Isaiah 33
1 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.
Woe to you, destroyer who has not been destroyed! Woe to the betrayer whom they have not betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. When you stop betraying, they will betray you.
2 Jehovah, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be their arm every morning, yea, our salvation in the time of trouble.
Yahweh, be gracious to us; we wait for you; be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the tumult the peoples fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
At the loud noise the peoples flee; when you arise, the nations are scattered.
4 And your spoil shall be gathered [like] the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running of locusts shall they run upon it.
Your spoil is gathered as the locusts gather; as locusts leap, men leap on it.
5 Jehovah is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness;
Yahweh is exalted. He lives in a high place. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 and he shall be the stability of thy times, the riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of Jehovah shall be your treasure.
He will be the stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of Yahweh is his treasure.
7 Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.
Look, their envoys cry in the streets; the diplomats hoping for peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate, the wayfaring man ceaseth. He hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.
The highways are deserted; there are no more travelers. Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised, and mankind is not respected.
9 The land mourneth, it languisheth; Lebanon is ashamed, is withered; the Sharon is become as a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped.
The land mourns and withers away; Lebanon is ashamed and withers away; Sharon is like a desert plain; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself.
“Now will I arise,” says Yahweh; “now I will be lifted up; now I will be elevated.
11 Ye shall conceive dry grass, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath shall devour you [as] fire.
You conceive chaff, and you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.
12 And the peoples shall be [as] burnings of lime, [as] thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
The peoples will be burned to lime, as thornbushes are cut down and are burned.
13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
You who are far away, hear what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”
14 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?
The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can sojourn with a raging fire? Who among us can sojourn with everlasting burnings?
15 — 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:
He who walks righteously and speaks honestly; who despises the gain of oppression, who shakes his hand so that it will not accept a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed, and who shuts his eyes from looking on evil—
16 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.
this is the man who will dwell on the heights, his place of defense will be the fortress among the cliffs, his food will be given, and his water will be in steady supply.
17 Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty; they shall behold the land that is far off.
Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will see a land off in the distance.
18 Thy heart shall meditate on terror: Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
Your heart will recall the terror; where is the scribe, where is he who weighed the money? Where is he who counted the towers?
19 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.
You will no longer see the defiant people, a people of a strange language that you do not understand.
20 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;
Look at Zion, the city of our feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet habitation, a tent that will not be removed, whose stakes will never be pulled up nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 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.
Instead, Yahweh in majesty will be with us, in a place of broad rivers and streams. No warship with oars will travel it, and no large ships will sail by.
22 For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah, our lawgiver, Jehovah, our king: he will save us.
For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us.
23 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.
Your riggings are slack; they cannot hold the mast in place; they cannot spread the sail; when the great spoil is divided, even the lame will drag off the spoil.
24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven [their] iniquity.
The inhabitants will not say, “I am sick;” the people who live there will be forgiven for their iniquity.
