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Isaiah 31-33
New King James Version
Isaiah 31-33
New King James Version
The Folly of Not Trusting God
31 Woe to those (A)who go down to Egypt for help,
And (B)rely on horses,
Who trust in chariots because they are many,
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
(C)Nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,
And (D)will not [a]call back His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers,
And against the help of those who work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down;
They all will perish (E)together.
God Will Deliver Jerusalem
4 For thus the Lord has spoken to me:
(F)“As a lion roars,
And a young lion over his prey
(When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him,
He will not be afraid of their voice
Nor be disturbed by their noise),
So the Lord of hosts will come down
To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
5 (G)Like birds flying about,
So will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.
Defending, He will also deliver it;
Passing over, He will preserve it.”
6 Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have (H)deeply revolted. 7 For in that day every man shall (I)throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—(J)sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.
8 “Then Assyria shall (K)fall by a sword not of man,
And a sword not of mankind shall (L)devour him.
But he shall flee from the sword,
And his young men shall become forced labor.
9 (M)He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear,
And his princes shall be afraid of the banner,”
Says the Lord,
Whose fire is in Zion
And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
A Reign of Righteousness
32 Behold, (N)a king will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.
2 A man will be as a hiding place from the wind,
And (O)a [b]cover from the tempest,
As rivers of water in a dry place,
As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3 (P)The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 Also the heart of the [c]rash will (Q)understand knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.
5 The foolish person will no longer be called [d]generous,
Nor the miser said to be bountiful;
6 For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work (R)iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7 Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with (S)lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.
8 But a [e]generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.
Consequences of Complacency
9 Rise up, you women (T)who are at ease,
Hear my voice;
You complacent daughters,
Give ear to my speech.
10 In a year and some days
You will be troubled, you complacent women;
For the vintage will fail,
The gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
Be troubled, you complacent ones;
Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare,
And gird sackcloth on your waists.
12 People shall mourn upon their breasts
For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
13 (U)On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers,
Yes, on all the happy homes in (V)the joyous city;
14 (W)Because the palaces will be forsaken,
The bustling city will be deserted.
The forts and towers will become lairs forever,
A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks—
15 Until (X)the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
And (Y)the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
The Peace of God’s Reign
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
17 (Z)The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.
18 My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation,
In secure dwellings, and in quiet (AA)resting places,
19 (AB)Though hail comes down (AC)on the forest,
And the city is brought low in humiliation.
20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters,
Who send out freely the feet of (AD)the ox and the donkey.
A Prayer in Deep Distress
33 Woe to you (AE)who plunder, though you have not been plundered;
And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!
(AF)When you cease plundering,
You will be (AG)plundered;
When you make an end of dealing treacherously,
They will deal treacherously with you.
2 O Lord, be gracious to us;
(AH)We have waited for You.
Be [f]their arm every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the tumult the people (AI)shall flee;
When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered;
4 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.
5 (AJ)The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the Lord is His treasure.
7 Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside,
(AK)The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
8 (AL)The highways lie waste,
The traveling man ceases.
(AM)He has broken the covenant,
[g]He has despised the [h]cities,
He regards no man.
9 (AN)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(AO) I will rise,” says the Lord;
“Now I will be exalted,
Now I will lift Myself up.
11 (AP)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;
(AQ)Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.
13 Hear, (AR)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 (AS)fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”
15 He who (AT)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 (AU)shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
16 He will dwell on [i]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 (AV)beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror:
(AW)“Where is the scribe?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 (AX)You will not see a fierce people,
(AY)A people of obscure speech, beyond perception,
Of a [j]stammering tongue that you cannot understand.
20 (AZ)Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see (BA)Jerusalem, a quiet home,
A tabernacle that will not be taken down;
(BB)Not one of (BC)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 [k]galley with oars will sail,
Nor majestic ships pass by
22 (For the Lord is our (BD)Judge,
The Lord is our (BE)Lawgiver,
(BF)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”;
(BG)The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 31:2 retract
- Isaiah 32:2 shelter
- Isaiah 32:4 hasty
- Isaiah 32:5 noble
- Isaiah 32:8 noble
- Isaiah 33:2 LXX omits their; Syr., Tg., Vg. our
- Isaiah 33:8 Tg. They have been removed from their cities
- Isaiah 33:8 So with MT, Vg.; DSS witnesses; LXX omits cities
- Isaiah 33:16 Lit. heights
- Isaiah 33:19 Unintelligible speech
- Isaiah 33:21 ship
Isaiah 31-33
New International Version
Isaiah 31-33
New International Version
Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt
31 Woe(A) to those who go down to Egypt(B) for help,
who rely on horses,(C)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots(D)
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One(E) of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.(F)
2 Yet he too is wise(G) and can bring disaster;(H)
he does not take back his words.(I)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,(J)
against those who help evildoers.
3 But the Egyptians(K) are mere mortals and not God;(L)
their horses(M) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,(N)
those who help will stumble,
those who are helped(O) will fall;
all will perish together.(P)
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“As a lion(Q) growls,
a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds(R)
is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
or disturbed by their clamor(S)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down(T)
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5 Like birds hovering(U) overhead,
the Lord Almighty will shield(V) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver(W) it,
he will ‘pass over’(X) it and will rescue it.”
6 Return,(Y) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted(Z) against. 7 For in that day(AA) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold(AB) your sinful hands have made.(AC)
8 “Assyria(AD) will fall by no human sword;
a sword, not of mortals, will devour(AE) them.
They will flee before the sword
and their young men will be put to forced labor.(AF)
9 Their stronghold(AG) will fall because of terror;
at the sight of the battle standard(AH) their commanders will panic,(AI)”
declares the Lord,
whose fire(AJ) is in Zion,
whose furnace(AK) is in Jerusalem.
The Kingdom of Righteousness
32 See, a king(AL) will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.(AM)
2 Each one will be like a shelter(AN) from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,(AO)
like streams of water(AP) in the desert(AQ)
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,(AR)
and the ears(AS) of those who hear will listen.
4 The fearful heart will know and understand,(AT)
and the stammering tongue(AU) will be fluent and clear.
5 No longer will the fool(AV) be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
6 For fools speak folly,(AW)
their hearts are bent on evil:(AX)
They practice ungodliness(AY)
and spread error(AZ) concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty(BA)
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
7 Scoundrels use wicked methods,(BB)
they make up evil schemes(BC)
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy(BD) is just.(BE)
8 But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds(BF) they stand.(BG)
The Women of Jerusalem
9 You women(BH) who are so complacent,
rise up and listen(BI) to me;
you daughters who feel secure,(BJ)
hear what I have to say!
10 In little more than a year(BK)
you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,(BL)
and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11 Tremble,(BM) you complacent women;
shudder, you daughters who feel secure!(BN)
Strip off your fine clothes(BO)
and wrap yourselves in rags.(BP)
12 Beat your breasts(BQ) for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vines(BR)
13 and for the land of my people,
a land overgrown with thorns and briers(BS)—
yes, mourn(BT) for all houses of merriment
and for this city of revelry.(BU)
14 The fortress(BV) will be abandoned,
the noisy city deserted;(BW)
citadel and watchtower(BX) will become a wasteland forever,
the delight of donkeys,(BY) a pasture for flocks,(BZ)
15 till the Spirit(CA) is poured on us from on high,
and the desert becomes a fertile field,(CB)
and the fertile field seems like a forest.(CC)
16 The Lord’s justice(CD) will dwell in the desert,(CE)
his righteousness(CF) live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness(CG) will be peace;(CH)
its effect will be quietness and confidence(CI) forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful(CJ) dwelling places,
in secure homes,(CK)
in undisturbed places of rest.(CL)
19 Though hail(CM) flattens the forest(CN)
and the city is leveled(CO) completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
sowing(CP) your seed by every stream,(CQ)
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.(CR)
Distress and Help
33 Woe(CS) 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;(CT)
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.(CU)
2 Lord, be gracious(CV) to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength(CW) every morning,
our salvation(CX) in time of distress.(CY)
3 At the uproar of your army,(CZ) the peoples flee;(DA)
when you rise up,(DB) the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder,(DC) O nations, is harvested(DD) as by young locusts;(DE)
like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
5 The Lord is exalted,(DF) for he dwells on high;(DG)
he will fill Zion with his justice(DH) and righteousness.(DI)
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation(DJ) and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear(DK) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a](DL)
7 Look, their brave men(DM) cry aloud in the streets;
the envoys(DN) of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted,
no travelers(DO) are on the roads.(DP)
The treaty is broken,(DQ)
its witnesses[b] are despised,
no one is respected.
9 The land dries up(DR) and wastes away,
Lebanon(DS) is ashamed and withers;(DT)
Sharon(DU) is like the Arabah,
and Bashan(DV) and Carmel(DW) drop their leaves.
10 “Now will I arise,(DX)” says the Lord.
“Now will I be exalted;(DY)
now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive(DZ) chaff,
you give birth(EA) to straw;
your breath is a fire(EB) that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;(EC)
like cut thornbushes(ED) they will be set ablaze.(EE)”
13 You who are far away,(EF) hear(EG) what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners(EH) in Zion are terrified;
trembling(EI) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?(EJ)
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously(EK)
and speak what is right,(EL)
who reject gain from extortion(EM)
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,(EN)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes(EO) against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,(EP)
whose refuge(EQ) will be the mountain fortress.(ER)
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail(ES) them.
17 Your eyes will see the king(ET) in his beauty(EU)
and view a land that stretches afar.(EV)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:(EW)
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?(EX)”
19 You will see those arrogant people(EY) no more,
people whose speech is obscure,
whose language is strange and incomprehensible.(EZ)
20 Look on Zion,(FA) the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode,(FB) a tent(FC) that will not be moved;(FD)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(FE) One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(FF)
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship(FG) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(FH)
the Lord is our lawgiver,(FI)
the Lord is our king;(FJ)
it is he who will save(FK) us.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
- Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.