Isaiah 33
1 Woe to thee that spoylest, and wast not spoyled: and doest wickedly, and they did not wickedly against thee: when thou shalt cease to spoyle, thou shalt be spoyled: when thou shalt make an ende of doing wickedly, they shall doe wickedly against thee.
Terrible things will happen to you [people of Assyria]! You have destroyed [others], [but] you have not been destroyed [yet]. You have betrayed/deceived [others], [but] you have not been betrayed/deceived [yet]. When you stop destroying [others], others will destroy you. When you stop betraying/deceiving others, [others] betray you.
2 O Lord, haue mercie vpon vs, wee haue waited for thee: be thou, which waste their arme in the morning, our helpe also in time of trouble.
Yahweh, be kind to us, because we have patiently waited for you [to help us]. Enable us to be strong every day, and rescue us when we have troubles.
3 At the noise of the tumult, the people fled: at thine exalting the nations were scattered.
Our enemies run away when they hear your voice. When you stand up and show that you are powerful [IDM], the people of all nations flee.
4 And your spoyle shall be gathered like the gathering of caterpillers: and he shall go against him like the leaping of grashoppers.
[And after our enemies have been defeated], we, your people, will take away all our enemies’ possessions like [SIM] caterpillars and locusts strip off all the leaves of plants.
5 The Lord is exalted: for hee dwelleth on hie: he hath filled Zion with iudgement and iustice.
Yahweh is greater than anyone else, and he lives in heaven, and he will rule justly and righteously in Jerusalem.
6 And there shall be stabilitie of thy times, strength, saluation, wisdome and knowledge: for the feare of the Lord shalbe his treasure.
[When that happens], he will enable you to live securely/safely; he will fully protect your possessions, he will enable you to be wise and to know [all that you need to know]; and revering Yahweh will be [like] [MET] a valuable treasure for you.
7 Behold, their messengers shall cry without, and ye ambassadours of peace shall weepe bitterly.
[But now], look, our brave men are crying out in the streets; our ambassadors [have gone to other countries to make peace treaties], [but they will] cry bitterly [because they will not succeed].
8 The pathes are waste: the wayfaring man ceaseth: hee hath broken the couenant: hee hath contemned the cities: he regarded no man.
No one travels on our roads [DOU]. [The leaders of Assyria] have broken/disregarded their peace treaty [with us]; they despise the people who made those treaties, and they do not respect anyone.
9 The earth mourneth and fainteth: Lebanon is ashamed, and hewen downe: Sharon is like a wildernes, and Bashan is shaken and Carmel.
The land [of Judah] is dry and barren. The [cedar trees in] Lebanon are drying up and decaying. The Sharon [Plain along the coast] is now a desert. There are no more leaves on the trees in the Bashan and Carmel [areas].
10 Now will I arise, saith the Lord: now will I be exalted, now will I lift vp my selfe.
Yahweh says, “Now I will begin to show that I am very powerful [DOU].
11 Ye shall conceiue chaffe, and bring forth stubble: the fire of your breath shall deuoure you.
You [people of Assyria] make plans that are [as useless as] [MET] chaff and straw. Your breath will become a fire that will burn you up.
12 And the people shall be as the burning of lime: and as the thornes cut vp, shall they be burnt in the fire.
[Your] people will be burned until only ashes remain [MET] like [SIM] thornbushes are cut down and burned up in a fire.
13 Heare, yee that are farre off, what I haue done, and ye that are neere, know my power.
You people who live far away and you people who live nearby, pay attention to what I have done and realize that I am [very] powerful.”
14 The sinners in Zion are afraide: a feare is come vpon the hypocrites: who among vs shall dwel with the deuouring fire? who among vs shall dwell with the euerlasting burnings?
The sinners in Jerusalem will tremble because of being very afraid; godless people will be terrified. [They say], “None of us can [RHQ] remain alive because this fire is burning everything; it is like the fire on Yahweh’s altar that will burn forever!”
15 Hee that walketh in iustice, and speaketh righteous things, refusing gaine of oppression, shaking his handes from taking of gifts, stopping his eares from hearing of blood, and shutting his eyes from seeing euill.
Those who act honestly and say what is right, those who do not try to become rich by (extortion/forcing people to give them money), those who do not try to get bribes, those who refuse to listen to people who are planning to murder someone, those who do not join others who urge them to do what is wrong,
16 He shall dwell on hie: his defence shall be the munitions of rockes: bread shalbe giuen him, and his waters shalbe sure.
they are the people who will live safely [MTY]; they will find places to be safe in the caves in the mountains. They will have plenty of food and water.
17 Thine eyes shall see the King in his glory: they shall beholde the lande farre off.
You [SYN] [people of Judah] will see the king wearing all his beautiful [robes], and you will see that he rules a land that extends far away.
18 Thine heart shall meditate feare, Where is the scribe? where is the receiuer? where is hee that counted the towres?
When you see that, you will think about when you were previously terrified, [and you will say], “[The officers of Assyria] who counted the tax money that we were forced to pay to them [have disappeared] [RHQ]! Those men who counted our towers [are gone] [RHQ]!
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a darke speache, that thou canst not perceiue, and of a stammering tongue that thou canst not vnderstande.
Those arrogant people who spoke a language that we could not understand are no longer here!”
20 Looke vpon Zion the citie of our solemne feastes: thine eyes shall see Ierusalem a quiet habitation, a Tabernacle that can not be remooued: and the stakes thereof can neuer be taken away, neither shall any of the cordes thereof be broken.
[At that time], you will see Zion Hill, the place where we celebrate our festivals; you will see that Jerusalem has become a place that is calm and safe. It will be [secure], [like] [SIM] a tent [that cannot be moved because] its ropes are tight and its stakes are firmly in the ground.
21 For surely there the mightie Lord will be vnto vs, as a place of floods and broade riuers, whereby shall passe no shippe with oares, neither shall great shippe passe thereby.
Yahweh will be our mighty God; he will be [like] [SIM] a mighty river that will protect us because [our enemies] will not be able to cross it; no one will be able to row across it and no ships will be able to sail across it.
22 For the Lord is our Iudge, the Lord is our lawe giuer: the Lord is our King, he will saue vs.
Yahweh is our judge; he is the one who gives us laws, and he is our king. He will rescue us.
23 Thy cordes are loosed: they could not well strengthen their maste, neither coulde they spread the saile: then shall the praye be deuided for a great spoile: yea, the lame shall take away the pray.
The ropes on our enemies’ boats will hang loose, their masts will not be fastened firmly, and their sails will not be spread out. The treasures that they have seized will be divided [among us, God’s people], and even lame [people among us] will get some.
24 And none inhabitant shall say, I am sicke: the people that dwell therein, shall haue their iniquitie forgiuen.
And the people in Jerusalem will no [longer] say, “We are sick,” [because Yahweh] will forgive the sins that have been committed by the people who live there.
