Isaiah 33

1 Woe to you who destroy, but you were not destroyed, and who betray, but nobody betrayed you! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betrayal, you will be betrayed.

Alas! thou plunderer when, thou, hadst not been plundered, And thou traitor when they had not betrayed thee: When thou hast ceased plundering, thou shalt be plundered, When thou hast left off betraying, they shall betray thee.

2 LORD, be gracious to us. We have waited for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

O Yahweh! shew us favour, —For thee, have we waited, —Be thou their arm every morning, Yea our salvation in the time of distress.

3 At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled. When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.

At the noise of a tumult, the peoples retreated, —When thou didst lift thyself up, nations were scattered.

4 Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. Men will leap on it as locusts leap.

Then shall your spoil be gathered as the gathering of the caterpillar, —As the swift running of locusts, is he about to run upon them.

5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

Exalted is Yahweh, for he inhabiteth a height, —He hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is your treasure.

So shall a wealth of deliverances, wisdom and knowledge, become the stability of thy times, —the reverence of Yahweh, the same is his treasure.

7 Behold, their valiant ones cry outside; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

Lo! their heroes, have cried out openly, —the messengers of peace, in bitterness, continue weeping [they say]:

8 The highways are desolate. The traveling man ceases. The covenant is broken. He has despised the cities. He does not respect man.

The highways are deserted, The passer-by on the path, hath ceased, —He hath broken covenant, He hath despised cities, He hath made no account of men.

9 The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.

The land mourneth, languisheth, Lebanon, displayeth shame, is withered, —Sharon, hath become, as the waste plain, And Bashan and Carmel are shaking off their leaves.

10 “Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted.

Now, will I arise, Saith Yahweh, Now, will I lift myself up, Now, will I be exalted!

11 You will conceive chaff. You will give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will devour you.

Ye shall conceive chaff Ye shall bring forth stubble, —Your own breath, like fire, shall devour you.

12 The peoples will be like the burning of lime, like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.

So shall peoples, become, as the burnings of lime, —As thorns lopped off, with fire, shall they be burned.

13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”

Hear—ye that are far off. what I have done, And know—ye that are near my might:

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid. Trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can live with the devouring fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?

Terror-stricken in Zion, —are sinners, Shuddering hath seized the impious, —Who among us can sojourn with a fire that devoureth? Who among us can sojourn with burnings age-abiding?

15 He who walks righteously and speaks blamelessly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—

He that walketh righteously, And speaketh uprightly, —He that refuseth the gain of exactions That shaketh his hands free from holding a bribe, That stoppeth his ear from hearkening to deeds of blood, And shutteth his eyes from giving countenance to wrong,

16 he will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. His bread will be supplied. His waters will be sure.

He, the heights, shall inhabit, A stronghold of crags, shall be his refuge, —His bread, hath been delivered, His waters, have been made sure,

17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will see a distant land.

Of a king, in his beauty, shall thine eyes have vision: They shall see a land that stretcheth afar.

18 Your heart will meditate on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed? Where is he who counted the towers?

Thy heart, may murmur in terror, —Where is the scribe? Where—the receiver? Where—he that maketh a list of the towers?

19 You will no longer see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that you cannot comprehend, with a strange language that you cannot understand.

The fierce people, shalt thou not see, —The people of too deep a lip to be understood, of too barbarous a tongue for thee to comprehend.

20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that will not be removed. Its stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.

Look thou on Zion, the city of our appointed feast, —Thine own eyes, shall see Jerusalem—A home of comfort A tent which shall not be packed up—Whose pins shall not be pulled out, for ever, And none of, whose cords, shall be broken.

21 But there the LORD will be with us in majesty, a place of wide rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will go, neither will any gallant ship pass by there.

But, there shall Yahweh be our majestic one, A place of rivers—streams broad on both hands, Wherein shall go no galley with oars, Neither shall majestic ship traverse it;

22 For the LORD is our judge. The LORD is our lawgiver. The LORD is our king. He will save us.

For, Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh, is our lawgiver, —Yahweh, is our king, He will save us!

23 Your rigging is untied. They could not strengthen the foot of their mast. They could not spread the sail. Then the prey of a great plunder was divided. The lame took the prey.

Loosed are thy ropes, —They cannot strengthen the socket of their mast They have not unfurled a sail Now, can be apportioned spoil, in abundance, The lame, have captured prey!

24 The inhabitant will not say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.

Neither shall the inhabitant say. I am sick, —the people who dwell therein, have been forgiven iniquity.