Isaiah 32

1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice.

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

2 And every one shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivulets of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a large rock in a languishing 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 those that see shall not be blinded again, and the ears of those 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 be attentive in order to know, 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 worthless person shall be no more called liberal, and the avaricious man shall not be said to be bountiful.

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

6 For the worthless person ever speaketh villany, and his heart will work injustice, to practise hypocrisy, and to speak error against the Lord, to leave empty the soul of the hungry, and the drink of the thirsty will he take away.

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 avaricious man are evil: he deviseth wicked resolves to destroy the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speaketh what is 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 judgement.

8 But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and he ever persisteth by liberal things.

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

9 Ye careless women rise up, hear my voice; ye daughters that are secure, give ear unto my speech.

Rise up, you rich women, and hear my voice; you confident daughters, listen to my words.

10 After days and years shall ye shudder, ye women that are secure; for ended is the vintage, the fruit gathering shall nowise 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 careless women; shudder, ye that are secure, strip off your garments and make yourselves bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon the loins.

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

12 [They shall strike] on the breast, lamenting, 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 soil of my people thorns and briers shall come up; yea, upon all the houses of joy of the gladsome town.

[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 palace is abandoned, the tumult of the city is forsaken; the hill and watch-tower are become dens for a long time, a joyous haunt for wild asses, a pasture for 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 a spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be changed into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be accounted as 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 shall justice dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.

Then judgement 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 security 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 then shall my people abide in peaceful dwellings, and secure abodes, and in undisturbed resting-places.

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

19 And it shall spread itself out in the declivity of the forest; and far down in the lowlands shall the city descend.

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 Happy are ye that sow beside all waters, freely sending forth the feet of the ox and the ass.

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