O Lord, Be Gracious to Us

33 (A)Ah, you destroyer,
    who yourself have not been destroyed,
you traitor,
    whom none has betrayed!
When you have ceased to destroy,
    you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betraying,
    they will betray you.

O Lord, be gracious to us; (B)we wait for you.
    Be our arm every morning,
    our salvation in the time of trouble.
(C)At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;
    when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
    (D)as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.

(E)The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
    he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
(F)and he will be the stability of your times,
    abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
    the fear of the Lord is Zion's[a] treasure.

Behold, their heroes cry in the streets;
    (G)the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
(H)The highways lie waste;
    the traveler ceases.
(I)Covenants are broken;
    cities[b] are despised;
    there is no regard for man.
(J)The land mourns and languishes;
    Lebanon is confounded and withers away;
Sharon is like a desert,
    and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:6 Hebrew his
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll witnesses

Distress and Help

33 Woe(A) to you, destroyer,
    you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
    you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
    you will be destroyed;(B)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.(C)

Lord, be gracious(D) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength(E) every morning,
    our salvation(F) in time of distress.(G)
At the uproar of your army,(H) the peoples flee;(I)
    when you rise up,(J) the nations scatter.
Your plunder,(K) O nations, is harvested(L) as by young locusts;(M)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

The Lord is exalted,(N) for he dwells on high;(O)
    he will fill Zion with his justice(P) and righteousness.(Q)
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation(R) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear(S) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a](T)

Look, their brave men(U) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys(V) of peace weep bitterly.
The highways are deserted,
    no travelers(W) are on the roads.(X)
The treaty is broken,(Y)
    its witnesses[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
The land dries up(Z) and wastes away,
    Lebanon(AA) is ashamed and withers;(AB)
Sharon(AC) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan(AD) and Carmel(AE) drop their leaves.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities