Isaiah 8

1 And the Lord seide to me, Take to thee a greet book, and write ther ynne with the poyntil of man, Swiftli drawe thou awei spuylis, take thou prey soone.

And the Lord said to me, Take a great writing-board, and on it put down in common letters, Maher-shalal-hash-baz;

2 And Y yaf to me faithful witnessis, Vrie, the prest, and Sacarie, the sone of Barachie.

And take true witnesses to the writing, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Jeberechiah.

3 And Y neiyede to the profetesse; and sche conseyuede, and childide a sone. And the Lord seide to me, Clepe thou his name Haste thou to drawe awei spuylis, haaste thou for to take prey.

And I went in to my wife, and she became with child, and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, Give him the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,

4 For whi bifor that the child kan clepe his fadir and his modir, the strengthe of Damask schal be doon awei, and the spuylis of Samarie, bifor the kyng of Assiriens.

For before the child is able to say, Father, or, Mother, the wealth of Damascus and the goods of Samaria will be taken away by the king of Assyria.

5 And the Lord addide to speke yit to me, and he seide,

And the Lord said again to me,

6 For that thing that this puple hath caste awei the watris of Siloe, that goen with silence, and hath take more Rasyn, and the sone of Romelie, for this thing lo!

Because this people will have nothing to do with the softly-flowing waters of Shiloah, and have fear of Rezin and Remaliah's son;

7 the Lord schal brynge on hem the stronge and many watris of the flood, the king of Assiriens, and al his glorie; and he schal stiye on alle the stremes therof, and he schal flowe on alle the ryueris therof.

For this cause the Lord is sending on them the waters of the River, deep and strong, even the king of Assyria and all his glory: and it will come up through all its streams, overflowing all its edges:

8 And he schal go flowynge bi Juda, and he schal passe til to the necke, and schal come; and the spredyng forth of hise wyngis schal be, and schal fille the breede of thi lond, thou Emanuel.

And it will come on into Judah; rushing on and overflowing, till the waters are up to the neck; and his outstretched wings will be covering the land from side to side: for God is with us.

9 Puplis, be ye gaderid togidere, and be ye ouercomun; and alle londis afer, here ye. Be ye coumfortid, and be ye ouercomun; gird ye you, and be ye ouercomun;

Have knowledge, O peoples, and be in fear; give ear, all you far-off parts of the earth:

10 take ye councel, and it schal be destried; speke ye a word, and it schal not be doon, for God is with vs.

Let your designs be formed, and they will come to nothing; give your orders, and they will not be effected: for God is with us.

11 For whi the Lord seith these thingis to me, as he tauyte me in a stronge hond, that Y schulde not go in to the weie of this puple,

For the Lord, controlling me with a strong hand, gave me orders not to go in the way of this people, saying,

12 and seide, Seie ye not, It is sweryng togidere, for whi alle thingis which this puple spekith is sweryng togidere; and drede ye not the ferdfulnesse therof, nether be ye aferd.

Do not say, It is holy, about everything of which this people says, It is holy; and do not be in fear of what they go in fear of.

13 Halowe ye the Lord hym silf of oostis; and he schal be youre inward drede, and he schal be youre ferdfulnesse, and he schal be to you in to halewyng.

But let the Lord of armies be holy to you, and go in fear of him, giving honour to him.

14 Forsothe he schal be in to a stoon of hirtyng, and in to a stoon of sclaundre, to tweyne housis of Israel; in to a snare, and in to fallyng, to hem that dwellen in Jerusalem.

And he will be for a holy place: but for a stone of falling and a rock of trouble to the two houses of Israel, and to the men of Jerusalem, for a net in which they may be taken.

15 And ful many of hem schulen offende, and schulen falle, and thei schulen be al to-brokun, and thei schulen be boundun, and schulen be takun.

And numbers of them, falling on the stone, will be broken, and will be taken in the net.

16 Bynde thou witnessyng, mark thou the lawe in my disciplis.

Let my teaching be kept secret: and my words be given to my disciples only.

17 Y schal abide the Lord, that hath hid his face fro the hous of Jacob, and Y schal abide hym.

And I will be waiting for the Lord, whose face is veiled from the house of Jacob, and I will be looking for him.

18 Lo! Y and my children, whiche the Lord yaf to me in to a signe, and greet wondur to Israel, of the Lord of oostis that dwellith in the hil of Sion.

See, I and the children whom the Lord has given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of armies, whose resting-place is in Mount Zion.

19 And whanne thei seien to you, Axe ye of coniureris, and of false dyuynouris, that gnasten in her enchauntyngis, whether the puple schal not axe of her God a reuelacioun for quyke men and deed?

And when they say to you, Make request for us to those who have control of spirits, and to those wise in secret arts, who make hollow bird-like sounds; is it not right for a people to make request to their gods, to make request for the living to the dead?

20 It is to go to the lawe more and to the witnessyng, that if thei seien not after this word, morewtide liyt schal not be to hem.

Then say to them, Put your faith in the teaching and the witness. ... If they do not say such things. ... For him there is no dawn. ...

21 And it schal passe bi that, and it schal falle doun, and it schal hungre. And whanne it schal hungre, it schal be wrooth, and schal curse his kyng and his God, and it schal biholde vpward.

And he will go through the land in bitter trouble and in need of food; and when he is unable to get food, he will become angry, cursing his king and his God, and his eyes will be turned to heaven on high;

22 And it schal loke to the erthe, and lo! tribulacioun, and derknessis, and vnbyndyng, ether discoumfort, and angwisch, and myist pursuynge; and it schal not mow fle awei fro his angwisch.

And he will be looking down on the earth, and there will be trouble and dark clouds, black night where there is no seeing.