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
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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