Isaiah 32

1 BEHOLD, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.

For, behold, a righteous king shall reign, and princes shall govern with judgment.

2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

And a man shall hide his words, and be hidden, as from rushing water, and shall appear in Sion as a rushing river, glorious in a thirsty land.

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

And they shall no more trust in men, but they shall incline their ears to hear.

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 the weak ones shall attend to hear, and the stammering tongues shall soon learn to speak peace.

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

And they shall no more at all tell a fool to rule, and thy servants shall no more at all say, Be silent.

6 For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

For the fool shall speak foolish words, and his heart shall meditate vanities, and to perform lawless deeds and to speak error against the Lord, to scatter hungry souls, and he will cause the thirsty souls to be empty.

7 The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.

For the counsel of the wicked will devise iniquity, to destroy the poor with unjust words, and ruin the cause of the poor in judgment.

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

But the godly have devised wise [measures], and this counsel shall stand.

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

Rise up, ye rich women, and hear my voice; ye confident daughters, hearken to my words.

10 Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.

Remember for a full year in pain, yet with hope: the vintage has been cut off; it has ceased, it shall by no means come again.

11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.

Be amazed, be pained, ye confident ones: strip you, bare yourselves, gird your loins;

12 They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

and beat your breasts, because of the pleasant field, and the fruit of the vine.

13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:

[As for] the land of my people, the thorn and grass shall come upon [it], and joy shall be removed from every house.

14 Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

[As for] the rich city, the houses are deserted; they shall abandon the wealth of the city, [and] the pleasant houses: and the villages shall be caves for ever, the joy of wild asses, shepherds' pastures;

15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

until the Spirit shall come upon you from on high, and Chermel shall be desert, and Chermel shall be counted for a forest.

16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

Then judgment shall abide in the wilderness, and righteousness shall dwell in Carmel.

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

And the works of righteousness shall be peace; and righteousness shall ensure rest, and [the righteous] shall be confident for ever.

18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

And his people shall inhabit a city of peace, and dwell in [it] in confidence, and they shall rest with wealth.

19 When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

And if the hail should come down, it shall not come upon you; and they that dwell in the forests shall be in confidence, as those in the plain country.

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

Blessed are they that sow by every water, where the ox and ass tread.