Isaiah 30

1 Wo! sones forsakeris, seith the Lord, that ye schulden make a councel, and not of me; and weue a web, and not bi my spirit, that ye schulden encreesse synne on synne.

Woe to the rebellious children, says the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

2 Whiche goen, to go doun in to Egipt, and ye axiden not my mouth; ye hopynge help in the strengthe of Farao, and ye hauynge trist in the schadewe of Egipt.

That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

3 And the strengthe of Farao schal be to you in to confusioun, and the trist of the schadewe of Egipt in to schenschipe.

Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

4 For whi thi princes weren in Taphnys, and thi messangeris camen til to Anes.

For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.

5 Alle thei weren schent on the puple, that myyten not profite to hem; thei weren not in to help, and in to ony profit, but in to schame and schenschip.

They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

6 The birthun of werk beestis of the south. In the lond of tribulacioun and of angwisch, a lionesse, and a lioun, of hem a serpent, and a cocatrice; thei weren berynge her richessis on the schuldris of werk beestis, and her tresours on the botche of camels, to a puple that myyte not profite to hem.

The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from where come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches on the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures on the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

7 For whi Egipt schal helpe in veyn, and idili. Therfor Y criede on this thing, It is pride oneli; ceesse thou.

For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.

8 Now therfor entre thou, and write to it on box, and write thou it diligentli in a book; and it schal be in the last dai in to witnessyng, til in to with outen ende.

Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:

9 For it is a puple terrynge to wrathfulnesse, and sones lieris, sones that nylen here the lawe of God.

That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

10 Whiche seien to profetis, Nyle ye prophesie; and to biholderis, Nyle ye biholde to vs tho thingis that ben riytful; speke ye thingis plesynge to vs, se ye errouris to vs.

Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not to us right things, speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

11 Do ye awei fro me the weie, bowe ye awei fro me the path; the hooli of Israel ceesse fro oure face.

Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

12 Therfor the hooli of Israel seith these thingis, For that that ye repreuiden this word, and hopiden on fals caleng, and on noise, and tristiden on it,

Why thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:

13 therfor this wickidnesse schal be to you as a brekyng fallynge doun, and souyt in an hiy wal; for sudeynli while it is not hopid, the brekyng therof schal come.

Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly at an instant.

14 And it schal be maad lesse, as a galoun of a pottere is brokun with ful strong brekyng; and a scherd schal not be foundun of the gobetis therof, in which scherd a litil fier schal be borun of brennyng, ethir a litil of watir schal be drawun of the diche.

And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water with out of the pit.

15 For whi the Lord God, the hooli of Israel, seith these thingis, If ye turnen ayen, and resten, ye schulen be saaf; in stilnesse and in hope schal be youre strengthe. And ye nolden.

For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall you be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and you would not.

16 And ye seiden, Nai, but we schulen fle to horsis; therfor ye schulen fle. And we schulen stie on swifte horsis; therfor thei schulen be swiftere, that schulen pursue you.

But you said, No; for we will flee on horses; therefore shall you flee: and, We will ride on the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.

17 A thousynde men schulen fle fro the face of the drede of oon; and ye schulen fle fro the face of drede of fyue, til ye be left as the mast of a schip in the cop of a munteyn, and as a signe on a litil hil.

One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall you flee: till you be left as a beacon on the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.

18 Therfor the Lord abidith, that he haue mercy on you, and therfor he schal be enhaunsid sparynge you; for whi God is Lord of doom, blessid ben alle thei that abiden hym.

And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious to you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy on you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

19 Forsothe the puple of Sion schal dwelle in Jerusalem; thou wepynge schal not wepe, he doynge merci schal haue merci on thee; at the vois of thi cry, anoon as he herith, he schal answere to thee.

For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: you shall weep no more: he will be very gracious to you at the voice of your cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer you.

20 And the Lord schal yyue to thee streyt breed, and schort watir, and schal no more make thi techere to fle awei fro thee; and thin iyen schulen be seynge thi comaundour,

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not your teachers be removed into a corner any more, but your eyes shall see your teachers:

21 and thin eeris schulen here a word bihynde the bak of hym that monestith; This is the weie, go ye therynne, nether to the riyt half nether to the left half.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.

22 And thou schalt defoule the platis of the grauun ymagis of thi siluer, and the cloth of the yotun ymage of thi gold; and thou schalt scatere tho, as the vnclennesse of a womman in vncleene blood; Go thou out, and thou schalt seie to it.

You shall defile also the covering of your graven images of silver, and the ornament of your molten images of gold: you shall cast them away as a menstruous cloth; you shall say to it, Get you hence.

23 And reyn schal be youun to thi seed, where euere thou schalt sowe in erthe, and the breed of fruytis of erthe schal be moost plenteuouse and fat; in that dai a lomb schal be fed largeli in thi possessioun.

Then shall he give the rain of your seed, that you shall sow the ground with; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall your cattle feed in large pastures.

24 And thi bolis and coltis of assis, that worchen the lond, schulen ete barli with chaf meynd togidere, as it is wyndewid in the cornfloor.

The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

25 And strondis of rennynge watris schulen be on ech hiy munteyn, and on ech litil hil reisid, in the dai of sleyng of many men, whanne touris fallen doun.

And there shall be on every high mountain, and on every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

26 And the liyt of the moone schal be as the liyt of the sunne, and the liyt of the sunne schal be seuenfold, as the liyt of seuene daies, in the dai in which the Lord schal bynde togidere the wounde of his puple, and schal make hool the smytynge of the wounde therof.

Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the breach of his people, and heals the stroke of their wound.

27 Lo! the name of the Lord cometh doun fro fer; his strong veniaunce is brennynge and greuouse to bere; hise lippis ben fillid of indignacioun, and his tunge is as fier deuouringe.

Behold, the name of the LORD comes from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

28 His spirit is as a stef streem, flowynge `til to the myddis of the necke, to leese folkis in to nouyt, and the bridil of errour, that was in the chekis of puplis.

And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the middle of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

29 Song schal be to you, as the vois of an halewid solempnyte; and gladnesse of herte, as he that goth with a pipe, for to entre in to the hil of the Lord, to the stronge of Israel.

You shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goes with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.

30 And the Lord schal make herd the glorie of his vois, and he schal schewe the ferdfulnesse of his arm in manassyng of strong veniaunce, and in flawme of fier brennynge; he schal hurtle doun in whirlewynd, and in stoon of hail.

And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.

31 For whi Assur smytun with a yerde schal drede of the vois of the Lord;

For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.

32 and the passyng of the yerd schal be foundid, which yerde the Lord schal make for to reste on hym. In tympans, and harpis, and in souereyn batels he schal ouercome hem.

And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay on him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.

33 For whi Tophet, that is, helle, deep and alargid, is maad redi of the kyng fro yistirdai; the nurschyngis therof ben fier and many trees; the blast of the Lord as a streem of brymstoon kyndlith it.

For Tophet is ordained of old; yes, for the king it is prepared; he has made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, does kindle it.