To whom shall I speak and give warnning that they may hear (saith the Prophet.) Behold, their eares are uncircumcised they cannot hearken. The word of the Lord is to them a reproach, they have no delight in it. 11 Therefore am I full of the fury of the Lord, I am weary with holding in, I will powre it out upon the children abread. 13 For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousnesse, And from the Prophet to the Priest every one dealeth falsly A wonderfull and horrid thing is committed in the land, Thy Princes are rebellious and companions of Theives, Every one loveth gifts and followeth after rewards. Their Princes in the middest thereof are like Wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood and destroy [Page 2] soules, to get dishonest gain. They covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses and take them away, so they oppresse a man and his house: Even a man and his heritage. Which devour widdows houses, and for pretences make long prayers.

Yea thus saith the Lord, They come unto thee as the people commeth, and they sit before thée as my people, and they heare thy words but they will not do them, for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse. For they know not to doe right saith the Lord, who store up violence and robery in their Palaces. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eate up my people as they eate bread, and call not upon the Lord Behold yée fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickednesse, yée shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voyces to be heard on high. For all their princes are revolters. They are greedy dogs which can never have enough. Therefore Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider your doings. Is it such a fast that I have chosen, will ye call this a fast? and an acceptable day to the Lord? Therefore the Lord the God of Hostes, the Lord saith thus, [Page 3] I hate and detest your Fast dayes, and I will not smell in your Solemn Assemblies, Though you offer me burnt offerings, and your meat offerings, I will not accept them. He that killeth an Oxe, is as if he slew a man, He that sacrificeth a lambe, is as if hée cut off a dogges neck: He that offereth an offering, as if hee offered swines blood, And he that burneth Incence, as if he blessed an Idol. And when yee spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you, yea, when ye make many prayers I will not heare, your hands are full of blood. Who leave the pathes of uprightnesse to walke in the wayes of darkenesse Who rejoyce to do evil, and delight in the frowardnesse of the wicked, Therefore, Take away from mee the noyse of your lying, for I will not heare the melody of your Viols.

But let Judgement runne downe as water, and righteousnesse as a mighty streame. Is not this the fast that I have chosen to lose the bonds of wickednesse, to undoe the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed goe frée, and that ye breake every yoake. 7 Is it not to deale thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poore that are cast out into thy house, and when thou seest the naked that thou cover him. Goe ye and learne what that meaneth, saith our Saviour, I wil [Page 4] have mercy and not sacrifice. For All the wayes of God are mercy and truth. He that walketh in his uprightnesse feareth the Lord, But he that is perverse in his wayes dispiseth him But They and their fathers have transgressed against mee, even to this very day, for they are impudent children and stif-hearted.

They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children, they are a perverse and crooked Generation. Yea, they have chosen their own wayes, & their soules delights in their abominations. And they say---But we will walke after out own doings, and we will every one doe the imaginations of his evill heart. 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord, aske ye now amongst the heathen who hath heard such things. Heare Oh Hearens and give eare Oh Earth, I have nourished children, and they have rebelled against me. Judge I pray you betwéene me and my Vineyard: What could I have done more for them. When they cryed unto the Lord in their trouble, hee delivered them out of their distresse.

And if the mighty workes which had béen done in you had béen done in Tyer and Sydon they would have repented long agoe in sackcloath and ashes. Harken unto this, consider the wondrous works [Page 5] of God. And Consider your doings. Do ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise? Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord? shall not my soule be avenged on such a Nation as this? I will heap miseries upon them, I will spend mine arrows upon them. And I will dash them one against another, the father and sonne together saith the Lord, I will not pitty nor spare nor have merry but destroy them. 25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy measure from me saith the Lord, Because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood Therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Behold I will punish them, their young men shal dye by the sword, and their sons and their daughters shal dye by famine. And the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled, and I will doe unto them after their wayes, and according to their doings will I judge them. Wo to the wicked it shall bee evill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him. His mischeife shall returne upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on indignation. I will render vengeance to mine Enemies, I I will reward them that hate me. 24. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, And [Page 6] my sword, shall devoure flesh. And as thy sword hath made women childlesse, so shall thy mother be childles among women. If any man have an eare to heare let him heare. 10 Hee that leadeth into captivity, shall goe into captivity, And hee that killeth with the sword, shall be killed with the sword The land shall be desolate, because of them that dwell therein for the fruit of their doings. And the recompence of a mans hands shall be rendered unto him. And Adonibezeck said threescore and ten Kings having their thumbes and their great toes cut off, gathered their meate under my table, as I have don, so God hath requited me.

And Nathan said unto David. 9 Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slaine him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house. 11 And I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lye with thy wives in the sight of the sunne. 12 Thou diddest it secretly, but I will doe it before all Israel, and in the sight of the sun. b For there is nothing hid that shall not be manifested, neither any thing kept secret but that it shall come abroad And every man shall receive his owne reward according [Page 7] to his own labour.

With the upright man thou wilt shew thy selfe upright, and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward, And with what measure you mere it shall be measured to you againe. Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the Image of God made he man. And Jesus said---put up againe thy sword into his place, for All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. From whence commeth wars and fightings among you come they not hence? even of your lusts. 2 Yee lust and have not, ye kill and desire to have. 3 That ye may spend it on your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore scatter thou the people that delight in war, yea, Thus saith the Lord.

will slay the last of them with the sword, he that fléeth of them shall not flée away, and he that escapeth of them shall not bee delivered. For He that remaineth and is beseiged shall die by the famine, thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. And now Oh ye Princes this commandement is for you; if ye will not heare to give glory to my name, saith the Lord of Hostes, I will even send a curse upon your blessings y , I have cursed them already, Because yee did [Page 8] not lay it to heart.

3 Behold I will corrupt your séed and spread dung in your faces even the dung of your solemn feasts For they have déeply corrupted themselves as in the dayes of Gibiah (Judges 1) Therfore he will remember their iniquities he will visit their sinnes. For, by reason of multitudes of oppressione they make the oppressed to cry, they cry out by reason of the arme of the mighty. Because he hath oppressed and forsaken the poore, because he hath violently taken away an house which he built not. He that planted the eare shall not he heare, he that formed the eye shall he not see? He that chastiseth the Heathen shall he not correct? Hee that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? For the oppression of the poore, and for the sighing of the needy I will arise saith the Lord. And I will féede them that oppressed thée with their own flesh and they shall be drunke with their owne blood as with new wine. For he saith by the strength of my hand have I done it, & by my wisdome I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasuries, & I have put down the Inhabitants of the land, as a valiant man. 14 And my hands hath found as a nest the riches of the people, and as one gathereth egges that are left have I gathered all, &c. Thus they sacrifice to their net, and burne incense unto [Page 9] their Drag, Because by them their portion is fat.

Therefore Thus saith the Lord a sword a sword is sharpened and four bished. 10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter, it is fourbished that it may glitter. 11 And it is fourbished to give into the hands of the slayer. 28 For the slaughter it is fourbished, to consume because of the glitter+ing. 30 I will judge thée in the land of thy nativity. 31 And I will powre out mine indignation upon thée, I will blow against thée in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thée into the hands of brutish men, and skilfull to destroy. A Nation of a fierce countenance which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young. For, Thou shalt be as fuell to the fire, thy blood shall be in the middest of the Land.

Oh Assirian the rodde of mine anger, and the staffe in their hand is mine indignation. 6 I will send him against an hypocriticall Nation And against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoyle, and to take the prey, and to tread them downe like mire in the stréets. To bind their Kings with chaines, and their nobles with links of iron. For the Lord hath a controversie with the Inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. 2 By swearing, and lying, and kiling and stealing [Page 10] and committing adultery, they breake out, and blood toucheth blood. 3. Therefore shall the land mourn, and all that dwelleth therein shall anguish. 9 And there shall be like people like Priests, and I will punish them for their ways, & reward them for their doings. The Prophets prophesie falsly, and the Priests beare rule by their means, and my people loves to have it so? But what will ye doe in the end thereof. The Prophets prophesie lies in my name, I send them not, they prophesie unto you a false vision and devination and the deceit of their own heart, Behold ye trust in lying words that cannot profit. 9 Will yée steale, murder, and commit adultery, and sweare falsly, and walk after other Gods (for ye cannot serve God and Mammon, Mat. 6.24.) 10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say wée are delivered to do all these abominations. 11 Is this house which is called by my name, become a den of théeves in your eyes, Behold, I have séen it saith the Lord. Therefore I will call for a sword. My sword shall be hathed in Heaven, it shall come downe upon the people of my curse to judgement.

And because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not béen mindfull of the rock of thy strength, therfore behold at eventide trouble, and before the morning he [Page 11] is not, this is the portion of them that spoile us, and the lot of them that rob us. Their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation, they shall also build houses and net inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards but not drink the wine thereof. For The Lord God of recompences shall surely requite.

Wherefore thus saith the Lord, forasmuch as this people draw néer unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart from me, and their feare towards me is taught by the precepts of men. 14 Therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvelous worke among this people, even a mervelous work and a wonder, for the wisdome of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Stay your selves and wonder, cry yée out and say, they are drunken but not with wine, they stagger but not with strong drinke. 10 For the Lord hath poured out upon them the spirit of déepe sleepe, and hath closed your eyes, your Priests and your Rulers hath hée covered. For they are foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures. living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.

But if yee bite and devoure one another, Take héede ye be not devoured one of another, for thus saith the Lord, I will call for a sword, and every mans sword shall be against his brother.

For the sword shall devoure from the one end of the land even unto the other end of the land and no flesh shal have peace. Go to now ye rich men wéep and houle for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments motheaten. 3 Your gould and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you, and shall eate your flesh as it were fire, ye have heaped treasures together for the last day. 4 Behold the hire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields which is of you kept by fraud, cryeth, and the cryes---are entered into the eares of the Lord of Sabbath. 5 yee have lived on earth and béen wanton, ye have nourished your hearts as in the day of slaughter. Therfore, Thus saith the Lord an evill an only evil behold is come. 6 An end is come it waiteth for thée, behold it is come. 17 Al hands shall be féeble, and all knées shall be as weak as water. 18 They shall gird themselves with sackcloath, horrour shall cover them And shame shall be upon all faces, and baldnesse upon all their heads 19 They shall cast their silver into the stréets, and their gold shall be removed, their silver and their gold [Page 13] shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord, they shall not satisfie their souls nor fill their bowels, because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity.

Because it is the price of blood. for they have sould the righteous for silver, and the poore for a paire of shooes. So are the ways of every one that is gréedy of gaine, which take away the lives of the owners thereof. I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings and sold themselves to do evill in the sight of the Lord. they delight in lyes, they blesse with their mouthes but curse inwardly: Surely men of low degrée are vanity, and men of high degrée are a lye; To be layd in the ballance they are altogether lighter the vanity As it is written there is none righteous no not one. 11 There is none that séeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good no not one. 13.

Their throate is an open sepulcher with their tongues have they used deceit, the poyson of aspes is under their lips. 15 Their féet are swift to shed blood. 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways. 17 And the way of peace they have not known. 18 There is no fear of God before their eies. For this know, that in the latter days perilous, [Page 14] times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their owne selves, covetous boasters, proud 3 Without natural affection, Covenant-breakers, false accusers, incontinent fierce, dispisers of those that are good. 4 Traitors, heady high minded, lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God. 5 having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power there of For it must be that offences come saith our Saviour, but wo unto them by whom they come,

Therefore, Wo unto you scribes and pharisées hipocrites, for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men, for ye neither go in your selves, neither suffer others, yea, them that are entering to go in. 4 Wo unto you scribes, pharisées, hypocrits, for ye devoure widowes houses, and for pretence make long prayers, therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitfull man. Even so yee also outwardly appeare righteous unto men but within ye are full of hypocrisie, and iniquity. Therefore cursed be hee that removeth his neighbours landmark cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly, and all the people shall say Amen Amen, Amen.