Isaiah 32

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

Behold, a king reigns for righteousness, As for princes, they rule for judgment.

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 each has been as a hiding place [from] wind, And as a secret hiding place [from] inundation, As streams of waters in a dry place, As a shadow of a heavy rock in a weary 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 beholders are not dazzled, And the ears of hearers attend.

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

And the heart of those hurried understands to know, And the tongue of stammerers hurries to speak clearly.

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

A fool is no more called “noble,” And to a miser it is not said, “rich”;

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 folly, And his heart does iniquity, to do profanity, And to speak error concerning YHWH, To empty the soul of the hungry, Indeed, he causes the thirsty to lack [their] 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.

And the miser—his instruments [are] evil, He has counseled wicked schemes, To corrupt the poor with lying sayings, Even when the needy speaks justly.

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

And the noble counseled noble things, And he rises up for noble things.

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

Women, easy ones, rise, hear my voice, Daughters, confident ones, give ear [to] my saying,

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

In days and a year You are troubled, O confident ones, For harvest has been consumed, The gathering does not 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, you women, you easy ones, Be troubled, you confident ones, Strip and make bare, with a girdle on the loins,

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

They are lamenting for breasts, For fields of desire, 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.

Over the ground of my people thorn [and] brier go up, Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,

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 has been left, The multitude of the city forsaken, Fort and watchtower have been for dens for all time, A joy of wild donkeys—a pasture of herds;

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 emptied out on us from on high, And a wilderness has become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is reckoned for a forest.

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

And judgment has dwelt in the wilderness, And righteousness remains in the fruitful field.

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

And a work of the righteousness has been peace, And a service of the righteousness—Keeping quiet and confidence for all time.

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

And My people have dwelt in a peaceful habitation, And in steadfast dwelling places, And in quiet resting places.

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

And it has hailed in the going down of the forest, And the city is low in the valley.

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

Blessed [are] you sowing by all waters, Sending forth the foot of the ox and the donkey!