{Mem} What is he then that sayeth, "There should something be done without the LORD's commandment:

{Nun} Let us look well upon our own ways, and remember ourselves, and turn again to the LORD.

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto the God that is in heaven.

{Samekh} Thou hast covered us in thy wrath, and persecuted us, thou hast slain us, without any favour.

Thou hast made us outcasts, and to be despised among the Heathen.

{Ayin} All our enemies gape upon us.

Fear and snare is come upon us; yea, despite and destruction.

{Pe} Mine eyes run, and cannot cease, for there is no rest.

Give them the thing, that their own heart is afraid of: even thy curse.

{Aleph} O how is the gold become so dim? How is the goodly colour of it so sore changed? And the stones of the sanctuary thus scattered in the corner of every street?

{Gimel} The Dragons give their young ones suck with bare breasts: but the daughter of my people is cruel, and dwelleth in the wilderness like the Ostriches.

{Daleth} The tongues of the sucking children, cleave to the roof of their mouths for very thirst. The young children ask bread, but there is no man that giveth it them.

{Vav} The sin of the daughter of my people is become greater than the wickedness of Sodom, that suddenly was destroyed, and not taken with hands.

{Zayin} Her abstainers were whiter than the snow or milk: their colour was fresh red as the Coral, their beauty like the Sapphire.

{Khet} But now their faces are very black: Insomuch, that thou shouldest not know them in the streets. Their skin cleaveth to their bones; It is withered, and become like a dry stock.

{Tet} They that be slain with the sword, are happier than such as die of hunger, and perish away famishing for the fruits of the field.

{Mem} Which nevertheless is come to pass for the sins of her prophets, and for the wickedness of her priests that have shed innocents' blood within her.

{Pe} Wherefore yet our eyes fail us, while we look for vain help: seeing we be ever waiting upon a people that can do us no good.

{Tsadi} They lay so sharp wait for us, that we can not go safe upon the streets: for our end is come, our days are fulfilled, our end is here.

{Kuf} Our persecutors are swifter than the Eagles of the air, they followed upon us over the mountains, and laid wait for us in the wilderness.

{Shin} And thou, O daughter Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz, be glad and rejoice: for the cup shall come unto thee also, which when thou suppest of thou shalt be drunk.

{Tav} Thy sin is well punished, O thou daughter Zion: he shall not suffer thee to be carried away anymore. But thy wickedness, O daughter Edom, shall he visit, and for thy sins' sake, he shall lead thee into captivity.

Our inheritance is turned to the strangers, and our houses to the aliens.

We are become careful and fatherless, and our mothers are as the widows.

Servants have the rule of us, and no man delivereth us out of their hands.

Our skin is as it had been burnt in an oven, for very sore hunger.

The elders sit no more under the gates, and the young men use no more the playing of Music.

The joy of our heart is gone, our merry query is turned into mourning.

The garland of our head is fallen: alas, that ever we sinned so sore!

Therefore our heart is full of heaviness, and our eyes dim:

because of the hill of Zion that is destroyed: Insomuch that the foxes run upon it.

Wherefore wilt thou still forget us, and forsake us so long?

O LORD, turn thou us unto thee: and so shall we be turned. Renew our days as in old time,

for thou hast now banished us long enough, and hast been sore displeased at us.

and as it were the likeness of four beasts: which were fashioned like a man,

Their legs were straight; But their feet were like bullock's feet, and they glistered, as it had been fair scoured metal.

And the similitude of the beasts and the fashion of them was as burning coals of fire and as fire brands, walking between the beasts. And the fire did shine, and out of the fire proceeded lightning.

The fashion and the work of the wheels was like the sea. The four wheels were joined and made, to look upon, as it had been one wheel in another.

Above over the heads of the beasts there was a firmament, which was fashioned as it had been of the most pure Crystal, and that was spread out above upon their heads:

And when they went forth I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as it had been the voice of the great God, and a rushing together as it were of a host of men. And when they stood still, they let down their wings.

Above the firmament that was over their heads, there was the fashion of a seat, as it had been made of Sapphire. Upon the seat there sat one like a man.

I beheld him, and he was like a clear light, as it had been all of fire within from his loins upward. And beneath when I looked upon him under the loins, methought he was like a shining fire, that giveth light on every side.

And as he was communing with me, the spirit came in to me, and set me up upon my feet: so that I marked the thing, that he said unto me.

that whether they be obedient or no - for it is a froward household - they may know yet that there hath been a Prophet among them.

"Therefore, thou son of man, fear them not; neither be afraid of their words: for they shall rebel against thee, and despise thee. Yea, thou shalt dwell among scorpions. But fear not their words, be not abashed at their looks: for it is a froward household.

Therefore, thou son of man, obey thou all things, that I say unto thee, and be not thou stiffnecked, like as they are a stiffnecked household. Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee."

So as I was looking up, behold, there was sent unto me a hand, wherein was a closed book:

Not to many nations which have divers speeches and hard languages, whose words thou understandest not. Nevertheless, if I sent thee to those people, they would follow thee:

"Now if a righteous man go from his righteousness, and do the thing that is evil: I will lay a stumbling block before him, and he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning - Yea, die shall he in his own sin, so that the virtue which he did before shall not be thought upon, but his blood will I require of thine hand.

So when I had risen up, and gone forth into the field: Behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like as I saw it afore, by the waters of Chebar. Then fell I down upon my face,

And I will make thy tongue cleave so to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and not be as a chider with them: for it is an obstinate household.

But when I speak unto thee, then open thy mouth, and say, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: whoso heareth, let him hear; who so will not, let him leave.' For it is an obstinate household."

how it is besieged, how bulwarks and strong ditches are graven on every side of it. Describe also the tents, and a host of men round about it.

And he said unto me, "Behold thou son of man, I will minish all the provision of bread in Jerusalem, so that they shall weigh their bread, and eat it with scarceness. But as for water, they shall have a very little measure thereof, to drink.

And burn the third part thereof in the fire in the midst of the city, and cut the other third part in pieces with a knife. As for the third part that remaineth, cast it in the wind, and then show the bare knife.

Moreover, thus said the LORD God, "This same is Jerusalem. I set her in the midst of the Heathen and nations that are round about her:

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: Forsomuch as ye with your wickedness far exceed the Heathen that dwell round about you - For ye have not walked in my laws, neither have ye kept mine ordinances -

and will handle thee of such a fashion as I never did before, and as I never will do from that time forth, and that because of all thine abominations.

Wherefore as truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, seeing thou hast defiled my Sanctuary with all manner of abominations and with all thy shameful offenses: For this cause will I also destroy thee. Mine eye shall not oversee thee, neither will I spare thee.

And they that escape from you, shall think upon me among the Heathen, where they shall be in captivity. As for that whorish and unfaithful heart of theirs, wherewith they run away from me, I will break it: Yea, and put out those eyes of theirs, that committed fornication with their idols. Then shall they be ashamed, and displeased with their selves, for the wickedness and abominations, which they have done:

and shall learn to know how that it is not in vain, that I, the LORD, spake to bring such misery upon them.'"

Whoso is far off, shall die of the pestilence; he that is nigh at hand shall perish with the sword; and the others that are besieged shall die of hunger. Thus will I satisfy my wrathful displeasure upon them.

The end is here: The end, I say, that waiteth for thee is come already.

The hour is come against thee that dwellest in the land. The time is at hand; the day of sedition is hard by: and no glad tidings upon the mountains.

Behold: the day is here, the day is come, the hour is run out, the rod flourisheth, willfulness waxeth green,

malicious violence is grown up, and the ungodly waxen to a staff. None of them shall remain over, none of their riches, not one of their seed: and no lamentation shall be made for them.

The time cometh, the day draweth nigh. Whoso buyeth, let him not rejoice: he that selleth, let him not be sorry. For why? Trouble shall come in the midst of all rest:

The sword shall be without; pestilence and hunger within: so that whoso is in the field shall be slain with the sword; and he that is in the city shall perish with hunger and pestilence.

"And such as escape and flee from among them, shall be upon the hills, like as the doves in the field: every one shall be afraid, because of his own wickedness.

All hands shall be let down, and all knees shall be weak as the water;

their silver shall lie in the streets, and their gold shall be despised. Yea, their silver and gold may not deliver them in the day of the fearful wrath of the LORD. They shall not satisfy their hungry souls, neither fill their empty bellies therewith: For it is become their own decay through their wickedness:

"I will make clean riddance, for the land is whole defiled with unrighteous judgment of innocent blood, and the city is full of abominations.

And as I looked up, I saw as it were a likeness of fire from his loins downward, and from his loins upward it shined marvelous clear.

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was in the same place: even as I had seen it afore in the field.

There stood also before the images: Seventy lords of the counsel of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. And every one of them had a censor in his hand, and out of the incense there went a smoke, as it had been a cloud.

Then said he unto me, "Thou son of man, hast thou seen what the Senators of the house of Israel do secretly, everyone in his chamber? For they say, 'Tush, the LORD seeth us not, the LORD regardeth not the world.'"

And he said unto me, "Hast thou seen this thou son of man? Thinketh the house of Israel that it is but a trifle to do these abominations here? Should they fill the land full of wickedness, and undertake to provoke me unto anger? Yea, and purposely to cast up their noses upon me?

kill and destroy both old man and young, maidens, children and wives. But as for those, that have the mark upon them: see that ye touch them not. And begin at my Sanctuary." Then they began at the elders, which were in the temple,

Then said he unto me, "The wickedness of the house of Israel and Judah is very great: so that the land is full of blood, and the city full of unfaithfulness. For they say, 'Tush, the LORD regardeth not the earth, he seeth us not.'

And behold, the man that had the linen raiment upon him, and the writer's inkhorn by his side, told all the matter how it happened, and said, "LORD, as thou hast commanded me, so have I done."

And as I looked, behold, in the firmament that was above the cherubims there appeared the similitude of a stool of sapphire upon them.

Yea and the sound of the Cherubims' wings was heard into the fore court, like as it had been the voice of the almighty God when he speaketh.

yet unto the sight were they fashioned and like, as if one wheel had been in another.

and they were lifted up above. This is the beast, that I saw at the water of Chebar.

And the Cherubims flickered with their wings, and lift themselves up from the earth: so that I saw when they went, and the wheels with them. And they stood at the east side of the port that is in the house of the LORD. So the glory of the LORD was upon them.

This is the beast that I saw under the God of Israel, by the water of Chebar. And I perceived, that it was the Cherubims.

Every one had four faces, and every one four wings, and under their wings, as it were men's hands.

Now the figure of their faces was even as I had seen them, by the water of Chebar, and so was the countenance of them: Every one in his going went straight forward.

saying, 'Tush, there is no destruction at hand, let us build houses: this Jerusalem is the cauldron, and we be the flesh.'

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: The slain men that ye have laid on the ground in this city, are the flesh, and this city is the cauldron: But I will bring you out of it.

that ye may know that I am the LORD, in whose commandments ye have not walked, nor kept his laws: but have done after the customs of the Heathen, that lie round about you.'"

"Thou son of man: thy brethren, thy kinsfolk, and the whole house of Judah which dwell at Jerusalem, say, 'They be gone far from the LORD, but the land is given us in possession.'

And thither shall ye come. And as for all impediments, and all your abominations: I will take them away.

But look, whose hearts are disposed to follow their abominations and wicked livings: those men's deeds will I bring upon their own heads, sayeth the LORD God.'"

Thy gear that thou hast made ready to flit withal, shalt thou bear out by fair daylight, that they may see: and thou thyself shalt go forth also at even in their sight, as a man doth when he goeth forth to flight.

As for thyself, thou shalt go forth in the dark. Hide thy face that thou see not the earth, for I have made thee a show-token unto the house of Israel."

Now as the Lord commanded me, so I did: the gear that I had made ready, brought I out by day. At even I brake down a hole through the wall with my hand: and when it was dark, I took the gear upon my shoulders and bare them out in their sight.

Tell them I am your show-token: like as I have done, so shall it happen unto you. Flit shall ye also, and go into captivity.

The chiefest that is among you, shall lade his shoulders in the dark, and get him away. He shall break down the wall, to carry stuff therethrough: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

As for all his helpers, and all his Hosts that be about him, I will scatter them toward all the winds, and draw out a sword after them.