Isaiah 33

1 Ho! you who make waste those who did not make you waste; acting falsely to those who were not false to you. When you have come to an end of wasting, you will be made waste, and after your false acts, they will do the same to you.

Woe to thee who destroys, and thou were not destroyed, and deal treacherously, and they did not deal treacherously with thee! When thou have ceased to destroy, thou shall be destroyed, and when thou have made an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

2 O Lord, have mercy on us; for we have been waiting for your help: be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of trouble.

O Jehovah, be gracious to us, we have waited for thee. Be thou our arm every morning, also our salvation in the time of trouble.

3 At the loud noise the peoples have gone in flight; at your coming up the nations have gone in all directions.

At the noise of the tumult the peoples have fled. At the lifting up of thyself the nations are scattered.

4 And the goods taken in war will be got together like the massing of young locusts; men will be rushing on them like the rushing of locusts.

And your spoil shall be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. As locusts leap, men shall leap upon it.

5 The Lord is lifted up; his place is on high: he has made Zion full of righteousness and true religion.

Jehovah is exalted, for he dwells on high. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 And she will have no more fear of change, being full of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is her wealth.

And there shall be stability in thy times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Jehovah is thy treasure.

7 See, the men of war are sorrowing outside the town: those who came looking for peace are weeping bitterly.

Behold, their valiant ones cry outside. The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

8 The highways are waste, no man is journeying there: the agreement is broken, he has made sport of the towns, he has no thought for man.

The highways lie waste. The wayfaring man ceases. The enemy has broken the covenant. He has despised the cities. He does not regard man.

9 The earth is sorrowing and wasting away; Lebanon is put to shame and has become waste; Sharon is like the Arabah; and in Bashan and Carmel the leaves are falling.

The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 Now will I come forward, says the Lord; now will I be lifted up; now will my power be seen.

Now I will arise, says Jehovah. Now I will lift up myself. Now I will be exalted.

11 Your designs will be without profit, and their effect will be nothing: you will be burned up by the fire of my breath.

Ye shall conceive chaff. Ye shall bring forth stubble. Your breath is a fire that shall devour you.

12 And the peoples will be like the burning of chalk: as thorns cut down, which are burned in the fire.

And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut down that are burned in the fire.

13 Give ear, you who are far off, to what I have done: see my power, you who are near.

Hear, ye who are far off, what I have done, and ye who are near, acknowledge my might.

14 The sinners in Zion are full of fear; the haters of God are shaking with wonder. Who among us may keep his place before the burning fire? who among us may see the eternal burnings?

The sinners in Zion are afraid. Trembling has seized the profane. Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?

15 He whose ways are true, and whose words are upright; he who gives no thought to the profits of false acts, whose hands have not taken rewards, who will have no part in putting men to death, and whose eyes are shut against evil;

He who walks righteously, and speaks uprightly. He who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes away his hands from taking a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil.

16 He will have a place on high: he will be safely shut in by the high rocks: his bread will be given to him; his waters will be certain.

He shall dwell on high. His place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks. His bread shall be given. His waters shall be sure.

17 Your eyes will see the king in his glory: they will be looking on a far-stretching land.

Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty. They shall behold a land that reaches afar.

18 Your heart will give thought to the cause of your fear: where is the scribe, where is he who made a record of the payments, where is he by whom the towers were numbered?

Thy heart shall muse on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?

19 Never again will you see the cruel people, a people whose tongue has no sense for you; whose language is strange to you.

Thou shall not see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that thou cannot comprehend, of a strange tongue that thou cannot understand.

20 Let your eyes be resting on Zion, the town of our holy feasts: you will see Jerusalem, a quiet resting-place, a tent which will not be moved, whose tent-pins will never be pulled up, and whose cords will never be broken.

Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed. The stakes of which shall never be plucked up, nor shall any of the cords of it be broken.

21 But there the Lord will be with us in his glory, ... wide rivers and streams; where no boat will go with blades, and no fair ship will be sailing.

But Jehovah will be with us there in majesty. A place of broad rivers and streams, in which shall go no galley with oars, nor shall a gallant ship pass thereby.

22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our king; he will be our saviour.

For Jehovah is our judge. Jehovah is our lawgiver. Jehovah is our king, he will save us.

23 Your cords have become loose; they were not able to make strong the support of their sails, the sail was not stretched out: then the blind will take much property, the feeble-footed will make division of the goods of war.

Thy tacklings are loosed. They could not strengthen the foot of their mast. They could not spread the sail. Then the prey of a great spoil was divided. The lame took the prey.

24 And the men of Zion will not say, I am ill: for its people will have forgiveness for their sin.

And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick. The people who dwell in it shall be forgiven their iniquity.