Isaiah 33:18–19

18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:

“Where is that chief officer?

Where is the one who took the revenue?

Where is the officer in charge of the towers?”

19 You will see those arrogant people no more,

people whose speech is obscure,

whose language is strange and incomprehensible.

18 Thine heart shall meditate terror.

Where is the scribe? where is the receiver?

Where is he that counted the towers?

19 Thou 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.

18 You will think back to this time of terror, asking,

“Where are the Assyrian officers

who counted our towers?

Where are the bookkeepers

who recorded the plunder taken from our fallen city?”

19 You will no longer see these fierce, violent people

with their strange, unknown language.

18 Your heart will meditate on terror:

“Where is the scribe?

Where is he who weighs?

Where is he who counts the towers?”

19 You will not see a fierce people,

A people of obscure speech, beyond perception,

Of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.

18 You will think about the terror of the past:

“Where is that officer?

Where is the one who collected the taxes?

Where is the officer in charge of our defense towers?”

19 No longer will you see those proud people from other countries,

whose strange language you couldn’t understand.

18 Thy heart shall muse on the terror: Where is he that counted, where is he that weighed the tribute? where is he that counted the towers? 19 Thou shalt not see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that thou canst not comprehend, of a strange tongue that thou canst not understand.

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.

18 Your mind will be thinking of the terrors ⸤in the past⸥. 

Where are the scribes? 

Where are the tax collectors? 

Where are those who counted the towers? 

19 You will no longer see those savage people, 

those people with an unrecognizable language, 

with a foreign language that you can’t understand. 

18 Your mind will meditate on the past terror:

“Where is the accountant?

Where is the tribute collector?

Where is the one who spied out our defenses?”

19 You will no longer see the barbarians,

a people whose speech is difficult to comprehend—

who stammer in a language that is not understood.

18 Your mind will muse on the terror:

“Where is the one who counted?

Where is the one who weighed the tribute?

Where is the one who counted the towers?”

19 No longer will you see the insolent people,

the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,

stammering in a language that you cannot understand.

18 Your mind will meditate on the terror:

“Where is the one who counted?

Where is the one who weighed out?

Where is the one who counted the towers?”

19 You will not see the insolent people,

the people whose language is too obscure to understand,

whose stammering of tongue cannot be understood.

18 You will think about what used to terrify you.

You will say to yourself,

“Where is that chief officer of Assyria?

Where is the one who forced us to send gifts to his king?

Where is the officer in charge of the towers

that were used when we were attacked?”

19 You won’t see those proud people anymore.

They spoke a strange language.

None of us could understand it.

18 Your heart will meditate on terror:

“Where is he who counts?

Where is he who weighs?

Where is he who counts the towers?”

19 You will no longer see a fierce people,

A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,

Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.