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.
“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him. 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 shout, nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard 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 bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.
4 He schal not be sorewful, nether troblid, til he sette doom in erthe, and ilis schulen abide his lawe.
He will not fail nor be discouraged, until he has set justice in the earth, and the islands wait for his law.”
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.
God the LORD, he who created the heavens and stretched them out, he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it, he who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk in it, says:
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 in righteousness. I will hold your hand. I will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for 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 blind eyes, to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of the 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 will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.
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 I declare new things. I tell you about them before they come up.”
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, and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants.
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 wilderness and its cities raise their voices, with the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains!
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 will go out like a mighty man. He will stir up zeal like a man of war. He will raise a war cry. Yes, he will shout aloud. He will 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 been silent a long time. I have been quiet and restrained myself. Now I will cry out like a travailing woman. I will both 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 destroy mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs. I will make the rivers islands, and will 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 bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, 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.
“Those who trust in engraved images, who tell molten images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back. They will be utterly disappointed.
18 Ye deef men, here; and ye blynde men, biholde to se.
“Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, 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 who is as deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is as blind as he who is at peace, and as blind as the LORD’s servant?
20 Whether thou that seest many thingis, schalt not kepe? Whether thou that hast open eeris, schalt not here?
You see many things, but don’t observe. His ears are open, but he doesn’t listen.
21 And the Lord wolde, that he schulde halewe it, and magnefie the lawe, and enhaunse it.
It pleased the LORD, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify the law and make it honorable.
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 robbed and plundered people. All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. They have become captives, and no one delivers, and a plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore them!’
23 Who is among you, that herith this, perseyueth, and herkneth thingis to comynge?
Who is there among you who will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
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 as plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Didn’t the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in his ways, and they disobeyed 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.
Therefore he poured the fierceness of his anger on him, and the strength of battle. It set him on fire all around, but he didn’t know. It burned him, but he didn’t take it to heart.”
