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.
Look! Here is my servant, the one I support; my chosen one who pleases me. I have placed my Spirit on him, and he will show the nations what is right.
2 He schal not crie, nether he schal take a persoone, nether his vois schal be herd withoutforth.
He won't shout or cry out; he won't raise his voice in the street.
3 He schal not breke a schakun rehed, and he schal not quenche smokynge flax; he schal brynge out doom in treuthe.
He won't break a damaged reed; he won't snuff out a smoldering wick. He will faithfully make sure everyone is treated fairly.
4 He schal not be sorewful, nether troblid, til he sette doom in erthe, and ilis schulen abide his lawe.
He won't give up or become discouraged until he has made sure that justice is upheld throughout the world. Even lands overseas will look forward to his teachings.
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, the one who created the heavens and stretched them out, who made the earth and everything in it, who gives breath to the people on it, and life to those who live there:
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 to demonstrate what's right, and I will hold your hand. I will take care of you, and give you as a sign of my agreement with the people and as 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.
You will make the blind see, set free those who are locked up, and lead those who sit in darkness out from prison.
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 do not give my honor to anyone else; I do not give 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.
Notice that what I foretold has come true, as will the new things I'm saying to you now. I tell you what will happen before it does.”
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 a new song to the Lord! Sing praise from everywhere on earth, you who sail on the sea and everything in it, you islands and everyone who lives 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 people in the desert and its towns shout; let the people of the villages of Kedar cry out loud. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops.
12 Thei schulen sette glorie to the Lord, and they schulen telle his heriyng in ilis.
Let them glorify the Lord and praise him 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.
Like a mighty warrior the Lord will march out, like a seasoned soldier he goes out with courage. He gives his war-cry, shouting as he battles and defeats 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 didn't say anything for a long time, I kept quiet and restrained myself. But now like a woman giving birth, I will moan and 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 dry up the mountains and the hills, and make all their greenery wither. I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools.
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 along a road they don't know; I will guide them along paths they don't know. I will turn darkness into light before them, and smooth out the rough places. This is what I'm going to do for them; I won't let them down.
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 images, ‘You are our gods!’ will be rejected in humiliation and shame.
18 Ye deef men, here; and ye blynde men, biholde to se.
Listen, you deaf people! Look and see, you blind people!
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 like my servant? Who is deaf like my messenger that I send? Who is as blind as the people of the agreement? Who is as blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 Whether thou that seest many thingis, schalt not kepe? Whether thou that hast open eeris, schalt not here?
You've looked at many things but have not really seen; you've heard but never really listened.”
21 And the Lord wolde, that he schulde halewe it, and magnefie the lawe, and enhaunse it.
Because the Lord does what is right he wanted to show how important and wonderful his instructions were.
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 people ended up robbed and raided, all of them trapped in holes or hidden in prisons. They have been stolen like loot, with no one to save them from being someone's prize, no one to say “Give them back!”
23 Who is among you, that herith this, perseyueth, and herkneth thingis to comynge?
Who of you is going to listen to this, or pay attention later on?
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 let Jacob be taken as loot; who let Israel be taken by robbers? Wasn't it the Lord who we sinned against? The people weren't willing to follow his ways, and they refused to 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 his furious anger on them, and the violence of war. Even though they were surrounded by flames, but they still didn't understand. The fire burned them up, but they still did not take the situation seriously.
