Esias 33

1 Woe to them that afflict you; but no one makes you miserable: and he that deals perfidiously with you does not deal perfidiously: they that deal perfidiously shall be taken and given up, and as a moth on a garment, so shall they be spoiled.

Tragedy is coming to you, you destroyer who has not experienced destruction yourself, you deceiver who has not experienced deception yourself! When you have finished with your destroying, you will be destroyed yourself. Then you are finished with your deceiving, you will be deceived yourselves.

2 Lord, have mercy upon us; for we have trusted in you: the seed of the rebellious is gone to destruction, but our deliverance was in a time of affliction.

Lord, please be kind to us; we put our confidence in you. Be the strength we rely on every morning; be our salvation in times of trouble.

3 By reason of the terrible sound the nations were dismayed for fear of you, and the heathen were scattered.

When you roar, the peoples run away; when you prepare for action, the nations scatter!

4 And now shall the spoils of your small and great be gathered: as if one should gather locusts, so shall they mock you.

You plunder defeated enemy armies like caterpillars eating up plants; like an attack of swarming locusts.

5 The God who dwells on high is holy: Sion is filled with judgment and righteousness.

The Lord is praised for he lives in highest heaven; he has filled Zion with justice and right.

6 They shall be delivered up to the law: our salvation is our treasure: there are wisdom and knowledge and piety toward the Lord; these are the treasures of righteousness.

He will be your constant support throughout your lives an abundant source of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Reverence for the Lord is what makes Zion rich.

7 Behold now, these shall be terrified with fear of you: those whom you feared shall cry out because of you: messengers shall be sent, bitterly weeping, entreating for peace.

But look! Even your bravest soldiers are crying loudly in the street; the messengers you sent to ask for peace are weeping bitterly.

8 For the ways of these shall be made desolate: the terror of the nations has been made to cease, and the covenant with these is taken away, and you shall by no means deem them men.

Your highways are deserted; nobody's traveling on your roads anymore. He breaks the treaty; he despises the witnesses; he doesn't care about anybody.

9 The land mourns; Libanus is ashamed: Saron is become marshes; Galilee shall be laid bare, and Chermel.

Israel is in mourning and fades away; Lebanon withers in shame; the fields of Sharon have become a desert; the forests of Bashan and Carmel have shed their leaves.

10 Now will I arise, says the Lord, now will I be glorified; now will I be exalted.

“But now I'm going to intervene!” says the Lord. “I'm prepared to act! I will show myself to be above all others!

11 Now shall you see, now shall you perceive; the strength of your breath, shall be vain; fire shall devour you.

All you give birth to is only dry grass, all you deliver is just stubble. Your breath is a fire that will burn you up.

12 And the nations shall be burnt up; as a thorn in the field cast out and burnt up.

You people will be burned to ashes like thorns that are cut down and thrown into the fire.

13 They that are afar off shall hear what I have done; they that draw near shall know my strength.

Those of you who are far away, recognize what I have accomplished; those of you who are nearby, recognize how powerful I am.”

14 The sinners in Sion have departed; trembling shall seize the ungodly. Who will tell you that a fire is kindled? Who will tell you of the eternal place?

The sinners who live in Zion tremble with fear; those who are irreligious are overcome with terror. They ask, “Who can live with this fire that consumes everything? Who can live among such everlasting burning?”

15 He that walks in righteousness, speaking rightly, hating transgression and iniquity, and shaking his hands from gifts, stopping his ears that he should not hear the judgment of blood, shutting his eyes that he should not see injustice.

Those who live right and speak the truth, those who refuse to profit from extortion and refuse to take bribes, who don't listen to plots to kill people, who close their eyes rather than look at evil.

16 he shall dwell in a high cave of a strong rock: bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure.

They will live on high; they will be protected by the mountain fortresses; they will always be provided with food and will always have water.

17 You shall see a king with glory: your eyes shall behold a land from afar.

You will see the king in his wonderful appearance, and you will view a land that stretches into the distance.

18 Your soul shall meditate terror. Where are the scribes? where are the counselors, where is he that numbers them that are growing up,

In your mind you will think about the terrifying things that were expected, and then ask yourself, “Where are the enemy officials—the scribes who were to record events, the treasurers who were to weigh the looted money, the surveyors who were to count and destroy the towers?”

19 [even] the small and great people? with whom he took not counsel, neither did he understand [a people] of deep speech, so that a despised people should not hear, and there is no understanding to him that hears.

You won't see these offensive people anymore with their barbaric language that sounds like someone stammering and is impossible to understand.

20 Behold the city of Sion, our refuge: your eyes shall behold Jerusalem, a rich city, tabernacles which shall not be shaken, neither shall the pins of her tabernacle be moved for ever, neither shall her cords be at all broken:

On the contrary, you'll see Zion as a festival city. You will view Jerusalem as a quiet and peaceful place. It will be like a tent that's never taken down, whose tent-pegs are never pulled up, whose guy ropes never snap.

21 for the name of the Lord is great to you: you shall have a place, [even] rivers and wide and spacious channels: you shall not go this way, neither a vessel with oars go [thereby].

Right here our majestic Lord will be like a place of broad rivers and waters that no enemy ship with oars can cross—no great ship can pass.

22 For my God is great: the Lord our judge shall not pass me by: the Lord is our prince, the Lord is our king; the Lord, he shall save us.

For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king. He is the one who will save us.

23 Your cords are broken, for they had no strength: your meat has given way, it shall not spread the sails, it shall not bear a signal, until it be given up for plunder; therefore shall many lame men take spoil.

The rigging on your ship hangs loose so the mast isn't secure and the sail can't be spread. Then all the looted treasure you're carrying will be divided among the victors—even those who are lame will have their share.

24 And the people dwelling among them shall by no means say, I am in pain: for their sin shall be forgiven them.

Nobody in Israel will say, “I'm sick,” and those who live there will have their guilt removed.