Isaiah 32

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

Lo! in righteousness, shall reign a king, Yea even princes, with equity, shall bear rule.

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.

So shall each one become As a hiding-place from the wind And a covert from the storm, —As channels of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a massive cliff 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 them who are ready to see, shall not be closed, —And, the ears of them who are ready to hear, shall hearken;

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 the hurried, shall take note of knowledge, And the tongue of stammerers, shall make haste to speak plainly.

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

A base man, shall no longer be called, noble, —Nor, a knave, be named, liberal;

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 base man, with baseness, will speak, And, his heart, will practise iniquity, —Practising profanity, And speaking, against Yahweh that which misleadeth, Emptying the soul of the hungry, And the drink of the thirsty, he causeth 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.

Yea, a knave, his weapons are wicked, —He, base schemes, hath devised To ruin the oppressed with speeches of falsehood Even when the needy pleadeth, for justice.

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

But, a noble man, noble things, hath devised, —And, he, upon noble things, will stand,

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

Ye women in comfort! arise hear my voice, Ye daughters so confident 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.

Some days beyond a year, ye shall be troubled ye confident ones, —For failed hath the vintage, No, gathering, cometh in.

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

Tremble, ye women in comfort, Be troubled ye daughters so confident, —Strip! and bare yourselves, and gird somewhat on your loins:

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

Upon your breasts, continue smiting: For desirable fields, For 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 soil of my people, thorns and briars shall grow, —Yea over all houses of joy, thou city exultant!

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, is abandoned, the tumult of the city, hath ceased—Hill and watch-tower, serve as caves, unto times age-abiding, The joy of wild-asses, The 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 there be poured out upon us the spirit, from on high, —Then shall the wilderness become, garden-land, And the garden-land, for a forest, be reckoned;

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

Then shall, justice inhabit, the wilderness, And righteousness, in the garden-land, shall abide;

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

And the yield of righteousness, shall be, peace, —And the tillage of righteousness, quietness, and confidence! to times age-abiding;

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 shall dwell, In a borne of peace, —and In habitations of security, and In resting-places of comfort.

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

But it shall hail during the felling of the forest, And in a sunken place, shall, the city, sink.

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

How happy are ye who sow beside all waters, —Who send forth the foot of the ox and the ass.