The Synagogue expostulateth with her children for their ingratitude;
10. shewing that they shal be forsaken, and the gentiles called.
THVS saith our Lord: I brought this people out of bondage, to whom I
gaue commandment by my seruantes the Prophetes, whom they would not
heare, but made my counsel frustrate. 2 Their mother that bare them,
sayth to them: Goe children, because I am a wydow and forsaken. 3 I
brought you vp with ioy, & haue lost you with mourning & sorow, because
you haue sinned before our Lord your God, & haue done that which is
euil before him. 4 But now what shal I doe to you? I am a wydow and
desolote, goe my children, & aske mercie of our Lord. 5 And I cal thee
o father a witnes vpon the mother of the children, that would not keepe
my testament, 6 that thou geue them confusion, & their mother into
spoile, that there be no generation of them. 7 Let their names be
dispersed into the Gentiles, let them be destroyed out of the land:
because they haue despised my sacrament. 8 Woe be to thee Assur, which
hidest the wicked with thee. Thou naughtie nation, remember what I did
to Sodom & Gomorrha: (Gen 19:24) 9 whose land lieth in cloddes of
pitch, & heapes of ashes: so wil I make them, that haue not heard me,
saith our Lord omnipotent. 10 Thus saith our Lord to Esdras: Tel my
pople, that I wil geue them the kingdom of Ierusalem, which I ment to
geue to Isreal. 11 And I wil take to me the glorie of them, and wil
geue them eternal tabernacles, which I had prepared for them. 12 The
wood of life shal be to them for an odour of oyntment, and they shal
not labour, nor be wearied. 13 Goe & you shal receiue. Aske for your
selues a few dayes, that they may abide. Now the kingdom is prepared
for you, watch ye. 14 Cal thou heauen and earth to witnes: for I haue
destroyed euil, and haue created good, because I liue sayth our Lord.
15 Mother embrace thy children, bring them vp with ioy. As a doue
confirme their feete: because I haue chosen thee, sayth our Lord. 16
And I wil raise againe the dead out of their places, and out of the
monumentes I wil bring them forth, because I haue knowen my name in
Israel. 17 Feare not o mother of the children, because I haue chosen
thee, saith our Lord. 18 I wil send thee ayde, my seruantes I saie, and
Ieremie, at whose counsel I haue sanctified, and prepared for thee
tweleue trees loden with diuerse fruites, 19 and as manie fountaines
flowing milke and honie: and seuen huge mountaines, hauing the rose and
the lilie, in the which I wil fil thy children with ioy. (Ex 15:27) 20
Iustifie thou the widow, iudge for the pupil, geue to the needie,
defend the orphane, cloth the naked, 21 cure the broken & feeble, mocke
not the lame, defend the maimed, and admitte the blind to the vision of
my glorie. 22 The old man & the yong keepe with in thy walles: 23 where
thou shalt finde the dead, committe them to the graue signing it, & I
wil geue thee the first seate in my resurrection. (Tob 1:20) 24 Pause
and rest my people, because thy rest shal come. 25 As a good nurce
nourish thy children, confirme their feete. 26 The seruantes that I
haue geuen thee, none of them shal perish. For I wil require them of
thy number. 27 Be not wearied. For when the day of affliction and
distresse shal come, others shal weepe, and be sad, but thou shalt be
merie and plenteous. 28 The gentiles shal enuie, and shal be able to
doe nothing against thee, sayth our Lord. 29 My handes shal couer thee,
that thy children see not hel. 30 Be pleasant thou mother with thy
children, because I wil deliuer thee sayth our Lord. 31 Remember thy
children that sleepe, for I wil bring them out of the sides of the
earth, & wil doe mercie with them: because I am merciful, sayth our
Lord omnipotent. 32 Embrace thy children til I come, & shew them
mercie: because my fountaines runne ouer, and my grace shal not faile.
33 I Esdras receiued commandment of our Lord, in mount Oreb; that I
should goe to Israel: to whom when I came, they refused me, and
reiected the commandement of our Lord. 34 And therfore, I say vnto you
gentiles, which heare, and vnderstand, Looke for your pastor, he wil
geue you the rest of eternitie: because he is at hand, that shal come
in the end of the world. 35 Be ye readie for the rewardes of the
kingdom, because perpetual light shal shine to you for time
euerlasting. 36 Flee from the shadow of this world: receiue ye the
pleasantnes of your glorie. I openly cal to witnes my sauiour. 37
Receiue the commended gift and be pleasant, geuing thankes to him that
called you to the heauenlie kingdomes. 38 Arise, & stand & see the
number of them that are signed in the feast of our Lord. 39 They that
haue transferred them selues from the shadow of the world, haue
receiued glorious garmentes of our Lord. 40 Receiue o Sion thy number,
and shut vp thyne made white, which haue accomplished the law of our
Lord. 41 The number of thy children, which thou didst wish is ful.
Desire the powre of our Lord that thy people may be sanctified, which
was called from the beginning. 42 I Esdras saw in mount Sion a great
multiude, which I could not number, and they did al prayse our Lord
with songes. (Apoc 7:9) 43 And in the middes of them was a young man
high of stature, appearing aboue ouer them al, & he put crownes vpon
euerie one of their heades, and he was more exalted. And I was astonied
at the miracle. 44 Then asked I an Angel, and sayd: Who are these Lord?
45 Who answering sayd to me: These are they that haue laid of the
mortal garment, and taken an immortal, and haue confessed the name of
God. Now they are crowned, and receiue palmes. 46 And I sayd to the
Angel: That yongman what is he, which putteth the crownes vpon them,
and geueth palmes into their handes? 47 And answering he sayd to me:
The same is the Sonne of God, whom they did confesse in the world: & I
begane to magnifie them, that stood strongly for the name of our Lord.
48 Then sayd the Angel to me: Goe, tel my people, what maner of
meruelous thinges and how great, thou hast sene of the Lord God.