Isaiah 32

1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and as for princes, they shall rule in justice.

Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.

2 And a man shall be as in a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as by the watercourses in a dry place, as in the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.

3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them that hear shall attend.

Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.

4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently.

5 The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be noble.

No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.

6 For the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise ungodliness, and to utter wickedness against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.

7 The instruments also of the churl are evil; he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, and the needy when he speaketh right.

The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.

8 But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.

9 Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice; ye confident daughters, give ear unto my speech.

Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters.

10 After a year and days shall ye be troubled, ye confident women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come.

In a little more than a year you will tremble, O secure ones. For the grape harvest will fail and the fruit harvest will not arrive.

11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye confident ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins,

Shudder, you ladies of leisure; tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists.

12 Smiting upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine;

Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines,

13 For the land of my people whereon thorns and briers come up; yea, for all the houses of joy and the joyous city.

and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers— even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry.

14 For the palace shall be forsaken; the city with its stir shall be deserted; the mound and the tower shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become caves forever— the delight of wild donkeys and a pasture for flocks—

15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high. Then the desert will be an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.

16 Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field.

Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the fertile field.

17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and confidence for ever.

The work of righteousness will be peace; the service of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.

18 And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.

Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and secure places of rest.

19 And it shall hail, in the downfall of the forest; but the city shall descend into the valley.

But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink to the depths.

20 Happy are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth freely the feet of the ox and the ass.

Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.