Isaiah 8
1 Then Yahweh said to me, “Make a large signboard. And write clearly on it, ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’ [which means ‘quickly (plunder/take by force) and steal everything’].”
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.
2 [So] I requested Uriah the [Supreme] Priest and Jeberekiah’s son Zechariah, men who were both honest/trustworthy witnesses, to watch me as I was doing that.
And Y yaf to me faithful witnessis, Vrie, the prest, and Sacarie, the sone of Barachie.
3 Then I had sex with [EUP] [my wife, who was] a prophetess, and she became pregnant and [then] gave birth to a son. Then Yahweh said to me, “Give him the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (which means ‘suddenly attacked, quickly conquered’),
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.
4 because before he is old enough to say ‘papa’ or ‘mama’, the King of Assyria will [come with his army and] quickly take away all the valuable things in Damascus and in Samaria.”
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.
5 Yahweh spoke to me again and said, “[Tell the people of Judah, ]
And the Lord addide to speke yit to me, and he seide,
6 ‘[I have taken good care of] you people, but you have rejected that, [thinking that] my help was very little, like [MET] the little canal through which water flows from the Gihon Spring into Jerusalem. Instead, you have been happy [to request help from] King Rezin and King Pekah.
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!
7 Therefore, I will cause the people of Judah to be attacked by [the powerful army of] the King of Assyria, which will be [like] a great flood from the [Euphrates] River. Their soldiers will [be everywhere in your country, like] a river that overflows all its banks.
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.
8 Those soldiers will go all over Judah— [like a river whose water] [MET] rises as high as a person’s neck. Their army will spread over the land [quickly], like an eagle, and they will cover your entire land! But I will be with you!’”
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.
9 Listen, all you [people in] distant countries! [You can] prepare to attack Judah. [You can] prepare [for battle, and shout your] war-cries, but your [armies will] be crushed/shattered!
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;
10 [You can] prepare for what you will do [to attack Judah], but what you plan to do will not happen! You will not succeed, because God is with us!
take ye councel, and it schal be destried; speke ye a word, and it schal not be doon, for God is with vs.
11 Yahweh strongly warned me [MTY] not to act like the [other] people in Judah did. He said to me,
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,
12 “Do not say that everything that people do is conspiring/rebelling [against the government], like [other] people say, and do not (be afraid of/worry about) the things that other people are afraid of.
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.
13 [I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, am the one you should consider to be holy. And I am the one you should fear, the one you should revere.
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.
14 I will protect you(sg). [But as for] the [other] people [MTY] in Israel and Judah, I will be [like] [MET] a stone that causes people to stumble, a rock that causes them to fall down. [And as for] the people of Jerusalem, I will be [like] [MET] a trap or a snare [DOU].
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.
15 Many [people] will stumble and fall down and never get up again. They will experience great troubles; they will be captured [by their enemies].”
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.
16 [So, I say to you who are my disciples], seal up this scroll on which I have written the messages that God has given to me, and give his instructions to [others] who have accompanied me.
Bynde thou witnessyng, mark thou the lawe in my disciplis.
17 I will wait to see what Yahweh [will do]. He has rejected the descendants [MTY] of Jacob, but I will confidently expect him to help me.
Y schal abide the Lord, that hath hid his face fro the hous of Jacob, and Y schal abide hym.
18 I and the children that Yahweh has given to me are [like] signs to warn [the people of] Israel; we are warnings from the Commander of the armies of angels the one who lives [in his temple] on Zion Hill [in Jerusalem].
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.
19 Some people may urge you(pl) to (consult/go and talk with) those who talk with the spirits of dead people or with those who say that they receive messages from those spirits. They whisper and mutter [about what we should do in the future]. But God is [RHQ] the one whom we should ask to guide us! It is ridiculous [RHQ] for people who are alive to request spirits of dead people to tell us [what we should do]!
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?
20 Pay attention to God’s instructions and teaching! If people do not say things that agree with what God teaches us, [what they say is worthless]. [It is as though] those people are in darkness.
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.
21 They will wander through the land, worried/discouraged and hungry. And when they become [very] hungry, they will become very angry. They will look up [toward heaven] and curse God and [will also] curse their king.
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.
22 They will look around the land and see only trouble/distress and darkness and things that cause them to despair. And [then] they will be thrown into the very black darkness [of hell]. (questioned)
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.
