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A Good Kingdom Is Coming

32 A king will rule in ·a way that brings justice [righteousness; justice],
    and ·leaders [rulers; princes] will ·make fair decisions [rule in justice].
Then each ruler will be like a shelter from the wind,
    like a ·safe place [refuge] in a storm,
like streams of water in a dry land,
    like a cool shadow from a large rock in a ·hot [thirsty; weary] land.

Then the eyes of those who see will ·see the truth [not be closed],
    and the ears of those who hear will listen.
·People who are now worried [or Those who are reckless; L The heart of the hasty] will be able to understand.
    ·Those who cannot speak clearly now [The stuttering/stammering tongue] will then be able to speak clearly and quickly.
Fools will not be called ·great [noble; honorable],
    and people will not respect the ·wicked [scoundrel; deceiver].
A fool says foolish things,
    and in his ·mind [heart] he ·plans evil [or commits sin].
A fool ·does things that are wicked [practices ungodliness],
    and he ·says wrong things [spreads error] about the Lord.
A fool does not feed the hungry
    or let thirsty people drink water.
The ·wicked person [scoundrel] uses evil ·like a tool [or schemes; methods].
    He plans ·ways [wicked schemes] to take everything from the poor.
He destroys the poor with lies,
    even when the ·poor person [needy] ·is in the right [L speak justice].
But a ·good leader plans to do good [honorable/noble man plans honorable/noble things],
    and those ·good [honorable; noble] things make him ·a good leader [or stand firm].

Hard Times Are Coming

You women who are ·calm [complacent] now,
    ·stand [rise] up and listen to ·me [L my voice].
You ·women [L daughters] who feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now,
    hear what I say.
10 You women feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now,
    but ·after one year [L in a year and some days] you will ·be afraid [shudder; tremble].
There will be no grape harvest
    and no summer fruit to gather.
11 Women, you are ·calm [complacent] now, but you should shake with fear.
    Women, you feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now, but you should tremble.
·Take [Strip] off your nice clothes
    and put ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth] around your waist [C a sign of sorrow or despair].
12 Beat your breasts [C a sign of mourning or grief], ·because the fields that were pleasant are now empty [L for the pleasant fields].
    ·Cry, because the vines that once had fruit now have no more grapes [L …for the fruitful vine].
13 ·Cry for [L …for] the land of my people,
    in which only thorns and weeds now grow [Gen. 3:18].
·Cry for [L …for] the city that once was happy
    and for all the houses that once were filled with joy.
14 The ·palace [or fortress] will be ·empty [abandoned; deserted];
    the ·noisy [bustling; populous] city will be abandoned.
·Strong cities and towers [or The citadel and the watchtower] will be empty.
    Wild donkeys will love to live there, and sheep will go there to eat.

Things Will Get Better

15 This will continue until ·God pours his Spirit [L the Spirit is poured] from ·above [heaven; T on high] upon us.
    Then the desert will be like ·rich farmland [a fertile/fruitful field]
    and the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field] like a forest [29:17; 35:1, 2].
16 Justice will ·be found [L dwell] even in the desert,
    and fairness will be found in the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field].
17 That fairness will bring peace,
    and it will bring ·calm [quietness] and ·safety [trust; confidence] forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful places
    and in ·safe [secure] homes
    and in ·calm [quiet] places of rest.
19 Hail will destroy the forest,
    and the city will be ·completely destroyed [brought down; laid low].
20 But you will be ·happy [blessed] as you plant seeds near every stream
    and as you let [L the feet of] your cattle and donkeys wander freely.

A Reign of Righteousness

32 Behold, (A)a king will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.
A man will be as a hiding place from the wind,
And (B)a [a]cover from the tempest,
As rivers of water in a dry place,
As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
(C)The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
Also the heart of the [b]rash will (D)understand knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

The foolish person will no longer be called [c]generous,
Nor the miser said to be bountiful;
For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work (E)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.
Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with (F)lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.
But a [d]generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.

Consequences of Complacency

Rise up, you women (G)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 (H)On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers,
Yes, on all the happy homes in (I)the joyous city;
14 (J)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 (K)the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
And (L)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 (M)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 (N)resting places,
19 (O)Though hail comes down (P)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 (Q)the ox and the donkey.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 32:2 shelter
  2. Isaiah 32:4 hasty
  3. Isaiah 32:5 noble
  4. Isaiah 32:8 noble

A King Will Reign in Righteousness

32 Behold, (A)a king will reign in righteousness,
    and princes will rule in justice.
(B)Each will be like a hiding place from the wind,
    a shelter from the storm,
(C)like streams of water in a dry place,
    like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.
(D)Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,
    and the ears of those who hear will give attention.
The heart of the hasty will understand and know,
    (E)and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly.
(F)The fool will no more be called noble,
    nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.
For (G)the fool speaks folly,
    and his heart is busy with iniquity,
to practice ungodliness,
    to utter error concerning the Lord,
(H)to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,
    and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
As for the scoundrel—(I)his devices are evil;
    he plans wicked schemes
to ruin the poor with lying words,
    even when the plea of the needy is right.
But he who is noble plans noble things,
    and on noble things he stands.

Complacent Women Warned of Disaster

(J)Rise up, you women (K)who are at ease, hear my voice;
    you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.
10 In little more than a year
    you will shudder, you complacent women;
for the grape harvest fails,
    the fruit harvest will not come.
11 Tremble, you women (L)who are at ease,
    shudder, you complacent ones;
(M)strip, and make yourselves bare,
    (N)and tie sackcloth around your waist.
12 (O)Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vine,
13 (P)for the soil of my people
    growing up in thorns and briers,
(Q)yes, for all the joyous houses
    in the exultant city.
14 For the palace is forsaken,
    the populous city deserted;
the hill and the watchtower
    will become dens forever,
(R)a joy of wild donkeys,
    a pasture of flocks;
15 until (S)the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
    and (T)the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
    and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
17 (U)And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
    and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust[a] forever.
18 My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
    in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
19 (V)And it will hail when the forest falls down,
    (W)and the city will be utterly laid low.
20 (X)Happy are you who sow beside all waters,
    who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 32:17 Or security

公义的君王

32 看啊,必有一位君王以公义治国,

官员们必秉公施政。
每人都像躲避狂风暴雨的庇护所,
如荒漠中的溪流,
又似干旱之地遮荫的大磐石。
人们的眼睛必不再迷蒙,
耳朵必能听见。
急躁的人必慎思明辨,
口吃的人必说话清楚流利。
愚昧人必不再被奉为尊贵之人,
恶棍必不再受尊重。
因为愚昧人说愚昧话,
心里邪恶,行事不义,
亵渎耶和华,
使饥饿的人没饭吃,
使口渴的人没水喝。
恶棍们手段邪恶,
用阴谋诡计和谎言毁灭困苦的人,
即使穷人的诉求有理也是枉然。
高尚的人计划高尚的事,
在高尚的事上持之以恒。
生活安逸的妇女啊,
来听我的声音!
无忧无虑的女子啊,
要侧耳听我的言语!
10 无忧无虑的女子啊,
再过一年多,
你们必因恐惧而战抖。
那时,必没有葡萄可摘,
没有果子可收。
11 生活安逸的妇女啊,战抖吧!
无忧无虑的女子啊,颤栗吧!
你们要脱下衣服,
腰束麻布,
12 为美好的田地和硕果累累的葡萄树捶胸痛哭吧!
13 为我百姓那长满荆棘和蒺藜的土地,
为那曾经充满欢乐的城邑和家庭哀哭吧!
14 王宫必被遗弃,
繁荣的城邑必荒芜,
山冈和瞭望塔必永远成为野驴的乐园、羊群的草场。
15 等到圣灵从上面浇灌我们的时候,
旷野要变为沃野,
沃野上庄稼茂密如林。
16 那时,公平必充满旷野,
公义必遍布沃野。
17 公义必带来平安,
公义所结的果子是永远的和平与安宁。
18 我的子民必住在平安之地、
安稳之处、平静之所。
19 但冰雹必扫平森林,荡平城邑。
20 你们这些在河边撒种、自由地牧放牛驴的人有福了!