Isaiah 32

1 See, a king will be ruling in righteousness, and chiefs will give right decisions.

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

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.

And a man shall be as in a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as by the watercourses in a dry place, as in the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

3 And the eyes of those who see will not be shut, and those who have hearing will give ear to the word.

And the eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them that hear shall attend.

4 The man of sudden impulses will become wise in heart, and he whose tongue is slow will get the power of talking clearly.

The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

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.

The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be noble.

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 the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise ungodliness, and to utter wickedness against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

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.

The instruments also of the churl are evil; he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, and the needy when he speaketh right.

8 But the noble-hearted man has noble purposes, and by these he will be guided.

But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

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.

Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice; ye confident daughters, give ear unto my speech.

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.

After a year and days shall ye be troubled, ye confident women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come.

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.

Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye confident ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins,

12 Have sorrow for the fields, the pleasing fields, the fertile vine;

Smiting upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine;

13 And for the land of my people, where thorns will come up; even for all the houses of joy in the glad town.

For the land of my people whereon thorns and briers come up; yea, for all the houses of joy and the joyous city.

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;

For the palace shall be forsaken; the city with its stir shall be deserted; the mound and the tower shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

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 be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for 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 justice shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field.

17 And the work of righteousness will be peace; and the effect of an upright rule will be to take away fear for ever.

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

18 And my people will be living in peace, in houses where there is no fear, and in quiet resting-places.

And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.

19 But the tall trees will come down with a great fall, and the town will be low in a low place.

And it shall hail, in the downfall of the forest; but the city shall descend into the valley.

20 Happy are you who are planting seed by all the waters, and sending out the ox and the ass.

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