Isaiah 32

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

Look, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice.

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.

Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a land of weariness.

3 And the eyes of those that see shall not be blinded again, and the ears of those that hear shall hearken.

Then the eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will hear attentively.

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.

The rash will think carefully with understanding, and the stutterer will speak distinctly and with ease.

5 The worthless person shall be no more called liberal, and the avaricious man shall not be said to be bountiful.

The fool will no longer be called honorable, nor the deceiver called principled.

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 speaks folly, and his heart plans evil and godless actions, and he speaks wrongly against Yahweh. He makes the hungry empty, and the thirsty he causes to lack drink.

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.

The deceiver's methods are evil. He devises wicked schemes to ruin the poor with lies, even when the poor say what is right.

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

But the honorable man makes honorable plans; and because of his honorable actions he will stand.

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

Rise up, you women who are at ease, and listen to my voice; you carefree daughters, listen to me.

10 After days and years shall ye shudder, ye women that are secure; for ended is the vintage, the fruit gathering shall nowise come.

For in a little more than a year your confidence will be broken, you carefree women, for the grape harvest will fail, the ingathering will not come.

11 Tremble, ye careless women; shudder, ye that are secure, strip off your garments and make yourselves bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon the loins.

Tremble, you women who are at ease; be troubled, you confident ones; take off your fine clothes and make yourselves bare; put on sackcloth around your waists.

12 [They shall strike] on the breast, lamenting, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

You will wail for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines.

13 Upon the soil of my people thorns and briers shall come up; yea, upon all the houses of joy of the gladsome town.

The land of my people will be overgrown with thorns and briers, even in all the once joyful houses in the city of revelry.

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.

For the palace will be forsaken, the crowded city will be deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become caves forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks;

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 is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered as a forest.

16 Then shall justice dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.

Then justice will reside in the wilderness; and righteousness will live in the fruitful field.

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

The work of righteousness will be peace; and the result of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

18 And then shall my people abide in peaceful dwellings, and secure abodes, and in undisturbed resting-places.

My people will live in a peaceful habitation, in secure homes, and in quiet resting places.

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

But even if it hails and the forest is destroyed, and the city is completely annihilated,

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

you who sow beside all the streams will be blessed, you who send out your ox and donkey to graze.