< Isaiah 32 >
1 Lo! the kyng schal regne in riytfulnesse, and princes schulen be souereyns in doom.
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
2 And a man schal be, as he that is hid fro wynd, and hidith hym silf fro tempest; as stremes of watris in thirst, and the schadewe of a stoon stondynge fer out in a desert lond.
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3 The iyen of profetis schulen not dasewe, and the eeris of heereris schulen herke diligentli;
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
4 and the herte of foolis schal vndurstonde kunnyng, and the tunge of stuttynge men schal speke swiftli, and pleynli.
The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.
5 He that is vnwijs, schal no more be clepid prince, and a gileful man schal not be clepid the grettere.
The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said [to be] bountiful.
6 Forsothe a fool shal speke foli thingis, and his herte schal do wickidnesse, that he performe feynyng, and speke to the Lord gilefuli; and he schal make voide the soule of an hungry man, and schal take awei drynke fro a thirsti man.
For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7 The vessels of a gileful man ben worste; for he schal make redi thouytis to leese mylde men in the word of a leesyng, whanne a pore man spak doom.
The instruments also of the churl [are] evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.
8 Forsothe a prince schal thenke tho thingis that ben worthi to a prince, and he schal stonde ouer duykis.
But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.
9 Riche wymmen, rise ye, and here my vois; douytris tristynge, perseyue ye with eeris my speche.
Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech.
10 For whi aftir daies and a yeer, and ye that tristen schulen be disturblid; for whi vyndage is endid, gaderyng schal no more come.
Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.
11 Ye riche wymmen, be astonyed; ye that tristen, be disturblid; vnclothe ye you, and be ye aschamed;
Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon [your] loins.
12 girde youre leendis; weile ye on brestis, on desirable cuntrei, on the plenteuouse vyner.
They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
13 Thornes and breris schulen stie on the erthe of my puple; hou myche more on alle the housis of ioie of the citee makynge ful out ioie?
Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns [and] briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy [in] the joyous city:
14 For whi the hous is left, the multitude of the citee is forsakun; derknessis and gropyng ben maad on dennes, `til in to with outen ende. The ioie of wield assis is the lesewe of flockis;
Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;
15 til the spirit be sched out on us fro an hiy, and the desert schal be in to Chermel, and Chermel schal be arettid in to a forest.
Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
16 And doom schal dwelle in wildirnesse, and riytfulnesse schal sitte in Chermel;
Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
17 and the werk of riytfulnesse schal be pees, and the tilthe of riytfulnesse schal be stilnesse and sikirnesse, `til in to with outen ende.
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
18 And my puple schal sitte in the fairnesse of pees, and in the tabernaclis of trist, and in riche reste.
And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
19 But hail schal be in the coming doun of the foreste, and bi lownesse the citee schal be maad low.
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.
20 Blessid ben ye, that sowen on alle watris, and putten yn the foot of an oxe and of an asse.
Blessed [are] ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth [thither] the feet of the ox and the ass.