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 that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and that dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; when thou shalt make 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.

Jehovah, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be their arm every morning, yea, 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 fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were 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 [like] the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running of locusts shall they run 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 dwelleth on high: he hath 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 he shall be the stability of thy times, the riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of Jehovah shall be your 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 without; the messengers 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 are desolate, the wayfaring man ceaseth. He hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no 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 mourneth, it languisheth; Lebanon is ashamed, is withered; the Sharon is become as a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped.

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

Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself.

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 dry grass, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath shall devour you [as] fire.

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] burnings of lime, [as] thorns cut up shall they be 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 that are far off, what I have done; and ye that 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 hath surprised the hypocrites: Who among us shall dwell with the consuming fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting flames?

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 that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from taking hold of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing 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, the fortresses of the rocks shall be his high retreat; bread shall be given him, his water 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 the land that is far off.

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 meditate on terror: Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that 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 shalt no more see the fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst comprehend, of a stammering tongue that cannot be understood.

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 whereof shall never be pulled up, neither shall any of its cords 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 there Jehovah is unto us glorious, — a place of rivers, of broad streams: no galley with oars shall go there, neither shall 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, our lawgiver, Jehovah, 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 strengthen not the socket of their mast, they cannot spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take 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 that dwell therein shall be forgiven [their] iniquity.