Isaiah 9
1 However, those in Judah who have been distressed/worried will not [continue to] suffer. Previously, Yahweh humbled [the people in] the land [where the tribes of] Zebulun and Naphtali [live]. But in the future he will honor [the people who live in] that Galilee region, along the road between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean] Sea, where [many] foreigners live.
In the firste tyme the lond of Zabulon and the lond of Neptalym was releessid; and at the laste the weie of the see biyende Jordan of Galile of hethene men was maad heuy.
2 [Some day, it will be as though] [MET] the people who walked in darkness will see a great light. A [great] light will shine on those who live in a land where they have great troubles/distress.
The puple that yede in derknessis siy a greet liyt; whanne men dwelliden in the cuntre of schadewe of deth, liyt roos vp to hem.
3 [Yahweh], you will cause us people in Israel to rejoice; we will become very happy. We will rejoice about what you [have done] like [SIM] people rejoice when they harvest their crops, [or] like soldiers rejoice when they divide up among themselves the things that they have captured in a battle.
Thou multipliedist folk, thou magnefiedist not gladnesse; thei schulen be glad bifore thee, as thei that ben glad in heruest, as ouercomeris maken ful out ioie, whanne thei han take a prey, whanne thei departen the spuylis.
4 You will cause us to no longer be slaves [MET] [of those who captured us]; you will lift the heavy burdens from our shoulders. [It will be as though] you will break the rods of those who oppressed us, like you did when you destroyed [the army of] the Midian people-group.
For thou hast ouercome the yok of his birthun, and the yerde of his schuldre, and the ceptre of his wrongful axere, as in the day of Madian.
5 The boots that the enemy soldiers have worn and their clothing which has stains of blood on them will all be burned up; they will only be fuel for a [big] fire.
For whi al violent raueyn with noise, and a cloth meddlid with blood schal be in to brennyng, and `schal be the mete of fier.
6 Another reason that we will rejoice is that a [special] child will be born for us; [a woman will give birth to] a son, who will be our ruler. And his names will be ‘Wonderful Counselor’, ‘Mighty/Powerful God’, ‘[Our] Everlasting Father’, and ‘Prince/Ruler [who enables us to have] Peace’.
Forsothe a litil child is borun to vs, and a sone is youun to vs, and prinsehod is maad on his schuldre; and his name schal be clepid Wondurful, A counselour, God, Strong, A fadir of the world to comynge, A prince of pees.
7 His rule, and the peace that he [brings/causes], will never end. He will rule [MTY] fairly and justly [DOU], like [his ancestor King] David did. This will happen because the Commander of the armies of angels greatly desires that it happen.
His empire schal be multiplied, and noon ende schal be of his pees; he schal sitte on the seete of Dauid, and on the rewme of hym, that he conferme it, and make stronge in doom and riytfulnesse, fro hennus forth and til in to with outen ende. The feruent loue of the Lord of oostis schal make this.
8 The Lord has warned the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob; he has said that [he will punish] them.
The Lord sente a word in to Jacob, and it felle in Israel.
9 And all the people in Samaria and [other places in] Israel know that, [but] they are very proud and arrogant [DOU]. They say, “Our city has been destroyed, but we will [take away the broken bricks from the ruins] [and] replace them with carefully cut stones. Our sycamore-fig trees have been cut down [by our enemies], but we will plant cedar trees [in their place].”
And al the puple of Effraym schal wite, and thei that dwellen in Samarie, seiynge in the pride and greetnesse of herte,
Tijl stoonys fellen doun, but we schulen bilde with square stoonys; thei han kit doun sicomoris, but we schulen chaunge cedris.
11 But Yahweh brought the armies of [Assyria], the enemies of King Rezin [of Syria, to fight] against Israel and incited [other] nations [to attack Israel].
And the Lord schal reise the enemyes of Rasyn on hym, and he schal turne the enemyes of hym in to noyse;
12 [The army of] Syria [came] from the east, and [the army of] Philistia [came] from the west, and they destroyed Israel [like a wild animal tears another animal apart and] [MET] devours it. But even after that happened, Yahweh was still very angry with them. He was ready to strike them with his fist again.
God schal make Sirie to come fro the eest, and Filisteis fro the west; and with al the mouth thei schulen deuoure Israel. In alle these thingis the stronge veniaunce of the Lord is not turned awei, but yit his hond is stretchid forth;
13 [But even though] Yahweh punished his people [like that], they [still] did not return to him [and worship him]. They [still] did not request the Commander of the armies of angels [to assist them].
and the puple is not turned ayen to the Lord smytynge it, and thei souyten not the Lord of oostis.
14 Therefore, in one day Yahweh will get rid of [those who are like] Israel’s head and [those who are like] its tail; the [ones who are like] the top of the palm tree and the [ones who are like] the bottom.
And the Lord schal leese fro Israel the heed and the tail; crokynge and bischrewynge, ether refreynynge, in o dai.
15 The leaders [DOU] of Israel are the head, and the prophets who tell lies are the tail.
An elde man and onourable, he is the heed, and a profete techynge a leesyng, he is the tail.
16 The leaders of the people have misled them; they have caused the people that they are ruling to be confused.
And thei that blessen his puple, schulen be disseyueris, and thei that ben blessid, schulen be cast doun.
17 For that reason, Yahweh is not pleased with the young men [of Israel], and he does not [even] act mercifully toward the widows and orphans, because they are all ungodly and wicked, and they all say things that are foolish. [But] Yahweh still is angry with them; he is ready to strike them with his fist again.
For this thing the Lord schal not be glad on the yonge men therof, and he schal not haue merci on the fadirles children and widewis therof; for ech man is an ypocrite and weiward, and ech mouth spak foli. In alle these thingis the stronge veniaunce of hym is not turned awei, but yit his hond is stretchid forth;
18 When people do wicked things, it is like [SIM] a brushfire [that spreads rapidly]. It burns up [not only] briers and thorns; it starts a big fire in the forests from which clouds of smoke will rise.
and the puple is not turned ayen to the Lord smytynge it. For whi wickidnesse is kyndlid as fier; it schal deuoure the breris and thornes, and it schal be kyndlid in the thickenesse of the forest, and it schal be wlappid togidere in the pride of smoke.
19 [It is as though] the [whole] land is burned [black] because the Commander of the armies of angels is extremely angry with the Israeli people. They will become like [SIM] fuel for that great fire, and no one will try to rescue even his [own] brother [from that fire].
In the wraththe of the Lord of oostis the lond schal be disturblid, and the puple schal be as the mete of fier; a man schal not spare his brothir.
20 Israeli people will attack their neighbors on the right [to get food from them], but they will still be hungry. They will [kill those who live in houses] on the left and eat their flesh, but their stomachs will still not be full.
And he schal boowe to the riyt half, and he schal hungre, and he schal ete at the left half, and he schal not be fillid; ech man schal deuoure the fleisch of his arm. Manasses schal deuoure Effraym, and Effraym `schal deuoure Manasses, and thei togidere ayens Juda.
21 [People of the tribes of] Manasseh and Ephraim will attack each other, and [then] they will both attack the people of Judah. But even after that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry with them. He will be ready to strike them with his fist again.
In alle these thingis the strong veniaunce of hym is not turned awei, but yit his hoond is stretchid forth.
