Wycliffe - Jonah

Chapter 1

1:1  And the word of the Lord was maad to Jonas,

1:2  sone of Amathi, and seide, Rise thou, and go in to Nynyue, the greet citee, and preche thou ther ynne, for the malice therof stieth vp bifore me.

1:3  And Jonas roos for to fle in to Tharsis, fro the face of the Lord. And he cam doun to Joppe, and foond a schip goynge in to Tharsis, and he yaf schip hire to hem; and he wente doun in to it, for to go with hem in to Tharsis, fro the face of the Lord.

1:4  Forsothe the Lord sente a greet wynd in the see, and a greet tempest was maad in the see, and the schip was in perel for to be al to-brokun.

1:5  And schip men dredden, and men crieden to her god; and senten vessels, that weren in the schip, in to the see, that it were maad liytere of hem. And Jonas wente doun in to the ynnere thingis of the schip, and slepte bi a greuouse sleep.

1:6  And the gouernour cam to him, and seide to hym, Whi art thou cast doun in sleep? rise thou, clepe thi God to help, if perauenture God ayenthenke of vs, and we perische not.

1:7  And a man seide to his felowe, Come ye, and caste we lottis, and wite we, whi this yuel is to vs. And thei kesten lottis, and lot felle on Jonas.

1:8  And thei seiden to hym, Schewe thou to vs, for cause of what thing this yuel is to vs; what is thi werk, which is thi lond, and whidur goist thou, ether of what puple art thou?

1:9  And he seide to hem, Y am an Ebrew, and Y drede the Lord God of heuene, that made the see and the drie lond.

1:10  And the men dredden with greet drede, and seiden to him, Whi didist thou this thing? for the men knewen that he flei fro the face of the Lord, for Jonas hadde schewide to hem.

1:11  And thei seiden to hym, What schulen we do to thee, and the see schal seesse fro vs? for the see wente, and wexe greet on hem.

1:12  And he seide to hem, Take ye me, and throwe in to the see, and the see schal ceesse fro you; for Y woot, that for me this greet tempest is on you.

1:13  And men rowiden, for to turne ayen to the drie lond, and thei miyten not, for the see wente, and wexe greet on hem.

1:14  And thei crieden to the Lord, and seiden, Lord, we bisechen, that we perische not in the lijf of this man, and that thou yyue not on vs innocent blood; for thou, Lord, didist as thou woldist.

1:15  And thei token Jonas, and threwen in to the see; and the see stood of his buylyng.

1:16  And the men dredden the Lord with greet drede, and offriden oostis to the Lord, and vowiden avowis.

Chapter 2

2:1  And the Lord made redi a greet fisch, that he shulde swolowe Jonas; and Jonas was in the wombe of the fisch thre daies and thre niytis.

2:2  And Jonas preiede to the Lord his God fro the fischis wombe,

2:3  and seide, Y criede to God of my tribulacioun, and he herde me; fro the wombe of helle Y criede, and thou herdist my vois.

2:4  Thou castidist me doun in to depnesse, in the herte of the see, and the flood cumpasside me; alle thi swolowis and thi wawis passiden on me.

2:5  And Y seide, Y am cast awei fro siyt of thin iyen; netheles eftsoone Y schal see thin hooli temple.

2:6  Watris cumpassiden me `til to my soule, depnesse enuyrownede me, the see hilide myn heed.

2:7  Y wente doun to the vtmeste places of hillis, the barris of erthe closiden me togidere, in to withouten ende; and thou, my Lord God, schalt reise vp my lijf fro corrupcioun.

2:8  Whanne my soule was angwisched in me, Y bithouyte on the Lord, that my preier come to thee, to thin hooli temple.

2:9  Thei that kepen vanytees, forsaken his merci idili.

2:10  But Y in vois of heriyng schal offre to thee; what euer thingis Y vowide, Y schal yelde to the Lord, for myn helthe.

2:11  And the Lord seide to the fisch, and it castide out Jonas `in to the drie lond.

Chapter 3

3:1  And the word of the Lord was maad the secounde tyme to Jonas, and seide, Rise thou,

3:2  and go in to Nynyue, the greet citee, and preche thou in it the prechyng which Y speke to thee.

3:3  And Jonas roos, and wente in to Nynyue, bi the word of the Lord. And Nynyue was a greet citee, of the iurnei of thre daies.

3:4  And Jonas bigan for to entre in to the citee, bi the iornei of o dai, and criede, and seide, Yit fourti daies, and Nynyue schal be `turned vpsodoun.

3:5  And men of Nynyue bileueden to the Lord, and prechiden fastyng, and weren clothid with sackis, fro the more `til to the lesse.

3:6  And the word cam til to the kyng of Nynyue; and he roos of his seete, and castide awei his clothing fro him, and was clothid with a sak, and sat in aische.

3:7  And he criede, and seide in Nynyue of the mouth of the kyng and of `his princis, `and seide, Men, and werk beestis, and oxun, and scheep taaste not ony thing, nether be fed, nether drynke watir.

3:8  And men be hilid with sackis, and werk beestis crie to the Lord in strengthe; `and be a man conuertid fro his yuel weie, and fro wickidnesse that is in the hondis of hem.

3:9  Who woot, if God be conuertid, and foryyue, and be turned ayen fro woodnesse of his wraththe, and we schulen not perische?

3:10  And God sai the werkis of hem, that thei weren conuertid fro her yuel weie; and God hadde merci on the malice which he spac, that he schulde do to hem, and did not.

Chapter 4

4:1  And Jonas was turmentid with greet turment, and was wrooth.

4:2  And he preiede the Lord, and seide, Lord, Y biseche, whether this is not my word, whanne Y was yit in my lond? For this thing Y purposide, for to fle in to Tharsis; for Y woot, that thou, God, art meke and merciful, pacient, and of merciful doyng, and foryyuynge on malice.

4:3  And now, Lord, Y preie, take my soule fro me; for deth is betere to me than lijf.

4:4  And the Lord seide, Gessist thou, whether thou art wel wrooth?

4:5  And Jonas wente out of the citee, and sat ayens the eest of the citee, and made to hym a schadewyng place there; and sat vndur it in schadewe, til he sai what bifelle to the citee.

4:6  And the Lord God made redy an yuy, and it stiede vp on the heed of Jonas, that schadewe were on his heed, and kyueride hym; for he hadde trauelid. And Jonas was glad on the yuy, with greet gladnesse.

4:7  And God made redi a worm, in stiyng up of grei dai on the morewe; and it smoot the yuy, and it driede up.

4:8  And whanne the sunne was risun, the Lord comaundide to the hoot wynd and brennyng; and the sunne smoot on the heed of Jonas, and he swalide. And he axide to his soule that he schulde die, and seide, It is betere to me for to die, than for to lyue.

4:9  And the Lord seide to Jonas, Gessist thou, whether thou art wel wrooth on the yuy? And he seide, Y am wel wrooth, til to the deth.

4:10  And the Lord seide, Thou art sori on the yuy, in which thou trauelidist not, nether madist that it wexide, which was growun vndur o nyyt, and perischide in o nyyt.

4:11  And schal Y not spare the grete citee Nynyue, in which ben more than sixe score thousynde of men, which witen not what is betwixe her riyt half and left, and many beestis?