Isaiah 32

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

Look, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will 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.

Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a land of weariness.

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 not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will hear attentively.

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

The rash will think carefully with understanding, and the stutterer will speak distinctly and with ease.

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

The fool will no longer be called honorable, nor the deceiver called principled.

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 fool speaks folly, and his heart plans evil and godless actions, and he speaks wrongly against Yahweh. He makes the hungry empty, and the thirsty he causes to lack 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 deceiver's methods are evil. He devises wicked schemes to ruin the poor with lies, even when the poor say what is right.

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

But the honorable man makes honorable plans; and because of his honorable actions he will stand.

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

Rise up, you women who are at ease, and listen to my voice; you carefree daughters, 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.

For in a little more than a year your confidence will be broken, you carefree women, for the grape harvest will fail, the ingathering will 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 who are at ease; be troubled, you confident ones; take off your fine clothes and make yourselves bare; put on sackcloth around your waists.

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

You will wail 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.

The land of my people will be overgrown with thorns and briers, even in all the once joyful houses in the 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 crowded city will be deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become caves forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of 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 on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered as a forest.

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

Then justice will reside in the wilderness; and righteousness will live in the fruitful 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; and the result of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

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

My people will live in a peaceful habitation, in secure homes, and in quiet resting places.

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

But even if it hails and the forest is destroyed, and the city is completely annihilated,

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

you who sow beside all the streams will be blessed, you who send out your ox and donkey to graze.