Isaiah 33

Distress and Help

Woe^a 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;^b

when you stop betraying,

you will be betrayed.^c

Lord, be gracious^d to us;

we long for you.

Be our strength^e every morning,

our salvation^f in time of distress.^g

At the uproar of your army,^h the peoples flee;ⁱ

when you rise up,^j the nations scatter.

Their plunder^k is harvested^l as by young locusts;^m

like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

The Lord is exalted,ⁿ for he dwells on high;^o

he will fill Zion with his justice^p and righteousness.^q

He will be the sure foundation for your times,

a rich store of salvation^r and wisdom and knowledge;

the fear^s of the Lord is the key to this treasure.^t

Look, their brave men^u cry aloud in the streets;

the envoys^v of peace weep bitterly.

The highways are deserted,

no travelers^w are on the roads.^x

The treaty is broken,^y

its witnesses are despised,

no one is respected.

The land dries up^z and wastes away,

Lebanon^a is ashamed and withers;^b

Sharon^c is like the Arabah,

and Bashan^d and Carmel^e drop their leaves.

“Now will I arise,^f” says the Lord.

“Now will I be exalted;^g

now will I be lifted up.

You conceive^h chaff,

you give birthⁱ to straw;

your breath is a fire^j that consumes you.

The peoples will be burned as if to lime;^k

like cut thornbushes^l they will be set ablaze.^m”

You who are far away,ⁿ hear^o what I have done;

you who are near, acknowledge my power!

The sinners^p in Zion are terrified;

trembling^q grips the godless:

“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?^r

Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”

Those who walk righteously^s

and speak what is right,^t

who reject gain from extortion^u

and keep their hands from accepting bribes,^v

who stop their ears against plots of murder

and shut their eyes^w against contemplating evil—

they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,^x

whose refuge^y will be the mountain fortress.^z

Their bread will be supplied,

and water will not fail^a them.

Your eyes will see the king^b in his beauty^c

and view a land that stretches afar.^d

In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:^e

“Where is that chief officer?

Where is the one who took the revenue?

Where is the officer in charge of the towers?^f”

You will see those arrogant people^g no more,

people whose speech is obscure,

whose language is strange and incomprehensible.^h

Look on Zion,ⁱ the city of our festivals;

your eyes will see Jerusalem,

a peaceful abode,^j a tent^k that will not be moved;^l

its stakes will never be pulled up,

nor any of its ropes broken.

There the Lord will be our Mighty^m One.

It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.ⁿ

No galley with oars will ride them,

no mighty ship^o will sail them.

For the Lord is our judge,^p

the Lord is our lawgiver,^q

the Lord is our king;^r

it is he who will save^s us.

Your rigging hangs loose:

The mast is not held secure,

the sail is not spread.

Then an abundance of spoils will be divided

and even the lame^t will carry off plunder.^u

No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;^v

and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.^w