Isaiah 33
33
1Tragedy is coming to you, you destroyer who has not experienced destruction yourself, you deceiver who has not experienced deception yourself! When you have finished with your destroying, you will be destroyed yourself. When you are finished with your deceiving, you will be deceived yourselves.
2Lord, please be kind to us; we put our confidence in you. Be the strength we rely on every morning; be our salvation in times of trouble. 3When you roar, the peoples run away; when you prepare for action, the nations scatter! 4You plunder defeated enemy armies#33:4. “Defeated enemy armies”: supplied for clarity. This is usually taken to refer to the defeat of the Assyrians under Sennacherib. like caterpillars eating up plants; like an attack of swarming locusts.
5The Lord is praised for he lives in highest heaven; he has filled Zion with justice and right. 6He will be your constant support throughout your lives an abundant source of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Reverence for the Lord is what makes Zion rich.
7But look! Even your bravest soldiers are crying loudly in the street; the messengers you sent to ask for peace are weeping bitterly. 8Your highways are deserted; nobody's traveling on your roads anymore. He breaks the treaty;#33:8. “Treaty”: or “covenant.” In the context here it probably refers to a treaty between Israel and Assyria that the Assyrians have broken, not caring what anybody thinks. he despises the witnesses;#33:8. “Witnesses”: Dead Sea Scrolls reading. Hebrew MT reads “cities.” he doesn't care about anybody. 9Israel#33:9. “Israel”: literally, “The land.” is in mourning and fades away; Lebanon withers in shame; the fields of Sharon have become a desert; the forests of Bashan and Carmel have shed their leaves.
10“But now I'm going to intervene!” says the Lord. “I'm prepared to act! I will show myself to be above all others! 11All you give birth to is only dry grass, all you deliver is just stubble. Your breath is a fire that will burn you up. 12You people will be burned to ashes like thorns that are cut down and thrown into the fire. 13Those of you who are far away, recognize what I have accomplished; those of you who are nearby, recognize how powerful I am.”
14The sinners who live in Zion tremble with fear; those who are irreligious are overcome with terror. They ask,#33:14. “They ask”: supplied for clarity. “Who can live with this fire that consumes everything? Who can live among such everlasting burning?”
15Those who live right and speak the truth, those who refuse to profit from extortion and refuse to take bribes, who don't listen to plots to kill people, who close their eyes rather than look at evil. 16They will live on high; they will be protected by the mountain fortresses; they will always be provided with food and will always have water.
17You will see the king in his wonderful appearance, and you will view a land that stretches into the distance. 18In your mind you will think about the terrifying things that were expected, and then ask yourself, “Where are the enemy officials—the scribes who were to record events, the treasurers who were to weigh the looted money, the surveyors who were to count and destroy the towers?”#33:18. This verse has been expanded to supply clarity to what seems to be the intended meaning—that the Assyrian officials who had been brought in expectation of a victory over Jerusalem have all disappeared. 19You won't see these offensive people anymore with their barbaric language that sounds like someone stammering and is impossible to understand.
20On the contrary, you'll see Zion as a festival city. You will view Jerusalem as a quiet and peaceful place. It will be like a tent that's never taken down, whose tent-pegs are never pulled up, whose guy ropes never snap. 21Right here our majestic Lord will be like a place of broad rivers and waters that no enemy ship with oars can cross—no great ship can pass. 22For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king. He is the one who will save us. 23The rigging on your ship hangs loose so the mast isn't secure and the sail can't be spread. Then all the looted treasure you're carrying will be divided among the victors#33:23. “Among the victors”: supplied for clarity.—even those who are lame will have their share. 24Nobody in Israel will say, “I'm sick,” and those who live there will have their guilt removed.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Isaiah 33
33
Warnings to Assyria and Promises to God’s People
1How terrible it will be for you who destroy others.
But you have not been destroyed yet.
How terrible it will be for you, traitor.
But no one has turned against you yet.
When you stop destroying,
others will destroy you.
When you stop turning against others,
they will turn against you.
2Lord, be kind to us.
We have waited for your help.
Lord, give us strength every morning.
Save us when we are in trouble.
3Your powerful voice makes people run away in fear.
Your greatness causes the nations to run away.
4Like locusts, your enemies will take away the things you stole in war.
Like locusts rushing about, they will take your wealth.
5The Lord is very great. He lives in a high place.
He fills Jerusalem with fairness and justice.
6The Lord will be your safety.
He is full of salvation, wisdom and knowledge.
Respect for the Lord is the greatest treasure.
7See, brave men are crying out in the streets.
Those who tried to bring peace are crying loudly.
8There is no one on the roads.
No one is walking in the paths.
People have broken the agreements they made.
People refuse to believe the proof from witnesses.
No one respects other people.
9The land is sick and dying.
Lebanon is ashamed and dying.
The Plain of Sharon is dry like the desert.
The trees of Bashan and Carmel are dying.
10The Lord says, “Now, I will stand up
and show my greatness.
Now, I will become important to the people.
11You people do useless things.
These things are like hay and straw.
A destructive wind will burn you like fire.
12People will be burned until their bones become like lime.
They will burn quickly like dry thornbushes.”
13You people in faraway lands, hear what I have done.
You people who are near me, learn about my power.
14The sinners in Jerusalem are afraid.
The people who are separated from God shake with fear.
They say, “Can any of us live through this fire that destroys?
Who can live near this fire that burns on and on?”
15A person might do what is right.
He might speak what is right.
He might refuse to take money unfairly.
He might refuse to take money to hurt others.
He might not listen to plans of murder.
He might refuse to think about evil.
16This is the kind of person who will be safe.
He will be protected as he would be in a high, walled city.
He will always have bread,
and he will not run out of water.
17Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.
You will see the land that stretches far away.
18You will think about the terror of the past.
You will think, “Where is that officer?
Where is the one who collected the taxes?
Where is the officer in charge of our defense towers?”
19You will not see those proud people from other countries anymore.
No more will you hear their strange language
that you couldn’t understand.
God Will Protect Jerusalem
20Look at Jerusalem, the city of our festivals.
Look at Jerusalem, that beautiful place of rest.
It is like a tent that will never be moved.
The pegs that hold her in place will never be moved.
Her ropes will never be broken.
21There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
That land is a place with streams and wide rivers.
But there will be no enemy boats on those rivers.
No powerful ship will sail on those rivers.
22This is because the Lord is our judge.
The Lord makes our laws.
The Lord is our king.
He will save us.
23You sailors from other lands, hear:
The ropes on your boats hang loose.
The mast is not held firm.
The sails are not spread open.
The Lord will give us your wealth.
There will be so much wealth even the crippled people will carry off a share.
24No one living in Jerusalem will say, “I am sick.”
The people who live there will have their sins forgiven.
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