Isaiah 16

¹Lord, sende thou out a lomb, the lordli gouernour of erthe, fro the stoon of desert to the hil of the douyter of Sion.

²And it schal be as a foule fleynge, and briddis fleynge awei fro the nest, so schulen be the douytris of Moab in the passyng ouer of Arnon.

³Take thou councel, constreyne thou councel; sette thou as niyt thi schadewe in myddai, hide thou hem that fleen, and bitraye thou not men of vnstidfast dwellyng.

⁴My fleeris awei schulen dwelle at thee. Moab, be thou the hidyng place of hem fro the face of distriere. For whi dust is endid, the wretchid is wastid; he that defoulide the lond failude.

⁵And the kyngis seete schal be maade redi in merci, and he schal sitte on it in treuthe, in the tabernacle of Dauid, demynge, and sekynge doom, and yeldynge swiftli that that is iust.

⁶We han herd the pride of Moab, he is ful proud; his pride, and his boost, and his indignacioun is more than his strengthe.

⁷Therfor Moab schal yelle to Moab, al Moab shal yelle to hem that ben glad on the wallis of bakun tijl stoon; speke ye her woundis.

⁸For whi the subarbis of Esebon and the vyner of Sabama ben forsakun. The lordis of hethene men han kit doun the siouns therof; thei camen `til to Jaser, thei erriden in desert. The bowis therof ben forsakun, thei passiden the see.

⁹On this thing Y schal wepe in the weping of Jaser, and on the vyner of Sabama. Esebon and Eleale, Y schal fille thee with my teer; for the vois of defouleris fellen on thi vyndage, and on thi heruest.

¹⁰And gladnesse and ful out ioiyng schal be takun awei fro Carmele; and noon schal make ful out ioye, nether schal synge hertli song in vyneris. He that was wont to wringe out, schal not wrynge out wyn in a pressour; Y haue take awei the vois of wryngeris out.

¹¹On this thing my wombe schal sowne as an harpe to Moab, and myn entrails to the wal of bakun tiel stoon.

¹²And it schal be, whanne it schal appere, that Moab hath trauelid on hise places, it schal entre to hise hooli thingis, that it biseche, and it schal not be worth.

¹³This is the word which the Lord spak to Moab fro that tyme.

¹⁴And now the Lord spak, seiynge, In thre yeer that weren as the yeeris of an hirid man, the glorie of Moab schal be takun awei on al the myche puple; and ther schal be left in it as a litil rasyn, and a litil, and not myche.

Isaiah 16

¹Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.

²For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.

³Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.

⁴Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.

⁵And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

⁶We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.

⁷Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir–hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken.

⁸For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.

⁹Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.

¹⁰And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.

¹¹Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir–haresh.

¹²And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

¹³This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.

¹⁴But now the Lord hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.