< Isaiah 58 >
1 Crye thou, ceesse thou not; as a trumpe enhaunse thi vois, and schewe thou to my puple her grete trespassis, and to the hous of Jacob her synnes.
Cry aloud, and spare not; lift up your voice as with a trumpet, and declare to my people their sins, and to the house of Jacob their iniquities.
2 For thei seken me fro dai in to dai, and thei wolen knowe my weies; as a folk, that hath do riytfulnesse, and that hath not forsake the doom of her God; thei preien me domes of riytfulnesse, and wolen neiy to God.
They seek me day by day, and desire to know my ways, as a people that had done righteousness, and had not forsaken the judgment of their God: they now ask of me righteous judgment, and desire to draw near to God,
3 Whi fastiden we, and thou biheldist not; we mekiden oure soulis, and thou knewist not? Lo! youre wille is foundun in the dai of youre fastyng, and ye axen alle youre dettouris.
saying, Why have we fasted, and you regard not? [why] have we afflicted our souls, and you did not know it? Nay, in the days of your fasts you find your pleasures, and all them that are under your power you wound.
4 Lo! ye fasten to chidyngis and stryuyngis, and smyten with the fist wickidli. Nyl ye fast, as `til to this dai, that youre cry be herd an hiy.
If you fast for quarrels and strifes, and strike the lowly with [your] fists, therefore do you fast to me as [you do] this day, so that your voice may be heard in crying?
5 Whether sich is the fastyng which Y chees, a man to turmente his soule bi dai? whether to bynde his heed as a sercle, and to make redi a sak and aische? Whethir thou schalt clepe this a fastyng, and a dai acceptable to the Lord?
I have not chosen this fast, nor [such] a day for a man to afflict his soul; neither though you should bend down your neck as a ring, and spread under you sackcloth and ashes, neither thus shall you call a fast acceptable.
6 Whether not this is more the fastyng, which Y chees? Vnbynde thou the byndingis togidere of vnpitee, releesse thou birthuns pressynge doun; delyuere thou hem free, that ben brokun, and breke thou ech birthun.
I have not chosen such a fast, says the Lord; but do you loose every burden of iniquity, do you untie the knots of hard bargains, set the bruised free, and cancel every unjust account.
7 Breke thi breed to an hungri man, and brynge in to thin hous nedi men and herborles; whanne thou seest a nakid man, hile thou hym, and dispise not thi fleisch.
Break your bread to the hungry, and lead the unsheltered poor to your house: if you see one naked, clothe [him], and you shall not disregard the relations of your own seed.
8 Thanne thi liyt schal breke out as the morewtid, and thin helthe schal rise ful soone; and thi riytfulnesse schal go bifore thi face, and the glorie of the Lord schal gadere thee.
Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall speedily spring forth: and your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall compass you.
9 Thanne thou schalt clepe to help, and the Lord schal here; thou schalt crie, and he schal seie, Lo! Y am present, for Y am merciful, thi Lord God. If thou takist awei a chayne fro the myddis of thee, and ceessist to holde forth the fyngur, and to speke that profitith not;
Then shall you cry, and God shall listen to you; while you are yet speaking he will say, Behold, I am here. If you remove from you the band, and the stretching forth of the hands, and murmuring speech;
10 whanne thou schedist out thi soule to an hungri man, and fillist a soule, `that is turmentid, thi liyt schal rise in derknessis, and thi derknessis schulen be as myddai.
and [if] you give bread to the hungry from your heart, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light spring up in darkness, and your darkness [shall be] as noon-day:
11 And the Lord thi God schal yyue euere reste to thee, and schal fille thi soule with schynyngis, and schal delyuere thi boonys; and thou schalt be as a watri gardyn, and as a welle of watris, whose waters schulen not faile.
and your God shall be with you continually, and you shall be satisfied according as your soul desires; and your bones shall be made fat, and shall be as a well-watered garden, and as a fountain [from] which the water has not failed.
12 And the forsakun thingis of worldis schulen be bildid in thee, and thou schalt reise the foundementis of generacioun and generacioun; and thou schalt be clepid a bildere of heggis, turnynge awei the pathis of wickidnessis.
And your old waste desert [places] shall be built up, and your foundations shall last through all generations; and you shall be called a repairer of breaches, and you shall cause your paths between to be in peace.
13 If thou turnest awei thi foot fro the sabat, to do thi wille in myn hooli dai, and clepist the sabat delicat, and hooli, the gloriouse of the Lord, and glorifiest him, while thou doist not thi weies, and thi wille is not foundun, that thou speke a word;
If you turn away your foot from the sabbath, so as not to do your pleasure on the holy days, and shall call the sabbaths delightful, holy to God; [if] you shall not lift up your foot to work, nor speak a word in anger out of your mouth,
14 thanne thou schalt delite on the Lord, and Y schal reise thee on the hiynesse of erthe, and Y schal fede thee with the eritage of Jacob, thi fadir; for whi the mouth of the Lord spak.
then shall you trust on the Lord; and he shall bring you up to the good places of the land, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken this.