Esias 32

1 For, behold, a righteous king shall reign, and princes shall govern with judgement.

Lo! in righteousness, shall reign a king, Yea even princes, with equity, shall bear rule.

2 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.

So shall each one become As a hiding-place from the wind And a covert from the storm, —As channels of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a massive cliff in a weary land.

3 And they shall no more trust in men, but they shall incline their ears to hear.

And the eyes of them who are ready to see, shall not be closed, —And, the ears of them who are ready to hear, shall hearken;

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

And the heart of the hurried, shall take note of knowledge, And the tongue of stammerers, shall make haste to speak plainly.

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

A base man, shall no longer be called, noble, —Nor, a knave, be named, liberal;

6 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.

For, a base man, with baseness, will speak, And, his heart, will practise iniquity, —Practising profanity, And speaking, against Yahweh that which misleadeth, Emptying the soul of the hungry, And the drink of the thirsty, he causeth to fail;

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

Yea, a knave, his weapons are wicked, —He, base schemes, hath devised To ruin the oppressed with speeches of falsehood Even when the needy pleadeth, for justice.

8 But the godly have devised wise [measures], and this counsel shall stand.

But, a noble man, noble things, hath devised, —And, he, upon noble things, will stand,

9 Rise up, you rich women, and hear my voice; you confident daughters, listen to my words.

Ye women in comfort! arise hear my voice, Ye daughters so confident give ear to my speech: —

10 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.

Some days beyond a year, ye shall be troubled ye confident ones, —For failed hath the vintage, No, gathering, cometh in.

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

Tremble, ye women in comfort, Be troubled ye daughters so confident, —Strip! and bare yourselves, and gird somewhat on your loins:

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

Upon your breasts, continue smiting: For desirable fields, For fruitful vine.

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

Over the soil of my people, thorns and briars shall grow, —Yea over all houses of joy, thou city exultant!

14 [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;

For the palace, is abandoned, the tumult of the city, hath ceased—Hill and watch-tower, serve as caves, unto times age-abiding, The joy of wild-asses, The pasture of flocks: —

15 until the Spirit shall come upon you from on high, and Chermel shall be desert, and Chermel shall be counted for a forest.

Until there be poured out upon us the spirit, from on high, —Then shall the wilderness become, garden-land, And the garden-land, for a forest, be reckoned;

16 Then judgement shall abide in the wilderness, and righteousness shall dwell in Carmel.

Then shall, justice inhabit, the wilderness, And righteousness, in the garden-land, shall abide;

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

And the yield of righteousness, shall be, peace, —And the tillage of righteousness, quietness, and confidence! to times age-abiding;

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

And my people shall dwell, In a borne of peace, —and In habitations of security, and In resting-places of comfort.

19 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.

But it shall hail during the felling of the forest, And in a sunken place, shall, the city, sink.

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

How happy are ye who sow beside all waters, —Who send forth the foot of the ox and the ass.