¹ And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

² and he seide, And thou, sone of man, whether thou demest not the citee of bloodis?

³ And thou schalt schewe to it alle hise abhomynaciouns, and thou schalt seie, The Lord God seith these thingis, This is a citee schedinge out blood in the myddis of it silf, that the tyme therof come; and which made idols ayens it silf, that it shulde be defoulid.

⁴ In thi blood which is shed out of thee, thou trespassidist, and thou art defoulid in thin idols whiche thou madist; and thou madist thi daies to neiye, and thou brouytist the time of thi yeeris. Therfor Y yaf thee schenschipe to hethene men, and scornyng to alle londis that ben niy thee,

⁵ and that ben fer fro thee; thou foul citee, noble, greet in perisching, thei schulen haue victorie of thee.

⁶ Lo! princes of Israel, alle in her arm, weren in thee, to schede out blood.

⁷ Thei punyschiden with wrongis fadir and modir in thee, thei calengiden falsli a comelyng in the myddis of thee, thei maden sori a fadirles child and a widewe at thee.

⁸ Ye dispisiden my seyntuaries, and ye defouliden my sabatis.

⁹ Men bacbiteris weren in thee, to schede out blood, and eten on hillis in thee; thei wrouyten greet trespas in the myddis of thee.

¹⁰ Thei vnhiliden the schamefulere thingis of the fadir in thee, thei maden low in thee the vnclenesse of a womman in vnclene blood.

¹¹ And ech man wrouyte abhomynacioun ayens the wijf of his neiybore, and the fadir of the hosebonde defoulide his sones wijf vnleuefuli; a brother oppresside in thee his sister, the douytir of his fadir.

¹² Thei token yiftis at thee, to schede out blood; thou tokist vsure and ouerabundaunce, and thou calengidist greedili thi neiyboris, and thou hast foryete me, seith the Lord God.

¹³ Lo! Y haue smyte togidere myn hondis on thin aueryce, which thou didist, and on the blood which is sched out in the myddis of thee.

¹⁴ Whether thin herte schal susteyne, ether thin hondis schulen haue power in the daies whiche Y schal make to thee? For Y the Lord spak, and Y schal do.

¹⁵ And Y schal scatere thee in to naciouns, and Y schal wyndewe thee in to londis; and Y schal make thin vnclennesse to faile fro thee,

¹⁶ and Y schal welde thee in the siyt of hethene men; and thou schalt wite, that Y am the Lord.

¹⁷ And the word of the Lord was maad to me, and he seide,

¹⁸ Thou, sone of man, the hous of Israel is turned to me in to dros, ether filthe of irun; alle these ben bras, and tyn, and irun, and leed, in the myddis of furneis, thei ben maad the dros of siluer.

¹⁹ Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, For that alle ye ben turned in to dros, lo! Y schal gadere you togidere in the myddis of Jerusalem,

²⁰ bi gadering togidere of siluer, and of latoun, and of irun, and of tyn, and of leed, in the myddis of furneis; and Y schal kindle ther ynne a fier, to welle togidere; so Y schal gadere you togidere in my strong veniaunce, and in my wraththe, and Y schal reste. And Y schal welle you togidere,

²¹ and Y schal gadere you togidere, and Y schal sette you a fier in the fier of my strong veniaunce, and ye schulen be wellid togidere in the myddis therof.

²² As siluer is wellid togidere in the myddis of a furneis, so ye schulen be in the myddis therof; and ye schulen wite, that Y am the Lord, whanne Y haue sched out myn indignacioun on you.

²³ And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

²⁴ and he seide, Sone of man, seie thou to it, Thou art a lond vncleene, and not bireyned in the dai of strong veniaunce.

²⁵ Sweringe togidere, ether conspiringe of profetis is in the myddis therof; as a lioun roringe and takinge prei, thei deuouriden men, thei token richessis and prijs; thei multiplieden widewis therof in the myddis therof.

²⁶ Preestis therof dispisiden my lawe, and defouliden my seyntuaries; thei hadden not difference bitwixe hooli thing and vnhooli, thei vndurstoden not bitwixe defoulid thing and cleene thing; and thei turneden awei her iyen fro my sabatis, and Y was defoulid in the myddis of hem.

²⁷ The princes therof in the myddis therof weren as wolues rauyschinge prey, to schede out blood, and to leese men, and in suynge lucris gredili.

²⁸ Forsothe the profetis therof pargetiden hem with out temperure, and seyen veyn thingis, and dyuyneden leesingis to hem, and seiden, The Lord God seith these thingis, whanne the Lord spak not.

²⁹ The puples of the lond calengiden fals caleng, and rauyschiden bi violence; thei turmentiden a nedi man and pore, and oppressiden a comeling bi fals caleng, with out doom.

³⁰ And Y souyte of hem a man, that schulde sette an hegge bitwixe, and stonde set ayens me for the lond, that Y schulde not distrie it, and Y foond not.

³¹ And Y schedde out on hem myn indignacioun, and Y wastide hem in the fier of my wraththe; Y yeldide the weie of hem on the heed of hem, seith the Lord God.