The Lord Rises Up

33 Woe, you destroyer never destroyed,

you traitor never betrayed!

When you have finished destroying,

you will be destroyed.

When you have finished betraying,

they will betray you. d

2 Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You. e

Be our strength every morning

and our salvation in time of trouble. f

3 The peoples flee at the thunderous noise; g

the nations scatter when You rise in Your majesty.

4 Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered;

people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts.

5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;

He has filled * Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 There will be times of security for you—

a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.

The * fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. h

7 Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets;

the messengers of peace weep bitterly. i

8 The highways are deserted;

travel has ceased.

An agreement has been broken, j

cities k despised,

and human life disregarded.

9 The land mourns and withers; l

Lebanon is ashamed and decayed.

Sharon is like a desert;

Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 “Now I will rise up,” m says the Lord.

“Now I will lift Myself up.

Now I will be exalted.

11 You will conceive chaff; n

you will give birth to stubble.

Your breath is fire that will consume you.

12 The peoples will be burned to ashes,

like thorns cut down and burned in a fire.

13 You who are far off, hear what I have done;

you who are near, o know My strength.”

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;

trembling seizes the ungodly:

“Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire? p

Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?”

15 The one who lives righteously

and speaks rightly, q

who refuses gain from extortion,

whose hand never takes a bribe,

who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots r

and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil s t—

16 he will dwell on the heights;

his refuge will be the rocky fortresses,

his food provided, his water assured.

17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; u

you will see a vast land. v

18 Your mind will meditate on the past terror:

“Where is the accountant? w

Where is the tribute collector? x

Where is the one who spied out our defenses?” y

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. z

20 Look at Zion, the city of our festival times.

Your eyes will see Jerusalem,

a peaceful pasture, a a tent that does not wander;

its tent pegs will not be pulled up

nor will any of its cords be loosened. b

21 For the majestic One, our Lord, will be there, c

a place of rivers and broad streams

where ships that are rowed will not go,

and majestic vessels will not pass. d

22 For the Lord is our Judge,

the Lord is our lawgiver, e

the Lord is our King.

He will save us. f

23 Your ropes are slack;

they cannot hold the base of the mast

or spread out the flag.

Then abundant spoil will be divided,

the lame will plunder it,

24 and none there will say, “I am sick.”

The people who dwell there

will be forgiven g their iniquity. h