Jeremiah 12 O Lorde, thou art more ryghteous, then that I shulde dispute wt the. Neuertheles, lett me talke with the in thynges reasonable. How happeneth it, that the waye of the vngodly is so prosperous? & that it goeth so well with them, whych (wythout any shame) offende & lyue in wickednes?

Great⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ O Lorde, thou art more ryghteous, then that I shulde dispute wt the. Neuertheles, lett me talke with the in thynges reasonable. How happeneth it, that the waye of the vngodly is so prosperous? & that it goeth so well with them, whych (wythout any shame) offende & lyue in wickednes? ² Thou plantest them, they take rote, they growe, & brynge forth frute. They boast moch of the, yet art thou farre from ther reynes. ³ But thou Lorde (to whom I am well knowne) thou that hast sene, & proued my herte, take them awaye, lyke as a flock is caryed to the slaughter house, and apointe them for the daye of slaughter. ⁴ How longe shall the lande mourne, and all the herbes of the felde perish, for the wyckednes of them that dwell therin. The catell and the byrdes are gone, yet say they tush, God wyll not destroye vs vtterly. ⁵ Seyng, thou art weery in runnyng with the fote men, how wilt thou then runne with horses? In a peaceable sure lande thou mayest be safe, but how wilt thou do in the furyous pryde of Iordane? ⁶ For thy brethren & thy kynred haue all together despysed the, and cryed out vpon the in thyne absence. Beleue them not, though they speake fayre wordes to the. ⁷ As for me (I saye) I haue forsaken myne awne dwellyng place, & left myne heritage. My lyfe also that I loue so wel, haue I geuen into the handes of myne enemies. ⁸ Myne heritage is become vnto me, as a Lyon in the wood. It cryed out vpon me, therfore, haue I forsaken it. ⁹ Myne herytage is vnto me, as a speckled byrde, a byrde of dyuerse coloures is vpon it. Come, & gather ye to geather al the beastes of the felde. Come that ye maye eate it vp. ¹⁰ Diuerse herdmen haue broken downe my vyneyarde, and troden vpon my porcyon. Of my pleasaunt porcyon, they haue made a wyldernes and desert. ¹¹ They haue layed it waste: & now that it is waste, it sigheth vnto me. Yee, the whole land lyeth waste, & no man regardeth it. ¹² The destroyers come ouer the heeth euery waye, for the sweard of the Lorde doth consume from the one ende of the land to the other, & no flesh hath rest. ¹³ They haue sowen wheate, & reaped thornes. They haue taken herytage in possessyon, but it doth them no good. And the prophets were ashamed of your frutes, because of the great wrath of the Lorde. ¹⁴ Thus sayeth the Lorde vpon all myne euell neyghbours, that laye hande on myne herytage, whych I haue possessed, euen my people of Israell. Beholde, I wyll plucke them (namely Israel) out of their lande, and put out the house of Iuda from among them. ¹⁵ And when I haue roted them out, I wylbe at one with them agayne, & I wyll haue mercy vpon them: & brynge them agayne, euery man to his awne herytage, and into his lande. ¹⁶ And yf they (namely that trouble my people) wyll lerne the wayes of them, to sweare by my name. The Lord lyueth (lyke as they learned my people to sweare by Baal) then shal they be rekened among my people. ¹⁷ But yf they wyll not obeye, then wyll I rote out the same folke, & destroye them, sayth the Lord.