Beginning

54 Thou barren, that childest not, praise; thou that childest not, sing praising, and make joy; for why many sons be of the forsaken, more than of her that had [the] husband, saith the Lord. (Thou barren woman, who never gave birth, praise ye; thou who never gave birth, sing praises, and make joy; for many sons and daughters be of the deserted woman, more than of her who had the husband, saith the Lord.)

² Alarge thou the place of thy tent, and stretch forth the skins of thy tabernacles; spare thou not, make long thy ropes, and make firm thy nails. (Enlarge thou the place of thy tent, and stretch forth the curtains of thy tent; do not spare thou, make thy ropes long, and make thy nails firm.)

³ For thou shalt pierce to the right side and to the left side; and thy seed shall inherit heathen men, and shall dwell in forsaken cities. (For thou shalt break forth to the right and to the left; and thy children shall inherit the heathen, and shall live in abandoned cities.)

⁴ Do not thou dread, for thou shalt not be shamed, neither thou shalt be ashamed. For it shall not shame thee; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and thou shalt no more think on the shame of thy widowhood. (Do not thou fear, for thou shalt not be shamed, nor shalt thou be ashamed. For it shall not shame thee; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and thou shalt think no more about the shame of thy widowhood.)

⁵ For he that made thee, shall be lord of thee; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thine again-buyer, the Holy of Israel, shall be called God of all earth. (For he who made thee, shall be thy lord, or thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth.)

⁶ For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and mourning in spirit, and (as) a wife, that is cast away from youth. Thy Lord God said, (For the Lord hath called thee like a deserted woman, mourning in spirit, and like a young wife who is cast away. The Lord thy God said,)

⁷ At a point in (a) little time, I forsook thee, and I shall gather thee together in great merciful doings. (At a point for a short time, I left thee; but now, with great merciful doings, I shall gather thee back.)

⁸ In a moment of indignation I hid my face a little from thee, and in mercy everlasting I had mercy on thee, said thine again-buyer, the Lord. (In a moment of anger I hid my face from thee, for a short time; but now, with everlasting mercy, I shall have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.)

⁹ As in the days of Noe, this thing is to me, to whom I swore, that I should no more bring waters of the great flood on the earth; so I swore, that I shall be no more wroth to thee, and that I blame not thee. (This is to me, like in the days of Noah, to whom I swore, that never again would I bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth; so now I swear to thee, that never again shall I be angry with thee, and never again shall I rebuke thee.)

¹⁰ Forsooth hills shall be moved together, and little hills shall tremble together; but my mercy shall not go away from thee, and the bond of my peace shall not be moved, saith the merciful doer, the Lord. (Yea, though the mountains be removed, and the little hills shall tremble; but my mercy shall not go away from thee, and my covenant shall not be moved, or shaken, saith the merciful doer, the Lord.)

¹¹ Thou little and poor (one), drawn out by tempest, without any comfort, lo! I shall strew thy stones by order, and I shall found thee in sapphires; (O poor little one, drawn out by the tempest, without any comfort, lo! I shall set thy stones in order, and I shall lay thy foundations with sapphires;)

¹² and I shall set jasper thy towers, and thy gates into graven stones, and all thine ends into desirable stones. (and I shall build thy towers out of jasper, and thy gates out of firestones, and all thy boundary stones shall be jewels.)

¹³ And I shall set all thy sons taught of the Lord; and the multitude of peace to thy sons, (And all thy children shall be taught by the Lord; and thy children shall have great peace,)

¹⁴ and thou shalt be founded in rightfulness. Go thou away far from false challenge, for thou shalt not dread; and from dread, for it shall not nigh to thee. (and thou shalt be founded in righteousness. Thou shalt be free from oppression, for thou shalt not have any fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near, or close, to thee.)

¹⁵ Lo! a stranger shall come, that was not with me; he, that was sometime thy comeling, shall be joined to thee. (Lo! some shall gather together against thee, but it shall not be by my doing; and all those who do gather together against thee, shall fall/shall fail.)

¹⁶ Lo! I made a smith blowing coals in [the] fire, and bringing forth a vessel into his work; and I have made a slayer, for to lose. (Lo! it was I who made the smith who bloweth on the coals in the fire, and bringeth forth weapons from his work; and I who made the killer, to destroy and to lay waste.)

¹⁷ Each vessel which is made against thee, shall not be directed; and in the doom thou shalt deem each tongue against-standing thee. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and the rightfulness of them at me, saith the Lord. (But now no weapon, which is made to harm thee, shall prosper; and thou shalt judge in judgement every tongue speaking against thee. This is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, saith the Lord.)

55 All that thirst, come ye to waters [All ye thirsting, cometh to waters], and ye that have not silver, haste, buy ye, and eat ye; come ye, buy ye, without silver and without any (ex)changing, wine and milk. (All ye who thirst, come to the waters, and ye who have no silver, hasten, buy ye, and eat ye; come ye, and buy ye, wine and milk, without any silver, yea, without any exchanging of money.)

² Why weigh ye (out) silver, and not in loaves, and your travail, not in fullness? (Why spend ye your silver, but not for loaves, and the fruits of your labour, but ye be not fulfilled?) Ye hearing hear me, and eat ye (that which is) good, and your soul shall delight in fatness.

³ Bow ye [in] your ear, and come ye to me; hear ye, and your soul shall live; and I shall smite with you a covenant everlasting (and I shall strike with you an everlasting covenant), the faithful mercies of David.

⁴ Lo! I gave him a witness to peoples, a duke and a commander to folks. (Lo! I gave him as a witness to the peoples, a leader and a commander to the nations.)

⁵ Lo! thou shalt call folks, which thou knewest not; and folks, that knew not thee, shall run to thee; for thy Lord God, and the Holy of Israel, for he glorified thee. (Lo! thou shalt call the nations, whom thou knewest not; and the nations, who did not know thee, shall run to thee; because the Lord thy God, and the Holy One of Israel, he hath glorified thee.)

⁶ Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found; call ye him to help, while he is nigh. (Seek ye the Lord, while he still can be found; call ye to him for help, while he still is near, or close by.)

⁷ An unfaithful man forsake his way, and a wicked man forsake his thoughts; and turn he again to the Lord, and he shall have mercy on him, and to our God, for he is much to forgive (for he is quick to forgive).

⁸ For why my thoughts be not your thoughts, and my ways be not your ways, saith the Lord.

⁹ For as (the) heavens be raised (up) from (the) earth, so my ways be raised (up) from your ways, and my thoughts from your thoughts.

¹⁰ And as rain and snow cometh down from (the) heaven(s), and turneth no more again thither, but it filleth, or maketh moist, the earth, and besheddeth it, and maketh it to burgeon, and giveth seed to him that soweth, and bread to him that eateth,

¹¹ so shall be my word, that shall go out of my mouth. It shall not turn again void to me, but it shall do whatever things I would (It shall not return to me void, or empty, but it shall do whatever I desired of it), and it shall have prosperity in these things to which I (have) sent it.

¹² For ye shall go out in gladness, and ye shall be led forth in peace; (the) mountains and (the) little hills shall sing praising before you, and all the trees of the country(side) shall make joy with (their) hand(s).

¹³ A fir tree shall go up for a gorse, either furze, and a myrtle tree shall wax for a nettle; and the Lord shall be named into a sign everlasting, that shall not be done away. (A fir tree shall grow up for a gorse, or for a furze, and a myrtle tree shall grow up for a nettle; and it shall give the Lord a great name, yea, it shall be an everlasting sign, that shall not be done away.)

56 The Lord saith these things, Keep ye doom, and do ye rightfulness, for why mine health is nigh, that it come, and my rightfulness, that it be showed. (The Lord saith these things, Do ye justly, and do ye righteously, for my deliverance, or my salvation, is near, so that it shall come, and my righteousness, so that it shall be shown.)

² Blessed is the man, that doeth this, and the son of (a) man, that shall take (hold of) this; keeping the sabbath, that he defoul not it, keeping his hands, that he do not any evil. (Blessed is the person, who doeth this, and those who shall take hold of this; yea, keeping the sabbath, so that they do not defile it, and keeping their hands clean, so that they do not do any evil.)

³ And say not the son of a comeling, that cleaveth fast to the Lord, saying, By parting the Lord shall part me from his people; and a gelding, either a chaste man, say not, Lo! I am a dry tree. (And the son of a newcomer, or of a foreigner, who cleaveth firmly to the Lord, say not, By separating the Lord shall separate me from his people; and a eunuch, or a chaste man, say not, Lo! I am a dry tree.)

⁴ For the Lord saith these things to geldings, that keep my sabbaths, and choose what things I would, and hold (fast to) my bond of peace. (For the Lord saith these things to the eunuchs, who keep my sabbaths, and choose what things I would, and hold firm to my covenant.)

⁵ I shall give to them a place in mine house, and (with)in my walls, and the best name, (yea, better than that) of sons and daughters; I shall give to them a name everlasting, that shall not perish (I shall give them an everlasting name, that shall not perish).

⁶ And I shall bring in to bless the sons of a comeling, that cleave fast to the Lord, that they worship him, and love his name, that they be to him into servants; (to) each man keeping the sabbath, that he defoul it not, and holding (fast to) my bond of peace; (And also to the sons and daughters of the newcomers, or of the foreigners, who cleave firmly to the Lord, so that they worship him, and love his name, and so that they be his servants; to each person keeping the sabbath, so that they do not defile it, and holding firm to my covenant;)

⁷ I shall bring them into mine holy hill, and I shall make them glad in the house of my prayer; their burnt sacrifices and their slain sacrifices shall please me on mine altar; for why mine house shall be called an house of prayer to all peoples, (I shall bring them to my holy hill, and I shall make them happy in the House of my prayer; their burnt sacrifices and their slain sacrifices shall be acceptable on my altar; for my House shall be called a House of prayer for all peoples, or for all the nations,)

⁸ saith the Lord God, that gathereth together the scattered men of Israel. Yet I shall gather together to him all the gathered men thereof. (saith the Lord God, who gathereth together the scattered of Israel. And I shall bring still others to join them.)

⁹ All beasts of the field, come ye to devour, (and) all beasts of the forest.

¹⁰ All the beholders thereof be blind, all they knew not; (they be) dumb dogs, that be not able to bark; seeing vain things, sleeping, and loving dreams; (All of its beholders be blind, all of them did not know; they be dumb dogs, that be not able to bark; seeing empty and futile things, sleeping, and loving dreams;)

¹¹ and (they be) most unshamefast dogs (that) knew not fullness. Those shepherds knew not understanding; all they bowed into their (own) way, each man to his avarice, from the highest till to the last. (and they be the most shameless dogs who shall never know fullness. They be shepherds who understand nothing; they all be turned to their own way, each one to his own greed, from the highest unto the lowest.)

¹² Come ye, take we wine, and be we filled of drunkenness; and it shall be as today, so and tomorrow, and much more. (And they say, Come ye, take we wine, and be we filled with drunkenness; and tomorrow shall be like today, and even more so.)

57 A just man perisheth, and none is that thinketh in his heart; and men of mercy be gathered together, for none there is that understandeth; for why a just man is gathered from the face of malice. (The just, or the righteous, perish, and no one thinketh about it in their hearts, or in their minds; and people of mercy be taken away, and no one understandeth, that the just, or the righteous, have been taken away, before that malice, or the evil, come.)

² Peace come, rest he in his bed, that went in his (proper) direction. (Let peace come, yea, rest they in their last beds, everyone who went in their own uprightness.)

³ But ye, sons of the seeker of false divining by chittering of birds, nigh hither, the seed of adulteress, and of a whore. (But come ye here, ye sons and daughters of the seeker of false divining by the twittering of birds, ye children of an adulterer, and of a whore.)

⁴ On whom scorned ye? on whom made ye great the mouth, and putted out the tongue? Whether ye be not cursed sons, a seed of leasings? (Against whom mocked ye? against whom made ye great the mouth, and stuck out the tongue? Be ye not accursed sons and daughters, the children, or the descendants, of liars?)

⁵ which be comforted in gods (who be comforted with gods), under each tree full of boughs, and (who) offer little children in strands, under (the) high stones.

⁶ Thy part is in the parts of the strand, this is thy part; and to them thou sheddest out moist offering (and thou pourest out a drink offering to them), thou offeredest (a) sacrifice. Whether I shall not have indignation on these things?

⁷ Thou puttedest thy bed on an high hill and enhanced (Thou puttest thy bed on a high and exalted hill), and thither thou ascendedest to offer sacrifices;

⁸ and thou settedest thy memorial behind the door, and behind the post. For besides me, thou uncoveredest thee (to another), and tookest (in the) adulterer; thou alargedest thy bed, and madest a bond of peace with them (thou hast a large, or a big, bed, and madest a covenant, or an agreement, with them); thou lovedest the bed of them with (an) open hand,

⁹ and adornedest thee with [the] king’s ointment, and thou multipliedest thy pigments; thou sentest far thy messengers, and thou art made low till to hells (thou sentest out thy messengers, or thy procurers, far and wide, even down to hell).

¹⁰ Thou travailedest in the multitude of thy (own) way(s), and saidest not, I shall rest (I shall cease, or I shall stop now); thou hast found the way of thine hand, therefore thou prayedest not (to me).

¹¹ For what thing dreadedest thou busy, for thou liedest, and thoughtest not on me? And thou thoughtest not in thine heart, that I am still, and as not seeing; and thou hast forgotten me. (And whom do thou busily fearest, so that thou hast lied to me, and hast not even thought about me? Yea, thou thoughtest not about me in thy heart, because I was silent, and as if not seeing, and so thou hast forgotten me.)

¹² I shall tell [out] thy rightfulness, and thy works shall not profit to thee. (I shall tell out thy so-called righteousness, and thy works shall not profit thee.)

¹³ When thou shalt cry, thy gathered treasures deliver thee; and the wind shall take away all them, a blast shall do away them; but he that hath trust on me, shall inherit the land, and shall have in possession mine holy hill. (When thou shalt cry for help, let thy gathered treasures rescue thee; but the wind shall take them all away, yea, a puff of wind shall take them all away; but he who hath trust in me, shall inherit the land, and shall possess my holy hill.)

¹⁴ And I shall say, Make ye way, give ye journey, bow ye from the path (And I shall say, Make ye a way for the journey, clear ye the path), do ye away hurtings from the way of my people.

¹⁵ For the Lord high, and enhanced, saith these things, that dwelleth in everlastingness, and his holy name in high place, and that dwelleth in holy(ness), and with a contrite, either full sorry, and meek spirit, that he quicken the spirit of meek men, and quicken the heart of contrite men. (For the high and exalted Lord, who liveth in everlastingness, and whose name is Holy, saith these things, I live in a high and holy place, with those who have a contrite, or sorry/or broken, and meek spirit, and I desire to revive the spirit of the meek, or of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.)

¹⁶ For I shall not strive without end, neither I shall be wroth till to the end; for why a spirit shall go out from my face, and I shall make blasts. (For I shall not contend forever, nor shall I be angry forever; for a breath went out from my face, and I made living souls.)

¹⁷ I was wroth for the wickedness of his avarice, and I smote him. I hid my face from thee, and I had indignation; and he went without steadfast dwelling, in the way of his heart. (But I was angry for the wickedness of their greed, and I struck them. And I hid my face from them, and I was angry; and they went willfully, in the way of their own hearts.)

¹⁸ I saw his ways, and I healed him, and I brought him (back) again; and I gave comfortings to him, and to the mourners of him. (I saw their ways, and I healed them, and I brought them back again; and I gave comforting to them, and to their mourners.)

¹⁹ I made the fruit of (my) lips (to be) peace, peace to him that is far, and to him that is nigh, said the Lord; and I healed him. (I made peace to be the fruit of my lips, peace to those who be far away, and to those who be near, or close by, saith the Lord; and I healed them.)

²⁰ But wicked men be as the boiling sea, that may not rest; and the waves thereof float again into defouling, and fen. (But the wicked be like the boiling sea, that cannot rest; and its waves flow again into defiling, and into fen.)

²¹ The Lord God said, Peace is not to wicked men. (And the Lord God said, Peace is not to wicked.)

58 Cry thou (out), cease thou not; as a trump enhance thy voice (lift up thy voice like a trumpet), and show thou to my people their great trespasses, and to the house of Jacob their sins.

² For they seek me from day into day, and they will (to) know my ways; as a folk, that hath done rightfulness, and that hath not forsaken the doom of their God; they pray (to) me (for the) dooms of rightfulness, and they will (to) nigh to God. (For they seek me from day to day, and they say that they delight to know my ways; like a nation that truly hath done rightfully, and hath not deserted the justice of their God; they pray to me for judgements of righteousness/they pray to me for laws that be just, or that be right, and they say that they delight to come near, or close, to God.)

³ Why fasted we, and thou beheldest not; we meeked our souls, and thou knewest not? Lo! your will is found in the day of your fasting, and ye ask all your debtors. (But they also say, Why did we fast, if thou beheldest not? why did we meek, or humble, our souls, if thou knewest not? And I replieth, Lo! ye pursue your own desires on the day of your fast, and ye oppress all your workers.)

⁴ Lo! ye fast to chidings and strivings, and smite with the fist wickedly (Lo! your fasting leadeth only to chiding and to arguments, and to wickedly striking with the fist). Do not ye fast, as ye have unto this day, (so) that your cry (can once again) be heard on high.

⁵ Whether such is the fasting which I choose, a man to torment his soul by (a) day? whether to bind his head as a circle, and to make ready a sackcloth and ashes (to lie upon)? Whether thou shalt call this a fasting, and a day acceptable to the Lord? (Is that the fast which I would choose, yea, a day for a person to torment his soul? to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to prepare sackcloth and ashes to lie upon? Shalt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?)

⁶ Whether not this is more the fasting, which I choose? Unbind thou the bindings together of unpity, either of cruelty, release thou [the] burdens pressing down; deliver thou them free, that be broken, and break thou each burden. (Rather, is not this the fast, which I would choose? To unbind the bindings up of pitilessness, or of cruelty, to release the burdens of oppression, to set free those who be broken, and to break each burden.)

⁷ Break thy bread to the hungry man, and bring into thine house needy men and harbourless; when thou seest a naked man, cover thou him, and despise not thy flesh, that is, brother or sister. (Yea, break thy bread with the hungry, and bring into thy house the needy and the harbourless, that is, the homeless; when thou seest a naked person, cover thou him, and despise not thy flesh, that is, thy own brother, or thy own sister.)

⁸ Then thy light shall break out as the morrowtide, and thine health shall rise full soon; and thy rightfulness shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee to rest. (Then thy light shall break out like the dawn, and thy healing shall come quickly; and thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall protect thee.)

⁹ Then thou shalt call to help, and the Lord shall hear; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Lo! I am present, for I am merciful, thy Lord God (Then thou shalt call for help, and the Lord shall answer thee; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Lo! I am here, for I am merciful, the Lord thy God). If thou takest away the chain from the midst of thee, and ceasest to hold forth the finger, and to speak that that profiteth not;

¹⁰ when thou sheddest out thy soul, either thy will, to an hungry man, and [ful]fillest a soul that is tormented, thy light shall rise in darknesses, and thy darknesses shall be as midday. (if thou pourest out thy plenty to the hungry, and fulfillest a soul who is tormented, thy light shall rise in the darkness, and thy darkness shall be like midday.)

¹¹ And the Lord thy God shall give ever rest to thee, and shall [ful]fill thy soul with shinings, and shall deliver thy bones; and thou shalt be as a watered garden, and as a well of waters, whose waters shall not fail. (And the Lord thy God shall guide thee forever, and shall fulfill, or shall satisfy, thy soul in the shimmering heat, and shall strengthen thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a well of water, whose waters shall not fail.)

¹² And the forsaken things of (the) world’s shall be builded (again) in thee (And thou shalt rebuild the deserted things of the world), and thou shalt raise (up) the foundaments of generation and generation; and thou shalt be called, A builder of hedges, turning away the paths of wickednesses.

¹³ If thou turnest away thy foot from the sabbath, to do thy [own] will in mine holy day; and callest the sabbath delicate, and holy, the glorious of the Lord; and glorifiest him, while thou doest not thy ways, and thy will is not found, that thou speak a word; (If thou ceasest turning thy foot away from the sabbath, that is, if thou stoppest doing thy own will on my holy day; and instead callest the sabbath a delight, yea, holy to the Lord, and glorious; and glorifiest him, while thou goest not thy own way, and thy own will is not found when thou shalt speak a word;)

¹⁴ then thou shalt delight on the Lord, and I shall raise thee [up] on the highness of the earth, and I shall feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father; for why the mouth of the Lord spake. (then thou shalt delight thyself in the Lord, and I shall raise thee up on the highness of the earth, and I shall feed thee with the inheritance of thy father Jacob; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.)