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, “who take counsel, but not from me; and who make an alliance, but not with 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.
who set out to go down into Egypt without asking for my advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge 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 the strength of Pharaoh will be your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
4 For whi thi princes weren in Taphnys, and thi messangeris camen til to Anes.
For their princes are at Zoan, and their ambassadors have come 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 shall all be ashamed because of a people that can’t profit them, that are not a 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 animals of the South. Through the land of trouble and anguish, of the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches on the shoulders of young donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to an unprofitable people.
7 For whi Egipt schal helpe in veyn, and idili. Therfor Y criede on this thing, It is pride oneli; ceesse thou.
For Egypt helps in vain, and to no purpose; therefore I have called her Rahab who sits 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 on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come forever and ever.
9 For it is a puple terrynge to wrathfulnesse, and sones lieris, sones that nylen here the lawe of God.
For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the LORD’s law;
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.
who tell the seers, “Don’t see!” and the prophets, “Don’t prophesy to us right things. Tell us pleasant 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 out of the way. Turn away from 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,
Therefore the Holy One of Israel says, “Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely on it,
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 like a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly in 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.
He will break it as a potter’s vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing, so that there won’t be found amongst the broken pieces a piece good enough to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.”
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 said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “You will be saved in returning and rest. Your strength will be in quietness and in confidence.” You refused,
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 you will flee; and, “We will ride on the swift;” therefore those who pursue you will 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 will flee at the threat of one. At the threat of five, you will flee until you are left like a beacon on the top of a mountain, and like a banner on a 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.
Therefore the LORD will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you, for the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who 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 will dwell in Zion at Jerusalem. You will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the voice of your cry. When he hears you, 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,
Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers won’t be hidden any more, but your eyes will 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 when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way. Walk in it.”
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 the overlaying of your engraved images of silver, and the plating of your molten images of gold. You shall cast them away as an unclean thing. You shall tell it, “Go away!”
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.
He will give the rain for your seed, with which you will sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the ground will be rich and plentiful. In that day, your livestock will 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 donkeys that till the ground will eat savoury feed, which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork.
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.
There will be brooks and streams of water on every lofty mountain and on every high hill 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 will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the fracture of his people, and heals the wound they were struck with.
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 LORD’s name comes from far away, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke. His lips are full of indignation. His tongue is 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.
His breath is as an overflowing stream that reaches even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction. A bridle that leads to ruin will be in the jaws of the peoples.
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 will have a song, as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one goes with a flute to come to the LORD’s mountain, to Israel’s Rock.
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.
The LORD will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the descent of his arm, with the indignation of his anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast, storm, and hailstones.
31 For whi Assur smytun with a yerde schal drede of the vois of the Lord;
For through the LORD’s voice the Assyrian will be dismayed. He will strike him with his 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.
Every stroke of the rod of punishment, which the LORD will lay on him, will be with the sound of tambourines and harps. He will fight with them in battles, brandishing weapons.
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 his burning place has long been ready. Yes, it is prepared for the king. He has made its pyre deep and large with fire and much wood. The LORD’s breath, like a stream of sulphur, kindles it.
