Add parallel Print Page Options

A King Will Reign Righteously

32 Behold, a (A)king will reign righteously
And princes will rule justly.
Each will be like a (B)refuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like [a](C)streams of water in a dry country,
Like the (D)shade of a [b]huge rock in [c]a weary land.
Then (E)the eyes of those who see will not be [d]blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will pay attention.
And the heart of the (F)hasty will discern knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.
No longer will the (G)wicked fool be called noble,
Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.
For a wicked fool speaks wicked folly,
And his heart (H)does wickedness:
To do (I)ungodliness and to speak error against Yahweh,
In order to (J)make the hungry person empty;
He even causes the thirsty to lack a drink.
As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;
He (K)counsels wicked schemes
To (L)wreak destruction on the afflicted with lying words,
(M)Even though the needy one speaks justly.
But (N)the noble man counsels noble plans;
And by noble plans he rises up.

Rise up, you (O)women who are at ease,
And hear my voice;
(P)Give ear to my word,
You complacent daughters.
10 Within a year and a few days
You will quake, O complacent daughters;
(Q)For the grape harvest is ended,
And the fruit gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
(R)Quake, you complacent daughters;
(S)Strip, undress, and put sackcloth on your waist,
12 (T)Beat your breasts for the desirable fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 (U)For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up,
Indeed, against all the joyful houses and the (V)exultant city.
14 Because (W)the palace has been abandoned, the [e]populated (X)city forsaken.
[f]Hill and watchtower have become (Y)caves forever,
A joy for (Z)wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
15 Until the (AA)Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a (AB)fruitful orchard,
And the fruitful orchard is counted as a forest.
16 Then (AC)justice will dwell in the wilderness,
And righteousness will live in the fruitful orchard.
17 And the (AD)work of righteousness will be peace,
And the service of righteousness, (AE)quietness and security forever.
18 Then my people will live in a (AF)peaceful abode,
And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed (AG)resting places;
19 And it will (AH)hail when the (AI)forest comes down,
And (AJ)the city will be utterly laid low.
20 How (AK)blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,
Who [g]let out freely the ox and the donkey.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 32:2 Lit canals
  2. Isaiah 32:2 Lit heavy
  3. Isaiah 32:2 Lit an exhausted
  4. Isaiah 32:3 Or turned away
  5. Isaiah 32:14 Lit multitude of the
  6. Isaiah 32:14 Or Ophel
  7. Isaiah 32:20 Lit send out the foot of the ox

Righteous rule

32 See here: A king rules to promote righteousness;
    rulers govern to promote justice,
    each like a shelter from the wind
    and a refuge from a storm,
    like streams of water in a wasteland,
    like the shade of a massive cliff in a worn-out land.
Then the eyes of those who can see will no longer be blind,
    the ears of those who can hear will listen,
    the minds of the rash will know and comprehend,
    and the tongues of those who stammer will speak fluently and plainly.
Then a fool will no longer be called honorable,
    nor a villain considered respectable.
Fools speak folly;
    their minds devise wickedness,
    acting irreverently,
    speaking falsely of the Lord,
    leaving the hungry empty,
    and depriving the thirsty of drink.
As for the villain, his villainies are evil.
    He plans schemes to destroy the poor with lying words,
    even when the needy speak justly.
But an honorable person plans honorable things
    and stands up for what is honorable.

Warnings to the carefree

Women of leisure, stand up! Hear my voice!
    Carefree daughters, listen to my word!
10 In a little over a year,
    the carefree will shudder,
    because the grape harvest will fail;
    the vintage won’t arrive.
11 Tremble, all of you who are at ease;
    shudder, all of you who are secure!
Strip yourselves, bare your skin,
    and tie mourning clothes around your waist,
12     beating your breasts for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vine,
13     for my people’s soil
    growing barbs and thorns,
    for all the joyous houses
    in the jubilant town.
14 The palace will be deserted,
    the crowded city abandoned.
Stronghold and watchtower
    will become empty fields forever,
    suited for the pleasure of wild donkeys,
    and a pasture for flocks—
15     until a spirit from on high
    is poured out on us,
    and the desert turns into farmland, and the farmland is considered a forest.
16 Then justice will reside in wild lands,
    and righteousness will abide in farmlands.
17 The fruit of righteousness will be peace,
    and the outcome of righteousness,
    calm and security forever.
18 Then my people will live in a peaceful dwelling,
    in secure homes, in carefree resting places.
19 Even if the forest falls[a]
        and the humbled city is laid low,
20     those who sow beside any stream will be happy,
    sending out ox and donkey to graze.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 32:19 Or it will hail when the forest falls