Isaiah 24
1 Lo! the Lord schal distrie the erthe, and schal make it nakid, and schal turmente the face therof; and he schal scater abrood the dwelleris therof.
Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—
2 And it schal be, as the puple, so the preest; as the seruaunt, so his lord; as the handmaide, so the ladi of hir; as a biere, so he that sillith; as the leenere, so he that takith borewyng; as he that axith ayen, so he that owith.
people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.
3 Bi distriyng the lond schal be distried, and schal be maad nakid by rauyschyng; for whi the Lord spak this word.
The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered.
4 The erthe morenyde, and fleet awei, and is maad sijk; the world fleet awei, the hiynesse of the puple of erthe is maad sijk,
The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.
5 and the erthe is slayn of hise dwelleris. For thei passiden lawis, chaungiden riyt, distrieden euerlastynge boond of pees.
The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant.
6 For this thing cursyng schal deuoure the erthe, and the dwelleris therof schulen do synne; and therfor the louyeris therof schulen be woode, and fewe men schulen be left.
Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.
7 Vyndage morenyde, the vyne is sijk; alle men that weren glad in herte weiliden.
The new wine dries up, the vine withers. All the merrymakers now groan.
8 The ioie of tympans ceesside, the sowne of glad men restide; the swetnesse of harpe with song was stille.
The joyful tambourines have ceased; the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent.
9 Thei schulen not drynke wyn; a bittere drynk schal be to hem that schulen drynke it.
They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.
10 The citee of vanyte is al to-brokun; ech hous is closid, for no man entrith.
The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.
11 Cry schal be on wyn in streetis, al gladnesse is forsakun, the ioie of erthe is `takun awei.
In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.
12 Desolacioun is left in the citee, and wretchidnesse schal oppresse the yatis.
The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.
13 For these thingis schulen be in the myddis of erthe, in the myddis of puplis, as if a fewe fruitis of olyue trees that ben left ben schakun of fro the olyue tre, and racyns, whanne the vyndage is endid.
So will it be on the earth and among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.
14 These men schulen reise her vois, and schulen preise, whanne the Lord schal be glorified; thei schulen schewe signes of gladnesse fro the see.
They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD.
15 For this thing glorifie ye the Lord in techyngis; in the ilis of the see glorifie ye the name of the Lord God of Israel.
Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea.
16 Fro the endis of erthe we han herd heriyngis, the glorye of the iust. And Y seide, My priuyte to me, my pryuyte to me. Wo to me, trespassours han trespassid, and han trespassid bi trespassyng of brekeris of the lawe.
From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.
17 Ferdfulnesse, and a diche, and a snare on thee, that art a dwellere of erthe.
Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth.
18 And it schal be, he that schal fle fro the face of ferdfulnesse, schal falle in to the diche; and he that schal delyuere hym silf fro the dich, schal be holdun of the snare; for whi the wyndows of hiye thingis ben openyd, and the foundementis of erthe schulen be schakun togidere.
Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
19 The erthe schal be brokun with brekyng,
The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.
20 the erthe schal be defoulid with defoulyng, the erthe schal be mouyd with mouyng, the erthe schal be schakun with schakyng, as a drunkun man.
The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a shack. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again.
21 And it schal be takun awei, as the tabernacle of o nyyt, and the wickidnesse therof schal greue it; and it schal falle down, and it schal not adde, for to rise ayen. And it schal be, in that dai the Lord schal visite on the knyythod of heuene an hiy, and on the kyngis of erthe, that ben on erthe.
In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below.
22 And thei schulen be gaderid togidere in the gadering togidere of a bundel in to the lake, and thei schulen be closid there in prisoun; and aftir many daies thei schulen be visited.
They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and punished after many days.
23 And the moone schal be aschamed, and the sunne schal be confoundid, whanne the Lord of oostis schal regne in the hil of Sion, and in Jerusalem, and schal be glorified in the siyt of hise eldre men.
The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.
