Isaiah 5
1 I schal synge for my derlyng the song of myn vnclis sone, of his vyner. A vyner was maad to my derlyng, in the horne in the sone of oile.
Let me sing for my well beloved a song of my beloved about his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.
2 And he heggide it, and chees stoonys therof, and plauntide a chosun vyner; and he bildide a tour in the myddis therof, and rerede a presse ther ynne; and he abood, that it schulde bere grapis, and it bare wielde grapis.
He dug it up, gathered out its stones, planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower in the middle of it, and also cut out a wine press in it. He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
3 Now therfor, ye dwelleris of Jerusalem, and ye men of Juda, deme bitwixe me and my viner.
“Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What is it that Y ouyt to do more to my vyner, and Y dide not to it? whether that Y abood, that it schulde bere grapis, and it bare wielde grapis?
What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Why, when I looked for it to yield grapes, did it yield wild grapes?
5 And now Y schal schewe to you, what Y schal do to my vyner. Y schal take awei the hegge therof, and it schal be in to rauyschyng; Y schal caste doun the wal therof, and it schal be in to defoulyng; and Y schal sette it desert,
Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge, and it will be eaten up. I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled down.
6 ether forsakun. It schal not be kit, and it schal not be diggid, and breris and thornes schulen `growe vp on it; and Y schal comaunde to cloudis, that tho reyne not reyn on it.
I will lay it a wasteland. It won’t be pruned or hoed, but it will grow briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.”
7 Forsothe the vyner of the Lord of oostis is the hous of Israel, and the men of Juda ben the delitable buriownyng of hym. Y abood, that it schal make doom, and lo! wickidnesse; and that it schulde do riytfulnesse, and lo! cry.
For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression, for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.
8 Wo to you that ioynen hows to hous, and couplen feeld to feeld, `til to the ende of place. Whether ye aloone schulen dwelle in the myddis of the lond?
Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the middle of the land!
9 These thingis ben in the eeris of me, the Lord of oostis; if many housis ben not forsakun, grete housis and faire, with outen dwellere, bileue ye not to me.
In my ears, the LORD of Hosts says: “Surely many houses will be desolate, even great and beautiful, unoccupied.
10 For whi ten acris of vynes schulen make a potel, and thretti buschels of seed schulen make thre buschels.
For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield an efah.”
11 Wo to you that risen togidere eerli to sue drunkennesse, and to drinke `til to euentid, that ye brenne with wyn.
Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, who stay late into the night, until wine inflames them!
12 Harpe, and giterne, and tympan, and pipe, and wyn ben in youre feestis; and ye biholden not the werk of the Lord, nether ye biholden the werkis of hise hondis.
The harp, lyre, tambourine, and flute, with wine, are at their feasts; but they don’t respect the work of the LORD, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.
13 Therfor my puple is led prisoner, for it hadde not kunnyng; and the noble men therof perischiden in hungur, and the multitude therof was drye in thirst.
Therefore my people go into captivity for lack of knowledge. Their honorable men are famished, and their multitudes are parched with thirst.
14 Therfor helle alargide his soule, and openyde his mouth with outen ony ende; and strong men therof, and the puple therof, and the hiy men, and gloriouse men therof, schulen go doun to it. (Sheol h7585)
Therefore Sheol has enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, their multitude, their pomp, and he who rejoices among them, descend into it. (Sheol h7585)
15 And a man schal be bowid doun, and a man of age schal be maad low; and the iyen of hiy men schulen be pressid doun.
So man is brought low, mankind is humbled, and the eyes of the arrogant ones are humbled;
16 And the Lord of oostis schal be enhaunsid in doom, and hooli God schal be halewid in riytfulnesse.
but the LORD of Hosts is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness.
17 And lambren schulen be fed bi her ordre, and comelyngis schulen ete desert places turned in to plentee.
Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat the ruins of the rich.
18 Wo to you that drawen wickydnesse in the cordis of vanyte, and drawen synne as the boond of a wayn; and ye seien,
Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and wickedness as with cart rope,
19 The werk of hym haaste, and come soone, that we se; and the counsel of the hooli of Israel neiy, and come, and we schulen knowe it.
who say, “Let him make haste, let him hasten his work, that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!”
20 Wo to you that seien yuel good, and good yuel; and putten derknessis liyt, and liyt derknessis; and putten bittir thing in to swete, and swete thing in to bittir.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Wo to you that ben wise men in youre iyen, and ben prudent bifor you silf.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
22 Wo to you that ben myyti to drynke wyn, and ben stronge to meddle drunkenesse;
Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;
23 and ye iustifien a wickid man for yiftis, and ye taken awei the riytfulnesse of a iust man fro hym.
who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!
24 For this thing, as the tunge of fier deuourith stobil, and the heete of flawme brenneth, so the roote of hem schal be as a deed sparcle, and the seed of hem schal stie as dust; for thei castiden awei the lawe of the Lord of oostis, and blasfemyden the speche of the hooli of Israel.
Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust, because they have rejected the law of the LORD of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therfor the strong veniaunce of the Lord was wrooth ayens his puple, and he stretchide forth his hond on it, and smoot it; and hillis weren disturblid, and the deed bodies of hem weren maad as a toord in the myddis of stretis. In alle these thingis the stronge vengeaunce of him was not turned awei, but yit his hond was stretchid forth.
Therefore the LORD’s anger burns against his people, and he has stretched out his hand against them and has struck them. The mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out.
26 And he schal reise a signe among naciouns afer, and he schal hisse to hym fro the endis of erthe; and lo! he schal haaste, and schal come swiftli.
He will lift up a banner to the nations from far away, and he will whistle for them from the end of the earth. Behold, they will come speedily and swiftly.
27 Noon is failynge nethir trauelynge in that oost; he schal not nappe, nether slepe, nether the girdil of his reynes schal be vndo, nether the lace of his scho schal be brokun.
No one shall be weary nor stumble among them; no one shall slumber nor sleep, neither shall the belt of their waist be untied, nor the strap of their sandals be broken,
28 Hise arowis ben scharpe, and alle hise bowis ben bent; the houys of hise horsis ben as a flynt, and hise wheelis ben as the feersnesse of tempest.
whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent. Their horses’ hoofs will be like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 His roryng schal be as of lioun; he schal rore as the whelpis of liouns; and he schal gnaste, and schal holde prey, and schal biclippe, and noon schal be, that schal delyuere.
Their roaring will be like a lioness. They will roar like young lions. Yes, they shall roar, and seize their prey and carry it off, and there will be no one to deliver.
30 And he schal sowne on it in that dai, as doith the soun of the see; we schulen biholde in to the erthe, and lo! derknessis of tribulacioun, and liyt is maad derk in the derknesse therof.
They will roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress. The light is darkened in its clouds.
