Isaiah 32

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

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

2 Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.

And every one shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivulets of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a large rock in a languishing land.

3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.

And the eyes of those that see shall not be blinded again, and the ears of those that hear shall hearken.

4 The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently.

The heart also of the rash shall be attentive in order to know, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

5 No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.

The worthless person shall be no more called liberal, and the avaricious man shall not be said to be bountiful.

6 For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.

For the worthless person ever speaketh villany, and his heart will work injustice, to practise hypocrisy, and to speak error against the Lord, to leave empty the soul of the hungry, and the drink of the thirsty will he take away.

7 The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.

The instruments also of the avaricious man are evil: he deviseth wicked resolves to destroy the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speaketh what is right.

8 But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.

But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and he ever persisteth by liberal things.

9 Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters.

Ye careless women rise up, hear my voice; ye daughters that are secure, give ear unto my speech.

10 In a little more than a year you will tremble, O secure ones. For the grape harvest will fail and the fruit harvest will not arrive.

After days and years shall ye shudder, ye women that are secure; for ended is the vintage, the fruit gathering shall nowise come.

11 Shudder, you ladies of leisure; tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists.

Tremble, ye careless women; shudder, ye that are secure, strip off your garments and make yourselves bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon the loins.

12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines,

[They shall strike] on the breast, lamenting, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

13 and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers— even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry.

Upon the soil of my people thorns and briers shall come up; yea, upon all the houses of joy of the gladsome town.

14 For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become caves forever— the delight of wild donkeys and a pasture for flocks—

Because the palace is abandoned, the tumult of the city is forsaken; the hill and watch-tower are become dens for a long time, a joyous haunt for wild asses, a pasture for flocks.

15 until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high. Then the desert will be an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.

Until a spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be changed into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be accounted as a forest.

16 Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the fertile field.

Then shall justice dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.

17 The work of righteousness will be peace; the service of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and security for ever.

18 Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and secure places of rest.

And then shall my people abide in peaceful dwellings, and secure abodes, and in undisturbed resting-places.

19 But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink to the depths.

And it shall spread itself out in the declivity of the forest; and far down in the lowlands shall the city descend.

20 Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.

Happy are ye that sow beside all waters, freely sending forth the feet of the ox and the ass.