Isaiah 32
1 Watch! A king is coming who does what's right when he rules, and those who rule under him will act fairly.
Lo! in righteousness, shall reign a king, Yea even princes, with equity, shall bear rule.
2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind, like a protection from the storm, like rivers of water in the dry desert, like the shade of a large rock in a sun-baked 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 Then everyone with eyes will be able to truly see, and everyone who has ears will be able to truly 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 Those whose minds are impulsive will be sensible and think things through; those who stammer will speak clearly.
And the heart of the hurried, shall take note of knowledge, And the tongue of stammerers, shall make haste to speak plainly.
5 No longer will fools be called respectable or crooks highly-regarded.
A base man, shall no longer be called, noble, —Nor, a knave, be named, liberal;
6 For fools only talk foolishness, thinking evil things. They act in opposition to the Lord, misrepresenting him in what they say. They refuse to give food to the hungry and deny water to the thirsty.
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 Cheats use evil methods; they devise schemes to ruin the poor with lies, even when right is on the side of the poor.
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 noble people act unselfishly; they keep to their principles of generosity.
But, a noble man, noble things, hath devised, —And, he, upon noble things, will stand,
9 Get up, you women who are lying around relaxing, and pay attention to what I'm saying! You ladies without a care in the world, listen to me!
Ye women in comfort! arise hear my voice, Ye daughters so confident give ear to my speech: —
10 In just over a year, you who think yourselves so safe will tremble with fear. The grape harvest is going to fail and there'll be no harvest.
Some days beyond a year, ye shall be troubled ye confident ones, —For failed hath the vintage, No, gathering, cometh in.
11 Shudder, you women relaxing! Tremble, you ladies who feel so safe! Strip off your clothes, bare yourselves and put on sackcloth around your waists.
Tremble, ye women in comfort, Be troubled ye daughters so confident, —Strip! and bare yourselves, and gird somewhat on your loins:
12 Beat your breasts in sadness over the loss of your lovely fields, your productive vines,
Upon your breasts, continue smiting: For desirable fields, For fruitful vine.
13 over the loss of the land of my people. Mourn because it's now overgrown with thorns and brambles, mourn because of the loss of all the happy homes and joyful towns.
Over the soil of my people, thorns and briars shall grow, —Yea over all houses of joy, thou city exultant!
14 The palace is abandoned, the crowded town is deserted. Castles and watch towers will forever become homes loved by wild donkeys, and places where sheep graze,
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 is poured out on us from above, and the desert becomes like a good field full of crops, and a good field will grow like 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 people living in the desert will practice justice, and those living among the fields will do what is right.
Then shall, justice inhabit, the wilderness, And righteousness, in the garden-land, shall abide;
17 Living right will bring peace and security that endures.
And the yield of righteousness, shall be, peace, —And the tillage of righteousness, quietness, and confidence! to times age-abiding;
18 My people will live in peace, safe and secure in their homes.
And my people shall dwell, In a borne of peace, —and In habitations of security, and In resting-places of comfort.
19 Even though hail can destroy a forest, and a town can be demolished,
But it shall hail during the felling of the forest, And in a sunken place, shall, the city, sink.
20 you will be happy as you sow your crops beside the waters and let your cattle and donkeys roam freely.
How happy are ye who sow beside all waters, —Who send forth the foot of the ox and the ass.
