Isaiah 33
33
Jerusalem Will Be Safe
1You defeated my people.
Now you're in for trouble!
You've never been destroyed,
but you will be destroyed;
you've never been betrayed,
but you will be betrayed.
When you have finished
destroying and betraying,
you will be destroyed
and betrayed in return.
2Please, Lord, be kind to us!
We depend on you.
Make us strong each morning,
and come to save us
when we are in trouble.
3Nations scatter when you roar
and show your greatness.#33.3 greatness: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 3.
4We attack our enemies
like swarms of locusts;#33.4 locusts: Insects like grasshoppers that travel in swarms and cause great damage to crops.
we take everything
that belongs to them.#33.4 them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 4.
5You, Lord, are above all others,
and you live in the heavens.
You have brought justice
and fairness to Jerusalem;
6you are the foundation
on which we stand today.
You always save us and give
true wisdom and knowledge.
Nothing means more to us#33.6 Nothing … us: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
than obeying you.
The Lord Will Do Something
7Listen! Our bravest soldiers
are running through the streets,
screaming for help.#33.7 Listen … help: Or “The Lord heard our shouts and will come to help us.”
Our messengers hoped for peace,
but came home crying.
8No one travels anymore;
every road is empty.
Treaties are broken,
and no respect is shown
to any who keep promises.#33.8 to any … promises: The Dead Sea Scrolls; the Standard Hebrew Text “to those in the cities.”
9Fields are dry and barren;
Mount Lebanon wilts
with shame.
Sharon Valley is a desert;
the forests of Bashan and Carmel
have lost their leaves.
10But the Lord says,
“Now I will do something
and be greatly praised.
11Your deeds are straw
that will be set on fire
by your very own breath.
12You will be burned to ashes
like thorns in a fire.
13Everyone, both far and near,
come look at what I have done.
See my mighty power!”
Punishment and Rewards
14Those terrible sinners
on Mount Zion tremble
as they ask in fear,
“How can we possibly live
where a raging fire
never stops burning?”
15But there will be rewards
for those who live right
and tell the truth,
for those who refuse
to take money by force
or accept bribes,
for all who hate murder
and violent crimes.
16They will live in a fortress
high on a rocky cliff,
where they will have food
and plenty of water.
The Lord Is Our King
17With your own eyes
you will see the glorious King;
you will see his kingdom
reaching far and wide.
18Then you will ask yourself,
“Where are those officials
who terrified us and forced us
to pay such heavy taxes?”
19You will never again have to see
the proud people who spoke
a strange and foreign language
you could not understand.
20Look to Mount Zion
where we celebrate
our religious festivals.
You will see Jerusalem,
secure as a tent with pegs
that cannot be pulled up
and fastened with ropes
that can never be broken.
21Our wonderful Lord
will be with us!
There will be deep rivers
and wide streams
safe from enemy ships.#33.21 safe … ships: This probably means that Jerusalem will have a lot of water, without the danger of attacks from enemy ships.
The Lord Is Our Judge
22The Lord is our judge
and our ruler;
the Lord is our king
and will keep us safe.
23But your nation#33.23 your nation: Possibly Judah or Assyria. is a ship
with its rigging loose,
its mast shaky,
and its sail not spread.
Someday even you that are lame
will take everything you want
from your enemies.
24The Lord will forgive your sins,
and none of you will say,
“I feel sick.”
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Isaiah 33: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 33
33
The Lord Rises Up
1Woe, 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.#2Kg 18:14–36; Is 17:14; 21:2
2 Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for you.#Is 25:9; 26:8
Be our strength every morning
and our salvation in time of trouble.#Ex 15:2; Ps 28:8; Is 12:2; 17:10; 51:5
3The peoples flee at the thunderous noise;#Is 17:13; 21:15
the nations scatter when you rise in your majesty.
4Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered;
people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts.
5The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6There will be times of security for you —
a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.#Is 11:2–3; Ac 9:31
7Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets;
the messengers of peace weep bitterly.#2Kg 18:18,37; Is 36:3,22
8The highways are deserted;
travel has ceased.
An agreement has been broken,#2Kg 18:14–17; Is 24:5
cities#33:8 DSS read witnesses despised,
and human life disregarded.
9The land mourns and withers;#Is 3:26; 24:4; 29:2
Lebanon is ashamed and wilted.
Sharon is like a desert;
Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10“Now I will rise up,”#Ps 12:5; Is 2:19,21 says the Lord.
“Now I will lift myself up.
Now I will be exalted.
11You will conceive chaff;#Ps 7:14; Is 26:18; 59:4; Jms 1:15
you will give birth to stubble.
Your breath is fire that will consume you.
12The peoples will be burned to ashes,
like thorns cut down and burned in a fire.
13You who are far off, hear what I have done;
you who are near,#Is 18:2; Eph 2:17 know my strength.”
14The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling seizes the ungodly:
“Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire?#Is 30:27,30; 66:15; Heb 12:29
Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?”#Is 66:24
15The one who lives righteously
and speaks rightly,#Ps 15:2; 24:4; Is 58:6–11
who refuses profit from extortion,
whose hand never takes a bribe,
who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots
and shuts his eyes against evil schemes#Ps 119:37 —
16he will dwell on the heights;
his refuge will be the rocky fortresses,
his food provided, his water assured.
17Your eyes will see the King in his beauty;#Is 6:5; 24:23; 33:21–22; Zch 9:9
you will see a vast land.#Is 54:2–3
18Your mind will meditate on the past terror:
“Where is the accountant?#33:18 Lit counter
Where is the tribute collector?#33:18 Lit weigher
Where is the one who spied out our defenses?” #33:18 Lit who counts towers
19You will no longer see the barbarians,
a people whose speech is difficult to comprehend —
who stammer in a language that is not understood.#Dt 28:49–50; Is 28:11; Jr 5:15
20Look at Zion, the city of our festival times.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful pasture,#Ps 46:5; 125:1–2; Is 32:18 a tent that does not wander;
its tent pegs will not be pulled up
nor will any of its cords be loosened.#Is 54:2
21For the majestic one, our Lord, will be there,#Rm 8:31
a place of rivers and broad streams
where ships that are rowed will not go,
and majestic vessels will not pass.#Is 41:18; 43:19–20; 48:18; 66:12
22For the Lord is our Judge,
the Lord is our Lawgiver,#Is 1:10; 51:4,7; Jms 4:12
the Lord is our King.
He will save us.#2Sm 22:3; 23:5; 2Kg 19:19,34; Is 25:9; 35:4; 38:20
23Your 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,
24and none there will say, “I am sick.”
The people who dwell there
will be forgiven#Is 40:2; 44:22; Jr 50:20; Mc 7:18–19; 1Jn 1:7–9 their iniquity.#Is 13:11
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