Isaiah 26
Wycliffe's Bible
1In that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah. The city of our strength; the saviour shall be set therein, the wall and the forewall, either a stronghold before the wall. (On that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah. The city of our strength; salvation shall be found there, yea, the wall and the forewall, that is, a stronghold in front of the wall.)

2Open ye the gates, and the just folk shall enter, keeping truth. (Open ye the gates, and the just nation shall enter in/and the righteous people shall enter in, keeping faith.)

3The eld error is gone away; thou shalt keep peace, peace, for thou, Lord, we hoped in thee. (Thou shalt keep us in peace, Lord, for we have put away the old errors, yea, in perfect peace, for we who hope in thee.)

4Ye have hoped in the Lord, in everlasting worlds, in the Lord God, strong without end. (Yea, hope ye in the Lord, forever, in the Lord God, who shall be strong forever.)

5For he shall bow down them that dwell on high, and he shall make low an high city; he shall make it low till to the earth; he shall draw it down till to the dust. (For he shall bow down those who be proud, or be haughty, and he shall make low a high city; he shall make it low unto the ground; he shall draw it down unto the dust.)

6The foot of a poor man shall defoul it, and the steps of needy men shall defoul it. (The foot of the poor shall defile it, and the steps of the needy shall defile it.)

7The way of a just man is rightful, the path of a just man is rightful to go (on). (The way of the just is right, or is straightforward, yea, the path of the just is straight and clear to go on.)

8And in the way of thy dooms, Lord, we suffered thee; thy name, and thy memorial is in desire of soul. (And in the way of thy judgements, Lord, we followed thee; thy name and the remembrance of thee be our hearts’ desire.)

9My soul shall desire thee in the night, but also with my spirit in mine entrails; from the morrowtide I shall wake to thee. When thou shalt make thy dooms in [the] earth, all (the) dwellers of the world shall learn rightfulness. (My soul shall desire thee in the night, yea, my spirit in my bowels, or deep within; and early in the morning I shall look for thee. When thou shalt make thy judgements upon the earth, all the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness.)

10Do we mercy to the wicked man, and he shall not learn to do rightwiseness; in the land of saints he did wicked things, and he shall not see the glory of the Lord. (Even if we give mercy to a wicked person, he shall still not learn to do justice, or what is right; yea, even in the land of the saints he did wicked things, and he shall not see the glory of the Lord.)

11Lord, thine hand be enhanced (Lord, let thy hand be lifted up), (so) that they see not; (but let) peoples having envy see, and be shamed, and (let) fire devour thine enemies.

12Lord, thou shalt give peace to us, for thou hast (also) wrought all our works in us.

13Our Lord God, (other) lords had us in possession, without thee; only in thee have we mind of thy name. (Lord our God, other lords have had us in possession besides thee; but only thee do we call on by name.)

14They that die, live not, and giants, rise not again. Therefore thou hast visited, and hast all-broken them, and thou hast lost all the mind of them; (They who die, live not, and the dead shall not rise again. And so thou hast punished them, and hast all-broken them, and thou hast destroyed all the memory of them;)

15and Lord, thou hast forgiven to a folk, thou hast forgiven to a folk. Whether thou art glorified? thou hast made far from thee all the ends of [the] earth. (Lord, thou hast increased the nation, thou hast increased the nation, and thou art glorified; thou hast spread it far and wide unto all the ends of the earth.)

16Lord, in anguish they sought thee (out); in the tribulation of grumbling, (you gave) thy doctrine to them.

17As she that conceived, when she nigheth sorrowful to the child bearing, crieth in her sorrows, so we be made, Lord, of thy face. (As she who conceived, and when she neareth to giving birth, crieth out in her sorrows, or in her pain, so we be made, Lord, in thy presence.)

18We have conceived, and we have as travailed of child, and we have childed the spirit of health; we did not rightfulness in (the) earth. Therefore the dwellers of [the] earth fell not down; (We have conceived, and we have laboured as with child, but we brought forth nothing but wind. We have not won any victory in the land, and the inhabitants of the earth have not fallen.)

19thy dead men shall live (again), and my slain men shall rise again. Ye that dwell in dust, awake, and praise; for why the dew of light is thy dew, and thou shalt draw down the land of giants into falling. (But thy dead shall live again, and my slain people shall rise again. Ye who live in the dust, awake, and give praise; for thy dew is the dew of light, and thou shalt revive those who have long been dead/and the earth shall bring back to life those who have long been dead.)

20Go thou, my people, enter into thy beds, close thy doors on thee, be thou hid a little at a moment, till (the) indignation pass (by).

21For lo! the Lord shall go out of his place, to visit the wickedness of the dwellers of [the] earth against him; and the earth shall show his blood, and shall no more cover his slain men. (For lo! the Lord shall go out of his place, to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wickedness; and the earth shall show their blood, and shall no more cover its people who be slain.)

WYCLIFFE’S BIBLE

Comprising of
Wycliffe’s Old Testament

and

Wycliffe’s New Testament
(Revised Edition)


Translated by

JOHN WYCLIFFE
and JOHN PURVEY


A modern-spelling edition of their
14TH century Middle English translation,
the first complete English vernacular version,
with an Introduction by

TERENCE P. NOBLE

Used by Permission

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