Isaiah 33

¹Woe 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.

²O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

³At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

⁴And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

⁵The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

⁶And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

⁷Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

⁸The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

⁹The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

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

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

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

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

¹⁴The 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?

¹⁵He 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;

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

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

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

¹⁹Thou 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.

²⁰Look 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.

²¹But 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.

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

²³Thy 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.

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

Isaiah 33

¹Woe to you, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.

²O LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble.

³The peoples flee the thunder of Your voice; the nations scatter when You rise.

⁴Your spoil, O nations, is gathered as by locusts; like a swarm of locusts men sweep over it.

⁵The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

⁶He will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.

⁷Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.

⁸The highways are deserted; travel has ceased. The treaty has been broken, the witnesses are despised, and human life is disregarded.

⁹The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

¹⁰“Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be exalted.

¹¹You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will consume you.

¹²The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thorns cut down and set ablaze.

¹³You who are far off, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

¹⁴The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”

¹⁵He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—

¹⁶he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.

¹⁷Your eyes will see the King in His beauty and behold a land that stretches afar.

¹⁸Your mind will ponder the former terror: “Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?”

¹⁹You will no longer see the insolent, a people whose speech is unintelligible, who stammer in a language you cannot understand.

²⁰Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not wander; its tent pegs will not be pulled up, nor will any of its cords be broken.

²¹But there the Majestic One, our LORD, will be for us a place of rivers and wide canals, where no galley with oars will row, and no majestic vessel will pass.

²²For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King. It is He who will save us.

²³Your ropes are slack; they cannot secure the mast or spread the sail. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided, and even the lame will carry off plunder.

²⁴And no resident of Zion will say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell there will be forgiven of iniquity.