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A Prophecy of Deliverance

33 Woe to you, O destroyer,
    though you were not destroyed,
and he who is treacherous,
    though others did not deal treacherously with you!
When you cease destroying,
    you shall be destroyed;
and when you finish dealing treacherously,
    others shall deal treacherously with you.

O Lord, be gracious to us;
    we have waited for You.
Be our strength every morning,
    our salvation also in the time of trouble.
At the noise of the tumult, the people flee;
    at the lifting up of Yourself, the nations scatter;
your spoil is gathered like the caterpillar gathers;
    as locusts rush about, men rush about on it.

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
    He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
He shall be the stability of your times,
    a wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
    the fear of the Lord is His treasure.

Listen! Their valiant ones cry in the streets;
    the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
The highways lie waste,
    the wayfaring man ceases.
He has broken the covenant,
    he has despised the cities,
    he has no regard for man.
The earth mourns and languishes;
    Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down.
Sharon is like a wilderness,
    and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

Impending Judgment on Israel

10 “Now I will rise,” says the Lord,
    “now I will be exalted,
    now I will be lifted up.
11 You have conceived chaff,
    you shall bring forth stubble;
    My breath, as fire, shall devour you.
12 The people shall be burned to lime,
    as thorns cut up are burned in the fire.”

13 Hear what I have done, you who are far away;
    and you who are near, acknowledge My might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
    fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
“Who among us can live with the continual fire?
    Who among us can live with everlasting burning?”
15 He who walks righteously
    and speaks uprightly,
he who rejects unjust gain
    and shakes his hands from holding bribes,
who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
    and shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
16 He shall dwell on high;
    his place of defense shall be the impregnable rock;
his bread shall be given him,
    his waters shall be sure.

The Land of the Majestic King

17 Your eyes shall see the King in His beauty;
    they shall see the land that is very far away.
18 Your heart shall meditate on terror:
    “Where is he who counts?
    Where is he who weighs?
    Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 You shall not see a fierce people any more,
    a people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,
    of a stammering tongue which no one understands.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
    your eyes shall see Jerusalem,
    a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down;
not one of its stakes shall ever be removed,
    nor shall any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the glorious Lord will be to us
    a place of broad rivers and streams
on which no boat with oars shall go
    and on which no gallant ship shall pass,
22 for the Lord is our judge,
    the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
    He will save us.

23 Your tackle hangs loose;
    it cannot hold the base of its mast securely,
    nor spread out the sail.
Then the prey of an abundant spoil shall be divided;
    the lame shall take the prey.
24 The inhabitant shall not say, “I am sick”;
    the people who dwell there shall be forgiven their iniquity.

33 Woe to thee that destroyest, and thou wast not destroyed; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! When thou hast ceased to destroy, thou shalt be destroyed; and when thou hast made an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. O Jehovah, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou [a]our arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. At the noise of the tumult the peoples are fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations are scattered. And your spoil shall be gathered as the caterpillar gathereth: as locusts leap shall men leap upon it. Jehovah is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness. [b]And there shall be stability in thy times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of Jehovah is [c]thy treasure.

Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: [d]the enemy hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth not man. The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon is confounded and withereth away; Sharon is like [e]a desert; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves. 10 Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I lift up myself; now will I be exalted. 11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath is a fire that shall devour you. 12 And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.

13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling hath seized the godless ones: Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings? 15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of [f]oppressions, that shaketh his hands from taking a bribe, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil: 16 He shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold [g]a land that reacheth afar. 18 Thy heart shall muse on the terror: Where is [h]he that counted, where is he that weighed the tribute? where is he that counted the towers? 19 Thou shalt not see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that thou canst not comprehend, of a [i]strange tongue that thou canst not understand. 20 Look upon Zion, the city of our [j]solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes whereof shall never be plucked up, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. 21 But there Jehovah will be with us in majesty, [k]a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. 22 For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah is our lawgiver, Jehovah is our king; he will save us. 23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not strengthen the foot of their mast, they could not spread the sail: then was the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame took the prey. 24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:2 Hebrew their.
  2. Isaiah 33:6 Or, And abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times
  3. Isaiah 33:6 Hebrew his.
  4. Isaiah 33:8 Hebrew he.
  5. Isaiah 33:9 Or, the Arabah
  6. Isaiah 33:15 Or, fraud
  7. Isaiah 33:17 Or, a land that is very far off. Hebrew a land of far distances.
  8. Isaiah 33:18 Or, the scribe
  9. Isaiah 33:19 Or, stammering
  10. Isaiah 33:20 Or, set feasts
  11. Isaiah 33:21 Or, but in the place . . . streams there shall go etc.