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 princes shall rule in judgment.

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 an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as 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 dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

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 bountiful.

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 villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against Yhwh, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will 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, even when the needy 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; hear my voice, ye careless 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.

Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering 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 careless 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;

They shall lament for the teats, 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.

Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in 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;

Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild donkeys, 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 be 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 judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain 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 assurance 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 dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure 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.

When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

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

Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the donkey.