Isaiah 33
Christian Standard Bible
The Lord Rises Up
33 Woe, you destroyer never destroyed,
you traitor never betrayed!
When you have finished destroying,
you will be destroyed.
When you have finished betraying,
they will betray you.(A)
2 Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for you.(B)
Be our strength every morning
and our salvation in time of trouble.(C)
3 The peoples flee at the thunderous noise;(D)
the nations scatter when you rise in your majesty.
4 Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered;
people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts.
5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 There will be times of security for you—
a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.(E)
7 Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets;
the messengers of peace weep bitterly.(F)
8 The highways are deserted;
travel has ceased.
An agreement has been broken,(G)
cities[a] despised,
and human life disregarded.
9 The land mourns and withers;(H)
Lebanon is ashamed and wilted.
Sharon is like a desert;
Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 “Now I will rise up,”(I) says the Lord.
“Now I will lift myself up.
Now I will be exalted.
11 You will conceive chaff;(J)
you will give birth to stubble.
Your breath is fire that will consume you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes,
like thorns cut down and burned in a fire.
13 You who are far off, hear what I have done;
you who are near,(K) know my strength.”
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling seizes the ungodly:
“Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire?(L)
Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?”(M)
15 The one who lives righteously
and speaks rightly,(N)
who refuses profit from extortion,
whose hand never takes a bribe,
who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots
and shuts his eyes against evil schemes(O)—
16 he will dwell on the heights;
his refuge will be the rocky fortresses,
his food provided, his water assured.
17 Your eyes will see the King in his beauty;(P)
you will see a vast land.(Q)
18 Your mind will meditate on the past terror:
“Where is the accountant?[b]
Where is the tribute collector?[c]
Where is the one who spied out our defenses?” [d]
19 You will no longer see the barbarians,
a people whose speech is difficult to comprehend—
who stammer in a language that is not understood.(R)
20 Look at Zion, the city of our festival times.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful pasture,(S) a tent that does not wander;
its tent pegs will not be pulled up
nor will any of its cords be loosened.(T)
21 For the majestic one, our Lord, will be there,(U)
a place of rivers and broad streams
where ships that are rowed will not go,
and majestic vessels will not pass.(V)
22 For the Lord is our Judge,
the Lord is our Lawgiver,(W)
the Lord is our King.
He will save us.(X)
23 Your ropes are slack;
they cannot hold the base of the mast
or spread out the flag.
Then abundant spoil will be divided,
the lame will plunder it,
24 and none there will say, “I am sick.”
The people who dwell there
will be forgiven(Y) their iniquity.(Z)
Isaiah 33
International Standard Version
God’s Judgment
33 “How terrible it will be for you, destroyer,
you who have not been destroyed yourself!
And how terrible it will be for you, traitor,
one whom[a] people have not betrayed!
When you have sunk so low in[b] destroying others,
you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betraying,
they will betray you.”
A Prayer for Grace
2 “Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you;
and[c] be our strength[d] every morning,
our salvation in times of trouble.
3 At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee;
at your silence,[e] the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder is gathered as when grasshoppers gather;
just like[f] locusts pounce, people have pounced[g] on it.
5 “The Lord is exalted, for he lives on high;
he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 He will be a sure foundation for your times,
abundance and salvation,[h] wisdom and knowledge —
the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.”
Israel’s Unenviable Plight
7 “Listen! Their brave men cry out in the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted;
travelers have quit the road.
The enemy[i] has broken treaties;
he despises their witnesses,[j]
and respects no one.
9 The land mourns and wastes away;
Lebanon feels ashamed and withers.
Sharon is like a desert;
Bashan[k] and Carmel shake off their leaves.”
God is Exalted
10 “Now I’ll rise up,” the Lord has said,[l]
“now I’ll exalt myself;
now I’ll be lifted up.
11 You conceive dried grass, you give birth to stubble;
your breath is a fire that will consume you.
12 And the peoples will be burned as if to ashes;
like cut thorn bushes, they will be set ablaze.
13 “Those who are far away have heard[m] what I’ve done;
and those that are near have acknowledged[n] my power.
14 The sinners in Zion are terrified;
trembling grips the godless:
“Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting flames?”
15 The one who walks righteously and has spoken[o] sincere words,
who rejects gain from extortion
and waves his hand,
rejecting bribes,
who blocks his ears from hearing plots of murder
and shuts his eyes against seeing evil—
16 this is the one who will live on the heights;
his refuge will be a mountain fortress.
His food will be supplied,
and his water will be guaranteed.
17 “Your eyes will see the king in his elegance,
and will view a land that stretches afar.
18 Your mind will ponder at that time of terror:
‘Where is the king’s accountant?
Where is the one who weighed the revenue?
Where is the officer who supervises[p] the towers?’
19 No longer will you[q] see those arrogant people,
those people with their obscure speech you cannot comprehend,
stammering in a language you cannot understand.
20 “Look at Zion, city of our festivals![r]
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
an undisturbed abode, an immovable tent;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor will any of its ropes be broken.
21 But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
our source[s] of broad rivers and streams,
where no galley with oars can go,
where no stately ship can sail.
22 For the Lord is our judge,
and the Lord is our lawgiver;
and the Lord is our king,
and it is he who will save us.
23 “Your rigging hangs loose;
it cannot reliably[t] hold the mast in its place,
and the sail cannot spread out.[u]
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided —
even the lame will carry off plunder.
24 And no one living there will say, ‘I am ill.’
The people living there will have their sins forgiven.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 33:1 So 1QIsaa MT; MTmss read you whom
- Isaiah 33:1 So 1QIsaa; MT reads stopped
- Isaiah 33:2 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and
- Isaiah 33:2 Lit. arm
- Isaiah 33:3 So 1QIsaa; MT reads when you rise up; LXX reads from fear of you
- Isaiah 33:4 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks just like
- Isaiah 33:4 So 1QIsaa; MT reads people pounce
- Isaiah 33:6 So 1QIsaa; MT reads of salvation
- Isaiah 33:8 Lit. He
- Isaiah 33:8 So 1QIsaa; MT reads cities
- Isaiah 33:9 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and Bashan
- Isaiah 33:10 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read says the Lord
- Isaiah 33:13 So 1QIsaa; cf. LXX; MT reads You who are far away, hear
- Isaiah 33:13 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads you that are near, acknowledge
- Isaiah 33:15 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and who speaks
- Isaiah 33:18 Lit. counts
- Isaiah 33:19 So 1QIsaa (pl.); MT (sing.)
- Isaiah 33:20 So 1QIsaa MTmss; MT reads our festival
- Isaiah 33:21 Lit. us a place
- Isaiah 33:23 So 1QIsaa; MT reads firmly
- Isaiah 33:23 So 1QIsaa; MT reads they cannot spread the sail
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