Isaiah 32

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

For, behold, a righteous king shall reign, and princes shall govern with 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 hide his words, and be hidden, as from rushing water, and shall appear in Sion as a rushing river, glorious in a thirsty 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 they shall no more trust in men, but they shall incline their ears to 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.

And the heart of the weak ones shall attend to hear, and the stammering tongues shall soon learn to speak peace.

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.

And they shall no more at all tell a fool to rule, and your servants shall no more at all say, Be silent.

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 fool shall speak foolish words, and his heart shall meditate vanities, and to perform lawless deeds and to speak error against the Lord, to scatter hungry souls, and he will cause the thirsty souls to be empty.

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.

For the counsel of the wicked will devise iniquity, to destroy the poor with unjust words, and ruin the cause of the poor in judgment.

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

But the godly have devised wise [measures], and this counsel shall 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, you rich women, and hear my voice; you confident daughters, listen to my words.

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.

Remember for a full year in pain, yet with hope: the vintage has been cut off; it has ceased, it shall by no means come again.

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.

Be amazed, be pained, you confident ones: strip you, bare yourselves, gird your loins;

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

and beat your breasts, because of the pleasant field, and the fruit of the 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.

[As for] the land of my people, the thorn and grass shall come upon [it], and joy shall be removed from every house.

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;

[As for] the rich city, the houses are deserted; they shall abandon the wealth of the city, [and] the pleasant houses: and the villages shall be caves for ever, the joy of wild asses, shepherds' pastures;

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 shall come upon you from on high, and Chermel shall be desert, and Chermel shall 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 abide in the wilderness, and righteousness shall dwell in Carmel.

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 works of righteousness shall be peace; and righteousness shall ensure rest, and [the righteous] shall be confident for ever.

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

And his people shall inhabit a city of peace, and dwell in [it] in confidence, and they shall rest with wealth.

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

And if the hail should come down, it shall not come upon you; and they that dwell in the forests shall be in confidence, as those in the plain country.

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

Blessed are they that sow by every water, where the ox and ass tread.