¶ A consolacion and comfort to the people of God.
CAPI. LII.
VP Syō vp, take thy strength vnto the, put on thyne honest rayment, O Ieru∣salem, [ A] thou cytie of the holye one. For from this tyme forth, there shall no vncircum¦cysed nor vncleane person come in the. Shake the from the dust, aryse, and stande vp, O Ie∣rusalem. Plucke out thy necke frō the bonde, O thou captyue daughter Syon. For thus sayth the Lorde: ye are solde for nought, ther¦fore shall ye be redemed also withoute any money.
For thus hath the Lorde sayde: My people [ B] wente downe afore tyme in to Egypte,* 1.1 there to be straungers. Afterwarde dyd the kyng of the Assyrians oppressed them, for naught. And nowe what profyt is it to me (sayth ye Lord) that my people is frelye caryed awaye, and brought in to heuynes by theyr rulers, & my name euer styll blasphemed? sayth the Lorde. But that my people maye knowe my name,* 1.2 I my selfe wyll speache in that daye. Behold, here am I. O howe bewtyfull are the fece of the Embassadour, that bryngeth the message from the moūtayne, and proclaymeth peaxe, [ C] that bryngeth the good tydinges, and prea∣cheth health, and sayth vnto Syō Thy God is the Kynge. Thy watchmen shall lyfte vp theyr voyce, with loude voyce shall thy preach of hym for they shall se hym presente, when the Lorde shall come agayne to Syon.
Be glad, O thou desolate Ierusalem, and reioyce together, for the Lorde wyll comforte his people, he wyll delyuer Ierusalem. The Lorde wyll make bare his holy arme, & shew it forth in the syght of all the Gentyles, and [ D] all the endes of the earth shall se the sauynge health of oure God. Awaye, awaye,* 1.3 get you out from thence, and touch no vnclene thing. Go oute frome amonge suche. And be cleane, ye that beare the vessell of the Lorde. But ye shall not go out with sedicion, nor make haste as they that fle awaye, for the Lorde shal go before you, and the God of Israel shall kepe the watch.
Beholde, my seruaunt shall deale wyselye, therfore shall he be magnifyed, exalted, and greatly honoured. Lyke as the multitude shal wondre vpon hym, because his face shalbe so deformed, and not as a mans face, and his bewtie lyke no man. Euen so shall the multi∣tude of the Gentyles loke vnto hym,* 1.4 and the kynges shall shut theyr mou••hes before ••im. For they that haue not bene tolde of hym, shall se hym, and they that herde nothyng of hym, shall beholde hym.