Isaiah 32

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

Lo, for righteousness doth a king reign, As to princes, for judgment they rule.

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 each hath been as a hiding-place [from] wind, And as a secret hiding-place [from] inundation, As rivulets of waters in a dry place, As a shadow of a heavy rock in a weary land.

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

And not dazzled are the eyes of beholders, And the ears of hearers do attend.

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

And the heart of those hastened Understandeth to know, And the tongue of stammerers hasteth to speak clearly.

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

A fool is no more called 'noble,' And to a miser it is not said, 'rich;'

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 a fool speaketh folly, And his heart doth iniquity, to do profanity, And to speak concerning Jehovah error, To empty the soul of the hungry, Yea, drink of the thirsty he causeth to lack.

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.

And the miser — his instruments [are] evil, He hath counselled wicked devices, To corrupt the poor with lying sayings, Even when the needy speaketh justly.

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

And the noble counselled noble things, And he for noble things riseth up.

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

Women, easy ones, rise, hear my voice, Daughters, confident ones, give ear [to] my saying,

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.

Days and a year ye are troubled, O confident ones, For consumed hath been harvest, The gathering cometh not.

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

Tremble ye women, ye easy ones, Be troubled, ye confident ones, Strip and make bare, with a girdle on the loins,

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

For breasts they are lamenting, For fields of desire, 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.

Over the ground of my people thorn — brier goeth up, Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,

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—

Surely the palace hath been left, The multitude of the city forsaken, Fort and watch-tower hath been for dens unto the age, A joy of wild asses — a pasture of herds;

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.

Till emptied out on us is the Spirit from on high, And a wilderness hath become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field for a forest is reckoned.

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

And dwelt in the wilderness hath judgment, And righteousness in the fruitful field remaineth.

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

And a work of the righteousness hath been peace, And a service of the righteousness — Keeping quiet and confidence unto the age.

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

And dwelt hath My people in a peaceful habitation, And in stedfast tabernacles, And in quiet resting-places.

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

And it hath hailed in the going down of the forest, And in the valley is the city low.

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

Happy [are] ye sowing by all waters, Sending forth the foot of the ox and the ass!