Isaiah 59

1 BEHOLD, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

Lo! the hoond of the Lord is not abreggid, that he mai not saue, nether his eere is maad hard, that he here not;

2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

but youre wickidnessis han departid bitwixe you and youre God, and youre synnes han hid his face fro you, that he schulde not here.

3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

For whi youre hondis ben defoulid with blood, and youre fyngris with wickidnesse; youre lippis spaken leesyng, and youre tunge spekith wickidnesse.

4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

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.

5 They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

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.

6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

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.

7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

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.

8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

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.

9 Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

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.

10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

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.

11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

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.

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;

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,

13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

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,

14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

and riytfulnesse stood fer; for whi treuthe felle doun in the street, and equite miyt not entre.

15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

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.

16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

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.

17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

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.

18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

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.

19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

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.

20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

Whan ayen biere schal come to Syon, and to hem that goen ayen fro wickidnesse in Jacob, seith the Lord.

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

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.