, grucchynge in her hertis. And Nynyue, as the cysterne of waters the waters therof; forsothe thei fledden, sayinge, Stonde ȝe, stonde ȝe, and ther is not that shal turne aȝein. Rauyshe ȝe syluer, rauyshe ȝe gold; and there is not eende of richessis, of all desireable vessels. It is distruyed, and kitt, and to-torne, and herte feylynge, and vnknyttynge of smale knees, and failyng in alle reynes; and the face of alle as blacnesse of a pott. Where is the dwellynge of lyouns, and the lesewis of whelpis of lyouns? The lyoun wente to water, that the whelpe of the lyoun shulde entre thidre, and there is not that shal fere. The lyoun toke ynowȝ to his whelpis, and slewȝ to his lyounnessis; and fulfillide with praye her dennys, and his couche with rauyn. Loo! Y to thee, saith the Lord God of oostis; and Y shal vndre brenne thi cartis of foure horsis vn to the heeȝist, and swerd shal ete thi smale lyouns; and Y shal distruye of erthe thi praye, and voice of thi messangeres shal no more be herd.
Wo to the citee of blodis, al of lesyng, ful of to-teryng; raueyn shal not go awey fro thee. Voice of scourge, and voice of bir of wheel, and of hors makynge noyse, and of a foure horsid cart brennynge, and of kniȝt steyinge vp, and of shynynge swerd, and smytynge spere, and of the slayn multitude, and greuouse fallynge, nether ther is eende of careins. And thei shuln falle to gydre in her bodies, for multitude of the fornycaciouns of the hoore fair and able, and hauynge euel dedis, or wicchecraftis; whiche solde folkis in her fornycaciouns, and meynees in her poysouns. Loo! Y to thee, saith the Lord God of oostis; and Y shal shewe thi shamful thingis in thi face; and Y shal shewe to folkis thi nakidnesse, and to rewmes thin yuel fame. And Y shal caste out on thee thin abomynaciouns, and Y shal punyshe thee with dispitis, and Y shal putte thee in to ensaumple. And it shal be, eche man that shal see thee, shal lippe aȝein fro thee, and shal saye, Nynyue is distruyed. Who shal moue togydre the hed vpon thee? wherof shal Y seke to thee a coumfortour? Wher thou art better than Alisaundre, of peplis whiche dwellith in flodis? Waters in cumpas therof, whos ritchessis the se, waters the wallis therof. Ethiopie the strengthe therof, and Egypt, and ther is noon eende; Affrik and Libie weren in help therof. Bot and it in transmygracioun, or passing ouer, is led in to caitiftee; the litil children therof ben hirt in the heed of alle wayes. And on the noble men therof thei senten lot, and alle grete men therof ben sett togider in the stockis. And thou therfore shalt be drunken, and thou shalt be dispisid, and thou shalt seeke help of enmy. Alle thi strengthis as a fijge tree, with his vnripe fijgis; ȝif thei shuln be smyten to gydre, thei shuln falle in to the mouth of the etynge. Loo! thi peple wymmen in the mydil of thee; to thin enmyes, to the opnynge the ȝatis of thi lond shuln be shewid, or opnyd; fijr shal deuoure thi barris, or lockis. Drawe vp to thee water for aseegyng, beelde thi strengthis; entre in to fen, and trede, thou vndergoynge holde a tijl. There fijr shal ete thee, thou shalt perishe by swerd, it shal deuoure thee, as bruke; therfor be thou gadrid togydre as bruke, be thou multiplied as locust. Thou madist thi marchaundises mo than ben sterris of heuen; bruke is sprad o brood, and fleiȝeth awey. Thi keepers as locustis, and thi litel children as locustis of locustis, whiche siten to gidre in heggis in the day of cold; the sunne is sprungen vp, and thei fledden awey, and the place of hem is not knowen, where thei weren. Thi sheperdis napten, thou kyng Assur, thi princes shuln be biried; thi peple oft derkid in hillis, and ther is not that shal gadre. Thi contricioun is not derk, thi wound is warst; alle men that herden thi heering, pressiden to gidre hond on thee, for vpon whom passide not thi malice euermore?
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