Isaiah 32

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

Watch! A king is coming who does what's right when he rules, and those who rule under him will act fairly.

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 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.

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

Then everyone with eyes will be able to truly see, and everyone who has ears will be able to truly hear.

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

Those whose minds are impulsive will be sensible and think things through; those who stammer will speak clearly.

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

No longer will fools be called respectable or crooks highly-regarded.

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 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.

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.

Cheats use evil methods; they devise schemes to ruin the poor with lies, even when right is on the side of the poor.

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

But noble people act unselfishly; they keep to their principles of generosity.

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

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!

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

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.

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 women relaxing! Tremble, you ladies who feel so safe! Strip off your clothes, bare yourselves and put on sackcloth around your waists.

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

Beat your breasts in sadness over the loss of your lovely fields, your productive 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.

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.

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;

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,

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 on us from above, and the desert becomes like a good field full of crops, and a good field will grow like a forest.

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

Then people living in the desert will practice justice, and those living among the fields will do what is right.

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

Living right will bring peace and security that endures.

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

My people will live in peace, safe and secure in their homes.

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

Even though hail can destroy a forest, and a town can be demolished,

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

you will be happy as you sow your crops beside the waters and let your cattle and donkeys roam freely.