Isaiah 44
1 And now, Jacob, my seruaunt, here thou, and Israel, whom I chees.
Yet now hear, O Jacob, my servant, And Israel, whom I have 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.
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Creator, He that formed thee, and hath helped thee from thy birth, Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, O Jeshurun, whom I have 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 will pour water upon the thirsty land, And streams upon the dry ground. I will pour out my spirit on thy children, And my blessing on thine offspring;
4 And thei schulen buriowne among erbis, as salewis bisidis rennynge watris.
And they shall grow up, as among grass; As willows by the water-brooks.
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 shall say, “I belong to Jehovah”; Another shall call upon the name of Jacob; Another shall write upon his hand, Jehovah's! And praise the name of 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.
Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, His redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I the last, And besides me there is no God.
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 like me hath proclaimed the future, —Let him declare it, and set it in order before me!— Since I established the people of old? Let them make known the future, even that which is to come!
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?
Fear ye not, neither be ye afraid! Have I not declared and made it known to you of old? Ye are my witnesses; Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no other rock; I know not 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.
They that make a graven image are all of them vanity, And their valued works are profitable for nothing; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor understand, So that they may be ashamed.
10 Who fourmyde a god, and yetide an ymage, not profitable to ony thing?
Who hath formed a god, And cast a graven image, that is profitable for nothing?
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.
Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed; The workmen are themselves mortal men; They shall all be assembled; they shall stand up; They shall tremble, and be put to shame together!
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 smith prepareth an axe in the coals, And fashioneth it with hammers, And worketh it with his strong arm; He becometh hungry, and his strength faileth; He drinketh no water, and is faint.
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 carpenter stretcheth out the line; He marketh out the form of it with the sharp tool; He formeth it with planes; He marketh it with the compass; He maketh it in the figure of a man, With the beauty of a man, To dwell in a house.
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 heweth him down cedars; He taketh the ilex and the oak; He chooseth for himself among the trees of the forest; He planteth the ash, and the rain matureth it;
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.
These are fuel for man; He taketh thereof and warmeth himself; He kindleth with it, and baketh bread; A god also he formeth of it, and worshippeth it; A graven image, and falleth down before it.
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!
Half of it he burneth with fire; With half of it he eateth flesh; He roasteth meat, and satisfieth himself; He also warmeth himself, and saith, Aha! I am warm; I feel the fire.
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.
Of the residue he maketh a god, even his graven image; He falleth down before it and worshippeth it, And prayeth to it, and saith, “Deliver me, for thou art 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.
They know not, neither understand; For their eyes are closed up, that they cannot see, And their hearts, that they cannot understand.
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?
None considereth in his mind, Or hath knowledge and understanding to say: “Half of it I have burned with fire; I have also baked bread on the coals of it; I have roasted flesh and have eaten; And shall I make the remnant an abomination? Shall I fall down before the stock of a tree?”
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 toileth for ashes; A deluded heart turneth him aside, So that he cannot deliver himself, and say “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
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 these things, O Jacob, O Israel, for thou art my servant! I formed thee; thou art my servant; O Israel, I will not forget thee.
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 caused thy transgressions to vanish like a cloud, And thy sins like a mist; Return to me, for I have redeemed thee!
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, O ye heavens, for Jehovah hath done it; Shout, O ye depths of the earth! Break forth into song, ye mountains! Thou forest, and every tree therein! For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, And glorified himself 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;
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, Even he that formed thee from the womb; I am Jehovah, who made all things; Who stretched out the heavens alone; Who spread out the earth by myself;
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.
Who frustrateth the signs of deceivers, And maketh the diviners mad; Who putteth the wise men to shame, And maketh their knowledge folly;
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;
Who establisheth the word of his servant, And performeth the purpose of his messengers; Who saith of Jerusalem, “She shall be inhabited,” And of the cities of Judah, “They shall be built,” And, “Her desolated places I will restore.”
27 and Y seie to the depthe, Be thou desolat, and Y shal make drie thi floodis;
Who saith to the deep, “Be dry! I will dry up thy streams!”
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.
Who saith of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd; He shall perform all my pleasure”; Who saith of Jerusalem, “She shall be built,” And of the temple, “Her foundation shall be laid.”
