Wycliffe's Bible 1Lo! the hand of the Lord is not abridged, that he may not save, neither his ear is made hard, that he hear not; (Lo! the hand, or the power, of the Lord is not shortened, or weakened, so that he cannot save, nor is his ear made hard, so that he cannot hear;) 2but your wickednesses have parted betwixt you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he should not hear. (but your wickednesses have separated you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not listen to you.) 3For why your hands be defouled with blood, and your fingers with wickedness; your lips spake leasing (your lips speak lies), and your tongue speaketh wickedness. 4None there is, that calleth rightfulness to help, and none (there) is, that deemeth verily; but they trust in nought, and speak vanities; they conceived travail, and childed wickedness. (There is no one who calleth for justice, and there is no one who judgeth with truth; but they trust in nothing, and only say what is empty and futile; they think of ways to make things difficult, and give birth to wickedness.) 5The have broken (the) eggs of snakes, and (have) made (the) webs of an araneid; he that eateth of the eggs of them, shall die, and that that is nursed, or hatched, shall break out into a cockatrice. 6The webs of them shall not be into cloth, neither they shall be covered with their works; the works of them be unprofitable works, and the work of wickedness is in the hands of them. (Their webs shall never be made into cloth, nor shall they ever be covered with, or protected by, their works; their works be unprofitable works, and these wicked works come from their own hands.) 7The feet of them run to evil, and haste to shed out innocent blood; the thoughts of them be unprofitable thoughts; destroying and defouling be in the ways of them. (Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to pour out innocent blood; their thoughts be unprofitable thoughts; destroying and defiling be their way of doing things.) 8They knew not the way of peace, and doom is not in the goings of them; the paths of them be bowed to them; each that treadeth in those, knoweth not peace. (They knew not the way of peace, and justice is not their way; their paths be crooked; anyone who treadeth on them, knoweth not peace.) 9Therefore doom is made far from us, and rightfulness shall not (over)take us; we abided light, and lo! darknesses be; we abided shining, and we went in darknesses. (And so justice is made far from us, and right shall not overtake us; we wait for the light, but lo! there is only darkness; we wait for the sun to shine, but still we walk in darkness.) 10We groped as blind men the wall, and we as without eyes touched; we stumbled in midday, as in darknesses, in dark places, as dead men. (We grope the wall like the blind, and we touch it, like those without eyes; we stumble at midday, like in the darkness, yea, in dark places, like the dead.) 11All we shall roar as bears, and we shall wail thinking as culvers; we abided doom, and none there is; we abided health, and it is made far from us. (We all shall roar like bears, and we shall wail thinking like doves; we wait for justice, but there is none; we wait for deliverance, or salvation, but it is made far from us.) 12For why our wickednesses be multiplied before thee, and our sins answered to us (and our sins witnessed against us); for our great trespasses be with us, and we knew our wickednesses, 13to do sin, and to lie against the Lord. And we be turned away, that we went not after the back of our God, that we speak false challenge, and trespassing. We conceived, and spake of (the) heart, words of leasing; (to do sin, and to lie against the Lord. And we turned away, so that we went not after the back of our God, and we speak of oppression, and of trespassing. We conceived lies, and spoke them out from our hearts;) 14and doom was turned aback, and rightfulness stood [a]far; for why truth fell down in the street, and equity, either evenness, might not enter. (and justice was turned back, and right stood afar off; and truth fell down in the street, and integrity, or honesty, could not even come in.) 15And truth was made into forgetting, and he that went away from evil, was open to prey, either robbing. And the Lord saw, and it appeared evil in his eyes, for there is no doom. (And the truth was forgotten, and he who went away from evil, was laid open to theft, or to robbery. And the Lord saw, and it appeared evil to him, that there was no justice.) 16And God saw, that a man is not, and he was anguished, for none there is that runneth to. And his arm shall save to himself, and his rightfulness itself shall confirm him. (And God saw, that no one gave any help, and he was anguished that no one runneth to give aid. And so his arm shall save him, and his uprightness shall uphold him.) 17He is clothed with rightfulness as with an habergeon, and the helmet of health is in his head; he is clothed with [the] clothes of vengeance, and he is covered as with a mantle of fervent working. (He is clothed with a breastplate of righteousness, and the helmet of salvation is on his head; he is clothed with the clothes of vengeance, and he is covered with a cloak of jealous anger.) 18As to vengeance, as to (the) yielding of indignation to his enemies, and to requiting of time to his adversaries (and the time of requiting for his adversaries), (yea,) he shall yield while (even) to [the] isles. 19And they that be at the west, shall dread the name of the Lord, and they that be at the rising of the sun, shall dread the glory of him; when he shall come as a violent flood, whom the spirit of the Lord compelleth. (And they who be at the west, shall fear the name of the Lord, and they who be at the rising of the sun, shall fear his glory; when he shall come like a rushing river, which the Spirit of the Lord compelleth.) 20When [the] again-buyer shall come to Zion, and to them that go again from wickedness in Jacob, saith the Lord. (Yea, when the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and to them who turn away from wickedness in Jacob, saith the Lord.) 21This is my bond of peace with them, saith the Lord; My spirit which is in thee, and my words which I have set in thy mouth, shall not go away from thy mouth, and from the mouth of thy seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and till into without end. (This is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My Spirit which resteth on thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not go away from thy mouth, and from the mouths of thy children, or of thy descendants, saith the Lord, from now and until forever.) 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 Bible Hub |