Isaiah 33

1 Woe, spoiler! And you not spoiled, And treacherous! And they did not deal treacherously with you, When you finish, O spoiler, you are spoiled, When you finish dealing treacherously, They deal treacherously with you.

Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! When thou hast ceased to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou art weary with dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

2 O YHWH, favor us, We have waited for You, Be their arm, in the mornings, Indeed, our salvation in time of adversity.

O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for Thee; be Thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

3 From the voice of a multitude peoples have fled, From Your exaltation nations have been scattered.

At the noise of the tumult the peoples are fled; at the lifting up of Thyself the nations are scattered.

4 And Your spoil has been gathered, A gathering of the caterpillar, As a running to and fro of locusts He is running on it.

And your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathereth; as locusts leap do they leap upon it.

5 YHWH is set on high, for He is dwelling on high, He filled Zion [with] judgment and righteousness,

The LORD is exalted, for He dwelleth on high; He hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 And has been the steadfastness of your times, The strength of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge, Fear of YHWH—it [is] His treasure.

And the stability of thy times shall be a hoard of salvation — wisdom and knowledge, and the fear of the LORD which is His treasure.

7 Behold, “Their Ariel,” they have cried outside, Messengers of peace weep bitterly.

Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

8 Highways have been desolated, He who passes along the path has ceased, He has broken covenant, He has despised enemies, He has not esteemed a man.

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth; he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth not man.

9 The land has mourned, languished, Lebanon has been confounded, Sharon has been withered as a wilderness, And Bashan and Carmel are shaking.

The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon is ashamed, it withereth; Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel are clean bare.

10 Now I arise, says YHWH, Now I am exalted, now I am lifted up.

Now will I arise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift Myself up.

11 You conceive chaff, you bear stubble; Your spirit—a fire [that] devours you.

Ye conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble; your breath is a fire that shall devour you.

12 And peoples have been [as] burnings of lime, Thorns, as sweepings, they burn with fire.

And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime; as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.

13 Hear, you far off, that which I have done, And know, you near ones, My might.

Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge My might.

14 Sinners have been afraid in Zion, Trembling has seized the profane: Who dwells for us—consuming fire, Who dwells for us—burnings of the age?

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling hath seized the ungodly: 'Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?'

15 Whoever is walking righteously, And is speaking uprightly, Kicking against gain of oppressions, Shaking his hands from taking hold on a bribe, Stopping his ear from hearing of blood, And shutting his eyes from looking on evil,

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil;

16 He inhabits high places, Strongholds of rock [are] his high tower, His bread has been given, his waters steadfast.

He shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given, his waters shall be sure.

17 Your eyes see a king in his beauty, They see a far-off land.

Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty; they shall behold a land stretching afar.

18 Your heart meditates [on] terror, Where [is] he who is counting? Where [is] he who is weighing? Where [is] he who is counting the towers?

Thy heart shall muse on the terror: 'Where is he that counted, where is he that weighed? Where is he that counted the towers?'

19 You do not see the strong people, A people deeper of lip than to be understood, Of a scorned tongue, there is no understanding.

Thou shalt not see the fierce people; a people of a deep speech that thou canst not perceive, of a stammering tongue that thou canst not understand.

20 See Zion, the city of our meetings, Your eyes see Jerusalem—a quiet habitation, A tent not taken down, its pins are not removed forever, And none of its cords are broken.

Look upon Zion, the city of our solemn gatherings; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a peaceful habitation, a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes whereof shall never be plucked up, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

21 But YHWH [is] mighty for us there, A place of rivers—streams of broad sides, No ship with oars goes into it, And a mighty ship does not pass over it.

But there the LORD will be with us in majesty, in a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

22 For YHWH, ours who is judging, YHWH our lawgiver, YHWH our King—He saves us.

For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King; He will save us.

23 Your ropes have been left, They do not correctly strengthen their mast, They have not spread out a sail, Then a prey of much spoil has been apportioned, The lame have taken spoil.

Thy tacklings are loosed; they do not hold the stand of their mast, they do not spread the sail; then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

24 Nor does an inhabitant say, “I was sick”; The people dwelling in it [are] forgiven of [their] iniquity!

And the inhabitant shall not say: 'I am sick'; the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.