Isaiah 32

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

Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in 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.

And every one shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivulets of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a large rock in a languishing land.

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

And the eyes of those that see shall not be blinded again, and the ears of those that hear shall hearken.

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

The heart also of the rash shall be attentive in order to know, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

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

The worthless person shall be no more called liberal, and the avaricious man shall not be said to be bountiful.

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 the worthless person ever speaketh villany, and his heart will work injustice, to practise hypocrisy, and to speak error against the Lord, to leave empty the soul of the hungry, and the drink of the thirsty will he take away.

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 instruments also of the avaricious man are evil: he deviseth wicked resolves to destroy the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speaketh what is right.

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

But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and he ever persisteth by liberal things.

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

Ye careless women rise up, hear my voice; ye daughters that are secure, give ear unto my speech.

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

After days and years shall ye shudder, ye women that are secure; for ended is the vintage, the fruit gathering shall nowise come.

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,

Tremble, ye careless women; shudder, ye that are secure, strip off your garments and make yourselves bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon the loins.

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

[They shall strike] on the breast, lamenting, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

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

Upon the soil of my people thorns and briers shall come up; yea, upon all the houses of joy of the gladsome town.

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;

Because the palace is abandoned, the tumult of the city is forsaken; the hill and watch-tower are become dens for a long time, a joyous haunt for wild asses, 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 a spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be changed into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be accounted as a forest.

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

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

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

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

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

And then shall my people abide in peaceful dwellings, and secure abodes, and in undisturbed resting-places.

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

And it shall spread itself out in the declivity of the forest; and far down in the lowlands shall the city descend.

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

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