Isaiah 32

1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice.

Lo! in righteousness, shall reign a king, Yea even princes, with equity, shall bear rule.

2 A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the storm, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a large rock in a weary land.

So shall each one become As a hiding-place from the wind And a covert from the storm, —As channels of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a massive cliff in a weary land.

3 The eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will listen.

And the eyes of them who are ready to see, shall not be closed, —And, the ears of them who are ready to hear, shall hearken;

4 The heart of the rash will understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

And the heart of the hurried, shall take note of knowledge, And the tongue of stammerers, shall make haste to speak plainly.

5 The fool will no longer be called noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

A base man, shall no longer be called, noble, —Nor, a knave, be named, liberal;

6 For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice profanity, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

For, a base man, with baseness, will speak, And, his heart, will practise iniquity, —Practising profanity, And speaking, against Yahweh that which misleadeth, Emptying the soul of the hungry, And the drink of the thirsty, he causeth to fail;

7 The ways of the scoundrel are evil. He devises wicked plans to destroy the humble with lying words, even when the needy speaks right.

Yea, a knave, his weapons are wicked, —He, base schemes, hath devised To ruin the oppressed with speeches of falsehood Even when the needy pleadeth, for justice.

8 But the noble devises noble things, and he will continue in noble things.

But, a noble man, noble things, hath devised, —And, he, upon noble things, will stand,

9 Rise up, you women who are at ease! Hear my voice! You careless daughters, give ear to my speech!

Ye women in comfort! arise hear my voice, Ye daughters so confident give ear to my speech: —

10 For days beyond a year you will be troubled, you careless women; for the vintage will fail. The harvest will not come.

Some days beyond a year, ye shall be troubled ye confident ones, —For failed hath the vintage, No, gathering, cometh in.

11 Tremble, you women who are at ease! Be troubled, you careless ones! Strip yourselves, make yourselves naked, and put sackcloth on your waist.

Tremble, ye women in comfort, Be troubled ye daughters so confident, —Strip! and bare yourselves, and gird somewhat on your loins:

12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

Upon your breasts, continue smiting: For desirable fields, For fruitful vine.

13 Thorns and briers will come up on my people’s land; yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

Over the soil of my people, thorns and briars shall grow, —Yea over all houses of joy, thou city exultant!

14 For the palace will be forsaken. The populous city will be deserted. The hill and the watchtower will be for dens forever, a delight for wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks,

For the palace, is abandoned, the tumult of the city, hath ceased—Hill and watch-tower, serve as caves, unto times age-abiding, The joy of wild-asses, The pasture of flocks: —

15 until the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered a forest.

Until there be poured out upon us the spirit, from on high, —Then shall the wilderness become, garden-land, And the garden-land, for a forest, be reckoned;

16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness will remain in the fruitful field.

Then shall, justice inhabit, the wilderness, And righteousness, in the garden-land, shall abide;

17 The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

And the yield of righteousness, shall be, peace, —And the tillage of righteousness, quietness, and confidence! to times age-abiding;

18 My people will live in a peaceful habitation, in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting places,

And my people shall dwell, In a borne of peace, —and In habitations of security, and In resting-places of comfort.

19 though hail flattens the forest, and the city is leveled completely.

But it shall hail during the felling of the forest, And in a sunken place, shall, the city, sink.

20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who send out the feet of the ox and the donkey.

How happy are ye who sow beside all waters, —Who send forth the foot of the ox and the ass.