Isaiah 65 WYC
Summary: The LORD responds, saying He was sought by, and revealed Himself to, a nation that did not ask for Him, while spreading His hands all day to a rebellious, obstinate people who provoke Him continually with pagan sacrifices and unclean practices, so judgment will come, though He will not destroy all, "for a blessing is in it" — preserving a seed from Jacob and His chosen ones who will inherit His mountains, while those who forsake the LORD are destined for the sword. The LORD's servants are promised abundant blessing — eating, drinking, and rejoicing — while those who forsake Him will experience hunger, thirst, shame, and sorrow, their very name left as a curse. The chapter's central promise is the creation of "new heavens and a new earth," so wonderful that former troubles will not be remembered, Jerusalem created a rejoicing, infants no longer dying young, people building houses and inhabiting them, planting vineyards and eating the fruit. It closes with the famous vision of peace among former enemies — wolf and lamb feeding together, lion eating straw like the ox — with "they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain" (v. 25).
1Thei souyten me, that axiden not bifore; thei that souyten not me, founden me. Y seide, Lo! Y, lo! Y, to hethene men that knewen not me, and that clepiden not mi name to help.
2I stretchide forth myn hondis al dai to a puple vnbileueful, that goith in a weie not good, aftir her thouytis.
3It is a puple that stirith me to wrathfulnesse, euere bifore my face; whiche offren in gardyns, and maken sacrifice on tiel stoonys;
4whiche dwellen in sepulcris, and slepen in the templis of idols; whiche eten swynes fleisch, and vnhooli iwisch is in the vessels of hem;
5whiche seien to an hethene man, Go thou awei fro me, neiy thou not to me, for thou art vncleene; these schulen be smoke in my stronge veniaunce, fier brennynge al dai.
6Lo! it is writun bifore me; Y schal not be stille, but Y schal yelde, and Y schal quyte in to the bosum of hem youre wickidnessis,
7and the wickidnessis of youre fadris togidere, seith the Lord, whiche maden sacrifice on mounteyns, and diden schenschipe to me on litle hillis; and Y schal mete ayen the firste werk of hem in her bosum.
8The Lord seith thes thingis, As if a grape be foundun in a clustre, and it be seid, Distrie thou not it, for it is blessyng; so Y schal do for my seruantis, that Y leese not al.
9And Y schal lede out of Jacob seed, and of Juda a man hauynge in possessioun myn hooli hillis; and my chosun men schulen enherite it, and my seruauntis schulen dwelle there.
10And the feeldi places schulen be into floodis of flockis, and the valei of Achar in to a restyng place of droues of neet, to my puple that souyten me.
11And Y schal noumbre you in swerd, that forsoken the Lord, that foryaten myn hooli hil, whiche setten a boord to fortune, and maken sacrifice theronne,
12and alle ye schulen falle bi sleyng; for that that Y clepide, and ye answeriden not; Y spak, and ye herden not; and ye diden yuel bifor myn iyen, and ye chesiden tho thingis whiche Y nolde.
13For these thingis, the Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! my seruauntis schulen ete, and ye schulen haue hungur; lo! my seruauntis schulen drynke, and ye schulen be thirsti;
14lo! my seruauntis schulen be glad, and ye schulen be aschamed; lo! my seruauntis schulen herie, for the ful ioie of herte, and ye schulen crie, for the sorewe of herte, and ye schulen yelle, for desolacioun of spirit.
15And ye schulen leeue youre name in to an ooth to my chosun men; and the Lord God schal sle thee, and he schal clepe hise seruauntis bi another name.
16In which he that is blessid on erthe, schal be blessid in God amen; and he that swerith in erthe, shal swere in God feithfuli; for the formere angwischis ben youun to foryetyng, and for tho ben hid fro youre iyen.
17For lo! Y make newe heuenes and a newe erthe, and the formere thingis schulen not be in mynde, and schulen not stie on the herte.
18But ye schulen haue ioie, and make ful out ioiyng til in to with outen ende, in these thingis whiche Y make; for lo! Y make Jerusalem ful out ioiynge, and the puple therof ioie.
19And Y schal make ful out ioiyng in Jerusalem, and Y schal haue ioie in my puple; and the vois of weping and the vois of cry schal no more be herd ther ynne.
20A yong child of daies schal no more be there, and an eld man that fillith not hise daies; for whi a child of an hundrid yeer schal die, and a synnere of an hundrid yeer schal be cursid.
21And thei schulen bilde housis, and schulen enhabite hem, and thei schulen plaunte vynes, and schulen ete the fruytis of tho.
22Thei schulen not bilde housis, and an othir schal enhabite hem, thei schulen not plaunte, and an othir schal ete; for whi the daies of my puple schulen be after the daies of the tree, and the werkis of
23her hondis schulen be elde to my chosun men. Thei schulen not trauele in veyn, nether thei schulen gendre in disturblyng; for it is the seed of hem that ben blessid of the Lord, and the cosyns of hem ben with hem.
24And it schal be, bifor that thei crien, Y schal here; yit while thei speken, Y schal here.
25A wolf and a lomb schulen be fed togidere, and a lioun and an oxe schulen ete stree, and to a serpent dust schal be his breed; thei schulen not anoie, nether schulen sle, in al myn hooli hil, seith the Lord.
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