Isaiah 33

1 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou [wast] not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; [and] when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

Woe to you, destroyer who has not been destroyed! Woe to the betrayer whom they have not betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. When you stop betraying, they will betray you.

2 O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Yahweh, be gracious to us; we wait for you; be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

At the loud noise the peoples flee; when you arise, the nations are scattered.

4 And your spoil shall be gathered [like] the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

Your spoil is gathered as the locusts gather; as locusts leap, men leap on it.

5 The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

Yahweh is exalted. He lives in a high place. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, [and] strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD [is] his treasure.

He will be the stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of Yahweh is his treasure.

7 Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

Look, their envoys cry in the streets; the diplomats hoping for peace weep bitterly.

8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

The highways are deserted; there are no more travelers. Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised, and mankind is not respected.

9 The earth mourneth [and] languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed [and] hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off [their fruits].

The land mourns and withers away; Lebanon is ashamed and withers away; Sharon is like a desert plain; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

“Now will I arise,” says Yahweh; “now I will be lifted up; now I will be elevated.

11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, [as] fire, shall devour you.

You conceive chaff, and you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.

12 And the people shall be [as] the burnings of lime: [as] thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

The peoples will be burned to lime, as thornbushes are cut down and are burned.

13 Hear, ye [that are] far off, what I have done; and, ye [that are] near, acknowledge my might.

You who are far away, hear what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can sojourn with a raging fire? Who among us can sojourn with everlasting burnings?

15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

He who walks righteously and speaks honestly; who despises the gain of oppression, who shakes his hand so that it will not accept a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed, and who shuts his eyes from looking on evil—

16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence [shall be] the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters [shall be] sure.

this is the man who will dwell on the heights, his place of defense will be the fortress among the cliffs, his food will be given, and his water will be in steady supply.

17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will see a land off in the distance.

18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where [is] the scribe? where [is] the receiver? where [is] he that counted the towers?

Your heart will recall the terror; where is the scribe, where is he who weighed the money? Where is he who counted the towers?

19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, [that thou canst] not understand.

You will no longer see the defiant people, a people of a strange language that you do not understand.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle [that] shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

Look at Zion, the city of our feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet habitation, a tent that will not be removed, whose stakes will never be pulled up nor will any of its cords be broken.

21 But there the glorious LORD [will be] unto us a place of broad rivers [and] streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

Instead, Yahweh in majesty will be with us, in a place of broad rivers and streams. No warship with oars will travel it, and no large ships will sail by.

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 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

Your riggings are slack; they cannot hold the mast in place; they cannot spread the sail; when the great spoil is divided, even the lame will drag off the spoil.

24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein [shall be] forgiven [their] iniquity.

The inhabitants will not say, “I am sick;” the people who live there will be forgiven for their iniquity.