< Isaiah 58 >
1 Give a roar from the throat! Don't hold back! Shout out like a trumpet! Announce to my people how rebellious they are; denounce to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
Crye thou, ceesse thou not; as a trumpe enhaunse thi vois, and schewe thou to my puple her grete trespassis, and to the hous of Jacob her synnes.
2 Every day they come to me, pleased to know my ways as if they were a nation that does what is right and follow the laws of their God! They ask me to treat them right; they like to be close to their God.
For thei seken me fro dai in to dai, and thei wolen knowe my weies; as a folk, that hath do riytfulnesse, and that hath not forsake the doom of her God; thei preien me domes of riytfulnesse, and wolen neiy to God.
3 “Didn't you see that we fasted?” they ask. “Didn't you notice how we denied ourselves?” That's because whenever you fast you still do whatever you want, and you treat your workers badly.
Whi fastiden we, and thou biheldist not; we mekiden oure soulis, and thou knewist not? Lo! youre wille is foundun in the dai of youre fastyng, and ye axen alle youre dettouris.
4 Can't you see that when you're fasting you quarrel and argue, and end up having a vicious fist-fight? When you fast like this you can't expect your prayers to be heard on high!
Lo! ye fasten to chidyngis and stryuyngis, and smyten with the fist wickidli. Nyl ye fast, as `til to this dai, that youre cry be herd an hiy.
5 Is this the kind of fast I want when people act out their humility by bowing their heads down like a reed and by lying around in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day the Lord appreciates?
Whether sich is the fastyng which Y chees, a man to turmente his soule bi dai? whether to bynde his heed as a sercle, and to make redi a sak and aische? Whethir thou schalt clepe this a fastyng, and a dai acceptable to the Lord?
6 No, this is the fast I want: set free those who have been unjustly imprisoned, untie the cords of the yoke used to burden people, set free those who are oppressed, and get rid of every form of abuse.
Whether not this is more the fastyng, which Y chees? Vnbynde thou the byndingis togidere of vnpitee, releesse thou birthuns pressynge doun; delyuere thou hem free, that ben brokun, and breke thou ech birthun.
7 Share your food with the hungry, take the poor and homeless into your house. When you see people naked, give them clothes, and don't reject your own relatives.
Breke thi breed to an hungri man, and brynge in to thin hous nedi men and herborles; whanne thou seest a nakid man, hile thou hym, and dispise not thi fleisch.
8 Then your light will shine out like the dawn, and you will be healed quickly; your salvation will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will go behind you.
Thanne thi liyt schal breke out as the morewtid, and thin helthe schal rise ful soone; and thi riytfulnesse schal go bifore thi face, and the glorie of the Lord schal gadere thee.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out for help, the Lord will say, “I'm here.” If you get rid of oppression among you, if you stop pointing the finger and slandering others,
Thanne thou schalt clepe to help, and the Lord schal here; thou schalt crie, and he schal seie, Lo! Y am present, for Y am merciful, thi Lord God. If thou takist awei a chayne fro the myddis of thee, and ceessist to holde forth the fyngur, and to speke that profitith not;
10 if you dedicate yourselves to helping the hungry and give the poor what they need, then your light will shine out in the darkness, and your night will be like the sun at noon.
whanne thou schedist out thi soule to an hungri man, and fillist a soule, `that is turmentid, thi liyt schal rise in derknessis, and thi derknessis schulen be as myddai.
11 The Lord will always lead you; he will give you all you need in you in a desolate land; he will make you strong again. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that never runs dry.
And the Lord thi God schal yyue euere reste to thee, and schal fille thi soule with schynyngis, and schal delyuere thi boonys; and thou schalt be as a watri gardyn, and as a welle of watris, whose waters schulen not faile.
12 Some among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore generations-old foundations. You will be called the Repairer of the Break in the Wall, the Restorer of Life's Pathways.
And the forsakun thingis of worldis schulen be bildid in thee, and thou schalt reise the foundementis of generacioun and generacioun; and thou schalt be clepid a bildere of heggis, turnynge awei the pathis of wickidnessis.
13 If you make sure you don't break the Sabbath by doing whatever you please on my holy day, if you say the Sabbath brings you pleasure and the Lord's day is to be honored, and if you honor it by leaving aside your own ways, by not doing whatever you please, and by avoiding everyday chatting,
If thou turnest awei thi foot fro the sabat, to do thi wille in myn hooli dai, and clepist the sabat delicat, and hooli, the gloriouse of the Lord, and glorifiest him, while thou doist not thi weies, and thi wille is not foundun, that thou speke a word;
14 then you'll find the Lord is the one who truly makes you happy, and I will give you high positions on the earth and give you what I promised to Jacob, your forefather. I, the Lord, have spoken.
thanne thou schalt delite on the Lord, and Y schal reise thee on the hiynesse of erthe, and Y schal fede thee with the eritage of Jacob, thi fadir; for whi the mouth of the Lord spak.