Isaiah 33

1 Woe to you that spoil, and you were not spoiled; and deal treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with you! when you shall cease to spoil, you shall be spoiled; and when you shall make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you.

Woe to you, destroyer who has not been destroyed! Woe to the betrayer whom they have not betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. When you stop betraying, they will betray you.

2 O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for you: be you their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Yahweh, be gracious to us; we wait for you; be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of yourself the nations were scattered.

At the loud noise the peoples flee; when you arise, the nations are scattered.

4 And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run on them.

Your spoil is gathered as the locusts gather; as locusts leap, men leap on it.

5 The LORD is exalted; for he dwells on high: he has filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

Yahweh is exalted. He lives in a high place. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

He will be the stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of Yahweh is his treasure.

7 Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

Look, their envoys cry in the streets; the diplomats hoping for peace weep bitterly.

8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases: he has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he regards no man.

The highways are deserted; there are no more travelers. Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised, and mankind is not respected.

9 The earth mourns and languishes: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

The land mourns and withers away; Lebanon is ashamed and withers away; Sharon is like a desert plain; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 Now will I rise, says the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

“Now will I arise,” says Yahweh; “now I will be lifted up; now I will be elevated.

11 You shall conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

You conceive chaff, and you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.

12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

The peoples will be burned to lime, as thornbushes are cut down and are burned.

13 Hear, you that are far off, what I have done; and, you that are near, acknowledge my might.

You who are far away, hear what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can sojourn with a raging fire? Who among us can sojourn with everlasting burnings?

15 He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions, that shakes his hands from holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil;

He who walks righteously and speaks honestly; who despises the gain of oppression, who shakes his hand so that it will not accept a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed, and who shuts his eyes from looking on evil—

16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

this is the man who will dwell on the heights, his place of defense will be the fortress among the cliffs, his food will be given, and his water will be in steady supply.

17 Your eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will see a land off in the distance.

18 Your heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

Your heart will recall the terror; where is the scribe, where is he who weighed the money? Where is he who counted the towers?

19 You shall not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than you can perceive; of a stammering tongue, that you can not understand.

You will no longer see the defiant people, a people of a strange language that you do not understand.

20 Look on Zion, the city of our solemnities: your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

Look at Zion, the city of our feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet habitation, a tent that will not be removed, whose stakes will never be pulled up nor will any of its cords be broken.

21 But there the glorious LORD will be to us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

Instead, Yahweh in majesty will be with us, in a place of broad rivers and streams. No warship with oars will travel it, and no large ships will sail by.

22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us.

23 Your tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

Your riggings are slack; they cannot hold the mast in place; they cannot spread the sail; when the great spoil is divided, even the lame will drag off the spoil.

24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

The inhabitants will not say, “I am sick;” the people who live there will be forgiven for their iniquity.