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 with equity.

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.

Every one of them shall be a hiding-place from the wind, And a shelter from the tempest; As streams of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

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

The eyes of them that see shall no more be blind, And the ears of them 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 of the rash shall gain wisdom, And the tongue of the stammerer learn to speak plainly.

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

The vile shall no more be called liberal, Nor the niggard 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 vile will still utter villany, And his heart will devise iniquity; He will practise deception, and speak impiety against God; He will take away the food of the hungry, And deprive the thirsty of drink.

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 niggard are evil; He plotteth mischievous devices, To destroy the poor with lying words, Even when the cause of the needy is just.

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

But the liberal deviseth liberal things, And in liberal things will he persevere.

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

Arise, hear my voice, ye women that are at ease! Give ear to my speech, ye careless daughters!

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

One year more, and ye shall tremble, ye careless women! For the vintage shall fail; the harvest shall not come.

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

Tremble, O ye that are at ease! Be in dismay, ye careless ones! Strip you, make you bare, gird ye sackcloth upon your loins!

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

They shall smite themselves on their breasts, On account of the pleasant fields, On account of 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 land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; Yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

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;

For the palace shall be forsaken; The tumult of the city shall be solitary; The fortified hill and the tower shall be dens forever; The joy of wild-asses, the pasture of 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 the spirit from on high be poured upon us, And the wilderness become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed 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 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 effect of righteousness shall be peace, And the fruit of righteousness quiet and security forever.

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

Then shall my people dwell in peaceful habitations, In secure dwellings, in quiet resting-places.

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

But the hail shall descend, and the forest shall fall; And the city shall be brought very low.

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

Happy ye who sow beside all waters; Who send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass!