Isaiah 49
1 Ilis, here ye, and puplis afer, perseyue ye; the Lord clepide me fro the wombe, he thouyte on my name fro the wombe of my modir.
Listen, islands, to me; and listen, you peoples, from far: YHWH has called me from the womb; from the body of my mother has he made mention of my name:
2 And he hath set my mouth as a scharp swerd, he defendide me in the schadewe of his hond, and settide me as a chosun arowe; he hidde me in his arowe caas,
and he has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand, he has hidden me; and he has made me a polished arrow, in his quiver has he kept me close:
3 and seide to me, Israel, thou art my seruaunt, for Y schal haue glorie in thee.
and he said to me, "You are my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
4 And Y seide, Y trauelide in veyn, Y wastide my strengthe with out cause, and veynli; therfor my doom is with the Lord, and my werk is with my God.
But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with YHWH, and my reward with my God."
5 And now the Lord, formynge me a seruaunt to hym silf fro the wombe, seith these thingis, that Y brynge ayen Jacob to hym. And Israel schal not be gaderid togidere; and Y am glorified in the iyen of the Lord, and my God is maad my strengthe.
Now says YHWH who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered to him; for I am honorable in the eyes of YHWH, and my God has become my strength.
6 And he seyde, It is litil, that thou be a seruaunt to me, to reise the lynages of Jacob, and to conuerte the drastis of Israel; Y yaf thee in to the liyt of hethene men, that thou be myn helthe `til to the laste part of erthe.
And he says, "Is it too insignificant a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the remnant of Israel? I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may bring salvation to the farthest part of the earth."
7 The Lord, ayenbiere of Israel, the hooli therof, seith these thingis to a dispisable soule, and to a folk had in abhomynacioun, to the seruaunt of lordis, Kyngis schulen se, and princes schulen rise togidere, and schulen worschipe, for the Lord, for he is feithful, and for the hooli of Israel, that chees thee.
Thus says YHWH, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to the one who is despised, to those abhorred as a nation, the servant of rulers: "Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship; because of YHWH who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
8 The Lord seith these thingis, In a plesaunt tyme Y herde thee, and in the dai of helthe Y helpide thee; and Y kepte thee, and yaf thee in to a bonde of pees of the puple, that thou schuldist reise the erthe, and haue in possessioun eritagis, `that ben distried;
Thus says YHWH, "In an acceptable time I have answered you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you; and I will preserve you, and give you as a covenant to the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage:
9 that thou schuldist seie to hem that ben boundun, Go ye out, and to hem that ben in derknessis, Be ye schewid. Thei schulen be fed on weies, and the lesewis of hem schulen be in alle pleyn thingis.
saying to those who are bound, 'Come out.'; to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' "They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture.
10 Thei schulen not hungre, and thei schulen no more thirste, and heete, and the sunne schal not smyte hem; for the merciful doere of hem schal gouerne hem, and schal yyue drynk to hem at the wellis of watris.
They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun strike them: for he who has mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water he will guide them.
11 And Y schal sette alle myn hillis in to weie, and my pathis schulen be enhaunsid.
I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
12 Lo! these men schulen come fro fer, and lo! thei schulen come fro the north, and see, and these fro the south lond.
Look, these shall come from far; and look, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Syene."
13 Heuenes, herie ye, and, thou erthe, make ful out ioie; hillis, synge ye hertli heriyng; for the Lord coumfortide his puple, and schal haue merci on hise pore men.
Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; and break forth into singing, mountains: for YHWH has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14 And Syon seide, The Lord hath forsake me, and the Lord hath foryete me.
But Zion said, "YHWH has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me."
15 Whether a womman may foryete hir yonge child, that sche haue not merci on the sone of hir wombe? thouy sche foryetith, netheles Y schal not foryete thee.
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
16 Lo! Y haue write thee in myn hondis; thi wallis ben euer bifore myn iyen.
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
17 The bilderis ben comun; thei that distrien thee, and scateren, schulen go awei fro thee.
Your builders hurry; your destroyers and those who devastated you shall depart from you.
18 Reise thin iyen in cumpas, and se; alle these men ben gaderid togidere, thei ben comun to thee. Y lyue, seith the Lord, for thou schalt be clothid with alle these as with an ournement, and thou as a spousesse schalt bynde hem to thee.
Lift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live," says YHWH, "you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride.
19 For whi thi desertis, and thi wildirnessis, and the lond of thi fallyng now schulen be streit for enhabiteris; and thei schulen be dryuun awei fer, that swolewiden thee.
"For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now you shall be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up shall be far away.
20 Yit the sones of thi bareynesse schulen seie in thin eeris, The place is streit to me, make thou a space to me for to dwelle.
The children of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears, The place is too small for me; give place to me that I may dwell.
21 And thou schalt seie in thin herte, Who gendride these sones to me? Y am bareyn, not berynge child; Y am led ouer, and prisoner; and who nurschide these sones? Y am destitute, and aloone; and where weren these?
Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought up these? Look, I was left alone; these, where were they?'"
22 The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y reise myn hond to hethene men, and Y schal enhaunce my signe to puplis; and thei schulen brynge thi sones in armes, and thei schulen bere thi douytris on shuldris.
Thus says the Lord YHWH, "Look, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my banner to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
23 And kingis shulen be thi nurseris, and quenys shulen be thi nursis; with cheer cast doun in to erthe thei schulen worschipe thee, and thei schulen licke the dust of thi feet; and thou schalt wite, that Y am the Lord, on whom thei schulen not be schent, that abiden hym.
Kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am YHWH; and those who wait for me shall not be disappointed."
24 Whether prey schal be takun awei fro a strong man? ether that that is takun of a stalworthe man, mai be saaf?
Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?
25 For the Lord seith these thingis, Sotheli and caitifte schal be takun awey fro the stronge man, and that that is takun awei of a stalworthe man, schal be saued. Forsothe Y schal deme hem, that demyden thee, and Y schal saue thi sones.
But thus says YHWH, "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the tyrant shall be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.
26 And Y schal fede thin enemyes with her fleischis, and thei schulen be greetli fillid with her blood as with must; and eche man schal wite, that Y am the Lord, sauynge thee, and thin ayenbiere, the strong of Jacob.
I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they shall be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, YHWH, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."
