Isaiah 32
1 Lo! in righteousness, shall reign a king, Yea even princes, with equity, shall bear rule.
Listen to this! Some day there will be a righteous king, and his officials will help him to rule justly/fairly.
2 So shall each one become As a hiding-place from the wind And a covert from the storm, —As channels of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a massive cliff in a weary land.
Each [of them] will be like [MET] a shelter from the wind and a (refuge/place to be protected) from the storm. They will be like [SIM] streams of water in the desert, like the shade under a huge rock in a very hot and dry land.
3 And the eyes of them who are ready to see, shall not be closed, —And, the ears of them who are ready to hear, shall hearken;
When that happens, [those leaders will enable] people who have not understood [MET] [God’s truth] to understand it, and [they will enable] those who have not paid attention to [MET] [God’s truth] to pay attention to it.
4 And the heart of the hurried, shall take note of knowledge, And the tongue of stammerers, shall make haste to speak plainly.
[Even] those who act very hastily will have good sense, and those who cannot speak well will speak fluently and clearly.
5 A base man, shall no longer be called, noble, —Nor, a knave, be named, liberal;
[At that time], people who are foolish/unwise will no longer be (admired/looked up to), and scoundrels will no longer be respected.
6 For, a base man, with baseness, will speak, And, his heart, will practise iniquity, —Practising profanity, And speaking, against Yahweh that which misleadeth, Emptying the soul of the hungry, And the drink of the thirsty, he causeth to fail;
Foolish people say things that are foolish, and they plan to do evil things. Their behavior is disgraceful, and they say things about Yahweh that are false. They do not give food to those who are hungry, and they do not give water to those who are thirsty.
7 Yea, a knave, his weapons are wicked, —He, base schemes, hath devised To ruin the oppressed with speeches of falsehood Even when the needy pleadeth, for justice.
Scoundrels do things that are evil and that deceive people; they plan to do evil things; by telling lies [in court] they cause poor people to (have trouble/be convicted), even when what the poor [people] are requesting is fair/just.
8 But, a noble man, noble things, hath devised, —And, he, upon noble things, will stand,
But honorable people plan to do honorable/good things, and they do the honorable/good things that they plan to do.
9 Ye women in comfort! arise hear my voice, Ye daughters so confident give ear to my speech: —
You women [of Jerusalem] who think that you are very secure/safe and think that everything is going well, listen to [IDM] what I say!
10 Some days beyond a year, ye shall be troubled ye confident ones, —For failed hath the vintage, No, gathering, cometh in.
One year from now, you who now (are not worried about anything/think that everything is going well) will tremble, because there will be no grapes for you to harvest and no [other] crops to harvest.
11 Tremble, ye women in comfort, Be troubled ye daughters so confident, —Strip! and bare yourselves, and gird somewhat on your loins:
[So] tremble [now], you women who are not worried about anything! Take off your [fancy] clothes and put rough sackcloth around your waists.
12 Upon your breasts, continue smiting: For desirable fields, For fruitful vine.
Beat/Hit your breasts to show that you are grieving about [what will happen in] your fertile fields and to your fruitful grapevines,
13 Over the soil of my people, thorns and briars shall grow, —Yea over all houses of joy, thou city exultant!
because [only] thorns and thistles will grow in your soil. Your houses where you had joyful parties and your city where you have been happy will be gone.
14 For the palace, is abandoned, the tumult of the city, hath ceased—Hill and watch-tower, serve as caves, unto times age-abiding, The joy of wild-asses, The pasture of flocks: —
The [king’s] palace will be empty; there will be no people in the city that [now] is very noisy. Wild donkeys will walk around and flocks of sheep will eat grass in the empty forts and watchtowers.
15 Until there be poured out upon us the spirit, from on high, —Then shall the wilderness become, garden-land, And the garden-land, for a forest, be reckoned;
[It will be like that] until God pours his Spirit out on us from heaven. [When that happens], the deserts will become fertile fields, and abundant crops will grow in those fertile fields.
16 Then shall, justice inhabit, the wilderness, And righteousness, in the garden-land, shall abide;
People [PRS] will act/rule justly/fairly in those desert areas, and people will act/rule righteously in those fertile fields.
17 And the yield of righteousness, shall be, peace, —And the tillage of righteousness, quietness, and confidence! to times age-abiding;
And the result of their acting righteously will be that there will be peace, the land will be tranquil/quiet, and people will be secure/safe forever.
18 And my people shall dwell, In a borne of peace, —and In habitations of security, and In resting-places of comfort.
My people will live in their homes peacefully, and safely, and calmly, in places of rest.
19 But it shall hail during the felling of the forest, And in a sunken place, shall, the city, sink.
[Even if a severe] hailstorm knocks down [the trees in] the forest, and [all the buildings in] the city are blown down,
20 How happy are ye who sow beside all waters, —Who send forth the foot of the ox and the ass.
Yahweh [will greatly] bless you; you will plant [seeds in fields] alongside the streams [and there will be abundant crops]. Your donkeys and cattle will easily find grass to eat.
