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33 Woe to you who destroy, but you weren’t destroyed,
    and who betray, but nobody betrayed you!
When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed;
    and when you have finished betrayal, you will be betrayed.

Yahweh, 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 thunder, the peoples have fled.
    When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.
Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers.
    Men will leap on it as locusts leap.
Yahweh is exalted, for he dwells on high.
    He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
    The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.

Behold, their valiant ones cry outside;
    the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
The highways are desolate.
    The traveling man ceases.
    The covenant is broken.
    He has despised the cities.
    He doesn’t respect man.
The land mourns and languishes.
    Lebanon is confounded and withers away.
    Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
10 “Now I will arise,” says Yahweh.
    “Now I will lift myself up.
    Now I will be exalted.
11 You will conceive chaff.
    You will give birth to stubble.
    Your breath is a fire that will devour you.
12 The peoples will be like the burning of lime,
    like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.

13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
    and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid.
    Trembling has seized the godless ones.
Who among us can live with the devouring fire?
    Who among us can live with everlasting burning?
15 He who walks righteously
    and speaks blamelessly,
    he who despises the gain of oppressions,
    who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe,
    who stops his ears from hearing of blood,
    and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—
16 he will dwell on high.
    His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks.
    His bread will be supplied.
    His waters will be sure.

17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.
    They will see a distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on the terror.
    Where is he who counted?
    Where is he who weighed?
    Where is he who counted the towers?
19 You will no longer see the fierce people,
    a people of a deep speech that you can’t comprehend,
    with a strange language that you can’t understand.
20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals.
    Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation,
    a tent that won’t be removed.
Its stakes will never be plucked up,
    nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty,
    a place of wide rivers and streams,
    in which no galley with oars will go,
    neither will any gallant ship pass by there.
22 For Yahweh is our judge.
    Yahweh is our lawgiver.
    Yahweh is our king.
    He will save us.

23 Your rigging is untied.
    They couldn’t strengthen the foot of their mast.
    They couldn’t spread the sail.
Then the prey of a great plunder was divided.
    The lame took the prey.

24 The inhabitant won’t say, “I am sick.”
    The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.

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.

10 (K)“Now I will arise,” says the Lord,
    “now I will lift myself up;
    now I will be exalted.
11 (L)You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble;
    your breath is (M)a fire that will consume you.
12 And the peoples will be as if burned to lime,
    (N)like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.”

13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
    and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
    trembling has seized the godless:
(O)“Who among us can dwell (P)with the consuming fire?
    Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”
15 (Q)He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
    who despises the gain of oppressions,
who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,
    who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed
    (R)and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,
16 he will dwell on the heights;
    his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;
    (S)his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

17 (T)Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;
    (U)they will see a land that stretches afar.
18 (V)Your heart will muse on the terror:
    “Where is he who counted, where is (W)he who weighed the tribute?
    Where is (X)he who counted the towers?”
19 (Y)You will see no more the insolent people,
    the people (Z)of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,
    stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.
20 Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!
    (AA)Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    an untroubled habitation, an (AB)immovable tent,
whose stakes will never be plucked up,
    nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
    a place of (AC)broad rivers and streams,
(AD)where no galley with oars can go,
    nor majestic ship can pass.
22 For the Lord is our (AE)judge; the Lord is our (AF)lawgiver;
    the Lord is our (AG)king; he will save us.

23 Your cords hang loose;
    they cannot hold the mast firm in its place
    or keep the sail spread out.
(AH)Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided;
    even (AI)the lame will take the prey.
24 And no inhabitant will say, (AJ)“I am sick”;
    (AK)the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

Footnotes

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