Isaiah 3

1 For the Lord, the Lord of armies, is about to take away from Jerusalem and from Judah all their support; their store of bread and of water;

For lo! the lordli gouernour, the Lord of oostis, schal take awei fro Jerusalem and fro Juda a myyti man, and strong, and al the strengthe of breed, and al the strengthe of watir;

2 The strong man and the man of war; the judge and the prophet; the man who has knowledge of secret arts, and the man who is wise because of his years;

a strong man, and a man a werriour, and a domesman, and a profete, and a false dyuynour in auteris, and an elde man,

3 The captain of fifty, and the man of high position, and the wise guide, and the wonder-worker, and he who makes use of secret powers.

a prince ouer fifti men, and a worschipful man in cheer, and a counselour, and a wijs man of principal crafti men, and a prudent man of mystik, ethir goostli, speche.

4 And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them.

And Y schal yyue children the princes of hem, and men of wymmens condiciouns schulen be lordis of hem.

5 And the people will be crushed, every one by his neighbour; the young will be full of pride against the old, and those of low position will be lifted up against the noble.

And the puple schal falle doun, a man to a man, ech man to his neiybore; a child schal make noyse ayens an eld man, and an vnnoble man ayens a noble man.

6 When one man puts his hand on another in his father's house, and says, You have clothing, be our ruler and be responsible for us in our sad condition:

For a man schal take his brother, the meneal of his fadir, and schal seie, A clooth is to thee, be thou oure prince; forsothe this fallyng be vndur thin hond.

7 Then he will say with an oath, I will not be a helper, for in my house there is no bread or clothing: I will not let you make me a ruler of the people.

And he schal answere in that dai, and seie, Y am no leche, and nether breed, nether cloth is in myn hous; nyle ye make me prince of the puple.

8 For Jerusalem has become feeble, and destruction has come on Judah, because their words and their acts are against the Lord, moving the eyes of his glory to wrath.

For whi Jerusalem felle doun, and Juda felle doun togidere; for the tunge of hem, and the fyndingis of hem weren ayens the Lord, for to terre to wraththe the iyen of his mageste.

9 Their respect for a man's position is a witness against them; and their sin is open to the view of all; like that of Sodom, it is not covered. A curse on their soul! for the measure of their sin is full.

The knowyng of her cheer schal answere to hem; and thei prechiden her synne, as Sodom dide, and hidden not. Wo to the soule of hem, for whi yuels ben yoldun to hem.

10 Happy is the upright man! for he will have joy of the fruit of his ways.

Seie ye to the iust man, that it schal be to hym wel; for he schal ete the fruyt of hise fyndyngis.

11 Unhappy is the sinner! for the reward of his evil doings will come on him.

Wo to the wickid man in to yuel; for whi the yeldyng of hise hondis schal be maad to hym.

12 As for my people, their ruler is acting like a child, and those who have authority over them are women. O my people, your guides are the cause of your wandering, turning your footsteps out of the right way.

The wrongful axeris of my puple robbiden it, and wymmen weren lordis therof. Mi puple, thei that seien thee blessid, disseyuen thee, and distrien the weie of thi steppis.

13 The Lord is ready to take up his cause against his people, and is about to come forward as their judge.

The Lord stondith for to deme, and `the Lord stondith for to deme puplis;

14 The Lord comes to be the judge of their responsible men and of their rulers: it is you who have made waste the vine-garden, and in your houses is the property of the poor which you have taken by force.

the Lord schal come to doom, with the eldere men of his puple, and with hise princes; for ye han wastid my vyner, and the raueyn of a pore man is in youre hous.

15 By what right are you crushing my people, and putting a bitter yoke on the necks of the poor? This is the word of the Lord, the Lord of armies.

Whi al to-breken ye my puple, and grynden togidere the faces of pore men? seith the Lord God of oostis.

16 Again, the Lord has said, Because the daughters of Zion are full of pride, and go with outstretched necks and wandering eyes, with their foot-chains sounding when they go:

And the Lord God seide, For that that the douytris of Syon weren reisid, and yeden with a necke stretchid forth, and yeden bi signes of iyen, and flappiden with hondis, and yeden, and with her feet yeden in wel araied goyng,

17 The Lord will send disease on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will let their secret parts be seen.

the Lord schal make ballyd the nol of the douytris of Sion, and the Lord schal make nakid the heer of hem.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the glory of their foot-rings, and their sun-jewels, and their moon-ornaments,

In that dai the Lord schal take awei the ournement of schoon, and goldun litle bellis lijk the moone,

19 The ear-rings, and the chains, and the delicate clothing,

and ribans, and brochis, and ournementis of armes nyy the schuldris, and mytris, ether chapelettis,

20 The head-bands, and the arm-chains, and the worked bands, and the perfume-boxes, and the jewels with secret powers,

and coombis, and ournementis of armes niy the hondis, and goldun ourenementis lijk laumpreis, and litil vessels of oynementis,

21 The rings, and the nose-jewels,

and eere ryngis, and ryngis, and preciouse stoonys hangynge in the forheed,

22 The feast-day dresses, and the robes, and the wide skirts, and the handbags,

and chaungynge clothis, and mentils, and schetis, ether smockis, and needlis,

23 The looking-glasses, and the fair linen, and the high head-dresses, and the veils.

and myrouris, and smal lynun clothis aboute the schuldris, and kercheues, and roketis.

24 And in the place of sweet spices will be an evil smell, and for a fair band a thick cord; for a well-dressed head there will be the cutting-off of the hair, and for a beautiful robe there will be the clothing of sorrow; the mark of the prisoner in place of the ornaments of the free.

And stynk shal be for swete odour, and a corde for the girdil; ballidnesse schal be for crispe heer, and an heire for a brest girdil.

25 Your men will be put to the sword, and your men of war will come to destruction in the fight.

Also thi faireste men schulen falle bi swerd, and thi stronge men schulen falle in batel.

26 And in the public places of her towns will be sorrow and weeping; and she will be seated on the earth, waste and uncovered.

And the yatis therof schulen weile, and morene; and it schal sitte desolat in erthe.