# Bible (Early Wycliffe)/Abacuk

Þe book of Abacuk.

## Capitulum I.

The charge þat Abacuk, prophete, ſaw. Hou longe, Lord, ſhal Y crye, and þou ſhalt not heere graciouſly? Y ſuffringe violence ſhal crie on heeȝ, and ſhalt þou not ſaue? Whi ſhewidiſt þou to me wickidneſſe and traueile, for to ſee pray and vnriȝtwiſneſſe aȝeinus me? Whi biholdiſt þou diſpiſers, and art ſtille, þe vnpitouſe man defoulyng a iuſter þan hym? And þou ſhalt make men as fiſhis of þe ſe, and as crepynge þingis not hauynge duyk; and dom is maad, and aȝeinſayinge more miȝty. For þis þing law is to-broken, and dom cummeþ not vn to þe eende; for vnpitous man haþ miȝt aȝeinus þe iuſt, þerfore weywerd dom ſhal go out. Biholde ȝe in heþen men, and ſee ȝe, and wondre ȝee, and gretely dreede ȝee; for a worke is don in ȝour days, whiche no man ſhal byleeue, whan it ſhal be told. For loo! Y ſhal reyſe Caldeis, a bitter folk and ſwift, goynge vpon þe breed of erþe, þat he weelde tabernaclis not his. He is orrible, and dreedeful; of hym ſelf dome, and his charge ſhal go out. His horſis liȝter þan pardis, and ſwifter þan euyn wolues, and his horſmen ſhuln be ſcatrid abrode; for whi horſmen ſhuln cum fro fer, þei ſhuln flee as an egle haſtynge to ete. Alle men ſhuln cume to preye, þe face of hem as brennynge wynde; and he ſhal gadre as grauel caitiftee. And he ſhal haue victorie of kyngis, and tirauntis ſhuln be his leiȝingis; he ſhal leiȝe vpon al ſtrengþe, and ſhal bere to gidre an hepe of erþe, and ſhal take it. Þanne þe ſpirit of hym ſhal be chaungid, and he ſhal paſſe by, and falle to gydre; þis is þe ſtrengþe of hym, of his god. Wher not þou fro bigynnynge, Lord my God, myn holy, and we ſhuln not dye? Lord, in to dome þou haſt putte hym, and þou groundidiſt hym ſtrong, þat þou ſhuldiſt chaſtiſe. Þyn eeȝen ben cleene, ſee þou not yuel, and þou ſhalt not mow biholde to wickidneſſe. Whi biholdiſt þou not vpon men doynge wickidly, and þou art ſtille, þe vnpytouſe man deuourynge a more iuſt þan hym? And þou ſhalt make men as fiſhis of þe ſe, and as crepynge þing not hauynge prince. Alle in hooke he ſhal lifte vp; he drawide it in his nett, and gadride in to his net; vpon þis þing he ſhal glade, and ioye wiþ out forþ. Þerfore he ſhal offre to his nett, and he ſhal make ſacrifice to his nett; for in hem his part is maad fatt, and his mete choſen. Þerfore for þis þing he ſprediþ abrood his nett, and euermore he ſhal not ſpare for to ſlea folkis.

## Capitulum II.

Vpon my keepyng Y ſhal ſtonde, and Y ſhal picche a greeſe vpon þe wardyng; and Y ſhal byholde, þat Y ſee what þing ſhal be ſaide to me, and what Y ſhal anſwere to þe reprouynge me. And þe Lord anſwerde to me, and ſaide, Write þou þe ſiȝt, and make it pleyn vpon tablis, þat he renne, þat ſhal reede it. For ȝit þe viſioun fer, and it ſhal apeere in to eende, and ſhal not leeȝe; ȝit it ſhal make dwellyng, abijde þou it, for it cummynge ſhal cum, and ſhal not tarie. Loo! he þat is vnbileeful, þe ſoule of hym ſhal not be riȝt in hym ſelf; forſoþe þe iuſt man ſhal lyue in his feiþ. And as wijn diſceiueþ a man drinkynge, ſo ſhal þe proude man be, and ſhal not be maad faire; for as helle he alargide his ſoule, and he as deþ, and he ſhal not be fulfillid; and he ſhal gedre to hym alle folkis, and he ſhal hepe to gydre to hym alle peplis. Wher not alle þeſe vpon hym ſhuln take a parable, and þe ſpekyng of derk ſentencis of hym? And it ſhal be ſaide, Wo to hym þat multiplieþ þingus not his owne; how long, and he aggregiþ aȝeinus hym þicke clay? Wher not ſudeynly þei ſhuln ryſe to gydre, þat ſhuln bite þee? And þei ſhuln be reiſid to-terynge þee, and þou ſhalt be in to raueyne to hem; and þin aſpiers in yuel ſhuln wake. For þou robbidiſt many folkis, alle ſhuln robbe þee, whiche ſhuln be relikis of peplis, for blood of man, and wickidneſſe of lond of þe citee, and of men dwellynge in it. Woo to hym þat gadriþ euyl coueitiſe to his hous, þat his neſt be in heeȝ, and geſſiþ hym for to be delyuered of þe hond of yuel. Þou þouȝtiſt confuſioun to þin hous; þou haſt ſlayn many peplis, and þi ſoule ſynnede. For a ſtoon of þe wall ſhal crie, and a tree þat is bitwixe ioyntours of beeldingis ſhal anſwere. Woo to hym þat beeldiþ a citee in blodis, and makiþ redy a cytee in wickidneſſe. Wher not þeſe þingis ben of þe Lord of ooſtis? Forſoþe peplis ſhuln traueile in myche fijr, and folkis in veyn, and þei ſhuln faile. For þe erþe ſhal be fulfillid, þat þei knowe þe glorie of þe Lord, as waters hillynge þe ſe. Woo to hym þat ȝeuiþ drinke to his frend, ſendynge his galle, and makynge drunken, þat he biholde his nakidneſſe. He is fulfillid wiþ yuel fame for glorie; and drynke þou, and be aſlept; þe cup of þe riȝt half of þe Lord ſhal aboute ȝeue þee, and caſting vp of yuel fame vpon þi glorie. For þe wickidneſſe of Liban ſhal keuere þee, and þe diſtruccioun of beeſtis ſhal fere þee, of blodis of man, and of wickidneſſe of lond of þe citee, and of alle dwellynge þeryn. What profitiþ þe ſculptile, for his maker grauede it; a wellid þing to gidre, and a fals ymage, for þe maker þerof hopide in þe makyng, þat he made dumbe ſymulacris? Woo to hym þat ſaiþ to a tree, Wake þou; Ryſe þou, to a ſtoon beynge ſtylle; wher he ſhal mowe teche? Loo! þis is keuered in gold and ſyluer, and eche ſpirit is not in his entrailis. Forſoþe þe Lord in his holy temple, al erþe be ſtille fro his face.

## Capitulum III.

Lord, Y herde þi heerynge, and Y dredde; Lord, þi werke, in þe mydil of ȝeeris quyckene þou it. In þe mydil of ȝeeris þou ſhalt make knowen; whan þou ſhalt be wroþe, þou ſhalt recorde of mercy. God ſhal cum fro þe ſouþ, and þe holy fro þe mount of Pharan. Þe glorie of hym keuerde heuen, and þe erþe is ful of his herying. Þe ſhynyng ſhal be as liȝt; hornys in hondis of hym. Þere þe ſtrengþe of hym is hid, byfore his face deþ ſhal go; þe deuyl ſhal go out bifore his feet. He ſtode, and matte þe erþe; he bihelde, and vnboonde folkis, and hillis of þe world ben broken to gydre; þe litil hillis of þe world ben bowid doun, of þe wayes of his euerlaſtingneſſe. For wickidneſſe Y ſawȝ þe tentis of Eþiopie, þe ſkynnes of lond of Madian ſhuln be trublid. Lord, wher in flodis þou art wroþe, or in flodis þi woodneſſe, or in þe ſe þin indignacioun? Whiche ſhalt ſtye vp þin horſis; and þi foure horſid cartis ſaluacioun. Þou reyſynge ſhalt reyſe þi bowe, oþis to lynagis whiche þou haſt ſpoken; þou ſhalt kitte flodis of erþe. Watris ſawen þee, and hillis ſorewiden, þe guter of waters paſſide; depneſſe ȝaf his voice, heeȝneſſe reyſide his hondis. Sunne and mone ſtoden in her dwellynge; in þe liȝt of þin arewis þei ſhuln goo, in þe ſhynynge of þi ſpere ſmytynge. In beting of teeþ þou ſhalt defoule erþe, and in wodneſſe þou ſhalt aſtoneye folkis. Þou art gon out in to helþe of þi peple, in to helþe wiþ þi criſt; þou haſt ſmyten þe heued of þe hous of þe vnpitouſe man, þou haſt made nakid þe foundement vn to þe neckus. Þou curſidiſt þe ſceptris, or powers, of hym, þe hed of his fiȝters, cummynge as whirlwynde for to ſcatere me; þe ioyinge wiþ outforþ of hem, as of hym þat deuouriþ a pore man in hidils. Þou madiſt a weye in þe ſe to þin horſis, in cleye of manye waters. Y herde, and my wombe is to gydre trublid; of þe voice my lippis trembleden to gydre. Rott entre in to my boonys, and boyle, or ſprynge, vndir me; and Y ſhal reſte aȝein in þe day of tribulacioun, and Y ſhal ſtey vp to oure peple girde to gydre. Forſoþe þe fijge tree ſhal not floriſhe, and buriownyng ſhal not be in vyne ȝerdis; þe werk of þe olyue ſhal leeȝe, and feeldis ſhuln not brynge to mete; a ſheep ſhal be kitt of fro þe folde, and a drooue ſhal not be in þe cratchis. Forſoþe Y ſhal haue ioye in þe Lord, and Y ſhal ioye wiþ outeforþ in God my Jheſu. God þe Lord my ſtrengþe, and he ſhal putte my feet as of hertis; and vpon myn heeȝ þingus, þe ouercummer ſhal leede me forþ, ſingynge in pſalmes.
Here endiþ þe book of Abacuk, þe prophete, and bigynneþ þe book of Sophonye, prophete.