Isaiah 32

1 Watch! A king is coming who does what's right when he rules, and those who rule under him will act fairly.

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

2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind, like a protection from the storm, like rivers of water in the dry desert, like the shade of a large rock in a sun-baked land.

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.

3 Then everyone with eyes will be able to truly see, and everyone who has ears will be able to truly hear.

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

4 Those whose minds are impulsive will be sensible and think things through; those who stammer will speak clearly.

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

5 No longer will fools be called respectable or crooks highly-regarded.

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

6 For fools only talk foolishness, thinking evil things. They act in opposition to the Lord, misrepresenting him in what they say. They refuse to give food to the hungry and deny water to the thirsty.

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.

7 Cheats use evil methods; they devise schemes to ruin the poor with lies, even when right is on the side of the poor.

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

8 But noble people act unselfishly; they keep to their principles of generosity.

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

9 Get up, you women who are lying around relaxing, and pay attention to what I'm saying! You ladies without a care in the world, listen to me!

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

10 In just over a year, you who think yourselves so safe will tremble with fear. The grape harvest is going to fail and there'll be no harvest.

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

11 Shudder, you women relaxing! Tremble, you ladies who feel so safe! Strip off your clothes, bare yourselves and put on sackcloth around your waists.

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

12 Beat your breasts in sadness over the loss of your lovely fields, your productive vines,

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

13 over the loss of the land of my people. Mourn because it's now overgrown with thorns and brambles, mourn because of the loss of all the happy homes and joyful towns.

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

14 The palace is abandoned, the crowded town is deserted. Castles and watch towers will forever become homes loved by wild donkeys, and places where sheep graze,

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,

15 until the Spirit is poured out on us from above, and the desert becomes like a good field full of crops, and a good field will grow like a forest.

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.

16 Then people living in the desert will practice justice, and those living among the fields will do what is right.

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

17 Living right will bring peace and security that endures.

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

18 My people will live in peace, safe and secure in their homes.

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

19 Even though hail can destroy a forest, and a town can be demolished,

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

20 you will be happy as you sow your crops beside the waters and let your cattle and donkeys roam freely.

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