Isaiah 32

The Kingdom of Righteousness

¹See, a king will reign in righteousness

and rulers will rule with justice.

²Each one will be like a shelter from the wind

and a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in the desert

and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

³Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,

and the ears of those who hear will listen.

⁴The fearful heart will know and understand,

and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

⁵No longer will the fool be called noble

nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

⁶For fools speak folly,

their hearts are bent on evil:

They practice ungodliness

and spread error concerning the Lord;

the hungry they leave empty

and from the thirsty they withhold water.

⁷Scoundrels use wicked methods,

they make up evil schemes

to destroy the poor with lies,

even when the plea of the needy is just.

⁸But the noble make noble plans,

and by noble deeds they stand.

The Women of Jerusalem

⁹You women who are so complacent,

rise up and listen to me;

you daughters who feel secure,

hear what I have to say!

¹⁰In little more than a year

you who feel secure will tremble;

the grape harvest will fail,

and the harvest of fruit will not come.

¹¹Tremble, you complacent women;

shudder, you daughters who feel secure!

Strip off your fine clothes

and wrap yourselves in rags.

¹²Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,

for the fruitful vines

¹³and for the land of my people,

a land overgrown with thorns and briers—

yes, mourn for all houses of merriment

and for this city of revelry.

¹⁴The fortress will be abandoned,

the noisy city deserted;

citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever,

the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

¹⁵till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,

and the desert becomes a fertile field,

and the fertile field seems like a forest.

¹⁶The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert,

his righteousness live in the fertile field.

¹⁷The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;

its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

¹⁸My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,

in secure homes,

in undisturbed places of rest.

¹⁹Though hail flattens the forest

and the city is leveled completely,

²⁰how blessed you will be,

sowing your seed by every stream,

and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.