Isaiah 33

¹ Woe, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; when wearied with betraying, you will be betrayed.

² O LORD, have pity on us, for you we wait. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of trouble!

³ At the roaring sound, peoples flee; when you rise in your majesty, nations are scattered.

⁴ Men gather spoil as caterpillars are gathered up; they rush upon it like the onrush of locusts.

⁵ The LORD is exalted, enthroned on high; he fills Zion with right and justice.

⁶ That which makes her seasons lasting, the riches that save her, are wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is her treasure.

⁷ See, the men of Ariel cry out in the streets, the messengers of Shalem weep bitterly.

⁸ The highways are desolate, travelers have quit the paths, Covenants are broken, their terms are spurned; yet no man gives it a thought.

⁹ The country languishes in mourning, Lebanon withers with shame; Sharon is like the steppe, Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.

¹⁰ Now will I rise up, says the LORD, now will I be exalted, now be lifted up.

¹¹ You conceive dry grass, bring forth stubble; my spirit shall consume you like fire.

¹² The peoples shall be as in a limekiln, like brushwood cut down for burning in the fire.

¹³ Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my might.

¹⁴ On Zion sinners are in dread, trembling grips the impious: "Who of us can live with the consuming fire? who of us can live with the everlasting flames?"

¹⁵ He who practices virtue and speaks honestly, who spurns what is gained by oppression, Brushing his hands free of contact with a bribe, stopping his ears lest he hear of bloodshed, closing his eyes lest he look on evil--

¹⁶ He shall dwell on the heights, his stronghold shall be the rocky fastness, his food and drink in steady supply.

¹⁷ Your eyes will see a king in his splendor, they will look upon a vast land.

¹⁸ Your mind will dwell on the terror: "Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed? Where is he who counted the towers?"

¹⁹ To the people of alien tongue you will look no more, the people of obscure speech, stammering in a language not understood.

²⁰ Look to Zion, the city of our festivals; let your eyes 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.

²¹ In a place of rivers and wide streams on which no boat is rowed, where no majestic ship passes,

²² Indeed the LORD will be there with us, majestic; yes, the LORD our judge, the LORD our lawgiver, the LORD our king, he it is who will save us.

²³ The 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.

²⁴ No one who dwells there will say, "I am sick"; the people who live there will be forgiven their guilt.