Isaiah 33

¹ Woe to you, destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed; you treacherous one, with whom none has dealt treacherously! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have made an end of dealing treacherously, you will be dealt with treacherously.

² O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for thee. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

³ At the thunderous noise peoples flee, at the lifting up of thyself nations are scattered;

⁴ and spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, men leap upon it.

⁵ The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness;

⁶ and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

⁷ Behold, the valiant ones cry without; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.

⁸ The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases. Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised, there is no regard for man.

⁹ The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

¹⁰ "Now I will arise," says the LORD, "now I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted.

¹¹ You conceive chaff, you bring forth stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.

¹² And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire."

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

¹⁴ The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: "Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?"

¹⁵ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil,

¹⁶ he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure.

¹⁷ Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will behold a land that stretches afar.

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

¹⁹ You will see no more the insolent people, the people of an obscure speech which you cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue which you cannot understand.

²⁰ Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.

²¹ But there the LORD in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor stately ship can pass.

²² For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our ruler, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

²³ Your tackle hangs loose; it cannot hold the mast firm in its place, or keep the sail spread out. Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided; even the lame will take the prey.

²⁴ And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.