Isaiah 32

1 Lo, for righteousness doth a king reign, As to princes, for judgment they rule.

Behold, the king will reign in justice, and the princes will rule in judgment.

2 And each hath been as a hiding-place [from] wind, And as a secret hiding-place [from] inundation, As rivulets of waters in a dry place, As a shadow of a heavy rock in a weary land.

And a man will be like someone hidden from the wind, who conceals himself from a storm, or like rivers of waters in a time of thirst, or like the shadow of a rock that juts out in a desert land.

3 And not dazzled are the eyes of beholders, And the ears of hearers do attend.

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

4 And the heart of those hastened Understandeth to know, And the tongue of stammerers hasteth to speak clearly.

And the heart of the foolish will understand knowledge, and the tongue of those with impaired speech will speak quickly and plainly.

5 A fool is no more called 'noble,' And to a miser it is not said, 'rich;'

He who is foolish will no longer be called leader, nor will the deceitful be called greater.

6 For a fool speaketh folly, And his heart doth iniquity, to do profanity, And to speak concerning Jehovah error, To empty the soul of the hungry, Yea, drink of the thirsty he causeth to lack.

For a foolish man speaks foolishness and his heart works iniquity in order to accomplish deception. And he speaks to the Lord deceitfully, so as to empty the soul of the hungry and to take away drink from the thirsty.

7 And the miser — his instruments [are] evil, He hath counselled wicked devices, To corrupt the poor with lying sayings, Even when the needy speaketh justly.

The tools of the deceitful are very wicked. For they have concocted plans to destroy the meek by lying words, though the poor speak judgment.

8 And the noble counselled noble things, And he for noble things riseth up.

Yet truly, the prince will plan things that are worthy of a prince, and he will stand above the rulers.

9 Women, easy ones, rise, hear my voice, Daughters, confident ones, give ear [to] my saying,

You opulent women, rise up and listen to my voice! O confident daughters, play close attention to my eloquence!

10 Days and a year ye are troubled, O confident ones, For consumed hath been harvest, The gathering cometh not.

For after a year and some days, you who are confident will be disturbed. For the vintage has been completed; the gathering will no longer occur.

11 Tremble ye women, ye easy ones, Be troubled, ye confident ones, Strip and make bare, with a girdle on the loins,

Be stupefied, you opulent women! Be disturbed, O confident ones! Strip yourselves, and be confounded; gird yourselves at the waist.

12 For breasts they are lamenting, For fields of desire, for the fruitful vine.

Mourn over your breasts, over the delightful country, over the fruitful vineyard.

13 Over the ground of my people thorn — brier goeth up, Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,

Thorn and brier will rise up, over the soil of my people. How much more over all the houses of gladness, over the city of exultation?

14 Surely the palace hath been left, The multitude of the city forsaken, Fort and watch-tower hath been for dens unto the age, A joy of wild asses — a pasture of herds;

For the house has been forsaken. The multitude of the city has been abandoned. A darkness and a covering have been placed over its dens, even unto eternity. It will be the gladness of wild donkeys and the pasture of flocks,

15 Till emptied out on us is the Spirit from on high, And a wilderness hath become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field for a forest is reckoned.

until the Spirit is poured over us from on high. And the desert will be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will be considered as a forest.

16 And dwelt in the wilderness hath judgment, And righteousness in the fruitful field remaineth.

And judgment will live in solitude, and justice will be seated in a fruitful place.

17 And a work of the righteousness hath been peace, And a service of the righteousness — Keeping quiet and confidence unto the age.

And the work of justice will be peace. And the service of justice will be quiet and secure, forever.

18 And dwelt hath My people in a peaceful habitation, And in stedfast tabernacles, And in quiet resting-places.

And my people will be seated in the beauty of peacefulness, and in the tabernacles of faithfulness, and in the opulence of restfulness.

19 And it hath hailed in the going down of the forest, And in the valley is the city low.

But hail will be in the descent of the forest, and the city will be brought exceedingly low.

20 Happy [are] ye sowing by all waters, Sending forth the foot of the ox and the ass!

Blessed are you who sow over any waters, sending the feet of the ox and the donkey there.