Isaiah 33
1 Woe to you, destroyer who has not been destroyed! Woe to the betrayer whom they have not betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. When you stop betraying, they will betray you.
Woe to you who destroy, but you weren’t destroyed, and who betray, but nobody betrayed you! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betrayal, you will be betrayed.
2 Yahweh, be gracious to us; we wait for you; be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.
LORD, be gracious to us. We have waited for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3 At the loud noise the peoples flee; when you arise, the nations are scattered.
At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled. When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.
4 Your spoil is gathered as the locusts gather; as locusts leap, men leap on it.
Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. Men will leap on it as locusts leap.
5 Yahweh is exalted. He lives in a high place. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of Yahweh is his treasure.
There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is your treasure.
7 Look, their envoys cry in the streets; the diplomats hoping for peace weep bitterly.
Behold, their valiant ones cry outside; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted; there are no more travelers. Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised, and mankind is not respected.
The highways are desolate. The traveling man ceases. The covenant is broken. He has despised the cities. He doesn’t respect man.
9 The land mourns and withers away; Lebanon is ashamed and withers away; Sharon is like a desert plain; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
10 “Now will I arise,” says Yahweh; “now I will be lifted up; now I will be elevated.
“Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted.
11 You conceive chaff, and you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.
You will conceive chaff. You will give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will devour you.
12 The peoples will be burned to lime, as thornbushes are cut down and are burned.
The peoples will be like the burning of lime, like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.
13 You who are far away, hear what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”
Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can sojourn with a raging fire? Who among us can sojourn with everlasting burnings?
The sinners in Zion are afraid. Trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can live with the devouring fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?
15 He who walks righteously and speaks honestly; who despises the gain of oppression, who shakes his hand so that it will not accept a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed, and who shuts his eyes from looking on evil—
He who walks righteously and speaks blamelessly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—
16 this is the man who will dwell on the heights, his place of defense will be the fortress among the cliffs, his food will be given, and his water will be in steady supply.
he will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. His bread will be supplied. His waters will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will see a land off in the distance.
Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will see a distant land.
18 Your heart will recall the terror; where is the scribe, where is he who weighed the money? Where is he who counted the towers?
Your heart will meditate on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed? Where is he who counted the towers?
19 You will no longer see the defiant people, a people of a strange language that you do not understand.
You will no longer see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that you can’t comprehend, with a strange language that you can’t understand.
20 Look at Zion, the city of our feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet habitation, a tent that will not be removed, whose stakes will never be pulled up nor will any of its cords be broken.
Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that won’t be removed. Its stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 Instead, Yahweh in majesty will be with us, in a place of broad rivers and streams. No warship with oars will travel it, and no large ships will sail by.
But there the LORD will be with us in majesty, a place of wide rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will go, neither will any gallant ship pass by there.
22 For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us.
For the LORD is our judge. The LORD is our lawgiver. The LORD is our king. He will save us.
23 Your riggings are slack; they cannot hold the mast in place; they cannot spread the sail; when the great spoil is divided, even the lame will drag off the spoil.
Your rigging is untied. They couldn’t strengthen the foot of their mast. They couldn’t spread the sail. Then the prey of a great plunder was divided. The lame took the prey.
24 The inhabitants will not say, “I am sick;” the people who live there will be forgiven for their iniquity.
The inhabitant won’t say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.
