Isaiah 32

1 Behold, a king reigns for righteousness, As for princes, they rule for judgment.

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

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

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.

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

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

4 And the heart of those hurried understands to know, And the tongue of stammerers hurries to speak clearly.

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.

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

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

6 For a fool speaks folly, And his heart does iniquity, to do profanity, And to speak error concerning YHWH, To empty the soul of the hungry, Indeed, he causes the thirsty to lack [their] drink.

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.

7 And the miser—his instruments [are] evil, He has counseled wicked schemes, To corrupt the poor with lying sayings, Even when the needy speaks justly.

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.

8 And the noble counseled noble things, And he rises up for noble things.

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

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

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

10 In days and a year You are troubled, O confident ones, For harvest has been consumed, The gathering does not come.

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

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

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

12 They are lamenting for breasts, For fields of desire, for the fruitful vine.

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

13 Over the ground of my people thorn [and] brier go up, Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,

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

14 The palace has been left, The multitude of the city forsaken, Fort and watchtower have been for dens for all time, A joy of wild donkeys—a pasture of herds;

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.

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

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.

16 And judgment has dwelt in the wilderness, And righteousness remains in the fruitful field.

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

17 And a work of the righteousness has been peace, And a service of the righteousness—Keeping quiet and confidence for all time.

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

18 And My people have dwelt in a peaceful habitation, And in steadfast dwelling places, And in quiet resting places.

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

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

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

20 Blessed [are] you sowing by all waters, Sending forth the foot of the ox and the donkey!

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