Isaiah 24 Comparison: Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version
Isaiah 24
1Lo! the Lord schal distrie the erthe, and schal make it nakid, and schal turmente the face therof; and he schal scater abrood the dwelleris therof.
2And it schal be, as the puple, so the preest; as the seruaunt, so his lord; as the handmaide, so the ladi of hir; as a biere, so he that sillith; as the leenere, so he that takith borewyng; as he that axith ayen, so he that owith.
3Bi distriyng the lond schal be distried, and schal be maad nakid by rauyschyng; for whi the Lord spak this word.
4The erthe morenyde, and fleet awei, and is maad sijk; the world fleet awei, the hiynesse of the puple of erthe is maad sijk,
5and the erthe is slayn of hise dwelleris. For thei passiden lawis, chaungiden riyt, distrieden euerlastynge boond of pees.
6For this thing cursyng schal deuoure the erthe, and the dwelleris therof schulen do synne; and therfor the louyeris therof schulen be woode, and fewe men schulen be left.
7Vyndage morenyde, the vyne is sijk; alle men that weren glad in herte weiliden.
8The ioie of tympans ceesside, the sowne of glad men restide; the swetnesse of harpe with song was stille.
9Thei schulen not drynke wyn; a bittere drynk schal be to hem that schulen drynke it.
10The citee of vanyte is al to-brokun; ech hous is closid, for no man entrith.
11Cry schal be on wyn in streetis, al gladnesse is forsakun, the ioie of erthe is `takun awei.
12Desolacioun is left in the citee, and wretchidnesse schal oppresse the yatis.
13For these thingis schulen be in the myddis of erthe, in the myddis of puplis, as if a fewe fruitis of olyue trees that ben left ben schakun of fro the olyue tre, and racyns, whanne the vyndage is endid.
14These men schulen reise her vois, and schulen preise, whanne the Lord schal be glorified; thei schulen schewe signes of gladnesse fro the see.
15For this thing glorifie ye the Lord in techyngis; in the ilis of the see glorifie ye the name of the Lord God of Israel.
16Fro the endis of erthe we han herd heriyngis, the glorye of the iust. And Y seide, My priuyte to me, my pryuyte to me. Wo to me, trespassours han trespassid, and han trespassid bi trespassyng of brekeris of the lawe.
17Ferdfulnesse, and a diche, and a snare on thee, that art a dwellere of erthe.
18And it schal be, he that schal fle fro the face of ferdfulnesse, schal falle in to the diche; and he that schal delyuere hym silf fro the dich, schal be holdun of the snare; for whi the wyndows of hiye thingis ben openyd, and the foundementis of erthe schulen be schakun togidere.
19The erthe schal be brokun with brekyng,
20the erthe schal be defoulid with defoulyng, the erthe schal be mouyd with mouyng, the erthe schal be schakun with schakyng, as a drunkun man.
21And it schal be takun awei, as the tabernacle of o nyyt, and the wickidnesse therof schal greue it; and it schal falle down, and it schal not adde, for to rise ayen. And it schal be, in that dai the Lord schal visite on the knyythod of heuene an hiy, and on the kyngis of erthe, that ben on erthe.
22And thei schulen be gaderid togidere in the gadering togidere of a bundel in to the lake, and thei schulen be closid there in prisoun; and aftir many daies thei schulen be visited.
23And the moone schal be aschamed, and the sunne schal be confoundid, whanne the Lord of oostis schal regne in the hil of Sion, and in Jerusalem, and schal be glorified in the siyt of hise eldre men.
Isaiah 24
1Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
3The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
6Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
7The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
8The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
9They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
10The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
11There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
12In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.
13When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.
14They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
15Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
16From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
17Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
Understanding Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version in Isaiah 24
Wycliffe Bible (1395) (Wycliffe)
The first complete English translation of the Bible (1395) by John Wycliffe and his followers. Translated from the Latin Vulgate. A landmark in English history and the Reformation.
King James Version (KJV)
The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Isaiah 24 in the Wycliffe Bible (1395) and King James Version. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Isaiah 24:16
"Fro the endis of erthe we han herd heriyngis, the glorye of the iust. And Y seide, My priuyte to me, my pryuyte to me. Wo to me, trespassours han trespassid, and han trespassid bi trespassyng of brekeris of the lawe."
"From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously."
