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.

Alas! thou plunderer when, thou, hadst not been plundered, And thou traitor when they had not betrayed thee: When thou hast ceased plundering, thou shalt be plundered, When thou hast left off betraying, they shall betray thee.

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 Yahweh! shew us favour, —For thee, have we waited, —Be thou their arm every morning, Yea our salvation in the time of distress.

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

At the noise of a tumult, the peoples retreated, —When thou didst lift thyself up, nations were scattered.

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.

Then shall your spoil be gathered as the gathering of the caterpillar, —As the swift running of locusts, is he about to run upon them.

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

Exalted is Yahweh, for he inhabiteth a height, —He hath 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.

So shall a wealth of deliverances, wisdom and knowledge, become the stability of thy times, —the reverence of Yahweh, the same is his treasure.

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

Lo! their heroes, have cried out openly, —the messengers of peace, in bitterness, continue weeping [they say]:

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, The passer-by on the path, hath ceased, —He hath broken covenant, He hath despised cities, He hath made no account of men.

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 mourneth, languisheth, Lebanon, displayeth shame, is withered, —Sharon, hath become, as the waste plain, And Bashan and Carmel are shaking 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, Saith Yahweh, Now, will I lift myself up, Now, will I be exalted!

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

Ye shall conceive chaff Ye shall bring forth stubble, —Your own breath, like fire, shall devour you.

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

So shall peoples, become, as the burnings of lime, —As thorns lopped off, with fire, shall they be burned.

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

Hear—ye that are far off. what I have done, And know—ye that are near 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?

Terror-stricken in Zion, —are sinners, Shuddering hath seized the impious, —Who among us can sojourn with a fire that devoureth? Who among us can sojourn with burnings age-abiding?

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 that walketh righteously, And speaketh uprightly, —He that refuseth the gain of exactions That shaketh his hands free from holding a bribe, That stoppeth his ear from hearkening to deeds of blood, And shutteth his eyes from giving countenance to wrong,

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, the heights, shall inhabit, A stronghold of crags, shall be his refuge, —His bread, hath been delivered, His waters, have been made sure,

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

Of a king, in his beauty, shall thine eyes have vision: They shall see a land that stretcheth afar.

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

Thy heart, may murmur in terror, —Where is the scribe? Where—the receiver? Where—he that maketh a list of 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.

The fierce people, shalt thou not see, —The people of too deep a lip to be understood, of too barbarous a tongue for thee to comprehend.

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 thou on Zion, the city of our appointed feast, —Thine own eyes, shall see Jerusalem—A home of comfort A tent which shall not be packed up—Whose pins shall not be pulled out, for ever, And none of, whose cords, shall 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 shall Yahweh be our majestic one, A place of rivers—streams broad on both hands, Wherein shall go no galley with oars, Neither shall majestic ship traverse it;

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.

Loosed are thy ropes, —They cannot strengthen the socket of their mast They have not unfurled a sail Now, can be apportioned spoil, in abundance, The lame, have captured prey!

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

Neither shall the inhabitant say. I am sick, —the people who dwell therein, have been forgiven iniquity.