The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XLIX.

[verse 1] Ilis, here ȝe, and puplis afer, perseyue ȝe; the Lord clepide me fro the wombe, he thouȝte on my name fro the wombe of my modir. [verse 2] And he hath set my mouth as a scharp swerd, he defendide me in the schadewe of his hond, and settide me as a chosun arowe; he hidde me in his arowe [verse 3] caas, and seide to me, Israel, thou art my seruaunt, for Y schal haue glorie in thee. [verse 4] And Y seide, Y trauelide in veyn, Y wast|ide my strengthe with out cause, and veynli; therfor my doom is with the Lord, and my werk is with my God. [verse 5] And now the Lord, formynge me a seruaunt to hym silf fro the wombe, seith these thingis, that Y brynge aȝen Jacob to hym. And Israel schal not be gaderid togidere; and Y am glorified in the iȝen of the Lord, and my God is maad my strengthe. [verse 6] And he seyde, It is litil, that thou be a seruaunt to me, to reise the lynages [lynage A.] of Jacob, and to conuerte the drastis of Israel; Y ȝaf thee in to the liȝt of hethene men, that thou be myn helthe `til to [vnto I.] the laste part of erthe. [verse 7] The Lord, aȝenbiere of Israel, the hooli therof, seith these thingis to a dispisable soule, and to a folk had in abhomynacioun, to the ser|uaunt of lordis, Kyngis schulen se, and princes schulen rise togidere, and schulen worschipe, for the Lord, for he is feithful, and for the hooli of Israel, that chees thee [that is, Crist man, to the werk of mannis redempcion. K.] . [verse 8] The Lord seith these thingis, In a plesaunt tyme Y herde thee, and in the dai of helthe Y helpide thee; and Y kepte thee, and ȝaf thee in to a bonde of pees of the puple, that thou schuldist reise the erthe, and haue in possessioun eritagis,

[verse 9] `that ben [Om. ceteri.] distried; that thou schuldist seie to hem that ben boundun, Go ȝe out, and to hem that ben in derknessis, Be ȝe schewid. Thei schulen be fed on [in N.] weies, and the lesewis of hem schulen be in alle pleyn thingis. [verse 10] Thei schulen not hungre, and thei schulen no more thirste, and heete, and the sunne schal not smyte hem; for the merciful doere of hem schal go|uerne hem, and schal ȝyue drynk to hem at the wellis of watris. [verse 11] And Y schal sette alle myn hillis in to weie, and my pathis schulen be enhaunsid. [verse 12] Lo! these men schulen come fro fer, and lo! thei schulen come fro the north, and see [fro the see I.] , and these fro the south lond. [verse 13] Heuenes, herie ȝe, and, thou erthe, make ful out ioie; hillis, synge ȝe hertli heriyng; for the Lord coumfortide his puple, and schal haue merci on hise pore men. [verse 14] And Syon seide, The Lord hath forsake me, and the Lord hath forȝete me. [verse 15] Whether a womman may forȝete hir ȝonge child, that sche haue not merci on the sone of hir wombe? thouȝ sche forȝetith [forȝete I] , netheles Y schal not forȝete thee. [verse 16] Lo! Y haue write thee in myn hondis; thi wallis ben euer bifore myn iȝen. [verse 17] The bilderis ben comun; thei that distrien thee, and scateren, schulen go awei fro thee. [verse 18] Reise thin iȝen in cumpas, and se; alle these men ben gaderid togi|dere, thei ben comun to thee. Y lyue, seith the Lord, for thou schalt be clothid with alle these as with an ournement, and thou as a spousesse schalt bynde hem to thee. [verse 19] For whi thi desertis, and thi wil|dirnessis, and the lond of thi fallyng now schulen be streit for enhabiteris; and thei schulen be dryuun awei fer, that swolew|iden thee. [verse 20] Ȝit the [thi I.] sones of thi bareynesse schulen seie in thin eeris, The place is streit to me, make thou a space to me for to dwelle. [verse 21] And thou schalt seie in thin herte, Who gendride these sones to me? Y am bareyn, not berynge child; Y am

led ouer, and prisoner; and who nurschide these sones? Y am destitute, and aloone; and where weren these? [verse 22] The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y reise myn hond to hethene men, and Y schal enhaunce my signe to puplis; and thei schulen brynge thi sones in armes, and thei schulen bere thi douȝtris on shuldris. [verse 23] And kingis shu|len be thi nurseris, and quenys shulen be thi [Om. A.] nursis; with cheer cast doun in to erthe thei schulen worschipe thee, and thei schulen licke the dust of thi feet; and thou schalt wite, that Y am the Lord, on whom thei schulen not be schent, that abiden hym. [verse 24] Whether prey schal be takun awei fro a strong man? ether that that is takun of a stalworthe man, mai be saaf? [verse 25] For the Lord seith these thingis, Sotheli and caitifte schal be takun awey fro the stronge man, and that that is takun awei [Om. E.] of [fro NX.] a stalworthe man, schal be saued. Forsothe Y schal deme hem, that dem|yden thee, and Y schal saue thi sones. [verse 26] And Y schal fede thin enemyes with her fleischis, and thei schulen be greetli fillid with her blood as with must; and eche man schal wite, that Y am the Lord, sau|ynge thee, and thin aȝenbiere, the strong of Jacob.