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Warnings to Assyria and Promises to God’s People

33 How terrible it will be for you who destroy others
    but have not been destroyed yet.
How terrible it will be for you, traitor,
    whom no one has turned against yet.
When you stop destroying,
    others will destroy you.
When you stop turning against others,
    they will turn against you.

Lord, be kind to us.
    We have waited for your help.
Give us strength every morning.
    Save us when we are in trouble.
Your powerful voice makes people run away in fear;
    your greatness causes the nations to run away.
Like locusts, your enemies will take away the things you stole in war.
    Like locusts rushing about, they will take your wealth.
The Lord is very great, and he lives in a high place.
    He fills Jerusalem with fairness and justice.
He will be your safety.
    He is full of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
    Respect for the Lord is the greatest treasure.

See, brave people are crying out in the streets;
    those who tried to bring peace are weeping loudly.
There is no one on the roads,
    no one walking in the paths.
People have broken the agreements they made.
    They refuse to believe the proof from witnesses.
    No one respects other people.
The land is sick and dying;
    Lebanon is ashamed and dying.
The Plain of Sharon is dry like the desert,
    and the trees of Bashan and Carmel are dying.

10 The Lord says, “Now, I will stand up
    and show my greatness.
    Now, I will become important to the people.
11 You people do useless things
    that are like hay and straw.
    A destructive wind will burn you like fire.
12 People will be burned until their bones become like lime;
    they will burn quickly like dry thornbushes.”

13 You people in faraway lands, hear what I have done.
    You people who are near me, learn about my power.
14 The sinners in Jerusalem are afraid;
    those who are separated from God shake with fear.
They say, “Can any of us live through this fire that destroys?
    Who can live near this fire that burns on and on?”
15 A person who does what is right
    and speaks what is right,
who refuses to take money unfairly,
    who refuses to take money to hurt others,
who does not listen to plans of murder,
    who refuses to think about evil—
16 this is the kind of person who will be safe.
    He will be protected as he would be in a high, walled city.
He will always have bread,
    and he will not run out of water.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.
    You will see the land that stretches far away.
18 You will think about the terror of the past:
    “Where is that officer?
    Where is the one who collected the taxes?
    Where is the officer in charge of our defense towers?”
19 No longer will you see those proud people from other countries,
    whose strange language you couldn’t understand.

God Will Protect Jerusalem

20 Look at Jerusalem, the city of our festivals.
    Look at Jerusalem, that beautiful place of rest.
It is like a tent that will never be moved;
    the pegs that hold her in place will never be pulled up,
    and her ropes will never be broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
    That land is a place with streams and wide rivers,
but there will be no enemy boats on those rivers;
    no powerful ship will sail on them.
22 This is because the Lord is our judge.
    The Lord makes our laws.
The Lord is our king.
    He will save us.
23 You sailors from other lands, hear:
    The ropes on your boats hang loose.
    The mast is not held firm.
    The sails are not spread open.
Then your great wealth will be divided.
    There will be so much wealth that even the crippled people will carry off a share.
24 No one living in Jerusalem will say, “I am sick.”
    The people who live there will have their sins forgiven.

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

33 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

10 Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

21 But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.