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
New American Standard Bible
The Judgment of God
33 Woe (A)to you, destroyer,
While you were not destroyed;
And he (B)who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, (C)you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will (D)deal treacherously with you.
2 Lord, (E)be gracious to us; we have (F)waited for You.
Be [a]their [b](G)strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the (H)time of distress.
3 At the sound of a roar, (I)peoples flee;
At the (J)lifting up of Yourself, nations disperse.
4 Your plunder is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
Like an infestation of locusts, people storm it.
5 The Lord is (K)exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has (L)filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And He will be the [c](M)stability of your times,
A (N)wealth of salvation, wisdom, and (O)knowledge;
The (P)fear of the Lord is his treasure.
7 Behold, their brave men cry out [d]in the streets,
The [e](Q)ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate, [f]the (R)traveler has ceased,
He has (S)broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for mankind.
9 (T)The land mourns and wastes away,
(U)Lebanon is shamed and withers;
(V)Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel [g]lose their foliage.
10 “Now (W)I will arise,” says the Lord,
“Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
11 You have (X)conceived [h]chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
[i]My (Y)breath will consume you like a fire.
12 The peoples will be burned to lime,
(Z)Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
13 “You who are far away, (AA)hear what I have done;
And you who are near, [j]acknowledge My might.”
14 (AB)Sinners in Zion are terrified;
(AC)Trembling has seized the godless.
“Who among us can live with (AD)the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting (AE)burning?”
15 One who (AF)walks righteously and speaks with integrity,
One who rejects [k]unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
One who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And (AG)shuts his eyes from looking at evil;
16 He will dwell on the heights,
(AH)His refuge will be the [l]impregnable rock;
(AI)His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see (AJ)the King in His beauty;
They will see (AK)a distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on (AL)terror:
“Where is (AM)one who counts?
Where is one who weighs?
Where is one who counts the towers?”
19 You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of [m](AN)unintelligible speech [n]which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue [o]which no one understands.
20 (AO)Look at Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an (AP)undisturbed settlement,
(AQ)A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its ropes be torn apart.
21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us
A place of (AR)rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22 For the Lord is our (AS)judge,
The Lord is (AT)our lawgiver,
The Lord is (AU)our king;
(AV)He will save us—
23 Your ship’s tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the (AW)prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
(AX)Those who limp will take the plunder.
24 And no resident will say, “I am (AY)sick”;
The people who live [p]there will be (AZ)forgiven their wrongdoing.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 33:2 Some ancient versions our
- Isaiah 33:2 Lit arm
- Isaiah 33:6 Or faithfulness
- Isaiah 33:7 Lit outside
- Isaiah 33:7 Lit messengers
- Isaiah 33:8 Lit one who passes along the way
- Isaiah 33:9 Lit shake off
- Isaiah 33:11 Lit dry grass
- Isaiah 33:11 One ancient version; MT Your breath will
- Isaiah 33:13 Lit know
- Isaiah 33:15 Lit gain of extortioners
- Isaiah 33:16 Lit stronghold of rock
- Isaiah 33:19 Lit deepness of lip
- Isaiah 33:19 Lit from hearing
- Isaiah 33:19 Lit there is no understanding
- Isaiah 33:24 Lit in it
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