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, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.

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

O LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble.

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

The peoples flee the thunder of Your voice; the nations scatter when You rise.

4 And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running back and forth of locusts shall he run upon them.

Your spoil, O nations, is gathered as by locusts; like a swarm of locusts men sweep over it.

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

The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled 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 sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.

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

Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.

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

The highways are deserted; travel has ceased. The treaty has been broken, the witnesses are despised, and human life is disregarded.

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 languishes; Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; 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 I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be exalted.

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

You conceive chaff; 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 ashes, like thorns cut down and set ablaze.

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

You who are far off, hear what I have done; 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 grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”

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 with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—

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

he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.

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 and behold a land that stretches afar.

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

Your mind will ponder the former terror: “Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts 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 insolent, a people whose speech is unintelligible, who stammer in a language you cannot understand.

20 Look upon 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 upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not wander; its tent pegs will not be pulled up, nor will any of its cords be broken.

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

But there the Majestic One, our LORD, will be for us a place of rivers and wide canals, where no galley with oars will row, and no majestic vessel will pass.

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

For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King. It is He who 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 ropes are slack; they cannot secure the mast or spread the sail. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided, and even the lame will carry off plunder.

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

And no resident of Zion will say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell there will be forgiven of iniquity.