Isaiah 32

1 Behold, the king will reign in justice, and the princes will rule in judgment.

Behold, a king reigns for righteousness, As for princes, they rule for judgment.

2 And a man will be like someone hidden from the wind, who conceals himself from a storm, or like rivers of waters in a time of thirst, or like the shadow of a rock that juts out in a desert land.

And each has been as a hiding place [from] wind, And as a secret hiding place [from] inundation, As streams of waters in a dry place, As a shadow of a heavy rock in a weary land.

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

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

4 And the heart of the foolish will understand knowledge, and the tongue of those with impaired speech will speak quickly and plainly.

And the heart of those hurried understands to know, And the tongue of stammerers hurries to speak clearly.

5 He who is foolish will no longer be called leader, nor will the deceitful be called greater.

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

6 For a foolish man speaks foolishness and his heart works iniquity in order to accomplish deception. And he speaks to the Lord deceitfully, so as to empty the soul of the hungry and to take away drink from the thirsty.

For a fool speaks folly, And his heart does iniquity, to do profanity, And to speak error concerning YHWH, To empty the soul of the hungry, Indeed, he causes the thirsty to lack [their] drink.

7 The tools of the deceitful are very wicked. For they have concocted plans to destroy the meek by lying words, though the poor speak judgment.

And the miser—his instruments [are] evil, He has counseled wicked schemes, To corrupt the poor with lying sayings, Even when the needy speaks justly.

8 Yet truly, the prince will plan things that are worthy of a prince, and he will stand above the rulers.

And the noble counseled noble things, And he rises up for noble things.

9 You opulent women, rise up and listen to my voice! O confident daughters, play close attention to my eloquence!

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

10 For after a year and some days, you who are confident will be disturbed. For the vintage has been completed; the gathering will no longer occur.

In days and a year You are troubled, O confident ones, For harvest has been consumed, The gathering does not come.

11 Be stupefied, you opulent women! Be disturbed, O confident ones! Strip yourselves, and be confounded; gird yourselves at the waist.

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

12 Mourn over your breasts, over the delightful country, over the fruitful vineyard.

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

13 Thorn and brier will rise up, over the soil of my people. How much more over all the houses of gladness, over the city of exultation?

Over the ground of my people thorn [and] brier go up, Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,

14 For the house has been forsaken. The multitude of the city has been abandoned. A darkness and a covering have been placed over its dens, even unto eternity. It will be the gladness of wild donkeys and the pasture of flocks,

The palace has been left, The multitude of the city forsaken, Fort and watchtower have been for dens for all time, A joy of wild donkeys—a pasture of herds;

15 until the Spirit is poured over us from on high. And the desert will be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will be considered as a forest.

Until the Spirit is emptied out on us from on high, And a wilderness has become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is reckoned for a forest.

16 And judgment will live in solitude, and justice will be seated in a fruitful place.

And judgment has dwelt in the wilderness, And righteousness remains in the fruitful field.

17 And the work of justice will be peace. And the service of justice will be quiet and secure, forever.

And a work of the righteousness has been peace, And a service of the righteousness—Keeping quiet and confidence for all time.

18 And my people will be seated in the beauty of peacefulness, and in the tabernacles of faithfulness, and in the opulence of restfulness.

And My people have dwelt in a peaceful habitation, And in steadfast dwelling places, And in quiet resting places.

19 But hail will be in the descent of the forest, and the city will be brought exceedingly low.

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

20 Blessed are you who sow over any waters, sending the feet of the ox and the donkey there.

Blessed [are] you sowing by all waters, Sending forth the foot of the ox and the donkey!