Isaiah 33

1 Woe to thee who destroys, and thou were not destroyed, and deal treacherously, and they did not deal treacherously with thee! When thou have ceased to destroy, thou shall be destroyed, and when thou have made an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

Alas! thou plunderer when, thou, hadst not been plundered, And thou traitor when they had not betrayed thee: When thou hast ceased plundering, thou shalt be plundered, When thou hast left off betraying, they shall betray thee.

2 O Jehovah, be gracious to us, we have waited for thee. Be thou our arm every morning, also our salvation in the time of trouble.

O Yahweh! shew us favour, —For thee, have we waited, —Be thou their arm every morning, Yea our salvation in the time of distress.

3 At the noise of the tumult the peoples have fled. At the lifting up of thyself the nations are scattered.

At the noise of a tumult, the peoples retreated, —When thou didst lift thyself up, nations were scattered.

4 And your spoil shall be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. As locusts leap, men shall leap upon it.

Then shall your spoil be gathered as the gathering of the caterpillar, —As the swift running of locusts, is he about to run upon them.

5 Jehovah is exalted, for he dwells on high. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

Exalted is Yahweh, for he inhabiteth a height, —He hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 And there shall be stability in thy times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Jehovah is thy treasure.

So shall a wealth of deliverances, wisdom and knowledge, become the stability of thy times, —the reverence of Yahweh, the same is his treasure.

7 Behold, their valiant ones cry outside. The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

Lo! their heroes, have cried out openly, —the messengers of peace, in bitterness, continue weeping [they say]:

8 The highways lie waste. The wayfaring man ceases. The enemy has broken the covenant. He has despised the cities. He does not regard man.

The highways are deserted, The passer-by on the path, hath ceased, —He hath broken covenant, He hath despised cities, He hath made no account of men.

9 The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

The land mourneth, languisheth, Lebanon, displayeth shame, is withered, —Sharon, hath become, as the waste plain, And Bashan and Carmel are shaking off their leaves.

10 Now I will arise, says Jehovah. Now I will lift up myself. Now I will be exalted.

Now, will I arise, Saith Yahweh, Now, will I lift myself up, Now, will I be exalted!

11 Ye shall conceive chaff. Ye shall bring forth stubble. Your breath is a fire that shall devour you.

Ye shall conceive chaff Ye shall bring forth stubble, —Your own breath, like fire, shall devour you.

12 And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut down that are burned in the fire.

So shall peoples, become, as the burnings of lime, —As thorns lopped off, with fire, shall they be burned.

13 Hear, ye who are far off, what I have done, and ye who are near, acknowledge my might.

Hear—ye that are far off. what I have done, And know—ye that are near my might:

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid. Trembling has seized the profane. Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?

Terror-stricken in Zion, —are sinners, Shuddering hath seized the impious, —Who among us can sojourn with a fire that devoureth? Who among us can sojourn with burnings age-abiding?

15 He who walks righteously, and speaks uprightly. He who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes away his hands from taking a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil.

He that walketh righteously, And speaketh uprightly, —He that refuseth the gain of exactions That shaketh his hands free from holding a bribe, That stoppeth his ear from hearkening to deeds of blood, And shutteth his eyes from giving countenance to wrong,

16 He shall dwell on high. His place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks. His bread shall be given. His waters shall be sure.

He, the heights, shall inhabit, A stronghold of crags, shall be his refuge, —His bread, hath been delivered, His waters, have been made sure,

17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty. They shall behold a land that reaches afar.

Of a king, in his beauty, shall thine eyes have vision: They shall see a land that stretcheth afar.

18 Thy heart shall muse on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?

Thy heart, may murmur in terror, —Where is the scribe? Where—the receiver? Where—he that maketh a list of the towers?

19 Thou shall not see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that thou cannot comprehend, of a strange tongue that thou cannot understand.

The fierce people, shalt thou not see, —The people of too deep a lip to be understood, of too barbarous a tongue for thee to comprehend.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed. The stakes of which shall never be plucked up, nor shall any of the cords of it be broken.

Look thou on Zion, the city of our appointed feast, —Thine own eyes, shall see Jerusalem—A home of comfort A tent which shall not be packed up—Whose pins shall not be pulled out, for ever, And none of, whose cords, shall be broken.

21 But Jehovah will be with us there in majesty. A place of broad rivers and streams, in which shall go no galley with oars, nor shall a gallant ship pass thereby.

But, there shall Yahweh be our majestic one, A place of rivers—streams broad on both hands, Wherein shall go no galley with oars, Neither shall majestic ship traverse it;

22 For Jehovah is our judge. Jehovah is our lawgiver. Jehovah is our king, he will save us.

For, Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh, is our lawgiver, —Yahweh, is our king, He will save us!

23 Thy tacklings are loosed. They could not strengthen the foot of their mast. They could not spread the sail. Then the prey of a great spoil was divided. The lame took the prey.

Loosed are thy ropes, —They cannot strengthen the socket of their mast They have not unfurled a sail Now, can be apportioned spoil, in abundance, The lame, have captured prey!

24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick. The people who dwell in it shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Neither shall the inhabitant say. I am sick, —the people who dwell therein, have been forgiven iniquity.