Isaiah 33
1 Woe to thee that spoilest, shalt not thou thyself also be spoiled? and thou that despisest, shalt not thyself also be despised? when thou shalt have made an end of spoiling, thou shalt be spoiled: when being wearied thou shalt cease to despise, thou shalt be despised.
Woe to you, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.
2 O Lord, have mercy on us: for we have waited for thee: be thou our arm in the morning, and our salvation in the time of trouble.
O LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble.
3 At the voice of the angel the people fled, and at the lifting up thyself the nations are scattered.
The peoples flee the thunder of Your voice; the nations scatter when You rise.
4 And your spoils shall be gathered together as the locusts are gathered, as when the ditches are full of them.
Your spoil, O nations, is gathered as by locusts; like a swarm of locusts men sweep over it.
5 The Lord is magnified, for he hath dwelt on high: he hath filled Sion with judgment and justice.
The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And there shall be faith in thy times: riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.
7 Behold they that see shall cry without, the angels of peace shall weep bitterly.
Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The ways are made desolate, no one passeth by the road, the covenant is made void, he hath rejected the cities, he hath not regarded the men.
The highways are deserted; travel has ceased. The treaty has been broken, the witnesses are despised, and human life is disregarded.
9 The land hath mourned, and languished: Libanus is confounded and become foul, and Saron is become as a desert: and Basan and Carmel are shaken.
The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 Now will I rise up, saith the Lord: now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself.
“Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be exalted.
11 You shall conceive heat, you shall bring forth stubble: your breath as fire shall devour you.
You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will consume you.
12 And the people shall be as ashes after a fire, as a bundle of thorns they shall be burnt with fire.
The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thorns cut down and set ablaze.
13 Hear, you that are far off, what I have done, and you that are near know my strength.
You who are far off, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
14 The sinners in Sion are afraid, trembling hath seized upon the hypocrites. Which of you can dwell with devouring fire? which of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”
15 He that walketh in justices, and speaketh truth, that casteth away avarice by oppression, and shaketh his hands from all bribes, that stoppeth his ears lest he hear blood, and shutteth his eyes that he may see no evil.
He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—
16 He shall dwell on high, the fortifications of rocks shall be his highness: bread is given him, his waters are sure.
he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.
17 His eyes shall see the king in his beauty, they shall see the land far off.
Your eyes will see the King in His beauty and behold a land that stretches afar.
18 Thy heart shall meditate fear: where is the learned? where is he that pondereth the words of the law? where is the teacher of little ones?
Your mind will ponder the former terror: “Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 The shameless people thou shalt not see, the people of profound speech: so that thou canst not understand the eloquence of his tongue, in whom there is no wisdom.
You will no longer see the insolent, a people whose speech is unintelligible, who stammer in a language you cannot understand.
20 Look upon Sion the city of our solemnity: thy eyes shall see Jerusalem, a rich habitation, a tabernacle that cannot be removed: neither shall the nails thereof be taken away for ever, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken:
Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not wander; its tent pegs will not be pulled up, nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 Because only there our Lord is magnificent: it place of rivers, very broad and spacious streams: no ship with oars shall pass by it, neither shall the great galley pass through it.
But there the Majestic One, our LORD, will be for us a place of rivers and wide canals, where no galley with oars will row, and no majestic vessel will pass.
22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king: he will save us.
For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King. It is He who will save us.
23 Thy tacklings are loosed, and they shall be of no strength: thy mast shall be in such condition, that thou shalt not be able to spread the flag. Then shall the spoils of much prey be divided: the lame shall take the spoil.
Your ropes are slack; they cannot secure the mast or spread the sail. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided, and even the lame will carry off plunder.
24 Neither shall he that is near, say: I am feeble. The people that dwell therein, shall have their iniquity taken away from them.
And no resident of Zion will say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell there will be forgiven of iniquity.
