Isaiah 42
1 Lo! my seruaunt, Y schal vptake hym, my chosun, my soule pleside to it silf in hym. I yaf my spirit on hym, he schal brynge forth doom to hethene men.
“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
2 He schal not crie, nether he schal take a persoone, nether his vois schal be herd withoutforth.
He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets.
3 He schal not breke a schakun rehed, and he schal not quenche smokynge flax; he schal brynge out doom in treuthe.
A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He schal not be sorewful, nether troblid, til he sette doom in erthe, and ilis schulen abide his lawe.
He will not grow weak or discouraged before He has established justice on the earth. In His law the islands will put their hope.”
5 The Lord God seith these thingis, makynge heuenes of noyt, and stretchynge forth tho, makynge stidfast the erthe, and tho thingis that buriownen of it, yyuynge breeth to the puple, that is on it, and yyuynge spirit to hem that treden on it.
This is what God the LORD says— He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:
6 Y the Lord haue clepid thee in riytfulnesse, and Y took thin hond, and kepte thee, and Y yaf thee in to a boond of pees of the puple, and in to liyt of folkis.
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations,
7 That thou schuldist opene the iyen of blynde men; that thou schuldist lede out of closyng togidere a boundun man, fro the hous of prisoun men sittynge in derknessis.
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.
8 Y am the Lord, this is my name; Y schal not yyue my glorie to an othere, and my preisyng to grauun ymagis.
I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.
9 Lo! tho thingis that weren the firste, ben comun, and Y telle newe thingis; Y schal make herd to you, bifore that tho bigynnen to be maad.
Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
10 Synge ye a newe song to the Lord; his heriyng is fro the laste partis of erthe; ye that goon doun in to the see, and the fulnesse therof, ilis, and the dwelleris of tho.
Sing to the LORD a new song— His praise from the ends of the earth— you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them.
11 The desert be reisid, and the citees therof; he schal dwelle in the housis of Cedar; ye dwelleris of the stoon, herie ye; thei schulen crie fro the cop of hillis.
Let the desert and its cities raise their voices; let the villages of Kedar cry aloud. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops.
12 Thei schulen sette glorie to the Lord, and they schulen telle his heriyng in ilis.
Let them give glory to the LORD and declare His praise in the islands.
13 The Lord as a strong man schal go out, as a man a werryour he schal reise feruent loue; he schal speke, and schal crie; he schal be coumfortid on hise enemyes.
The LORD goes forth like a mighty one; He stirs up His zeal like a warrior. He shouts; yes, He roars in triumph over His enemies:
14 Y was stille, euere Y helde silence; Y was pacient, Y schal speke as a womman trauelynge of child; Y schal scatere, and Y schal swolowe togidere.
“I have kept silent from ages past; I have remained quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.
15 Y schal make desert hiy mounteyns and litle hillis, and Y schal drie vp al the buriownyng of tho; and Y schal sette floodis in to ilis, and Y schal make poondis drie.
I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes.
16 And Y schal lede out blynde men in to the weie, which thei knowen not, and Y schal make hem to go in pathis, whiche thei knewen not; Y schal sette the derknessis of hem bifore hem in to liyt, and schrewid thingis in to riytful thingis; Y dide these wordis to hem, and Y forsook not hem.
I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.
17 Thei ben turned abac; be thei schent with schenschipe, that trusten in a grauun ymage; whiche seien to a yotun ymage, Ye ben oure goddis.
But those who trust in idols and say to molten images, ‘You are our gods!’ will be turned back in utter shame.
18 Ye deef men, here; and ye blynde men, biholde to se.
Listen, you deaf ones; look, you blind ones, that you may see!
19 Who is blynd, no but my seruaunt? and deef, no but he to whom Y sente my messangeris? Who is blynd, no but he that is seeld? and who is blynd, no but the seruaunt of the Lord?
Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like the messenger I am sending? Who is blind like My covenant partner, or blind like the servant of the LORD?
20 Whether thou that seest many thingis, schalt not kepe? Whether thou that hast open eeris, schalt not here?
Though seeing many things, you do not keep watch. Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”
21 And the Lord wolde, that he schulde halewe it, and magnefie the lawe, and enhaunse it.
The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.
22 But thilke puple was rauyschid, and wastid; alle thei ben the snare of yonge men, and ben hid in the housis of prisouns. Thei ben maad in to raueyn, and noon is that delyuereth; in to rauyschyng, and noon is that seith, Yelde thou.
But this is a people plundered and looted, all trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons. They have become plunder with no one to rescue them, and loot with no one to say, “Send them back!”
23 Who is among you, that herith this, perseyueth, and herkneth thingis to comynge?
Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen and obey hereafter?
24 Who yaf Jacob in to rauyschyng, and Israel to distrieris? Whether not the Lord? He it is, ayens whom thei synneden; and thei nolden go in hise weies, and thei herden not his lawe.
Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? They were unwilling to walk in His ways, and they would not obey His law.
25 And he schedde out on hem the indignacioun of his strong veniaunce, and strong batel; and thei brenten it in cumpas, and it knewe not; and he brente it, and it vndurstood not.
So He poured out on them His furious anger and the fierceness of battle. It enveloped them in flames, but they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.
