32 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.

And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.

For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.

But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech.

10 Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.

11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.

12 They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:

14 Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

19 When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

Chapter 32

The Kingdom of Justice

See, a king will reign justly
    and princes will rule rightly.(A)
Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind,
    a refuge from the rain.
They will be like streams of water in a dry country,
    like the shade of a great rock in a parched land.(B)
The eyes of those who see will not be closed;
    the ears of those who hear will be attentive.(C)
The hasty of heart shall take thought to know,
    and tongues of stutterers shall speak readily and clearly.
No more will the fool be called noble,
    nor the deceiver be considered honorable.(D)
For the fool speaks folly,
    his heart plans evil:
Godless actions,
    perverse speech against the Lord,
Letting the hungry go empty
    and the thirsty without drink.(E)
The deceits of the deceiver are evil,
    he plans devious schemes:
To ruin the poor with lies,
    and the needy when they plead their case.(F)
But the noble plan noble deeds,
    and in noble deeds they persist.

The Women of Jerusalem

You women so complacent, rise up and hear my voice,
    daughters so confident, give heed to my words.(G)
10 In a little more than a year
    your confidence will be shaken;
For the vintage will fail,
    no fruit harvest will come in.(H)
11 Tremble, you who are so complacent!
    Shudder, you who are so confident!
Strip yourselves bare,
    with only a loincloth for cover.(I)
12 Beat your breasts
    for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vine;(J)
13 For the soil of my people,
    overgrown with thorns and briers;
For all the joyful houses,
    the exultant city.(K)
14 The castle[a] will be forsaken,
    the noisy city deserted;
Citadel and tower will become wasteland forever,
    the joy of wild donkeys, the pasture of flocks;(L)
15 [b]Until the spirit from on high
    is poured out on us.
And the wilderness becomes a garden land
    and the garden land seems as common as forest.(M)
16 Then judgment will dwell in the wilderness
    and justice abide in the garden land.
17 The work of justice will be peace;
    the effect of justice, calm and security forever.(N)
18 My people will live in peaceful country,
    in secure dwellings and quiet resting places.(O)
19 And the forest will come down completely,
    the city will be utterly laid low.[c](P)
20 Happy are you who sow beside every stream,
    and let the ox and the donkey go freely!(Q)

Footnotes

  1. 32:14 The castle: the fortified royal palace in Jerusalem. Citadel: Ophel, the fortified hill, with its stronghold called “the great projecting tower” (Neh 3:27).
  2. 32:15–18, 20 Extraordinary peace and prosperity will come to Israel under just rulers.
  3. 32:19 Probably from a different context, perhaps after v. 14a.

The Kingdom of Righteousness

32 See, a king(A) will reign in righteousness
    and rulers will rule with justice.(B)
Each one will be like a shelter(C) from the wind
    and a refuge from the storm,(D)
like streams of water(E) in the desert(F)
    and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,(G)
    and the ears(H) of those who hear will listen.
The fearful heart will know and understand,(I)
    and the stammering tongue(J) will be fluent and clear.
No longer will the fool(K) be called noble
    nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
For fools speak folly,(L)
    their hearts are bent on evil:(M)
They practice ungodliness(N)
    and spread error(O) concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty(P)
    and from the thirsty they withhold water.
Scoundrels use wicked methods,(Q)
    they make up evil schemes(R)
to destroy the poor with lies,
    even when the plea of the needy(S) is just.(T)
But the noble make noble plans,
    and by noble deeds(U) they stand.(V)

The Women of Jerusalem

You women(W) who are so complacent,
    rise up and listen(X) to me;
you daughters who feel secure,(Y)
    hear what I have to say!
10 In little more than a year(Z)
    you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,(AA)
    and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11 Tremble,(AB) you complacent women;
    shudder, you daughters who feel secure!(AC)
Strip off your fine clothes(AD)
    and wrap yourselves in rags.(AE)
12 Beat your breasts(AF) for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vines(AG)
13 and for the land of my people,
    a land overgrown with thorns and briers(AH)
yes, mourn(AI) for all houses of merriment
    and for this city of revelry.(AJ)
14 The fortress(AK) will be abandoned,
    the noisy city deserted;(AL)
citadel and watchtower(AM) will become a wasteland forever,
    the delight of donkeys,(AN) a pasture for flocks,(AO)
15 till the Spirit(AP) is poured on us from on high,
    and the desert becomes a fertile field,(AQ)
    and the fertile field seems like a forest.(AR)
16 The Lord’s justice(AS) will dwell in the desert,(AT)
    his righteousness(AU) live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness(AV) will be peace;(AW)
    its effect will be quietness and confidence(AX) forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful(AY) dwelling places,
    in secure homes,(AZ)
    in undisturbed places of rest.(BA)
19 Though hail(BB) flattens the forest(BC)
    and the city is leveled(BD) completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
    sowing(BE) your seed by every stream,(BF)
    and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.(BG)