Isaiah 44
1 And now, Jacob, my seruaunt, here thou, and Israel, whom I chees.
But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, the one I've chosen.
2 The Lord makynge and foryyuynge thee, thin helpere fro the wombe, seith these thingis, My seruaunt, Jacob, nyle thou drede, and thou moost riytful, whom Y chees.
This is what the Lord says, the one who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Don't be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, the one I've chosen.
3 For Y schal schede out watris on the thirsti, and floodis on the dry lond; Y schal schede out my spirit on thi seed, and my blessyng on thi generacioun.
For I'm going to pour out water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground. I'm going to pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.
4 And thei schulen buriowne among erbis, as salewis bisidis rennynge watris.
They will grow up among the grass, like willows beside streams.
5 This man schal seie, Y am of the Lord, and he schal clepe in the name of Jacob; and this man schal write with his hoond to the Lord, and schal be licned in the name of Israel.
One of them will say, “I belong to the Lord,” while another will call himself by the name Jacob, and yet another will write on his hand, “Belonging to the Lord,” and will name himself Israel.
6 The Lord, kyng of Israel, and ayenbiere therof, the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Y am the firste and Y am the laste, and with outen me is no God.
This is what the Lord says, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me.
7 Who is lijk me? clepe he, and telle, and declare ordre to me, sithen Y made elde puple; telle he to hem thingis to comynge, and that schulen be.
Who is like me? Let them announce it, make a declaration, and demonstrate it before me. For I was the one who long ago established a people and predicted its future. Let them predict what's going to happen.
8 Nyle ye drede, nether be ye disturblid; fro that tyme Y made thee for to here, and Y telde; ye ben my witnessis. Whethir a God is with out me, and a formere, whom Y knew not?
Don't tremble, don't be afraid! Didn't I tell you long ago what I was going to do? Didn't I explain it? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? There is no other Rock—I don't know any!
9 Alle the fourmeris of an idol ben no thing, and the moost louyd thingis of hem schulen not profite; thei ben witnessis of tho, that tho seen not, nether vndurstonden, that thei be schent.
All those who make idols are stupid; these things they love so much don't bring them any benefit. Those people who believe in idols can't see this, and they don't know anything, making them look foolish.
10 Who fourmyde a god, and yetide an ymage, not profitable to ony thing?
Who makes a god, who molds an idol that's no use to them?
11 Lo! alle the parteneris therof schulen be schent; for the smythis ben of men. Whanne alle schulen come, thei schulen stonde, and schulen drede, and schulen be schent togidere.
Everyone who makes idols should be ashamed of themselves. Idol-makers are just human beings! Bring them all together and have them stand up, trembling in shame.
12 A smith wrouyte with a file; he fourmyde it in coolis, and in hameris, and he wrouyte with the arm of his strengthe. He schal be hungri, and he schal faile; he schal not drynke watre, and he schal be feynt.
The blacksmith makes an iron tool for woodcarving. Working over hot coals, he hammers it into shape as hard as he can. He gets hungry and loses his strength, and because he doesn't drink he grows weak.
13 A carpenter stretchide forth a reule, he fourmyde it with an adese; he made it in the corner places, and he turnede it in cumpas; and he made the ymage of a man, as a fair man, dwellynge in the hous.
The woodworker measures out a piece of wood, and draws an image on it. He carves it with a chisel and uses a compass to make an outline. He creates an idol that looks like a person, someone beautiful, to be put in a shrine.
14 He kittide doun cedris, he took an hawthorn, and an ook, that stood among the trees of the forest; he plauntide a pyne apple tre, which he nurschide with reyn,
He chops down cedars, or takes a cypress or an oak. He lets them grow strong in the forest. He plants a fir tree, and the rain makes it grow.
15 and it was maad in to fier to men. He took of tho, and was warmed, and he brente, and bakide looues; but of the residue he wrouyte a god, and worschipide it, and he made a grauun ymage, and he was bowid bifore that.
Some wood he burns, to keep him warm and to bake his bread. Then he uses some of the same wood to make a god to worship, an idol he bows down to!
16 He brente the myddil therof with fier, and of the myddil therof he sethide fleischis, and eet; he sethide potage, and was fillid; and he was warmed, and he seide, Wel!
So he burns part of the wood to roast his meat to eat, and to warm him up, and says, “Ah! Look at that fire that keeps me warm!”
17 Y am warmed; Y siy fier. Forsothe the residue therof he made a god, and a grauun ymage to hym silf; he is bowide bifore that, and worschipith that, and bisechith, and seith, Delyuere thou me, for thou art my god.
Then he uses the rest of the wood to make himself a god, an idol he bows down to in worship and prays to, saying, “Save me, for you are my god!”
18 Thei knewen not, nether vndurstoden, for thei han foryete, that her iye se not, and that thei vndurstonde not with her herte.
How ignorant they are, how dumb! Their eyes have been plastered over so they can't see, their minds closed so they don't have insight.
19 Thei bythenken not in her soule, nether thei knowen, nether thei feelen, that thei seie, Y brente the myddil therof in fier, and Y bakide looues on the coolis therof, and Y sethide fleischis, and eet; and of the residue therof schal Y make an idol? schal Y falle doun bifore the stok of a tree?
They can't think things over, they don't have the wisdom or the understanding to say, “Some of the wood I burned in the fire—I used it to bake my bread and roast my meat to eat. The rest of it I used to make a disgusting idol, and I bow down in worship to a block of wood.”
20 A part therof is aische; an vnwijs herte schal worschipe it, and he schal not delyuere his soule, nether he schal seie, A strong leesyng is in my riythond.
He is feeding on ashes, seduced by the deceptive thinking of his mind. He can't save himself, and he doesn't even ask, “Isn't this idol I'm holding just a lie?”
21 Thou, Jacob, and Israel, haue mynde of these thingis, for thou art my seruaunt; Y formyde thee, Israel, thou art my seruaunt; thou schalt not foryete me.
“Remember all this, Jacob and Israel, for you are my servant. I made you, Israel, you are my servant. I won't forget you.
22 Y dide awei thi wickidnessis as a cloude, and thi synnes as a myist; turne thou ayen to me, for Y ayenbouyte thee.
I have wiped away your acts of rebellion as if they were like a cloud, your sins as if they were like the mist. Come back to me, for I have set you free.”
23 Ye heuenes, herie, for the Lord hath do merci; the laste partis of erth, synge ye hertli song; hillis, sowne ye preisyng; the forest and ech tre therof, herie God; for the Lord ayenbouyte Jacob, and Israel schal haue glorie.
Sing in celebration, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; cry out loud, you depths of the earth. Shout with joy, you mountains, you forests and every tree. For the Lord has set Jacob free, and his glory is shown in Israel!
24 The Lord, thin ayenbiere, and thi fourmere fro the wombe, seith these thingis, Y am the Lord, makynge alle thingis, and Y aloone stretche forth heuenes, and stablische the erthe, and noon is with me;
This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, who shaped you in the womb: “I am the Lord, the Creator of everything. I alone made the heavens, and I myself formed the earth.
25 and Y make voide the signes of false dyuynours, and Y turne in to woodnesse dyuynours, that dyuynen by sacrifices offrid to feendis; and Y turne wise men bacward, and Y make her science fonned.
I am the one who proves the signs of false prophets are wrong. I am the one who makes fools of fortune-tellers. I turn the wisdom of the wise upside-down, and make their knowledge ridiculous.
26 And the Lord reisith the word of his seruaunt, and fillith the councel of hise messangeris; and Y seie, Jerusalem, thou schalt be enhabitid; and to the citees of Juda, Ye schulen be bildid, and Y schal reise the desertis therof;
But I confirm the messages given by my servants, and fulfill what my messengers say. They state, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited again, the towns of Judah will be rebuilt, your ruins will be repaired.’
27 and Y seie to the depthe, Be thou desolat, and Y shal make drie thi floodis;
When I order deep waters, ‘Dry up!’ I will make sure the rivers dry up!
28 and Y seie to Cirus, Thou art my scheepherde, and thou schalt fille al my wille; and Y seie to Jerusalem, Thou schalt be bildid; and to the temple, Thou schalt be foundid.
When I say to Cyrus, ‘You are my shepherd,’ he will carry out everything I wish. He will give the order, ‘Jerusalem shall be rebuilt,’ and he will say, ‘the Temple shall be restored.’”
