Isaiah 32

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

Lo, for righteousness doth a king reign, As to princes, for judgment they rule.

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 each hath been as a hiding-place [from] wind, And as a secret hiding-place [from] inundation, As rivulets of waters in a dry place, As a shadow of a heavy rock in a weary land.

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

And not dazzled are the eyes of beholders, And the ears of hearers do attend.

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 those hastened Understandeth to know, And the tongue of stammerers hasteth to speak clearly.

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

A fool is no more called 'noble,' And to a miser it is not said, 'rich;'

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 a fool speaketh folly, And his heart doth iniquity, to do profanity, And to speak concerning Jehovah error, To empty the soul of the hungry, Yea, drink of the thirsty he causeth to lack.

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.

And the miser — his instruments [are] evil, He hath counselled wicked devices, To corrupt the poor with lying sayings, Even when the needy speaketh justly.

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

And the noble counselled noble things, And he for noble things riseth up.

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

Women, easy ones, rise, hear my voice, Daughters, confident ones, give ear [to] my saying,

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

Days and a year ye are troubled, O confident ones, For consumed hath been harvest, The gathering cometh not.

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 ye women, ye easy ones, Be troubled, ye confident ones, Strip and make bare, with a girdle on the loins,

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

For breasts they are lamenting, For fields of desire, for the fruitful 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.

Over the ground of my people thorn — brier goeth up, Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,

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.

Surely the palace hath been left, The multitude of the city forsaken, Fort and watch-tower hath been for dens unto the age, A joy of wild asses — a pasture of herds;

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.

Till emptied out on us is the Spirit from on high, And a wilderness hath become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field for a forest is reckoned.

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

And dwelt in the wilderness hath judgment, And righteousness in the fruitful field remaineth.

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

And a work of the righteousness hath been peace, And a service of the righteousness — Keeping quiet and confidence unto the age.

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

And dwelt hath My people in a peaceful habitation, And in stedfast tabernacles, 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.

And it hath hailed in the going down of the forest, And in the valley is the city low.

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

Happy [are] ye sowing by all waters, Sending forth the foot of the ox and the ass!