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 thee a great book, and write in it with a man’s pen. Take sway the spoils with speed, quickly take the prey.

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

And I took unto me faithful witnesses, Urias the priest, and Zacharias the son of Barachias.

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 to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me: Call his name, Hasten to take away the spoils: Make haste to take away the prey.

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 know to call his father and his mother, the strength of Damascus, and the spoils of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of the Assyrians.

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

And the Lord spoke to me again, saying:

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!

Forasmuch as this people hath cast away the waters of Siloe, that go with silence, and hath rather taken Basin, and the son of Romelia:

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.

Therefore behold the Lord will bring upon them the waters of the river strong and many, the king of the Assyrians, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and shall overflow all his banks,

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 shall pass through Juda, overflowing, and going over shall reach even to the neck. And the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Emmanuel.

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;

Gather yourselves together, O ye people, and be overcome, and give ear, all ye lands afar off: strengthen yourselves, and be overcome, gird yourselves, and be overcome.

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

Take counsel together, and it shall be defeated: speak a word, and it shall not be done: because 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 thus saith the Lord to me: As he hath taught me, with a strong arm, that I should not walk 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.

Say ye not: A conspiracy: for all that this people speaketh, is a conspiracy: neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

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.

Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself: and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

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 shall be a sanctification to you. But for a stone or stumbling, and for a rock of offence to the two houses of Israel, for a snare and a ruin to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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 very many of them shall stumble and fall, and shall be broken in pieces, and shall be snared, and taken.

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

Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

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

And I will wait for the Lord, who hath hid his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look 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.

Behold I and my children, whom the Lord hath given me for a sign, and for a wonder in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Sion.

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 shall say to you: Seek of pythons, and of diviners, who mutter in their enchantments: should not the people seek of their God, for the living of 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.

To the law rather, and to the testimony. And if they speak not according to this word, they shall not have the morning light.

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 they shall pass by it, they shall fall, and be hungry: and when they shall be hungry, they will be angry, and curse their king, and their God, and look upwards.

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 they shall look to the earth, and behold trouble and darkness, weakness and distress, and a mist following them, and they cannot fly away from their distress.