< Isaiah 32 >

1 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.
Lo! the kyng schal regne in riytfulnesse, and princes schulen be souereyns in doom.
2 Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.
And a man schal be, as he that is hid fro wynd, and hidith hym silf fro tempest; as stremes of watris in thirst, and the schadewe of a stoon stondynge fer out in a desert lond.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.
The iyen of profetis schulen not dasewe, and the eeris of heereris schulen herke diligentli;
4 The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently.
and the herte of foolis schal vndurstonde kunnyng, and the tunge of stuttynge men schal speke swiftli, and pleynli.
5 No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.
He that is vnwijs, schal no more be clepid prince, and a gileful man schal not be clepid the grettere.
6 For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.
Forsothe a fool shal speke foli thingis, and his herte schal do wickidnesse, that he performe feynyng, and speke to the Lord gilefuli; and he schal make voide the soule of an hungry man, and schal take awei drynke fro a thirsti man.
7 The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.
The vessels of a gileful man ben worste; for he schal make redi thouytis to leese mylde men in the word of a leesyng, whanne a pore man spak doom.
8 But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.
Forsothe a prince schal thenke tho thingis that ben worthi to a prince, and he schal stonde ouer duykis.
9 Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters.
Riche wymmen, rise ye, and here my vois; douytris tristynge, perseyue ye with eeris my speche.
10 In a little more than a year you will tremble, O secure ones. For the grape harvest will fail and the fruit harvest will not arrive.
For whi aftir daies and a yeer, and ye that tristen schulen be disturblid; for whi vyndage is endid, gaderyng schal no more come.
11 Shudder, you ladies of leisure; tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists.
Ye riche wymmen, be astonyed; ye that tristen, be disturblid; vnclothe ye you, and be ye aschamed;
12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines,
girde youre leendis; weile ye on brestis, on desirable cuntrei, on the plenteuouse vyner.
13 and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers— even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry.
Thornes and breris schulen stie on the erthe of my puple; hou myche more on alle the housis of ioie of the citee makynge ful out ioie?
14 For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become caves forever— the delight of wild donkeys and a pasture for flocks—
For whi the hous is left, the multitude of the citee is forsakun; derknessis and gropyng ben maad on dennes, `til in to with outen ende. The ioie of wield assis is the lesewe of flockis;
15 until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high. Then the desert will be an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.
til the spirit be sched out on us fro an hiy, and the desert schal be in to Chermel, and Chermel schal be arettid in to a forest.
16 Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the fertile field.
And doom schal dwelle in wildirnesse, and riytfulnesse schal sitte in Chermel;
17 The work of righteousness will be peace; the service of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.
and the werk of riytfulnesse schal be pees, and the tilthe of riytfulnesse schal be stilnesse and sikirnesse, `til in to with outen ende.
18 Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and secure places of rest.
And my puple schal sitte in the fairnesse of pees, and in the tabernaclis of trist, and in riche reste.
19 But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink to the depths.
But hail schal be in the coming doun of the foreste, and bi lownesse the citee schal be maad low.
20 Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.
Blessid ben ye, that sowen on alle watris, and putten yn the foot of an oxe and of an asse.

< Isaiah 32 >