Isaiah 32

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

Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and as for princes, they shall rule in justice.

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 shall be as in a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as by the watercourses in a dry place, as in the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

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

And the eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them that hear shall attend.

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

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

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

The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be noble.

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 the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise ungodliness, and to utter wickedness against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

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 instruments also of the churl are evil; he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, and the needy when he speaketh right.

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

But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

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

Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice; ye confident daughters, give ear unto my speech.

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

After a year and days shall ye be troubled, ye confident women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come.

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

Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye confident ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins,

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

Smiting upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine;

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

For the land of my people whereon thorns and briers come up; yea, for all the houses of joy and the joyous city.

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 palace shall be forsaken; the city with its stir shall be deserted; the mound and the tower shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a 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 be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

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

Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field.

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 righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and confidence for ever.

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

And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.

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

And it shall hail, in the downfall of the forest; but the city shall descend into the valley.

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

Happy are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth freely the feet of the ox and the ass.