A Prayer in Deep Distress

33 Woe to you (A)who plunder, though you have not been plundered;
And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!
(B)When you cease plundering,
You will be (C)plundered;
When you make an end of dealing treacherously,
They will deal treacherously with you.

O Lord, be gracious to us;
(D)We have waited for You.
Be [a]their arm every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of trouble.
At the noise of the tumult the people (E)shall flee;
When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered;
And Your plunder shall be gathered
Like the gathering of the caterpillar;
As the running to and fro of locusts,
He shall run upon them.

(F)The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the Lord is His treasure.

Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside,
(G)The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
(H)The highways lie waste,
The traveling man ceases.
(I)He has broken the covenant,
[b]He has despised the [c]cities,
He regards no man.
(J)The earth mourns and languishes,
Lebanon is shamed and shriveled;
Sharon is like a wilderness,
And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

Impending Judgment on Zion

10 “Now(K) I will rise,” says the Lord;
“Now I will be exalted,
Now I will lift Myself up.
11 (L)You shall conceive chaff,
You shall bring forth stubble;
Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
12 And the people shall be like the burnings of lime;
(M)Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.
13 Hear, (N)you who are afar off, what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring (O)fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”
15 He who (P)walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And (Q)shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
16 He will dwell on [d]high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

The Land of the Majestic King

17 Your eyes will see the King in His (R)beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror:
(S)“Where is the scribe?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 (T)You will not see a fierce people,
(U)A people of obscure speech, beyond perception,
Of a [e]stammering tongue that you cannot understand.

20 (V)Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see (W)Jerusalem, a quiet home,
A tabernacle that will not be taken down;
(X)Not one of (Y)its stakes will ever be removed,
Nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the majestic Lord will be for us
A place of broad rivers and streams,
In which no [f]galley with oars will sail,
Nor majestic ships pass by
22 (For the Lord is our (Z)Judge,
The Lord is our (AA)Lawgiver,
(AB)The Lord is our King;
He will save us);
23 Your tackle is loosed,
They could not strengthen their mast,
They could not spread the sail.

Then the prey of great plunder is divided;
The lame take the prey.
24 And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”;
(AC)The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:2 LXX omits their; Syr., Tg., Vg. our
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Tg. They have been removed from their cities
  3. Isaiah 33:8 So with MT, Vg.; DSS witnesses; LXX omits cities
  4. Isaiah 33:16 Lit. heights
  5. Isaiah 33:19 Unintelligible speech
  6. Isaiah 33:21 ship

向 神求救的禱告

33 你這毀滅人,

自己卻不被毀滅的;

你這行事詭詐,別人倒不以詭詐待你的,有禍了!

你剛停止毀滅人的時候,自己就要被毀滅;

你剛停止行詭詐的時候,別人就必以詭詐待你。

耶和華啊!求你施恩給我們;我們等候你。

每天早晨,願你作我們的膀臂,

在遭難的時候,作我們的拯救。

喧嚷的聲音一發,眾民必逃跑;

你一興起,列國就四散。

列國啊!你們所擄掠的必被收取,

像螞蚱收取禾稼一樣;

蝗蟲怎樣為食物忙碌走動,人也怎樣在擄物上忙亂。

耶和華必被尊崇,因為他居住在高天;

他必以公平與公義充滿錫安。

他是你一生一世的保障、

豐盛的救恩、智慧和知識;

敬畏耶和華就是他的至寶。

看哪!他們的勇士在街上呼叫;

和平的使者在痛苦哭泣。

大路荒涼,過路的人絕跡;

敵人背約,藐視約章,

不尊重任何人。

大地悲哀衰殘,

黎巴嫩羞慚枯乾;

沙崙好像荒原,

巴珊和迦密的樹木凋零。

 神彰顯大能加以干預

10 耶和華說:“現在我要起來,

現在我要興起,現在我要被人尊崇。

11 你們所懷的是糠秕,所生的是碎稭;

我的氣息必像火一般吞滅你們。

12 眾民必像燃燒的石灰,

又像被割下的荊棘,在火中焚燒。

13 遠方的人哪!你們要聽我所作的事;

近處的人哪!你們要承認我的大能。”

14 在錫安的罪人都恐懼;

戰兢抓住了不敬虔的人:

“我們中間誰能與吞滅一切的火同住呢?

我們中間誰能與不斷燃燒的火同住呢?”

15 那行事公義,說話正直,

拒絕不義的財利,

搖手不受賄賂,

塞耳不聽血腥的事,

閉眼不看邪惡的事的,

16 這樣的人必居住在高處,

他的保障必在堅固的磐石上,

他的糧食必有供應,

他的水源永不斷絕。

幸福美好的將來

17 你必親眼看見王的榮美,

必看見遼闊之地。

18 你的心必默想已往的恐懼,說:

“那記數目的在哪裡?

那稱貢銀的在哪裡?

那數點城樓的在哪裡呢?”

19 你必不再見那強暴的民了,

就是那說話深奧,難以明白,

舌頭結巴,難以聽懂的民。

20 你要看著錫安,就是我們舉行制定節期的城,

你必看見耶路撒冷,是一個安全的居所,

一個不挪移的帳幕,

它的橛子永不會拔起來,

它的繩索也不會扯斷。

21 在那裡,威嚴的耶和華必作我們江河寬渠溢流之地。

必沒有盪槳搖櫓的船隻能在其上往來,

威武的戰船也不能經過。

22 因為耶和華是我們的審判者,

耶和華是我們的立法者,

耶和華是我們的君王,

他必拯救我們。

23 現在你的繩索雖然鬆開,

不能綁緊桅杆,

也不能揚起帆來,

但到那時,許多擄物必被你們瓜分,

甚至瘸腿的也能把掠物掠去。

24 以色列的居民必不再說:“我有病”;

因為在其中居住的,罪孽必得赦免。

Distress and Help

33 Woe(A) to you, destroyer,
    you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
    you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
    you will be destroyed;(B)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.(C)

Lord, be gracious(D) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength(E) every morning,
    our salvation(F) in time of distress.(G)
At the uproar of your army,(H) the peoples flee;(I)
    when you rise up,(J) the nations scatter.
Your plunder,(K) O nations, is harvested(L) as by young locusts;(M)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

The Lord is exalted,(N) for he dwells on high;(O)
    he will fill Zion with his justice(P) and righteousness.(Q)
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation(R) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear(S) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a](T)

Look, their brave men(U) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys(V) of peace weep bitterly.
The highways are deserted,
    no travelers(W) are on the roads.(X)
The treaty is broken,(Y)
    its witnesses[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
The land dries up(Z) and wastes away,
    Lebanon(AA) is ashamed and withers;(AB)
Sharon(AC) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan(AD) and Carmel(AE) drop their leaves.

10 “Now will I arise,(AF)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;(AG)
    now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive(AH) chaff,
    you give birth(AI) to straw;
    your breath is a fire(AJ) that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;(AK)
    like cut thornbushes(AL) they will be set ablaze.(AM)

13 You who are far away,(AN) hear(AO) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners(AP) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling(AQ) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?(AR)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously(AS)
    and speak what is right,(AT)
who reject gain from extortion(AU)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,(AV)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes(AW) against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,(AX)
    whose refuge(AY) will be the mountain fortress.(AZ)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail(BA) them.

17 Your eyes will see the king(BB) in his beauty(BC)
    and view a land that stretches afar.(BD)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:(BE)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?(BF)
19 You will see those arrogant people(BG) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.(BH)

20 Look on Zion,(BI) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,(BJ) a tent(BK) that will not be moved;(BL)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(BM) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(BN)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship(BO) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(BP)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,(BQ)
the Lord is our king;(BR)
    it is he who will save(BS) us.

23 Your rigging hangs loose:
    The mast is not held secure,
    the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
    and even the lame(BT) will carry off plunder.(BU)
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;(BV)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.(BW)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities