1Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.2Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.3At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter.4Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.5The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.6He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[1]7Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.8The highways are deserted, no travellers are on the roads. The treaty is broken, its witnesses[2] are despised, no-one is respected.9The land dries up and wastes away, Lebanon is ashamed and withers; Sharon is like the Arabah, and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.10‘Now will I arise,’ says the Lord. ‘Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up.11You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw; your breath is a fire that consumes you.12The peoples will be burned to ashes; like cut thorn-bushes they will be set ablaze.’13You who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my power!14The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: ‘Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?’15Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil –16they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them.17Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.18In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror: ‘Where is that chief officer? Where is the one who took the revenue? Where is the officer in charge of the towers?’19You will see those arrogant people no more, people whose speech is obscure, whose language is strange and incomprehensible.20Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.21There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them.22For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.23Your rigging hangs loose: the mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder.24No-one living in Zion will say, ‘I am ill’; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
Isaiah 33
English Standard Version
O Lord, Be Gracious to Us
1Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor, whom none has betrayed! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you. (Isa 17:14; Isa 21:2)2O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. (Isa 25:9; Isa 26:8)3At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, (2Ki 19:7; Isa 17:13)4and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. (Joe 2:4)5The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, (Isa 2:17; Isa 5:15)6and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s[1] treasure. (Isa 39:8)7Behold, their heroes cry in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. (2Ki 18:37; Isa 36:22)8The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities[2] are despised; there is no regard for man. (Jud 5:6; 2Ki 18:14; Isa 33:1)9The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves. (Isa 24:4; Na 1:4)10“Now I will arise,” says the Lord, “now I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted. (Ps 12:5; Ps 68:1; Isa 10:26)11You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you. (Ps 7:14; Ps 80:16; Isa 10:16; Isa 59:4)12And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.” (Isa 33:11)13Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge my might.14The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: “Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?” (Ps 15:1; Ps 24:3; Isa 66:15; Heb 12:29)15He 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 on evil, (Ps 15:2; Ps 24:4; Ps 119:37)16he 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. (Isa 30:23; Isa 30:25)17Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar. (Isa 6:5; Isa 54:2; Zec 9:9)18Your heart will muse on the terror: “Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?” (2Ki 18:14; Ps 37:10; Ps 48:12)19You will see no more the insolent people, the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand. (De 28:49; 2Ki 19:32; Isa 28:11)20Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken. (Isa 32:18; Isa 33:6)21But there the Lord in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor majestic ship can pass. (Ps 46:4; Ps 48:7; Isa 2:16)22For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us. (Jud 2:16; 1Sa 12:13; Jas 4:12)23Your cords hang loose; they 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. (Ge 49:27; Ps 68:12)24And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity. (Isa 1:5; Isa 1:25; Jer 50:20)