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, for righteousness doth a king reign, As to princes, for judgment they 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.
And each hath been as a hiding-place [from] wind, And as a secret hiding-place [from] inundation, As rivulets of waters in a dry place, As a shadow of a heavy rock 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 not dazzled are the eyes of beholders, And the ears of hearers do attend.
4 Those whose minds are impulsive will be sensible and think things through; those who stammer will speak clearly.
And the heart of those hastened Understandeth to know, And the tongue of stammerers hasteth to speak clearly.
5 No longer will fools be called respectable or crooks highly-regarded.
A fool is no more called 'noble,' And to a miser it is not said, 'rich;'
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 fool speaketh folly, And his heart doth iniquity, to do profanity, And to speak concerning Jehovah error, To empty the soul of the hungry, Yea, drink of the thirsty he causeth to lack.
7 Cheats use evil methods; they devise schemes to ruin the poor with lies, even when right is on the side of the poor.
And the miser — his instruments [are] evil, He hath counselled wicked devices, To corrupt the poor with lying sayings, Even when the needy speaketh justly.
8 But noble people act unselfishly; they keep to their principles of generosity.
And the noble counselled noble things, And he for noble things riseth up.
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!
Women, easy ones, rise, hear my voice, Daughters, confident ones, give ear [to] my saying,
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.
Days and a year ye are troubled, O confident ones, For consumed hath been harvest, The gathering cometh not.
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, ye easy ones, Be troubled, ye confident ones, Strip and make bare, with a girdle on the loins,
12 Beat your breasts in sadness over the loss of your lovely fields, your productive vines,
For breasts they are lamenting, For fields of desire, for the 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 ground of my people thorn — brier goeth up, Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,
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,
Surely the palace hath been left, The multitude of the city forsaken, Fort and watch-tower hath been for dens unto the age, A joy of wild asses — a pasture of herds;
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.
Till emptied out on us is the Spirit from on high, And a wilderness hath become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field for a forest is reckoned.
16 Then people living in the desert will practice justice, and those living among the fields will do what is right.
And dwelt in the wilderness hath judgment, And righteousness in the fruitful field remaineth.
17 Living right will bring peace and security that endures.
And a work of the righteousness hath been peace, And a service of the righteousness — Keeping quiet and confidence unto the age.
18 My people will live in peace, safe and secure in their homes.
And dwelt hath My people in a peaceful habitation, And in stedfast tabernacles, And in quiet resting-places.
19 Even though hail can destroy a forest, and a town can be demolished,
And it hath hailed in the going down of the forest, And in the valley is the city low.
20 you will be happy as you sow your crops beside the waters and let your cattle and donkeys roam freely.
Happy [are] ye sowing by all waters, Sending forth the foot of the ox and the ass!
