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.

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.

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, have mercy on us; for we have been waiting for your help: be our strength every morning, 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.

At the loud noise the peoples have gone in flight; at your coming up the nations have gone in all directions.

4 And your spoils shall be gathered together as the locusts are gathered, as when the ditches are full of them.

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.

5 The Lord is magnified, for he hath dwelt on high: he hath filled Sion with judgment and justice.

The Lord is lifted up; his place is on high: he has made Zion full of righteousness and true religion.

6 And there shall be faith in thy times: riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

And she will have no more fear of change, being full of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is her wealth.

7 Behold they that see shall cry without, the angels of peace shall weep bitterly.

See, the men of war are sorrowing outside the town: those who came looking for peace are weeping 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 waste, no man is journeying there: the agreement is broken, he has made sport of the towns, he has no thought for man.

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 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.

10 Now will I rise up, saith the Lord: now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself.

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

11 You shall conceive heat, you shall bring forth stubble: your breath as fire shall devour you.

Your designs will be without profit, and their effect will be nothing: you will be burned up by the fire of my breath.

12 And the people shall be as ashes after a fire, as a bundle of thorns they shall be burnt with fire.

And the peoples will be like the burning of chalk: as thorns cut down, which are burned in the fire.

13 Hear, you that are far off, what I have done, and you that are near know my strength.

Give ear, you who are far off, to what I have done: see my power, you who are near.

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 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?

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 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;

16 He shall dwell on high, the fortifications of rocks shall be his highness: bread is given him, his waters are sure.

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.

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 glory: they will be looking on a far-stretching land.

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 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?

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.

Never again will you see the cruel people, a people whose tongue has no sense for you; whose language is strange to you.

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:

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.

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 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.

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 law-giver, the Lord is our king; he will be our saviour.

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 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.

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 the men of Zion will not say, I am ill: for its people will have forgiveness for their sin.