Isaiah 59
1 Lo! the hoond of the Lord is not abreggid, that he mai not saue, nether his eere is maad hard, that he here not;
Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear.
2 but youre wickidnessis han departid bitwixe you and youre God, and youre synnes han hid his face fro you, that he schulde not here.
But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
3 For whi youre hondis ben defoulid with blood, and youre fyngris with wickidnesse; youre lippis spaken leesyng, and youre tunge spekith wickidnesse.
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies. Your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 Noon is, that clepith riytfulnesse to help, and noon is, that demeth verili; but thei tristen in nouyt, and speken vanytees; thei conseyueden trauel, and childiden wickidnesse.
No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies. They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5 Thei han broke eiren of snakis, and maden webbis of an yreyn; he that etith of the eiren of hem, schal die, and that that is nurschid, ether brouyt forth, schal breke out in to a cocatrice.
They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web. He who eats of their eggs dies; and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.
6 The webbis of hem schulen not be in to cloth, nethir thei schulen be hilid with her werkis; the werkis of hem ben vnprofitable werkis, and the werk of wickidnesse is in the hondis of hem.
Their webs won’t become garments. They won’t cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and acts of violence are in their hands.
7 The feet of hem rennen to yuel, and haasten to schede out innocent blood; the thouytis of hem ben vnprofitable thouytis; distriyng and defouling ben in the weies of hem.
Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Desolation and destruction are in their paths.
8 Thei knewen not the weie of pees, and doom is not in the goyngis of hem; the pathis of hem ben bowid to hem; ech that tredith in tho, knowith not pees.
They don’t know the way of peace; and there is no justice in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves; whoever goes in them doesn’t know peace.
9 Therfor doom is made fer fro vs, and riytfulnesse schal not take vs; we abididen liyt, and lo! derknessis ben; we abididen schynyng, and we yeden in derknessis.
Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn’t overtake us. We look for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.
10 We gropiden as blynde men the wal, and we as with outen iyen touchiden; we stumbliden in myddai, as in derknessis, in derk places, as deed men.
We grope for the wall like the blind. Yes, we grope as those who have no eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight. Amongst those who are strong, we are like dead men.
11 Alle we schulen rore as beeris, and we schulen weile thenkynge as culueris; we abididen doom, and noon is; we abididen helthe, and it is maad fer fro vs.
We all roar like bears and moan sadly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far off from us.
12 For whi oure wickidnessis ben multiplied bifore thee, and oure synnes answeriden to vs; for our grete trespassis ben with vs, and we knewen oure wickidnessis,
For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 to do synne, and to lie ayens the Lord. And we ben turned awei, that we yeden not aftir the bak of oure God, that we speken fals caleng, and trespassyng. We conseyueden, and spaken of herte wordis of leesyng; and doom was turned abak,
transgressing and denying the LORD, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
14 and riytfulnesse stood fer; for whi treuthe felle doun in the street, and equite miyt not entre.
Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter.
15 And treuthe was maad in to foryetyng, and he that yede awei fro yuel, was opyn to robbyng. And the Lord siy, and it apperide yuel in hise iyen, for ther is no doom.
Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.
16 And God siy, that a man is not, and he was angwischid, for noon is that renneth to. And his arm schal saue to hym silf, and his riytfulnesse it silf schal conferme hym.
He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness sustained him.
17 He is clothid with riytfulnesse as with an harburioun, and the helm of helthe is in his heed; he is clothid with clothis of veniaunce, and he is hilid as with a mentil of feruent worchyng.
He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.
18 As to veniaunce, as to yeldyng of indignacioun to hise enemyes, and to quityng of tyme to hise aduersaries, he schal yelde while to ylis.
According to their deeds, he will repay as appropriate: wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies. He will repay the islands their due.
19 And thei that ben at the west, schulen drede the name of the Lord, and thei that ben at the risyng of the sunne, schulen drede the glorie of hym; whanne he schal come as a violent flood, whom the spirit of the Lord compellith.
So they will fear the LORD’s name from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the LORD’s breath drives.
20 Whan ayen biere schal come to Syon, and to hem that goen ayen fro wickidnesse in Jacob, seith the Lord.
“A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says the LORD.
21 This is my boond of pees with hem, seith the Lord; My spirit which is in thee, and my wordis whiche Y haue set in thi mouth, schulen not go awei fro thi mouth, and fro the mouth of thi seed, seith the Lord, fro hennus forth and til into with outen ende.
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring, nor out of the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now on and forever.”
