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32 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness,
    and princes shall rule in justice.
A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind,
    and a covert from the storm,
    as streams of water in a dry place,
    as the shade of a large rock in a weary land.
The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
    and the ears of those who hear will listen.
The heart of the rash will understand knowledge,
    and the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.
The fool will no longer be called noble,
    nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
For the fool will speak folly,
    and his heart will work iniquity,
    to practice profanity,
    and to utter error against Yahweh,
    to make empty the soul of the hungry,
    and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
The ways of the scoundrel are evil.
    He devises wicked plans to destroy the humble with lying words,
    even when the needy speaks right.
But the noble devises noble things;
    and he will continue in noble things.

Rise up, you women who are at ease! Hear my voice!
    You careless daughters, give ear to my speech!
10 For days beyond a year you will be troubled, you careless women;
    for the vintage will fail.
    The harvest won’t come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease!
    Be troubled, you careless ones!
    Strip yourselves, make yourselves naked,
    and put sackcloth on your waist.
12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vine.
13 Thorns and briers will come up on my people’s land;
    yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city.
14 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 on us from on high,
    and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field is considered a forest.

16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness;
    and righteousness will remain in the fruitful field.
17 The work of righteousness will be peace,
    and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in a peaceful habitation,
    in safe dwellings,
    and in quiet resting places,
19 though hail flattens the forest,
    and the city is leveled completely.
20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters,
    who send out the feet of the ox and the donkey.

The Righteous Kingdom Announced

32 Indeed, a king will reign righteously,
and rulers will rule justly.(A)

Each will be like a shelter from the wind,
a refuge from the rain,(B)
like flowing streams(C) in a dry land
and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land.
Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.(D)
The reckless mind will gain knowledge,
and the stammering tongue(E) will speak clearly and fluently.
A fool will no longer be called a noble,(F)
nor a scoundrel said to be important.
For a fool speaks foolishness
and his mind plots iniquity.
He lives in a godless way
and speaks falsely about the Lord.
He leaves the hungry empty
and deprives the thirsty of drink.(G)

The scoundrel’s weapons are destructive;
he hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies,
even when the poor person says what is right.
But a noble person plans noble things;
he stands up for noble causes.
Stand up, you complacent women;(H)
listen to me.
Pay attention to what I say,
you overconfident daughters.
10 In a little more than a year
you overconfident ones will shudder,
for the grapes will fail
and the harvest will not come.
11 Shudder, you complacent ones;
tremble, you overconfident ones!
Strip yourselves bare(I)
and put sackcloth around your waists.
12 Beat your breasts in mourning(J)
for the delightful fields and the fruitful vines,(K)
13 for the ground of my people
growing thorns and briers,(L)
indeed, for every joyous house in the jubilant city.

14 For the palace will be deserted,
the busy city abandoned.
The hill and the watchtower will become
barren places forever,
the joy of wild donkeys,
and a pasture for flocks,
15 until the Spirit[a] from on high is poured out on us.(M)
Then the desert will become an orchard,
and the orchard will seem like a forest.(N)
16 Then justice will inhabit the wilderness,
and righteousness will dwell in the orchard.

17 The result of righteousness will be peace;(O)
the effect of righteousness
will be quiet confidence forever.
18 Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place,
in safe and secure dwellings.
19 But hail will level the forest,[b](P)
and the city will sink into the depths.(Q)
20 You will be happy as you sow seed
beside abundant water,(R)
and as you let oxen and donkeys range freely.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 32:15 Or a wind
  2. 32:19 Hb obscure