Isaiah 32

1Behold a king shall reign in justice, and princes shall rule in judgment.

1See, a king will be ruling in righteousness, and chiefs will give right decisions.

2And a man shall be as when one is hid from the wind, and hideth himself from a storm, as rivers of waters in drought, and the shadow of a rock that standeth out in a desert land.

2And a man will be as a safe place from the wind, and a cover from the storm; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a waste land.

3The eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken diligently.

3And the eyes of those who see will not be shut, and those who have hearing will give ear to the word.

4And the heart of fools shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of stammerers shall speak readily and plain.

4The man of sudden impulses will become wise in heart, and he whose tongue is slow will get the power of talking clearly.

5The fool shall no more be called prince: neither shall the deceitful be called great:

5The foolish man will no longer be named noble, and they will not say of the false man that he is a man of honour.

6For the fool will speak foolish things, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and speak to the Lord deceitfully, and to make empty the soul of the hungry, and take away drink from the thirsty.

6For the foolish man will say foolish things, having evil thoughts in his heart, working what is unclean, and talking falsely about the Lord, to keep food from him who is in need of it, and water from him whose soul is desiring it.

7The vessels of the deceitful are most wicked: for he hath framed devices to destroy the meek, with lying words, when the poor man speaketh judgment.

7The designs of the false are evil, purposing the destruction of the poor man by false words, even when he is in the right.

8But the prince will devise such things as are worthy of a prince, and he shall stand above the rulers.

8But the noble-hearted man has noble purposes, and by these he will be guided.

9Rise up, ye rich women, and hear my voice: ye confident daughters, give ear to my speech.

9Give ear to my voice, you women who are living in comfort; give attention to my words, you daughters who have no fear of danger.

10For after days and a year, you that are confident shall be troubled: for the vintage is at an end, the gathering shall come no more.

10In not much more than a year, you, who are not looking for evil, will be troubled: for the produce of the vine-gardens will be cut off, and there will be no getting in of the grapes.

11Be astonished, ye rich women, be troubled, ye confident ones: strip you, and be confounded, gird your loins.

11Be shaking with fear, you women who are living in comfort; be troubled, you who have no fear of danger: take off your robes and put on clothing of grief.

12Mourn for your breasts, for the delightful country, for the fruitful vineyard.

12Have sorrow for the fields, the pleasing fields, the fertile vine;

13Upon the land of my people shall thorns and briers come up: how much more upon all the houses of joy, of the city that rejoiced?

13And for the land of my people, where thorns will come up; even for all the houses of joy in the glad town.

14For the house is forsaken, the multitude of the city is left, darkness and obscurity are come upon its dens for ever. A joy of wild asses, the pastures of flocks.

14For the fair houses will have no man living in them; the town which was full of noise will become a waste; the hill and the watchtower will be unpeopled for ever, a joy for the asses of the woods, a place of food for the flocks;

15Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high: and the desert shall be as a charmel, and charmel shall be counted for a forest.

15Till the spirit comes on us from on high, and the waste land becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is changed into a wood.

16An judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and justice shall sit in charmel.

16Then in the waste land there will be an upright rule, and righteousness will have its place in the fertile field.

17And the work of justice shall be peace, and the service of justice quietness, and security for ever.

17And the work of righteousness will be peace; and the effect of an upright rule will be to take away fear for ever.

18And my people shall sit in the beauty of peace, and in the tabernacles of confidence, and in wealthy rest.

18And my people will be living in peace, in houses where there is no fear, and in quiet resting-places.

19But hail shall be in the descent of the forest, and the city shall be made very low.

19But the tall trees will come down with a great fall, and the town will be low in a low place.

20Blessed are ye that sow upon all waters, sending thither the foot of the ox and the ass.

20Happy are you who are planting seed by all the waters, and sending out the ox and the ass.