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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.

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)

Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You.(B)
Be our strength every morning
and our salvation in time of trouble.(C)
The peoples flee at the thunderous noise;(D)
the nations scatter when You rise in Your majesty.
Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered;
people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts.
The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
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)

Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets;
the messengers of peace weep bitterly.(F)
The highways are deserted;
travel has ceased.
An agreement has been broken,(G)
cities[a] despised,
and human life disregarded.
The land mourns and withers;(H)
Lebanon is ashamed and decayed.
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?”
15 The one who lives righteously
and speaks rightly,(M)
who refuses gain from extortion,
whose hand never takes a bribe,
who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots[b]
and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil[c](N)
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;(O)
you will see a vast land.(P)
18 Your mind will meditate on the past terror:
“Where is the accountant?[d]
Where is the tribute collector?[e]
Where is the one who spied out our defenses?”[f]
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.(Q)
20 Look at Zion, the city of our festival times.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful pasture,(R) a tent that does not wander;
its tent pegs will not be pulled up
nor will any of its cords be loosened.(S)
21 For the majestic One, our Lord, will be there,(T)
a place of rivers and broad streams
where ships that are rowed will not go,
and majestic vessels will not pass.(U)
22 For the Lord is our Judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,(V)
the Lord is our King.
He will save us.(W)
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(X) their iniquity.(Y)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:8 DSS read witnesses
  2. Isaiah 33:15 Lit to bloods
  3. Isaiah 33:15 Lit eyes from seeing evil
  4. Isaiah 33:18 Lit counter
  5. Isaiah 33:18 Lit weigher
  6. Isaiah 33:18 Lit who counts towers