Isaiah 32

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

Look, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will 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.

Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a land of weariness.

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

Then the eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will hear attentively.

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

The rash will think carefully with understanding, and the stutterer will speak distinctly and with ease.

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

The fool will no longer be called honorable, nor the deceiver called principled.

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 fool speaks folly, and his heart plans evil and godless actions, and he speaks wrongly against Yahweh. He makes the hungry empty, and the thirsty he causes to lack 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 deceiver's methods are evil. He devises wicked schemes to ruin the poor with lies, even when the poor say what is right.

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

But the honorable man makes honorable plans; and because of his honorable actions he will stand.

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

Rise up, you women who are at ease, and listen to my voice; you carefree daughters, listen to me.

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

For in a little more than a year your confidence will be broken, you carefree women, for the grape harvest will fail, the ingathering will 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, you women who are at ease; be troubled, you confident ones; take off your fine clothes and make yourselves bare; put on sackcloth around your waists.

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

You will wail for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines.

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

The land of my people will be overgrown with thorns and briers, even in all the once joyful houses in the city of revelry.

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 will be forsaken, the crowded city will be deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become caves forever, a joy of wild donkeys, 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 is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered as a forest.

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

Then justice will reside in the wilderness; and righteousness will live 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.

The work of righteousness will be peace; and the result of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

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

My people will live in a peaceful habitation, in secure homes, 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.

But even if it hails and the forest is destroyed, and the city is completely annihilated,

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

you who sow beside all the streams will be blessed, you who send out your ox and donkey to graze.