Isaiah 33

1 Woe to you, destroyer who has not been destroyed! Woe to the betrayer whom they have not betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. When you stop betraying, they will betray you.

Woe to thee that layest waste, and thou wast not laid waste; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to lay waste, thou shalt be wasted; and when thou shalt make an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

2 Yahweh, be gracious to us; we wait for you; be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

3 At the loud noise the peoples flee; when you arise, the nations are scattered.

At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

4 Your spoil is gathered as the locusts gather; as locusts leap, men leap on it.

And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

5 Yahweh is exalted. He lives in a high place. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.

The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

6 He will be the stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of Yahweh is his treasure.

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

7 Look, their envoys cry in the streets; the diplomats hoping for peace weep bitterly.

Behold, their valiant ones shall cry outside: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

8 The highways are deserted; there are no more travelers. Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised, and mankind is not respected.

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

9 The land mourns and withers away; Lebanon is ashamed and withers away; Sharon is like a desert plain; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

10 “Now will I arise,” says Yahweh; “now I will be lifted up; now I will be elevated.

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

11 You conceive chaff, and you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.

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

12 The peoples will be burned to lime, as thornbushes are cut down and are burned.

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

13 You who are far away, hear what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”

Ye that are far off, hear what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can sojourn with a raging fire? Who among us can sojourn with everlasting burnings?

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

15 He who walks righteously and speaks honestly; who despises the gain of oppression, who shakes his hand so that it will not accept a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed, and who shuts his eyes from looking on evil—

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that keepeth his hands from accepting of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

16 this is the man who will dwell on the heights, his place of defense will be the fortress among the cliffs, his food will be given, and his water will be in steady supply.

He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the strong holds of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will see a land off in the distance.

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

18 Your heart will recall the terror; where is the scribe, where is he who weighed the money? Where is he who counted the towers?

Thy heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

19 You will no longer see the defiant people, a people of a strange language that you do not understand.

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

20 Look at Zion, the city of our feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet habitation, a tent that will not be removed, whose stakes will never be pulled up nor will any of its cords be broken.

Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thy eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of its stakes shall ever be removed, neither shall any of its cords be broken.

21 Instead, Yahweh in majesty will be with us, in a place of broad rivers and streams. No warship with oars will travel it, and no large ships will sail by.

But there the glorious LORD will be to us a place of broad rivers and streams; in which shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass through it.

22 For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us.

For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

23 Your riggings are slack; they cannot hold the mast in place; they cannot spread the sail; when the great spoil is divided, even the lame will drag off the spoil.

Thy 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 The inhabitants will not say, “I am sick;” the people who live there will be forgiven for their iniquity.

And the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell in it shall be forgiven their iniquity.