Isaiah 33
33
Overthrow of Assyria#After an introductory address to Assyria (v. 1), there follows a prayer on behalf of Jerusalem which recalls what God had done in the past (vv. 2–6) and a description of the present situation (vv. 7–9). In response, the Lord announces a judgment on Assyria (vv. 10–12) that will lead to the purification of Jerusalem’s inhabitants (vv. 13–16). The text ends with an idealized portrait of the redeemed Jerusalem of the future (vv. 17–24).
1Ah! You destroyer never destroyed,
betrayer never betrayed!
When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed;
when you have stopped betraying, you will be betrayed.#Is 10:12; 16:4; 21:2; 24:16.
2Lord, be gracious to us; for you we wait.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of trouble!#Is 25:9; 30:18–19.
3At the roaring sound, peoples flee;
when you rise in your majesty, nations are scattered.#Is 17:13; Nm 10:35; Ps 68:2.
4Spoil is gathered up as caterpillars gather,
an onrush like the rush of locusts.#Is 9:2; 33:23.
5The Lord is exalted, enthroned on high;
he fills Zion with right and justice.#Is 1:26–27; 2:11, 17; 32:1; 33:16.
6That which makes her seasons certain,
her wealth, salvation, wisdom, and knowledge,
is the fear of the Lord, her treasure.#Is 11:2; 13:22; 60:22.
7See, the men of Ariel cry out in the streets,
the messengers of Shalem#Ariel…Shalem: Jerusalem; cf. 29:1; Gn 14:18; Ps 76:3. There is a play on words between “Shalem,” the city name, and shalom, Heb. for “peace.” weep bitterly.
8The highways are desolate,
travelers have quit the paths,
Covenants are broken, witnesses spurned;
yet no one gives it a thought.#Is 24:5; Jgs 5:6.
9The country languishes in mourning,
Lebanon withers with shame;
Sharon#Sharon: the fertile plain near the Mediterranean. is like the Arabah,
Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.#Na 1:4.
10Now I will rise up, says the Lord,
now exalt myself,
now lift myself up.#Ps 12:6; Zep 3:8.
11You conceive dry grass, bring forth stubble;
my spirit shall consume you like fire.
12The peoples shall be burned to lime,
thorns cut down to burn in fire.#Is 10:17.
13Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my might.
14In Zion sinners are in dread,
trembling grips the impious:
“Who of us can live with consuming fire?
who of us can live with everlasting flames?”#Is 30:27, 30, 32; 31:9.
15Whoever walks righteously and speaks honestly,
who spurns what is gained by oppression,
Who waves off contact with a bribe,
who stops his ears so as not to hear of bloodshed,
who closes his eyes so as not to look on evil—#Ps 15:2–6; 24:4–5.
16That one shall dwell on the heights,
with fortresses of rock for stronghold,
food and drink in steady supply.
17Your eyes will see a king#King: either the ideal Davidic king or God; cf. v. 22. in his splendor,
they will look upon a vast land.#Is 26:15.
18Your mind will dwell on the terror:
“Where is the one who counted, where the one who weighed?
Where the one who counted the towers?”#Ps 48:13–14.
19You shall no longer see a defiant people,
a people of speech too obscure to comprehend,
stammering in a tongue not understood.#Is 28:11.
20Look to Zion, the city of our festivals;
your eyes shall see Jerusalem
as a quiet abode, a tent not to be struck,
Whose pegs will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes severed.#Is 32:18; Ps 46:6; 122:1–4.
21Indeed the Lord in majesty will be there for us
a place of rivers and wide streams
on which no galley may go,
where no majestic ship#Galley…majestic ship: of a foreign oppressor. Though the broad streams of the future Jerusalem will make it accessible by boat, no foreign invader will succeed in a naval attack on the city, for the Lord will protect it, the enemy fleet will be disabled, and even the weakest inhabitants will gather much plunder from the defeated enemy. may pass.#Ez 47:1–12; Ps 46:5; 48:7.
22For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
he it is who will save us.
23The rigging hangs slack;
it cannot hold the mast in place,
nor keep the sail spread out.
Then the blind will divide great spoils
and the lame will carry off the loot.#2 Sm 8:6–7.
24No one who dwells there will say, “I am sick”;
the people who live there will be forgiven their guilt.#Mi 7:18–19.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Isaiah 33
33
1Woe to you who destroy, but you weren’t destroyed,
and who betray, but nobody betrayed you!
When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betrayal, you will be betrayed.
2Yahweh, be gracious to us. We have waited for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled.
When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.
4Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers.
Men will leap on it as locusts leap.
5Yahweh is exalted, for he dwells on high.
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.
7Behold, their valiant ones cry outside;
the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8The highways are desolate.
The traveling man ceases.
The covenant is broken.
He has despised the cities.
He doesn’t respect man.
9The land mourns and languishes.
Lebanon is confounded and withers away.
Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
10“Now I will arise,” says Yahweh.
“Now I will lift myself up.
Now I will be exalted.
11You will conceive chaff.
You will give birth to stubble.
Your breath is a fire that will devour you.
12The peoples will be like the burning of lime,
like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.
13Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”
14The sinners in Zion are afraid.
Trembling has seized the godless ones.
Who among us can live with the devouring fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting burning?
15He who walks righteously
and speaks blamelessly,
he who despises the gain of oppressions,
who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—
16he will dwell on high.
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks.
His bread will be supplied.
His waters will be sure.
17Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.
They will see a distant land.
18Your heart will meditate on the terror.
Where is he who counted?
Where is he who weighed?
Where is he who counted the towers?
19You will no longer see the fierce people,
a people of a deep speech that you can’t comprehend,
with a strange language that you can’t understand.
20Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation,
a tent that won’t be removed.
Its stakes will never be plucked up,
nor will any of its cords be broken.
21But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty,
a place of wide rivers and streams,
in which no galley with oars will go,
neither will any gallant ship pass by there.
22For Yahweh is our judge.
Yahweh is our lawgiver.
Yahweh is our king.
He will save us.
23Your rigging is untied.
They couldn’t strengthen the foot of their mast.
They couldn’t spread the sail.
Then the prey of a great plunder was divided.
The lame took the prey.
24The inhabitant won’t say, “I am sick.”
The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.
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