1 Woe is me! For I am like the gatherings of summer fruit, like the gleanings of the vintage. There is no cluster to eat; my soul desires the first-ripe fruit.2 The good man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind. All of them lie in wait for blood; each one hunts his brother with a net.3 Both hands are on evil, to do it well. Both the ruler and the judge ask for a bribe. And the great one speaks the lust of his soul; and they weave it together.4 The best of them is like a thorn; the upright more than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; now shall be their perplexity.5 Put no faith in a companion; put no trust in a friend; keep the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom;6 for the son dishonors the father; the daughter rises up against her mother; the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.7 But I will look to Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.8 Do not rejoice against me, O my enemy; for if I fall, I shall arise. For if I sit in darkness, Jehovah is a light to me.9 I will bear the indignation of Jehovah because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I shall see His righteousness.10 And my enemy shall see; and shame shall cover her who said to me, Where is Jehovah your God? My eyes shall see her. Now she shall be trampled down as the mud of the streets.11 In the day your walls are to be built, in that day the decree shall be far removed.12 In that day they shall come to you from Assyria and the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the River, and from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain.13 But the land shall become desolate because of those who dwell in it, from the fruit of their doings.14 Shepherd Your people with Your rod, the flock of Your possession, who dwell alone in the woodland, in the midst of Carmel. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.15 As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things.16 The nations shall see and be put to shame for all their might. They shall lay their hand over their mouth; their ears shall be deaf.17 They shall lick the dust like a snake; they shall tremble out from their holes like ones that shrink back into the earth; they shall dread Jehovah our God; they shall fear because of You.18 Who is a Mighty God like You, forgiving iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His possession? His anger does not remain strong forever, for He delights in mercy.19 He will return and have compassion on us; He will subdue our iniquities. And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.20 You will give faithfulness to Jacob, goodness to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

1 Wo to me, for Y am maad as he that gaderith in heruest rasyns of grapis; there is no clustre for to ete; my soule desiride figis ripe bifore othere.2 The hooli perischide fro erthe, and riytful is not in men; alle aspien, ether setten tresoun, in blood, a man huntith his brother to deth.3 The yuel of her hondis thei seien good; the prince axith, and the domesman is in yeldyng; and a greet man spak the desir of his soule, and thei sturbliden togidere it.4 He that is best in hem, is as a paluyre; and he that is riytful, is as a thorn of hegge. The dai of thi biholdyng, thi visityng cometh, now schal be distriyng of hem.5 Nyle ye bileue to a frend, and nyle ye truste in a duyk; fro hir that slepith in thi bosum, kepe thou closyngis of thi mouth.6 For the sone doith wrong to the fadir, and the douyter schal rise ayens hir modir, and the wijf of the sone ayens the modir of hir hosebonde; the enemyes of a man ben the homeli, ether houshold meynee, of hym.7 Forsothe Y schal biholde to the Lord, Y schal abide God my sauyour; the Lord my God schal here me.8 Thou, myn enemye, be not glad on me, for Y felle doun, Y schal rise; whanne Y sitte in derknessis, the Lord is my liyt.9 Y schal bere wraththe of the Lord, for Y haue synned to hym, til he deme my cause, and make my doom; he schal lede out me in to liyt, Y schal se riytwisnesse of hym.10 And myn enemye schal biholde me, and sche schal be hilid with confusioun, which seith to me, Where is thi Lord God? Myn iyen schulen se hir, now sche schal be in to defoulyng, as clei of stretis.11 Dai schal come, that thi wallis be bildid; in that dai lawe schal be maad afer.12 In that dai and Assur schal come til to thee, and `til to stronge citees, and fro stronge citees til to flood; and to see fro see, and to hil fro hil.13 And erthe schal be in to desolacioun for her dwelleris, and for fruyt of the thouytis of hem.14 Fede thou thi puple in thi yerde, the floc of thin eritage, that dwellen aloone in wielde wode; in the myddil of Carmel thei schulen be fed of Basan and of Galaad,15 bi elde daies, bi daies of thi goyng out of the lond of Egipt. Y schal schewe to hym wondurful thingis;16 hethene men schulen se, and thei schulen be confoundid on al her strengthe; thei schulen putte hondis on her mouth, the eris of hem schulen be deef;17 thei schulen licke dust as a serpent; as crepynge thingis of erthe thei schulen be disturblid of her housis; thei schulen not desire oure Lord God, and thei schulen drede thee.18 God, who is lijk thee, that doist awei wickidnesse, and berist ouer the synne of relifs of thin eritage? He shal no more sende in his stronge veniaunce, for he is willynge merci; he schal turne ayen,19 and haue merci on vs. He schal put doun oure wickidnessis, and schal caste fer in to depnesse of the see alle oure synnes.20 Thou schalt yyue treuthe to Jacob, merci to Abraham, whiche thou sworist to oure fadris fro elde daies.