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 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 every one shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivulets of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a large rock in a languishing 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 those that see shall not be blinded again, and the ears of those 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 be attentive in order to know, 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 worthless person shall be no more called liberal, and the avaricious man shall not be 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 worthless person ever speaketh villany, and his heart will work injustice, to practise hypocrisy, and to speak error against the Lord, to leave empty the soul of the hungry, and the drink of the thirsty will he take away.

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 avaricious man are evil: he deviseth wicked resolves to destroy the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speaketh what is right.

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

But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and he ever persisteth by liberal things.

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.

Ye careless women rise up, hear my voice; ye daughters that are secure, 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 days and years shall ye shudder, ye women that are secure; for ended is the vintage, the fruit gathering shall nowise 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 careless women; shudder, ye that are secure, strip off your garments and make yourselves bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon the loins.

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

[They shall strike] on the breast, lamenting, 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 soil of my people thorns and briers shall come up; yea, upon all the houses of joy of the gladsome town.

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 palace is abandoned, the tumult of the city is forsaken; the hill and watch-tower are become dens for a long time, a joyous haunt for wild asses, a pasture for 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 a spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be changed into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be accounted as 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 shall justice dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness 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 security for ever.

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

And then shall my people abide in peaceful dwellings, and secure abodes, and in undisturbed 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 spread itself out in the declivity of the forest; and far down in the lowlands shall the city descend.

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, freely sending forth the feet of the ox and the ass.