Isaiah 32
32
1 BEHOLD, A King will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.
2 And each one of them shall be like a hiding place from the wind and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land [to those who turn to them].
3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed or dimmed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 And the mind of the rash will understand knowledge and have good judgment, and the tongue of the stammerers will speak readily and plainly.
5 The fool (the unbeliever and the ungodly) will no more be called noble, nor the crafty and greedy [for gain] said to be bountiful and princely.
6 For the fool speaks folly and his mind plans iniquity: practicing profane ungodliness and speaking error concerning the Lord, leaving the craving of the hungry unsatisfied and causing the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7 The instruments and methods of the fraudulent and greedy [for gain] are evil; he devises wicked devices to ruin the poor and the lowly with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is just and right.
8 But the noble, openhearted, and liberal man devises noble things; and he stands for what is noble, openhearted, and generous.
9 Rise up, you women who are at ease! Hear my [Isaiah's] voice, you confident and careless daughters! Listen to what I am saying!
10 In little more than a year you will be shaken with anxiety, you careless and complacent women; for the vintage will fail, and the ingathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease! Shudder with fear, you complacent ones! Strip yourselves bare and gird sackcloth upon your loins [in grief]!
12 They shall beat upon their breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 For the land of my people growing over with thorns and briers–yes, for all the houses of joy in the joyous city.
14 For the palace shall be forsaken, the populous city shall be deserted; the hill and the watchtower shall become dens [for wild animals] endlessly, a joy for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
15 Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is valued as a forest. [Ps. 104:30; Ezek. 36:26, 27; 39:29; Zech. 12:10.]
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) will abide in the fruitful field.
17 And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever.
18 My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.
19 But it [the wrath of the Lord] shall hail, coming down overpoweringly on the forest [the army of the Assyrians], and the capital city shall be utterly humbled and laid prostrate.
20 Happy and fortunate are you who cast your seed upon all waters [when the river overflows its banks; for the seed will sink into the mud and when the waters subside, the plant will spring up; you will find it after many days and reap an abundant harvest], you who safely send forth the ox and the donkey [to range freely].
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Isaiah 32: AMPC
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1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Isaiah 32
32
Justice Will Rule
1A king and his leaders
will rule with justice.
2They will be a place of safety
from stormy winds,
a stream in the desert,
and a rock that gives shade
from the heat of the sun.
3Then everyone who has eyes
will open them and see,
and those who have ears
will pay attention.
4All who are impatient
will take time to think;
everyone who stutters
will talk clearly.
5Fools will no longer
be highly respected,
and crooks won't be given
positions of honor.
6Fools talk foolishness.
They always make plans
to do sinful things,
to lie about the Lord,
to let the hungry starve,
and to keep water from those
who are thirsty.
7Cruel people tell lies—
they do evil things,
and make cruel plans
to destroy the poor and needy,
even when they beg
for justice.
8But helpful people
can always be trusted
to make helpful plans.
Punishment for the Women of Jerusalem
9Listen to what I say,
you women who are carefree
and careless!
10You may not have worries now,
but in about a year,
the grape harvest will fail,
and you will tremble.
11Shake and shudder,
you women without a care!
Strip off your clothes—
put on sackcloth.
12Slap your breasts in sorrow
because of what happened
to the fruitful fields
and vineyards,
13and to the happy homes
in Jerusalem.
The land of my people
is covered with thorns.
14The palace will be deserted,
the crowded city empty.
Fortresses and towers
will forever become
playgrounds for wild donkeys
and pastures for sheep.
God's Spirit Makes the Difference
15When the Spirit is given to us
from heaven,
deserts will become orchards
thick as fertile forests.
16Honesty and justice
will prosper there,
17and justice will produce
lasting peace and security.
18You, the Lord's people,
will live in peace,
calm and secure,
19even if hailstones flatten
forests and cities.
20You will have God's blessing,
as you plant your crops
beside streams,
while your donkeys and cattle
roam freely about.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.