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 you that spoil, and you were not spoiled; and deal treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with you! when you shall cease to spoil, you shall be spoiled; and when you shall make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you.

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 to us; we have waited for you: be you 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 people fled; at the lifting up of yourself the nations were 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 shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run on them.

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 dwells on high: he has filled Zion with judgment 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 wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

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

Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall 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 ceases: he has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he regards no 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 earth mourns and languishes: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

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

Now will I rise, says the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

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

You shall conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

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

And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

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

Hear, you that are far off, what I have done; and, you 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; fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. 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 walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions, that shakes his hands from holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from seeing 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 defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

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

Your eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

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?

Your heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? 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.

You shall not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than you can perceive; of a stammering tongue, that you can 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 on Zion, the city of our solemnities: your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, 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 glorious LORD will be to us 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.

Your tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could 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.