Isaiah 1
1 The visioun, ether profesie, of Ysaie, the sone of Amos, which he siy on Juda and Jerusalem, in the daies of Osie, of Joathan, of Achas, and of Ezechie, kyngis of Juda.
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, that he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Ye heuenes, here, and thou erthe, perseyue with eeris, for the Lord spak. Y haue nurschid and Y haue enhaunsid sones; sotheli thei han dispisid me.
Hear, heavens, and give ear, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, but they have rebelled against me.
3 An oxe knew his lord, and an asse knew the cratche of his lord; but Israel knewe not me, and my puple vndurstood not.
The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's feeding trough, but Israel does not know, Israel does not understand.”
4 Wo to the synful folk, to the puple heuy in wickidnesse, to the weiward seed, to the cursid sones; thei han forsake the Lord, thei han blasfemyd the hooli of Israel, thei ben aliened bacward.
Woe! Nation, sinners, a people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned Yahweh, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have estranged themselves from him.
5 On what thing schal Y smyte you more, that encreessen trespassyng? Ech heed is sijk, and ech herte is morenynge.
Why are you still being beaten? Why do you rebel more and more? The whole head is sick, the whole heart is weak.
6 Fro the sole of the foot til to the nol, helthe is not ther ynne; wounde, and wannesse, and betyng bolnynge is not boundun aboute, nether curid bi medicyn, nether nurschid with oile.
From the sole of the foot to the head there is no part unharmed; only wounds, and bruises, and fresh open wounds; they have not been closed, cleansed, bandaged, nor treated with oil.
7 Youre lond is forsakun, youre citees ben brent bi fier; aliens deuouren youre cuntrei bifore you, and it schal be disolat as in the distriyng of enemyes.
Your country is ruined; your cities are burned; your fields—in your presence, strangers are destroying them— abandoned devastation, overthrown by strangers.
8 And the douytir of Sion, `that is, Jerusalem, schal be forsakun as a schadewynge place in a vyner, and as an hulke in a place where gourdis wexen, and as a citee which is wastid.
The daughter of Zion is left like a hut in a vineyard, like a shed in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city.
9 If the Lord of oostis hadde not left seed to vs, we hadden be as Sodom, and we hadden be lijk as Gomorre.
If Yahweh of hosts had not left for us a small remnant, we would have been like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.
10 Ye princes of men of Sodom, here the word of the Lord; and ye puple of Gommorre, perseyue with eeris the lawe of youre God.
Hear the word of Yahweh, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah:
11 Wherto offren ye to me the multitude of youre sacrifices? seith the Lord. Y am ful; Y wolde not the brent sacrifices of wetheris, and the ynnere fatnesse of fatte beestis, and the blood of calues, and of lambren, and of buckis of geet.
“What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?” says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fatted beasts; and in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats I do not delight.
12 Whanne ye camen bifore my siyt, who axide of youre hondis these thingis, that ye schulden go in myn hallys?
When you come to appear before me, who has required this of you, to trample my courts?
13 Offre ye no more sacrifice in veyn; encense is abhomynacioun to me; Y schal not suffre neomenye, and sabat, and othere feestis.
Bring no more meaningless offerings; incense is an abomination to me; your new moon and Sabbath assemblies—I cannot tolerate these wicked assemblies.
14 Youre cumpenyes ben wickid; my soule hatith youre calendis and youre solempnytees; tho ben maad diseseful to me, Y trauelide suffrynge.
I hate your new moons and your appointed feasts; they are a burden to me; I am tired of enduring them.
15 And whanne ye stretchen forth youre hondis, Y schal turne awei myn iyen fro you; and whanne ye multiplien preyer, Y schal not here; for whi youre hondis ben ful of blood.
So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Be ye waischun, be ye clene; do ye awei the yuel of youre thouytis fro myn iyen; ceesse ye to do weiwardli, lerne ye to do wel.
Wash, cleanse yourselves; remove the evil of your deeds from my sight; stop being evil;
17 Seke ye doom, helpe ye hym that is oppressid, deme ye to the fadirles and modirles child, defende ye a widewe.
learn to do good; seek justice, make straight the oppression, give justice to the fatherless, defend the widow.”
18 And come ye, and repreue ye me, seith the Lord. Thouy youre synnes ben as blood reed, tho schulen be maad whijt as snow; and thouy tho ben reed as vermylioun, tho schulen be whijt as wolle.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh; “though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
19 If ye wolen, and heren me, ye schulen ete the goodis of erthe.
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land,
20 That if ye nylen, and ye terren me to wrathfulnesse, swerd schal deuoure you; for whi the mouth of the Lord spak.
but if you refuse and rebel, the sword will devour you,” for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.
21 Hou is the feithful citee ful of dom maad an hoore? riytfulnesse dwellide ther ynne; but now menquelleris dwellen ther ynne.
How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She who was full of justice—she was full of righteousness, but now she is full of murderers.
22 Thi siluer is turned in to dros, ether filthe; thi wyn is medlid with watir.
Your silver has become impure, your wine mixed with water.
23 Thi princes ben vnfeithful, the felowis of theuys; alle louen yiftis, suen meedis; thei demen not to a fadirles child, and the cause of a widewe entrith not to hem.
Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes and runs after payoffs. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the widow's legal plea come before them.
24 For this thing, seith the Lord God of oostis, the stronge of Israel, Alas! Y schal be coumfortid on myn enemyes, and Y schal be vengid on myn enemyes.
Therefore this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Woe to them! I will take vengeance against my adversaries, and avenge myself against my enemies;
25 And Y schal turne myn hond to thee, and Y schal sethe out thi filthe to the cleene, and Y schal do awei al thi tyn.
I will turn my hand against you, refine away your dross as with lye, and take away all your dross.
26 And Y schal restore thi iuges, as thei weren bifor to, and thi counselours, as in elde tyme. Aftir these thingis thou schalt be clepid the citee of the riytful, a feithful citee.
I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful town.”
27 Sion schal be ayen bouyt in dom, and thei schulen bringe it ayen in to riytfulnesse;
Zion will be redeemed by justice, and her repentant ones by righteousness.
28 and God schal al to-breke cursid men and synneris togidere, and thei that forsoken the Lord, schulen be wastid.
Rebels and sinners will be crushed together, and those who abandon Yahweh will be done away with.
29 For thei schulen be aschamed of idols, to whiche thei maden sacrifice; and ye shulen be aschamid on the orcherdis, whiche ye chesiden.
“For you will be ashamed of the sacred oak trees that you desired, and you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen.
30 Whanne ye schulen be as an ook, whanne the leeues fallen doun, and as an orcherd with out watir.
For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades, and like a garden that has no water.
31 And youre strengthe schal be as a deed sparcle of bonys, `ether of herdis of flex, and youre werk schal be as a quyk sparcle; and euer either schal be brent togidere, and noon schal be that schal quenche.
The strong man will be like tinder, and his work like a spark; they will both burn together, and no one will quench them.”
