Isaiah 57
1 The righteous man perishes, and no man lays it to heart. And merciful men are taken away; none considering that the righteous man is taken away from the evil.
A iust man perischith, and noon is, that thenkith in his herte; and men of merci ben gaderid togidere, for noon is that vndurstondith; for whi a iust man is gaderid fro the face of malice.
2 He enters into peace. They rest in their beds, each one who walks in his uprightness.
Pees come, reste he in his bed, that yede in his dressyng.
3 But draw near here, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot.
But ye, sones of the sekere of fals dyuynyng bi chiteryng of briddys, neiye hidur, the seed of auowtresse, and of an hoore.
4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves, against whom ye make a wide mouth, and put out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,
On whom scorneden ye? on whom maden ye greet the mouth, and puttiden out the tunge? Whethir ye ben not cursid sones, a seed of leesyngis?
5 ye who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree, who kill the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
which ben coumfortid in goddis, vndur ech tree ful of bowis, and offren litle children in strondis, vndur hiye stoonys.
6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is thy portion. They, they are thy lot, even to them thou have poured a drink offering; thou have offered an oblation. Shall I be appeased for these things?
Thi part is in the partis of the stronde, this is thi part; and to tho thou scheddist out moist offryng, thou offridist sacrifice. Whether Y schal not haue indignacioun on these thingis?
7 Upon a high and lofty mountain thou have set thy bed. Thou also went up there to offer sacrifice.
Thou puttidist thi bed on an hiy hil and enhaunsid, and thidur thou stiedist to offre sacrifices;
8 And behind the doors and the posts thou have set up thy memorial. For thou have uncovered thyself to another than me, and have gone up. Thou have enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them. Thou loved their bed where thou saw it.
and thou settidist thi memorial bihynde the dore, and bihynde the post. For bisidis me thou vnhilidist, and tokist auouter; thou alargidist thi bed, and madist a boond of pees with hem; thou louedist the bed of hem with openyd hond,
9 And thou went to the king with oil, and increased thy perfumes, and sent thine ambassadors far off, and debased thyself even to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
and ournedist thee with kyngis oynement, and thou multipliedist thi pymentis; thou sentist fer thi messangeris, and thou art maad low `til to hellis. (Sheol h7585)
10 Thou were wearied with the length of thy way, yet thou did not say, It is in vain. Thou found a quickening of thy strength, therefore thou were not faint.
Thou trauelidist in the multitude of thi weie, and seidist not, Y schal reste; thou hast founde the weie of thin hond,
11 And of whom have thou been afraid and in fear, that thou lie, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? Have I not held my peace even of long time, and thou do not fear me?
therfor thou preiedist not. For what thing dreddist thou bisy, for thou liedist, and thouytist not on me? And thou thouytist not in thin herte, that Y am stille, and as not seynge; and thou hast foryete me.
12 I will declare thy righteousness. And as for thy works, they shall not profit thee.
Y schal telle thi riytfulnesse, and thi werkis schulen not profite to thee.
13 When thou cry, let those whom thou have gathered deliver thee. But the wind shall take them; a breath shall carry them all away. But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.
Whanne thou schalt crie, thi gaderid tresours delyuere thee; and the wynd schal take awei alle tho, a blast schal do awei hem; but he that hath trist on me, schal enherite the lond, and schal haue in possessioun myn hooli hil.
14 And he will say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way. Take up the stumbling-block out of the way of my people.
And Y schal seie, Make ye weie, yyue ye iurney, bowe ye fro the path, do ye awei hirtyngis fro the weie of my puple.
15 For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
For the Lord hiy, and enhaunsid, seith these thingis, that dwellith in euerlastyngnesse, and his hooli name in hiy place, and that dwellith in hooli, and with a contrite and meke spirit, that he quykene the spirit of meke men, and quykene the herte of contrit men.
16 For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry, for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made.
For Y schal not stryue with outen ende, nether Y schal be wrooth `til to the ende; for whi a spirit schal go out fro my face, and Y schal make blastis.
17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry, and smote him. I hid my face and was angry, and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.
Y was wrooth for the wickidnesse of his aueryce, and Y smoot hym. Y hidde my face fro thee, and Y hadde indignacioun; and he yede with out stidfast dwellyng, in the weie of his herte.
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him. I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.
Y siy hise weies, and Y helide hym, and Y brouyte hym ayen; and Y yaf coumfortyngis to hym, and to the moreneris of hym.
19 I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near, says Jehovah, and I will heal him.
Y made the fruyt of lippis pees, pees to hym that is fer, and to hym that is niy, seide the Lord; and Y heelide hym.
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, for it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt.
But wickid men ben as the buyling see, that may not reste; and the wawis therof fleten ayen in to defoulyng, and fen.
21 There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked.
The Lord God seide, Pees is not to wickid men.
