The word of the Lord, that is maad to Sophonye, sone of Chusy, sone of Godolie, sone of Amasie, sone of Ezechie, in the days of Josye, the sone of Amon, kyng of Juda. Y gaderynge shal gadre alle thingus fro face of erthe, saith the Lord; gadrynge man and beeste, gadrynge volatilis of heuen, and fishes of the se; and fallyngis of vnpytous men shuln ben, and Y shal leese men fro face of the erthe, saith the Lord. And Y shal stretche out myn hond vpon Juda, and vpon alle the dwellers of Jerusalem; and Y shal leese of this place the relikis of Baal, and the names of kepers of the housis, with the prestis; and hem that worshipen vpon roues the knyȝthod of heuen, and worshipen, and sweren in the Lord, and sweren in Melchon; and whiche ben turned awey byhynde the bac of the Lord, and whiche souȝten, or axiden, not the Lord, nether enserchiden hym. Be ȝe stille fro face of the Lord God, for niȝ is the day of the Lord; for the Lord made redi a sacrifice, halewide his clepid men. And it shal be, in the day of offryng of the Lord, Y shal visite vpon princes, and vpon sones of the kyng, and vpon alle that ben clothid with pilgrim, or straunge, clothing. And Y shal visite vpon eche that proudli entrith vpon the threshfold in that day, whiche fulfillen the hous of the Lord her God with wickidnesse and gyle. And ther shal be in that day, saith the Lord, a voys of crye fro the ȝate of fishis, and ȝoulynge fro the secounde, or that streete of Jerusalem, and grete contricioun fro litil hillis. Ȝoule ȝe, dwellers of Pyle, or of tauern; alle the peple of Canaan was stille to gidre, alle wlappid in syluer perishiden. And it shal be, in that tyme Y shal seeke Jerusalem in lanternys, and Y shal visite vpon alle men piȝt in her darstis, whiche sayen in her hertis, The Lord shal not do wel, and he shal not do yuel. And the strengthe of hem shal be in to rauyshyng, and the hous of hem in to desert; and thei shuln beelde housis, and shuln not enhabite; and thei shuln plante vyne ȝerdus, and thei shuln not drynke the wijn of hem. Niȝ is the grete day of the Lord, niȝ and swyft ful myche; the voys of day of the Lord bitter, a stronge man shal be in tribulacioun there. The ilk day a day of wrath, day of tribulacioun and anguysh, the day of needynesse, or sorewe with out coumfort, and myseisetee, or wretchidnesse, day of derknessis and myst, day of cloude and whirlwynde, day of trumpe and noyse vpon stronge cytees and vpon heeȝe corners. And Y shal truble men, and thei shuln walke as blynde, for to the Lord thei han synned; and the blood of hem shal be shed out as erthe, and the bodyes of hem as tordis. Bot and the syluer of hem, and the gold of hem, shal not mowe delyuere hem in the day of wrath of the Lord; in fijr of his feruour al erthe shal be deuoured, for he shal make eende with haastyng to alle men enhabitynge erthe.
Cum ȝe togydre, be ȝe gadrid, ȝe folk not worthi to be louyd, byfore that comaundyng brenge forth as dust passynge day; byfore that wrath of wodenesse of the Lord cum, byfore that the day of his indignacioun cume vpon ȝou. Alle mylde, or pacient, men of erthe, seeke ȝe the Lord, whiche han wrouȝt the dom of hym; seke ȝe the iust, seeke ȝe the mylde, ȝif eny maner ȝe be hid in the day of woodnesse of the Lord. For Gaza shal be distruyed, and Aschalon in to desert; thei shuln caste out Azotus in mydday, and Ackaron shal be drawen out by the rote. Woo! ȝe that dwellen the litil part of the se, a folk of lost men. The word of the Lord vpon ȝou, Canaan, the lond of Fylisteyns, and Y shal distruye thee, so that an yndweller be not; and the litil part of the se shal be reste of sheeperdis, and fooldis of sheep. And it shal be a litil part of hym, that shal abide of the hous of Juda, there thei shuln be fed in the housis of Aschalon; at euyn thei shuln reste, for the Lord God of hem visitide hem, and shal turne awey the caityftee of hem. Y herde the shenshipe of Moab, and blasfemyes of the sonys of Amon, whiche thei dispisiden my peple, and thei ben magnyfied vpon the termes of hem. Therfore Y lyue, saith the Lord of oostis, God of Yrael, for Moab shal be as Sodom, and the sonys of Amon as Gomor; drienesse of thornes, and hepis of salt, and desert, til in to with out eende. The relikis of my peple shuln rauyshe hem, the residues of my folc shuln welde hem. Sothely this thing shal cum to hem for her pride, in whiche thei blasfemyden, and weren magnyfied vpon the peple of the Lord of oostis. Orrible the Lord vpon hem, and he shal make feble alle goddis of erthe; and men of her place shuln wirshipe hym, alle the ijlis of hethen men. Bot and ȝee, Ethiopiens, shuln be slayn bi my swerd. And he shal stretche forth his hond vpon the north, and shal leese Assur; and he shal putte the faire in to wildrenesse, and in to vnwayed, and as desert. And alle flockis, and beestis of folkis, shuln ligge in the mydil therof; and onacratalus, that is, a brid with a long bill lijke a swan, and the yrchoun shuln dwelle in the threshefoldis therof; voys of the syngynge in a wyndowe, and a crowe in the lyntill, or ouer thresfold, for Y shal make thynne the strengthe therof. This is the glorious citee dwellynge in trist, whiche saide in her herte, Y am, and ther is noon other more with outen me. Hou it is maad desert, a couche of beest? Eche man that shal passe bi it, shal hisse, or scorne, and shal moue his hond.
Wo! thou cytee, terrere, or stirere, to wrathe, and bouȝt aȝein culuer. It herde not the voice, and resceyuede not disciplyne, or chastising; it tristinede not in the Lord, it neiȝide not to hir God. The princis therof in mydil therof as lyouns roringe; iugis therof wolues, in the euyntyde leften not in to morewe. The prophetis therof wode, vnfeithful men; the prestis therof defouliden holy thing, vniustly diden aȝeinus the lawe. The Lord iust in mydil therof, he shal not do wickidnesse; erly, erly he shal ȝeue his dom in liȝt, and it shal not be hid; forsothe the wickid man wist not confusioun. Y loste folkis, and the corners of hem ben distruyed; Y made the wayes of hem desert, whijl ther is not that shal passe. The cytees of hem ben desolate, not dwellynge a man, nether eny dweller. Y sayde, Nethelese thou shalt dreede me, thou shalt resceyue disciplyne; and the dwellynge therof shal not perishe, for alle thingus in whiche Y visitide it; nethelese ful erly thei rysynge han corrumpid alle her thouȝtis. Wherfore abyde thou me, saith the Lord, in the day of my rysyng aȝein in to comynge. For my dome is, that Y gadre folkis, and gadre rewmes; and Y shal shede out vpon hem myn indignacioun, and al the wrath of my wodenesse; forsothe in fijr of my feruour al erthe shal be deuoured. For thanne Y shal ȝelde to my peplis a chosen tunge, that alle in cleepen in name of the Lord, and serue to hym in oo shuldre. Ouer the flodis of Ethiopie, fro thennis my bisecheris, the sonys of my scaterid men, shuln brynge a ȝift to me. In that day thou shalt not be confoundide vpon alle thi fyndyngis, in whiche thou trespassidist in me; for thanne Y shal take awey fro the mydil of thee the grete spekers of thi pride, and thou shalt namore putte to, for to be enhaunsid in myn holy hill. And Y shal leue in mydil of thee a pore peple, and nedy; and thei shuln hope in name of the Lord. The relikis of Yrael shuln not do wickidnesse, nether shuln speke leesyng, and a gyleful tunge shal not be funden in hem; for thei shuln be fed, and shuln reste, and there shal not be that shal fere. These thingus saith the Lord, Douȝter of Syon, herie thou, synge thou, Yrael; glade thou, and fulout ioye in al thi herte, thou douȝter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken awey thi dom, he hath turned awey thin enmyes; kyng of Yrael lord in the mydil of thee, thou shalt namore dreede yuel. In that day it shal be said, Jerusalem, nyl thou dreede; Syon, be not thin hondis vnknyt. The Lord thi God stronge in mydil of thee, he shal saaue; he shal enioye vpon thee in gladnesse, he shal be stille in thi louyng, he shal ful enioye vpon thee in herying. Y shal gadre the foolis that wenten awey fro thi lawe, for thei weren of thee, that thou haue namore shenshipe vpon hem. Loo! Y shal slea alle men that tourmentiden thee in that tyme, and Y shal saaue the haltynge, and Y shal gedre hir that was cast out; and Y shal putte hem in to herying, and in to name in eche lond of confusioun of hem, in that tyme in whiche Y shal leede ȝou to, and in the tyme in whiche Y shal gadre ȝou. Forsothe Y shal ȝeue ȝou in to name, and in to herying to alle peplis of erthe, whanne Y shal conuerte ȝour caitifte byfore ȝour eeȝen, saith the Lord.
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