HOW is the gold become so dimme? How is
Purest and finest gold thus
chang'd to this?
The stones which were stones of the Sanctuary,
Scattered in corners of each street do lye.
The
pretious
sonnes of Sion, which should bee
Valued at purest gold, how
do wee see
Low rated now, as earthen
Pitchers, stand,
Which
are the worke of a poore
Potters hand.
Even the Sea-calfes
draw their brests, and give
Sucke to their young; my peoples
daughters live,
By reason of the foes great cruelnesse,
As do
the
Owles in the vast
Wildernesse.
And when the
sucking child doth
strive to draw,
His tongue for thirst cleaves to
his upper jaw.
And when for
bread the little
children crye,
There is no man that doth them satisfies
They
which before were delicately fed,
Now in the streets forlorne have
perished,
And they which ever were in
scarlet cloath'd,
Sit
and embrace the dunghills which they loathd.
The
daughters
of my people have
sinned more,
Than did the towne of
Sodome
sinne before;
Which being at once destroy'd, there did remaine
No hands amongst them, to vexe them
againe.
But
heretofore purer her Nazarite
Was than the snow, and milke was not so
white;
As carbuncles did their
pure bodies shine,
And all
their
polish'dnesse was Saphirine.
They are darker now than
blackness none can know
Them by the
face, as through the streets they
goe,
For now their
skin doth
cleave unto the bone,
And
withered, is like to dry wood growne.
Better by
sword than
famine 'tis to dye;
And
better through pierc'd, than through penury.
Women by
nature pitifull have eate
'Their children drest with
their owne hand for
meat.
Jehova here fully
accomplished hath
His indignation, and powr'd forth his wrath,
Kindled a fire in
Sion, which hath
power To eate, and
her foundations to devour.
Nor would the Kings of the earth,
nor all which live
In the
inhabitable world believe,
That any
adversary, any foe
Into Jerusalem should enter so.
For the
Priests sins, and Prophets], which have shed
Blood in the streets, and the just murthered:
Which when those men, whom they made blinde, did stray
Thorough the streets, defiled by the way
With
blood, the which impossible it was
Their
garments should scape
touching, as they passe,
Would cry aloud, depart defiled men,
Depart, depart, and touch us not: and then
They fled, and strayd, and with the
Gentiles were,
Yet told their friends, they should not long dwell there;
For
this they are scattered by Jehovahs face
Who never will regard them
more; No grace
Unto their old men shall the foe afford,
Nor, that they are Priests, redeeme them from the sword.
And
wee as yet, for all these miseries
Desiring our vaine helpe, consume
our eyes:
And such a nation as cannot save,
We in
desire and speculation have.
They bunt our steps, that in the streets wee
feare
To goe: our end is now approached neere,
Our dayes accomplished are, this the last day.
Eagles of heaven are not so swift as they
Which follow us, o'r
mountains tops they flye
At us, and for us in the desart lye.
The annointed
Lord, breath of our nostrils, hee
Of whom we said, under his
shadow, wee
Shall with more ease
under the
Heathen dwell,
Into the
pit which these men digged, fell.
Rejoyce
O Edoms daughter, joyfull bee
Thou which inhabitst Huz, for unto thee
This cup shall
passe,
and thou with drunkennesse
Shalt fill thy selfe, and shew thy
nakednesse.
And then thy
sinnes O
Sion, shall be
spent,
The
Lord will not leave thee in
banishment.
Thy sinnes
O Edoms daughter, hee will see,
And for them, pay thee with
captivitie.
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