Esias 33

1 Woe to them that afflict you; but no one makes you miserable: and he that deals perfidiously with you does not deal perfidiously: they that deal perfidiously shall be taken and given up, and as a moth on a garment, so shall they be spoiled.

Woe to you who destroy, but you weren’t destroyed, and who betray, but nobody betrayed you! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betrayal, you will be betrayed.

2 Lord, have mercy upon us; for we have trusted in you: the seed of the rebellious is gone to destruction, but our deliverance was in a time of affliction.

LORD, be gracious to us. We have waited for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

3 By reason of the terrible sound the nations were dismayed for fear of you, and the heathen were scattered.

At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled. When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.

4 And now shall the spoils of your small and great be gathered: as if one should gather locusts, so shall they mock you.

Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. Men will leap on it as locusts leap.

5 The God who dwells on high is holy: Sion is filled with judgement and righteousness.

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

6 They shall be delivered up to the law: our salvation is our treasure: there are wisdom and knowledge and piety towards the Lord; these are the treasures of righteousness.

There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is your treasure.

7 Behold now, these shall be terrified with fear of you: those whom you feared shall cry out because of you: messengers shall be sent, bitterly weeping, entreating for peace.

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

8 For the ways of these shall be made desolate: the terror of the nations has been made to cease, and the covenant with these is taken away, and you shall by no means deem them men.

The highways are desolate. The travelling man ceases. The covenant is broken. He has despised the cities. He doesn’t respect man.

9 The land mourns; Libanus is ashamed: Saron is become marshes; Galilee shall be laid bare, and Chermel.

The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.

10 Now will I arise, says the Lord, now will I be glorified; now will I be exalted.

“Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted.

11 Now shall you see, now shall you perceive; the strength of your breath, shall be vain; fire shall devour you.

You will conceive chaff. You will give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will devour you.

12 And the nations shall be burnt up; as a thorn in the field cast out and burnt up.

The peoples will be like the burning of lime, like thorns that are cut down and burnt in the fire.

13 They that are afar off shall hear what I have done; they that draw near shall know my strength.

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

14 The sinners in Sion have departed; trembling shall seize the ungodly. Who will tell you that a fire is kindled? Who will tell you of the eternal place?

The sinners in Zion are afraid. Trembling has seized the godless ones. Who amongst us can live with the devouring fire? Who amongst us can live with everlasting burning?

15 He that walks in righteousness, speaking rightly, hating transgression and iniquity, and shaking his hands from gifts, stopping his ears that he should not hear the judgement of blood, shutting his eyes that he should not see injustice.

He who walks righteously and speaks blamelessly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—

16 he shall dwell in a high cave of a strong rock: bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure.

he will dwell on high. His place of defence will be the fortress of rocks. His bread will be supplied. His waters will be sure.

17 You shall see a king with glory: your eyes shall behold a land from afar.

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will see a distant land.

18 Your soul shall meditate terror. Where are the scribes? where are the counsellors, where is he that numbers them that are growing up,

Your heart will meditate on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed? Where is he who counted the towers?

19 [even] the small and great people? with whom he took not counsel, neither did he understand [a people] of deep speech, so that a despised people should not hear, and there is no understanding to him that hears.

You will no longer see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that you can’t comprehend, with a strange language that you can’t understand.

20 Behold the city of Sion, our refuge: your eyes shall behold Jerusalem, a rich city, tabernacles which shall not be shaken, neither shall the pins of her tabernacle be moved for ever, neither shall her cords be at all broken:

Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that won’t be removed. Its stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.

21 for the name of the Lord is great to you: you shall have a place, [even] rivers and wide and spacious channels: you shall not go this way, neither a vessel with oars go [thereby].

But there the LORD will be with us in majesty, a place of wide rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will go, neither will any gallant ship pass by there.

22 For my God is great: the Lord our judge shall not pass me by: the Lord is our prince, the Lord is our king; the Lord, he shall save us.

For the LORD is our judge. The LORD is our lawgiver. The LORD is our king. He will save us.

23 Your cords are broken, for they had no strength: your meat has given way, it shall not spread the sails, it shall not bear a signal, until it be given up for plunder; therefore shall many lame men take spoil.

Your rigging is untied. They couldn’t strengthen the foot of their mast. They couldn’t spread the sail. Then the prey of a great plunder was divided. The lame took the prey.

24 And the people dwelling amongst them shall by no means say, I am in pain: for their sin shall be forgiven them.

The inhabitant won’t say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.