Isaiah 32

A Reign of Righteousness

32Behold, ^aa king will reign in righteousness,

And princes will rule with justice.

²A man will be as a hiding place from the wind,

And ^ba ¹cover from the tempest,

As rivers of water in a dry place,

As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

^3cThe eyes of those who see will not be dim,

And the ears of those who hear will listen.

⁴Also the heart of the ²rash will ^dunderstand knowledge,

And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

⁵The foolish person will no longer be called ³generous,

Nor the miser said to be bountiful;

⁶For the foolish person will speak foolishness,

And his heart will work ^einiquity:

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.

⁷Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;

He devises wicked plans

To destroy the poor with ^flying words,

Even when the needy speaks justice.

⁸But a ⁴generous man devises generous things,

And by generosity he shall stand.

Consequences of Complacency

⁹Rise up, you women ^gwho are at ease,

Hear my voice;

You complacent daughters,

Give ear to my speech.

¹⁰In a year and some days

You will be troubled, you complacent women;

For the vintage will fail,

The gathering will not come.

¹¹Tremble, you women who are at ease;

Be troubled, you complacent ones;

Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare,

And gird sackcloth on your waists.

¹²People shall mourn upon their breasts

For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

^13hOn the land of my people will come up thorns and briers,

Yes, on all the happy homes in ⁱthe joyous city;

^14jBecause 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—

¹⁵Until ^kthe Spirit is poured upon us from on high,

And ^lthe wilderness becomes a fruitful field,

And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.

The Peace of God’s Reign

¹⁶Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,

And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

^17mThe work of righteousness will be peace,

And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.

¹⁸My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation,

In secure dwellings, and in quiet ⁿresting places,

^19oThough hail comes down ^pon the forest,

And the city is brought low in humiliation.

²⁰Blessed are you who sow beside all waters,

Who send out freely the feet of ^qthe ox and the donkey.