Leaders Should Be Good and Fair

32 Listen to what I say! A king should rule in a way that brings justice. Leaders should make fair decisions when they lead the people. ² If this would happen, the king^[a] would be like a shelter to hide from the wind and rain, like streams of water in a dry land, and like the cool shadow of a large rock in a hot land. ³ Then people would actually see what they look at. They would actually listen to what they hear. ⁴ People who are now confused would be able to understand. Those who cannot speak clearly now would be able to speak clearly and quickly. ⁵ Fools would not be called great men. People would not respect men who make secret plans.

⁶ Fools^[b] say foolish things, and in their minds they plan evil things to do. They want to do what is wrong. They say bad things about the Lord. They don’t let hungry people eat their food. They don’t let thirsty people drink the water. ⁷ They use evil like a tool and plan ways to steal from the poor. They tell lies about the poor and keep them from being judged fairly.

⁸ But a good leader plans good things to do, and that will make him a leader over other leaders.

Hard Times Are Coming

⁹ Some of you women are calm now; you feel safe. But you should stand and listen to the words I say. ¹⁰ You feel safe now, but after one year you will be troubled. That is because you will not gather grapes next year—there will be no grapes to gather.

¹¹ Women, you are calm now, but you should be afraid. You feel safe now, but you should be worried. Take off your nice clothes and put on sackcloth. Wrap it around your waist. ¹² Beat your breasts in sorrow. Cry because your fields are empty. Your vineyards once gave grapes, but now they are empty. ¹³ Cry for the land of my people. Cry because only thorns and weeds will grow there. Cry for the city and for all the houses that were once filled with joy.

¹⁴ People will leave the capital city. The palace and towers will be left empty. People will not live in houses—they will live in caves. Wild donkeys and sheep will live in the city—animals will go there to eat grass.

¹⁵ This will continue until God gives us his Spirit from above. Then the desert will become rich farmland and the farmland will be like thick forests. ¹⁶ That is, what is now a desert will be filled with right decisions, and what is now a farmland will be filled with justice. ¹⁷ That justice will bring peace and safety forever. ¹⁸ My people will be safe in their homes and in their calm, peaceful fields.

¹⁹ But before this happens, the forest must fall and the city must be torn down. ²⁰ Some of you live away from the cities. You plant seeds by every stream and let your cattle and donkeys roam free. You will be very blessed.

The Lord Will Show His Power

33 Look at you. You attack others when you have not been attacked. You turn against others when no one has turned against you. So when you stop your attacks, you will be attacked. When you stop turning against others, they will turn against you.

⁴ You people stole things in war. Those things will be taken from you. Many will come and take your wealth. It will be like the times when locusts come and eat all your crops.

⁵ The Lord is very great. He lives in a very high place. He fills Zion with justice and goodness.

⁶ Jerusalem, you are rich with wisdom and knowledge of God. You are rich with salvation. You respect the Lord, and that makes you rich.

⁷ But listen! The messengers are crying outside. The messengers^[c] who bring peace are crying very hard. ⁸ The roads are empty; there is no one walking along the paths. People don’t respect each other. They have broken the agreements they made, and they refuse to believe what witnesses^[d] tell them. ⁹ The land is sick and dying. Lebanon is dying and Sharon Valley is dry and empty. Bashan and Carmel once grew beautiful plants—but now those plants have stopped growing.

¹⁰ The Lord says, “Now, I will stand and show people how great and powerful I am. ¹¹ You people have done useless things. These things are like hay and straw. They are worth nothing! Your breath will be like a fire and burn you. ¹² People will be burned until their bones become lime.^[e] They will burn quickly like thorns and dry bushes.

¹³ “You people in faraway lands, listen to what I have done. You people who are near me, learn about my power.”

¹⁴ The sinners in Zion are afraid. Those who do wrong shake with fear. They say, “Can any of us live through this fire that destroys? Who can live near this fire that burns forever?”^[f]

¹⁵ Good, honest people who refuse to hurt others for money will live through that fire. They refuse to take bribes or listen to plans to murder other people. They refuse to look at plans for doing bad things. ¹⁶ They will live safely in high places. They will be protected in high rock fortresses. They will always have food and water.

¹⁷ Your eyes will see the King in his beauty. You will see the great land. ^18-19 When you think about the troubles you had in the past, you will wonder, “Where are those foreigners who spoke languages we could not understand. Where are the officials and tax collectors from other lands? Where are the spies who counted our defense towers?”

God Will Protect Jerusalem

²⁰ Look at Zion, the city of our religious festivals. Look at Jerusalem—that beautiful place of rest. Jerusalem is like a tent that will never be moved. The pegs that hold her in place will never be pulled up. Her ropes will never be broken, ^21-23 because the Lord is our powerful leader there. That land is a place with streams and wide rivers, but there will be no enemy boats or powerful ships on those rivers. You men who work on such boats can stop your work with the ropes. You cannot make the mast strong enough. You will not be able to open your sails, because the Lord is our judge. He makes our laws. He is our king. He saves us. The Lord will give us our wealth. Even crippled people will get their share. ²⁴ No one living there will say, “I am sick,” because everyone living there has had their guilt removed.