Isaiah 32
1 See, a king will be ruling in righteousness, and chiefs will give right decisions.
Watch! A king is coming who does what's right when he rules, and those who rule under him will act fairly.
2 And a man will be as a safe place from the wind, and a cover from the storm; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a waste land.
Each one will be like a shelter from the wind, like a protection from the storm, like rivers of water in the dry desert, like the shade of a large rock in a sun-baked land.
3 And the eyes of those who see will not be shut, and those who have hearing will give ear to the word.
Then everyone with eyes will be able to truly see, and everyone who has ears will be able to truly hear.
4 The man of sudden impulses will become wise in heart, and he whose tongue is slow will get the power of talking clearly.
Those whose minds are impulsive will be sensible and think things through; those who stammer will speak clearly.
5 The foolish man will no longer be named noble, and they will not say of the false man that he is a man of honour.
No longer will fools be called respectable or crooks highly-regarded.
6 For the foolish man will say foolish things, having evil thoughts in his heart, working what is unclean, and talking falsely about the Lord, to keep food from him who is in need of it, and water from him whose soul is desiring it.
For fools only talk foolishness, thinking evil things. They act in opposition to the Lord, misrepresenting him in what they say. They refuse to give food to the hungry and deny water to the thirsty.
7 The designs of the false are evil, purposing the destruction of the poor man by false words, even when he is in the right.
Cheats use evil methods; they devise schemes to ruin the poor with lies, even when right is on the side of the poor.
8 But the noble-hearted man has noble purposes, and by these he will be guided.
But noble people act unselfishly; they keep to their principles of generosity.
9 Give ear to my voice, you women who are living in comfort; give attention to my words, you daughters who have no fear of danger.
Get up, you women who are lying around relaxing, and pay attention to what I'm saying! You ladies without a care in the world, listen to me!
10 In not much more than a year, you, who are not looking for evil, will be troubled: for the produce of the vine-gardens will be cut off, and there will be no getting in of the grapes.
In just over a year, you who think yourselves so safe will tremble with fear. The grape harvest is going to fail and there'll be no harvest.
11 Be shaking with fear, you women who are living in comfort; be troubled, you who have no fear of danger: take off your robes and put on clothing of grief.
Shudder, you women relaxing! Tremble, you ladies who feel so safe! Strip off your clothes, bare yourselves and put on sackcloth around your waists.
12 Have sorrow for the fields, the pleasing fields, the fertile vine;
Beat your breasts in sadness over the loss of your lovely fields, your productive vines,
13 And for the land of my people, where thorns will come up; even for all the houses of joy in the glad town.
over the loss of the land of my people. Mourn because it's now overgrown with thorns and brambles, mourn because of the loss of all the happy homes and joyful towns.
14 For the fair houses will have no man living in them; the town which was full of noise will become a waste; the hill and the watchtower will be unpeopled for ever, a joy for the asses of the woods, a place of food for the flocks;
The palace is abandoned, the crowded town is deserted. Castles and watch towers will forever become homes loved by wild donkeys, and places where sheep graze,
15 Till the spirit comes on us from on high, and the waste land becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is changed into a wood.
until the Spirit is poured out on us from above, and the desert becomes like a good field full of crops, and a good field will grow like a forest.
16 Then in the waste land there will be an upright rule, and righteousness will have its place in the fertile field.
Then people living in the desert will practice justice, and those living among the fields will do what is right.
17 And the work of righteousness will be peace; and the effect of an upright rule will be to take away fear for ever.
Living right will bring peace and security that endures.
18 And my people will be living in peace, in houses where there is no fear, and in quiet resting-places.
My people will live in peace, safe and secure in their homes.
19 But the tall trees will come down with a great fall, and the town will be low in a low place.
Even though hail can destroy a forest, and a town can be demolished,
20 Happy are you who are planting seed by all the waters, and sending out the ox and the ass.
you will be happy as you sow your crops beside the waters and let your cattle and donkeys roam freely.
