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The Glorious Future

32 Behold, a [a]King will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.

Each [one of them] will be like a hiding place from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like streams of water in a dry land,
Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched and weary land [to those who turn to them].

Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen attentively.

The heart (mind) of those who act impulsively will discern the truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hurry to speak clearly.

The fool (the good-for-nothing) will no longer be called noble,
Nor the rogue said to be generous.

For the fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart (mind) plans wickedness:
To practice ungodliness and to speak error concerning the Lord,
To keep the craving of the hungry unsatisfied
And to deprive the thirsty of drink.

As for the rogue, his weapons are evil;
He conceives wicked plans
To ruin the poor with lies,
Even when the plea of the needy one is just and right.

But the noble man conceives noble and magnificent things;
And he stands by what is noble and magnificent.


Rise up, you women who are carefree,
And hear my voice,
You confident and unsuspecting daughters!
Listen to what I am saying.
10 
In little more than a year
You will tremble [with anxiety], you unsuspecting and complacent women;
For the vintage has ended,
And the harvest will not come.
11 
Tremble, you women who are carefree;
Tremble with fear, you complacent ones!
Strip, undress and wear sackcloth on your waist [in grief],
12 
Beat your breasts [in mourning] for the beautiful fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 
For the land of my people growing over with thorns and briars—
Yes, [mourn] for all the houses of joy in the joyous city.
14 
For the palace has been abandoned, the populated city deserted;
The hill [of the city] and the watchtower have become caves [for wild animals] forever,
A delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
15 
Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a fertile field,
And the fertile field is valued as a forest.(A)
16 
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
And righteousness will live in the fertile field.
17 
And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
And the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever.
18 
Then my people will live in a peaceful surrounding,
And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places.
19 
But it will hail, when the forest comes down,
And the [capital] city will fall in utter humiliation.
20 
Blessed (happy, fortunate) are you who cast your seed upon all waters [[b]when the river overflows its banks and irrigates the land],
You who allow the ox and the donkey to roam freely.

The Judgment of God

33 Woe (judgment is coming) to you, O destroyer,
You who were not destroyed,
And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed;
As soon as you stop dealing treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.

O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited [expectantly] for You.
Be the arm of Your servants every morning [that is, their strength and their defense],
Our salvation also in the time of trouble.

At the sound of the tumult, the peoples flee;
At the lifting up of Yourself nations scatter.

Your spoil [of Israel’s foe] is gathered [by the people of Jerusalem] as the caterpillar gathers;
As locusts swarming so people swarm on it.

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

And He will be the security and stability of your times,
A treasure of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is your treasure.

Now look, their brave men shout outside;
The ambassadors [seeking a treaty] of peace weep bitterly.

The highways are deserted, the traveler has ceased [to appear].
The enemy has broken the covenant, he has rejected the [c]cities,
He has no regard for [any] man.

The land mourns and dries out,
Lebanon is shamed and [its lush foliage] withers;
[d]Sharon is like a desert plain,
And [e]Bashan and [Mount] Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 
“Now I will arise,” says the Lord.
“Now I will be exalted; now I will be lifted up.
11 
“You have conceived dried grass, you will give birth to stubble;
My breath is a fire that will consume you.
12 
“The peoples will be burned to lime,
Like thorns cut down which are burned in the fire.

13 
“You who are far away, hear what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
14 
The sinners in Zion are terrified;
Trembling has seized the godless.
[They cry] “Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting burning?”
15 
He who walks righteously and speaks with integrity,
Who rejects gain from fraud and from oppression,
Who shakes his hand free from the taking of bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes to avoid looking upon evil;
16 
He will dwell on the heights,
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks,
His bread will be given him;
His water will be permanent.

17 
Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will see a far-distant land.
18 
Your mind will meditate on the terror [asking]:
“Where is he who counts?
Where is he who weighs [the tribute]?
Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 
You will no longer see the fierce and insolent people,
A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,
Of a strange and stammering tongue which no one understands.
20 
Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts and observances;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a undisturbed settlement,
A tent which will not be taken down;
Not one of its stakes will ever be pulled up,
Nor any of its ropes be severed.
21 
But there the mighty and magnificent Lord will be for us
A place of broad rivers and streams,
Where no oar-driven boat will go,
And on which no mighty and stately ship will pass.
22 
For the Lord is our Judge,
The Lord is our Ruler,
The Lord is our King;
He will save us.(B)
23 
Your ship’s ropes (tackle) hang loose;
They cannot hold the base of their mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then an abundance of spoil and plunder will be divided;
Even the lame will take the plunder.
24 
And no inhabitant [of Zion] will say, “I am sick”;
The people who dwell there will be forgiven their wickedness [their sin, their injustice, their wrongdoing].

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 32:1 The Messianic age is again in view (Is 9:7; 11:4; 16:5; 33:17).
  2. Isaiah 32:20 This verse is challenging to interpret; the ancient rabbis allegorized it, interpreting the sowing as acts of charity and the waters as the Torah.
  3. Isaiah 33:8 The DSS read witnesses.
  4. Isaiah 33:9 The fertile pasture region south of Mt. Carmel.
  5. Isaiah 33:9 The fertile plateau east of the Jordan River.

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