Isaiah 32

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

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

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.

A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a shelter from the storm, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a large 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.

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

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

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

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

And they will no longer call a fool noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

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 the fool will speak folly, and his heart plans 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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

For days beyond a year you will be troubled, you careless women; for the vintage shall fail. The harvest won't 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 who are at ease. Be troubled, you careless ones. Strip yourselves, make yourselves naked, and put sackcloth on your waist.

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

Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, 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?

Thorns and briars will come up on my people's land; yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous 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,

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 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 poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered a forest.

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

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

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

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

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

My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in safe dwellings, 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 will hail when the forest comes down, and the wood is brought low in humiliation.

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

Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who set free the foot of the ox and the donkey.