Isaiah 31-33

Darby Translation

31 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and depend on horses, and confide in chariots because [they are] many, and in horsemen because they are very strong; and who look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Jehovah!

² But he also is wise, and he bringeth evil, and recalleth not his words; and he will arise against the house of evildoers, and against the help of workers of iniquity.

³ And the Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh, and not spirit; and Jehovah shall stretch forth his hand, and he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall perish together.

⁴ For thus hath Jehovah said unto me: Like as the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, is not afraid of their voice, nor giveth way before the multitude of them; so will Jehovah of hosts come down to war upon mount Zion, and on the hill thereof.

⁵ As birds with outstretched wings, so will Jehovah of hosts cover Jerusalem; covering, he will also deliver, passing over, he will rescue [it].

⁶ Turn unto him from whom ye have deeply revolted, ye children of Israel;

⁷ for in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your sinful hands have made unto you.

⁸ And Asshur shall fall by the sword, not of a great man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become tributary;

⁹ and for fear, he shall pass over to his rock, and his princes shall be afraid of the banner, saith Jehovah, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

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

² And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the storm; as brooks of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

³ And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken;

⁴ and the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

⁵ The vile man shall be no more called noble, nor the churl said to be bountiful:

⁶ for the vile man will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

⁷ The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the meek with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.

⁸ But the noble deviseth noble things; and to noble things doth he stand.

⁹ Rise up, ye women that are at ease, hear my voice; ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech.

¹⁰ In a year and [some] days shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering 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] on your loins!

¹² They shall smite on the breasts [in lamentation] for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vineyards.

¹³ Upon the land of my people shall come up thistles [and] briars, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

¹⁴ For the palace shall be deserted, the multitude of the city shall be forsaken; hill and watchtower shall be caves 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 become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

¹⁶ And judgment shall inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness dwell 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 And 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 the feet of the ox and the ass.

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

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

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

⁴ And your spoil shall be gathered [like] the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running of locusts shall they run upon it.

⁵ Jehovah is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness;

⁶ and he shall be the stability of thy times, the riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of Jehovah shall be your treasure.

⁷ Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.

⁸ The highways are desolate, the wayfaring man ceaseth. He hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

⁹ The land mourneth, it languisheth; Lebanon is ashamed, is withered; the Sharon is become as a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped.

¹⁰ Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself.

¹¹ Ye shall conceive dry grass, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath shall devour you [as] fire.

¹² And the peoples shall be [as] 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; trembling hath surprised the hypocrites: Who among us shall dwell with the consuming fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting flames?

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

¹⁶ he shall dwell on high, the fortresses of the rocks shall be his high retreat; bread shall be given him, his water shall be sure.

¹⁷ Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty; they shall behold the land that is far off.

¹⁸ Thy heart shall meditate on terror: Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

¹⁹ Thou shalt no more see the fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst comprehend, of a stammering tongue that cannot be understood.

²⁰ Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes whereof shall never be pulled up, neither shall any of its cords be broken;

²¹ but there Jehovah is unto us glorious,—a place of rivers, of broad streams: no galley with oars shall go there, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

²² For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah, our lawgiver, Jehovah, our king: he will save us.

²³ Thy tacklings are loosed; they strengthen not the socket of their mast, they cannot 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.