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 princes shall rule with equity.

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.

Every one of them shall be a hiding-place from the wind, And a shelter from the tempest; As streams of water in a dry place, As 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.

The eyes of them that see shall no more be blind, And the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

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

The heart of the rash shall gain wisdom, And the tongue of the stammerer learn to speak plainly.

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

The vile shall no more be called liberal, Nor the niggard said to be bountiful;

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 will still utter villany, And his heart will devise iniquity; He will practise deception, and speak impiety against God; He will take away the food of the hungry, And deprive the thirsty of drink.

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 niggard are evil; He plotteth mischievous devices, To destroy the poor with lying words, Even when the cause of the needy is just.

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

But the liberal deviseth liberal things, And in liberal things will he persevere.

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

Arise, hear my voice, ye women that are at ease! Give ear to my speech, ye careless daughters!

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

One year more, and ye shall tremble, ye careless women! For the vintage shall fail; the harvest 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, O ye that are at ease! Be in dismay, ye careless ones! Strip you, make you bare, gird ye sackcloth upon your loins!

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

They shall smite themselves on their breasts, On account of the pleasant fields, On account of the fruitful vine.

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

Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; Yea, upon all the houses of joy in 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 tumult of the city shall be solitary; The fortified hill and the tower shall be dens forever; The joy of wild-asses, 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 from on high be poured upon us, And the wilderness become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed a forest.

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

Then shall justice dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness 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 effect of righteousness shall be peace, And the fruit of righteousness quiet and security forever.

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

Then shall my people dwell in peaceful habitations, In secure dwellings, in quiet resting-places.

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

But the hail shall descend, and the forest shall fall; And the city shall be brought very low.

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

Happy ye who sow beside all waters; Who send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass!