Isaiah 32

1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice.

See, a king will be ruling in righteousness, and chiefs will give right decisions.

2 A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the storm, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a large rock in a weary land.

And a man will be as a safe place from the wind, and a cover from the storm; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a waste land.

3 The eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will listen.

And the eyes of those who see will not be shut, and those who have hearing will give ear to the word.

4 The heart of the rash will understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

The man of sudden impulses will become wise in heart, and he whose tongue is slow will get the power of talking clearly.

5 The fool will no longer be called noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

The foolish man will no longer be named noble, and they will not say of the false man that he is a man of honour.

6 For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice profanity, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

For the foolish man will say foolish things, having evil thoughts in his heart, working what is unclean, and talking falsely about the Lord, to keep food from him who is in need of it, and water from him whose soul is desiring it.

7 The ways of the scoundrel are evil. He devises wicked plans to destroy the humble with lying words, even when the needy speaks right.

The designs of the false are evil, purposing the destruction of the poor man by false words, even when he is in the right.

8 But the noble devises noble things, and he will continue in noble things.

But the noble-hearted man has noble purposes, and by these he will be guided.

9 Rise up, you women who are at ease! Hear my voice! You careless daughters, give ear to my speech!

Give ear to my voice, you women who are living in comfort; give attention to my words, you daughters who have no fear of danger.

10 For days beyond a year you will be troubled, you careless women; for the vintage will fail. The harvest won’t come.

In not much more than a year, you, who are not looking for evil, will be troubled: for the produce of the vine-gardens will be cut off, and there will be no getting in of the grapes.

11 Tremble, you women who are at ease! Be troubled, you careless ones! Strip yourselves, make yourselves naked, and put sackcloth on your waist.

Be shaking with fear, you women who are living in comfort; be troubled, you who have no fear of danger: take off your robes and put on clothing of grief.

12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

Have sorrow for the fields, the pleasing fields, the fertile vine;

13 Thorns and briers will come up on my people’s land; yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

And for the land of my people, where thorns will come up; even for all the houses of joy in the glad town.

14 For the palace will be forsaken. The populous city will be deserted. The hill and the watchtower will be for dens forever, a delight for wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks,

For the fair houses will have no man living in them; the town which was full of noise will become a waste; the hill and the watchtower will be unpeopled for ever, a joy for the asses of the woods, a place of food for the flocks;

15 until the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered a forest.

Till the spirit comes on us from on high, and the waste land becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is changed into a wood.

16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness will remain in the fruitful field.

Then in the waste land there will be an upright rule, and righteousness will have its place in the fertile field.

17 The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

And the work of righteousness will be peace; and the effect of an upright rule will be to take away fear for ever.

18 My people will live in a peaceful habitation, in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting places,

And my people will be living in peace, in houses where there is no fear, and in quiet resting-places.

19 though hail flattens the forest, and the city is leveled completely.

But the tall trees will come down with a great fall, and the town will be low in a low place.

20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who send out the feet of the ox and the donkey.

Happy are you who are planting seed by all the waters, and sending out the ox and the ass.