Isaiah 28
1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are smitten down with wine!
Wo to the coroun of pride, to the drunkun men of Effraym, and to the flour fallynge doun of the glorie of the ful out ioiyng therof, that weren in the cop of the fatteste valei, and erriden of wyn.
2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, as a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, as a storm of mighty waters overflowing, that casteth down to the earth with violence.
Lo! the myyti and strong Lord, as the feersnesse of hail, a whirlwynd brekynge togidere, as the fersnesse of many watris flowynge, and sent out on a large lond.
3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot;
The coroun of pride of the drunken men of Effraym schal be defoulid with feet,
4 And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer, which when one looketh upon it, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
and the flour of glorie of the ful out ioiyng of hym, that is on the cop of valei of fat thingis, schal be fallyng doun, as a tymeli thing bifore the ripenesse of heruest; which whanne a man seynge biholdith, anoon as he takith with hond, he schal deuoure it.
5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people;
In that dai the Lord of oostis schal be a coroun of glorie, and a garlond of ful out ioiyng, to the residue of his puple;
6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate.
and a spirit of doom to hym that sittith on the trone, and strengthe to hem that turnen ayen fro batel to the yate.
7 But these also reel through wine, and stagger through strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel through strong drink, they are confused because of wine, they stagger because of strong drink; they reel in vision, they totter in judgment.
But also thei knewen not for wyn, and erriden for drunkenesse; the preest and profete knewen not for drunkenesse; thei weren sopun up of wyn, thei erriden in drunkenesse; thei knewen not a profete, thei knewen not doom.
8 For all tables are full of filthy vomit, and no place is clean.
For whi alle bordis weren fillid with spuyng and filthis, so that ther was no more place.
9 Whom shall one teach knowledge? And whom shall one make to understand the message? Them that are weaned from the milk, them that are drawn from the breasts?
Whom schal he teche kunnyng, and whom schal he make to vndurstonde heryng? Men wenyd fro mylk, men drawun awei fro tetis.
10 For it is precept by precept, precept by precept, line by line, line by line; here a little, there a little.
For whi comaunde thou, comaunde thou ayen; comaunde thou, comaunde thou ayen; abide thou, abide thou ayen; abide thou, abide thou ayen; a litil there, a litil there.
11 For with stammering lips and with a strange tongue shall it be spoken to this people;
For whi in speche of lippe, and in other langage he schal speke to this puple,
12 To whom it was said: 'This is the rest, give ye rest to the weary; and this is the refreshing'; yet they would not hear.
to which he seide, This is my reste; refreische ye a weri man, and this is my refreischyng; and thei nolden here.
13 And so the word of the LORD is unto them precept by precept, precept by precept, line by line, line by line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
And the word of the Lord schal be to hem, Sende thou, sende thou ayen; send thou, sende thou ayen; abide thou, abide thou ayen; abide thou, abide thou ayen; a litil there, a litil there; that thei go, and falle backward, and be al to-brokun, and be snarid, and be takun.
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scoffers, the ballad-mongers of this people which is in Jerusalem:
For this thing, ye men scorneris, that ben lordis ouer my puple which is in Jerusalem, here the word of the Lord.
15 Because ye have said: 'We have made a covenant with death, and with the nether-world are we at agreement; when the scouring scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood have we hid ourselves'; (Sheol h7585)
For ye seiden, We han smyte a boond of pees with deth, and we han maad couenaunt with helle; a scourge flowynge whanne it schal passe, schal not come on vs, for we han set a leesyng oure hope, and we ben kyuered with a leesyng. (Sheol h7585)
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a costly corner-stone of sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste.
Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal sende in the foundementis of Sion a corner stoon preciouse, preuyd, foundid in the foundement; he that bileueth, schal not haaste.
17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.
And Y schal sette doom in weiyte, and riytfulnesse in mesure; and hail schal distrie the hope of leesyng, and watris schulen flowe on proteccioun. And youre boond of pees with deth schal be don awei,
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled and your agreement with the nether-world shall not stand; when the scouring scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it, (Sheol h7585)
and youre couenaunt with helle schal not stonde; whanne the scourge flowynge schal passe, ye schulen be to it in to defoulyng. (Sheol h7585)
19 As often as it passeth through, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night; and it shall be sheer terror to understand the message.
Whanne euer it schal passe, it schal take awei yow; for whi erli in the grey morewtid it schal passe, in dai and niyt; and oonli trauel aloone schal yyue vndurstondyng to heryng.
20 For the bed is too short for a man to stretch himself; and the covering too narrow when he gathereth himself up.
Forsothe the bed is streit, so that the tother falle doun; and a schort mentil schal not hile euer either.
21 For the LORD will rise up as in mount Perazim, He will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; that He may do His work, strange is His work, and bring to pass His act, strange is His act.
For as in the hil of departyngis the Lord schal stonde, as in the valei, which is in Gabaon, he schal be wroth, that he do his werk; his werk alien, that he worche his werk; his werk is straunge fro hym.
22 Now therefore be ye not scoffers, lest your bands be made strong; for an extermination wholly determined have I heard from the Lord, the GOD of hosts, upon the whole land.
And now nyle ye scorne, lest perauenture youre boondis be maad streit togidere; for Y herde of the Lord God of oostis, endyng and abreggyng on al erthe.
23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; attend, and hear my speech.
Perseyue ye with eeris, and here ye my vois; perseyue ye, and here ye my speche.
24 Is the plowman never done with plowing to sow, with the opening and harrowing of his ground?
Whether he that erith, schal ere al dai, for to sowe, and schal be kerue, and purge his londe?
25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the black cummin, and scatter the cummin, and put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place and the spelt in the border thereof?
Whether whanne he hath maad euene the face therof, schal he not sowe gith, and sprenge abrood comyn? and he schal not sette wheete bi ordre, and barli, and mylium, and fetchis in his coostis?
26 For He doth instruct him aright; his God doth teach him.
And his God schal teche hym, in doom he schal teche hym.
27 For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing-sledge, neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the black cummin is beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
Forsothe gith schal not be threischid in sawis, and a wheel of a wayn schal not cumpasse on comyn; but gith schal be betun out with a yerd, and comyn with a staf.
28 Is bread corn crushed? Nay, he will not ever be threshing it; and though the roller of his wagon and its sharp edges move noisily, he doth not crush it.
Sotheli breed schal be maad lesse, but he that threischith schal not threische it with outen ende, nether schal trauele it with a wheel of a wayn, nether schal make it lesse with hise clees.
29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts: Wonderful is His counsel, and great His wisdom.
And this thing yede out of the Lord God of oostis, that he schulde make wondirful councel, and magnefie riytfulnesse.
