Isaiah 59

¹ Lo! Y schal make the schadewe of lynes, bi which it yede doun in the orologie of Achas, in the sunne, to turne ayen backward bi ten lynes. And the sunne turnede ayen bi ten lynes, bi degrees bi whiche it hadde go doun. ² The scripture of Ezechie, kyng of Juda, whanne he hadde be sijk, and hadde rekyuered of his sikenesse. ³ I seide, in the myddil of my daies Y schal go to the yatis of helle. ⁴ Y souyte the residue of my yeeris; Y seide, Y schal not se the Lord God in the lond of lyueris; Y schal no more biholde a man, and a dwellere of reste. ⁵ My generacioun is takun awei, and is foldid togidere fro me, as the tabernacle of scheepherdis is foldid togidere. Mi lijf is kit doun as of a webbe; he kittide doun me, the while Y was wouun yit. Fro the morewtid til to the euentid thou schalt ende me; 6 Y hopide til to the morewtid; as a lioun, so he al to-brak alle my boonys. Fro the morewtid til to the euentid thou schalt ende me; as the brid of a swalewe, so Y schal crie; 7 Y schal bithenke as a culuer. Myn iyen biholdynge an hiy, ben maad feble. Lord, Y suffre violence, answere thou for me; what schal Y seie, 8 ether what schal answere to me, whanne I mysilf haue do? Y schal bithenke to thee alle my yeeris, in the bitternisse of my soule. ⁹ Lord, if me lyueth so, and the lijf of my spirit is in siche thingis, thou schalt chastise me, and schalt quykene me. ¹⁰ Lo! my bitternesse is moost bittir in pees; forsothe thou hast delyuered my soule, that it perischide not; thou hast caste awey bihynde thi bak alle my synnes. ¹¹ For not helle schal knowleche to thee, nethir deth schal herie thee; thei that goon doun in to the lake, schulen not abide thi treuthe. ¹² A lyuynge man, a lyuynge man, he schal knouleche to thee, as and Y to dai; the fadir schal make knowun thi treuthe to sones. ¹³ Lord, make thou me saaf, and we schulen synge oure salmes in all the daies of oure lijf in the hous of the Lord. ¹⁴ And Ysaie comaundide, that thei schulden take a gobet of figus, and make a plaster on the wounde; and it schulde be heelid. ¹⁵ And Ezechie seide, What signe schal be, that Y schal stie in to the hous of the Lord? ¹⁷ In that tyme Marodach Baladan, the sone of Baladam, the kyng of Babiloyne, sente bookis and yiftis to Ezechie; for he hadde herd, that Ezechie hadde be sijk, and was rekyuerid. ¹⁸ Forsothe Ezechie was glad on hem, and schewide to hem the selle of swete smellynge spices, and of siluer, and of gold, and of smellynge thingis, and of best oynement, and alle the schoppis of his purtenaunce of houshold, and alle thingis that weren foundun in hise tresours; no word was, which Ezechie schewide not to hem in his hous, and in al his power. ¹⁹ Sotheli Ysaie, the prophete, entride to kyng Ezechie, and seide to hym, What seiden thes men, and fro whennus camen thei to thee? And Ezechie seide, Fro a fer lond thei camen to me, fro Babiloyne. ²⁰ And Ysaie seide, What siyen thei in thin hous? And Ezechie seide, Thei sien alle thingis that ben in myn hous; no thing was in my tresours, which Y schewide not to hem. ²¹ And Ysaie seide to Ezechie, Here thou the word of the Lord of oostis.