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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Isaiah 33: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Isaiah 33
33
A Message about Assyria
1What sorrow awaits you Assyrians, who have destroyed others#33:1 Hebrew What sorrow awaits you, O destroyer. The Hebrew text does not specifically name Assyria as the object of the prophecy in this chapter.
but have never been destroyed yourselves.
You betray others,
but you have never been betrayed.
When you are done destroying,
you will be destroyed.
When you are done betraying,
you will be betrayed.
2But Lord, be merciful to us,
for we have waited for you.
Be our strong arm each day
and our salvation in times of trouble.
3The enemy runs at the sound of your voice.
When you stand up, the nations flee!
4Just as caterpillars and locusts strip the fields and vines,
so the fallen army of Assyria will be stripped!
5Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven,
he will make Jerusalem#33:5 Hebrew Zion; also in 33:14. his home of justice and righteousness.
6In that day he will be your sure foundation,
providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.
7But now your brave warriors weep in public.
Your ambassadors of peace cry in bitter disappointment.
8Your roads are deserted;
no one travels them anymore.
The Assyrians have broken their peace treaty
and care nothing for the promises they made before witnesses.#33:8 As in Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text reads care nothing for the cities.
They have no respect for anyone.
9The land of Israel wilts in mourning.
Lebanon withers with shame.
The plain of Sharon is now a wilderness.
Bashan and Carmel have been plundered.
10But the Lord says: “Now I will stand up.
Now I will show my power and might.
11You Assyrians produce nothing but dry grass and stubble.
Your own breath will turn to fire and consume you.
12Your people will be burned up completely,
like thornbushes cut down and tossed in a fire.
13Listen to what I have done, you nations far away!
And you that are near, acknowledge my might!”
14The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear.
Terror seizes the godless.
“Who can live with this devouring fire?” they cry.
“Who can survive this all-consuming fire?”
15Those who are honest and fair,
who refuse to profit by fraud,
who stay far away from bribes,
who refuse to listen to those who plot murder,
who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—
16these are the ones who will dwell on high.
The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress.
Food will be supplied to them,
and they will have water in abundance.
17Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor,
and you will see a land that stretches into the distance.
18You will think back to this time of terror, asking,
“Where are the Assyrian officers
who counted our towers?
Where are the bookkeepers
who recorded the plunder taken from our fallen city?”
19You will no longer see these fierce, violent people
with their strange, unknown language.
20Instead, you will see Zion as a place of holy festivals.
You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure.
It will be like a tent whose ropes are taut
and whose stakes are firmly fixed.
21The Lord will be our Mighty One.
He will be like a wide river of protection
that no enemy can cross,
that no enemy ship can sail upon.
22For the Lord is our judge,
our lawgiver, and our king.
He will care for us and save us.
23The enemies’ sails hang loose
on broken masts with useless tackle.
Their treasure will be divided by the people of God.
Even the lame will take their share!
24The people of Israel will no longer say,
“We are sick and helpless,”
for the Lord will forgive their sins.
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