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Isaiah 31
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Yahweh! 2 Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evil-doers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. 3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not El; and their horses flesh, and not spirit: and when Yahweh shall stretch out his hand, both he that helps shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together.
4 For thus says Yahweh to me, As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds are called forth against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor humble himself for the noise of them: so will Yahweh of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill of it. 5 As birds hovering, so will Yahweh of hosts protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it, he will pass over and preserve it. 6 Turn to him from whom you have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 7 For in that day they shall cast away every man his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made to you for a sin. 8 And the Assyrian shall fall by the sword, not of man; and the sword, not of men, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become subject to taskwork. 9 And his rock shall pass away by reason of terror, and his princes shall be dismayed at the ensign, says Yahweh, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 32
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice. 2 And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land. 3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall listen. 4 And the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. 5 The fool shall be no more called noble, nor the churl said to be bountiful. 6 For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice profaneness, and to utter error against Yahweh, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 7 And the instruments of the churl are evil: he devises wicked devices to destroy the meek with lying words, even when the needy speaks right. 8 But the noble devises noble things; and in noble things shall he continue.
9 Rise up, you women that are at ease, and hear my voice; you careless daughters, give ear to my speech. 10 For days beyond a year shall you be troubled, you careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come. 11 Tremble, you women that are at ease; be troubled, you careless ones; strip, and make yourselves bare, and gird sack-cloth upon your loins. 12 They shall mourn over the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. 13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yes, upon 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 be for dens forever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; 15 until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is esteemed as a forest.
16 Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness shall remain in the fruitful field. 17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. 18 And my people shall remain in a peaceable habitation, and in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places. 19 But it shall hail in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low. 20 Blessed are you that sow beside all waters, that send forth the feet of the ox and the ass.
Isaiah 33
Woe to you that destroy, and you were not destroyed; and deal treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with you! When you have ceased to destroy, you shall be destroyed; and when you have made an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you. 2 O Yahweh, be gracious to us; we have waited for you: be our arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. 3 At the noise of the tumult the peoples are fled; at the lifting up of yourself the nations are scattered. 4 And your plunder shall be gathered as the caterpillar gathers: as locusts leap shall men leap upon it. 5 Yahweh is exalted; for he dwells on high: he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. 6 And there shall be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of Yahweh is your treasure.
7 Behold, their valiant ones cry outside; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. 8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases: the enemy has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he regards not 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 will I arise, says Yahweh; now will I lift up myself; now will I be exalted. 11 You shall conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble: your breath is a fire that shall devour you. 12 And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.
13 Hear, you that are far off, what I have done; and, you that are near, acknowledge my might. 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the lawless ones: Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings? 15 He that walks righteously; and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions, that shakes his hands from taking a bribe, that stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil: 16 he shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given to him; his waters shall be sure.
17 Your eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold a land that reaches afar. 18 Your heart shall ponder the terror: Where is he that counted, where is he that weighed the tribute? Where is he that counted the towers? 19 You shall not see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that you can not comprehend, of a strange tongue that you can not understand. 20 Look upon Zion, the city of our festal assemblies: your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes of which shall never be plucked up, neither shall any of the cords of it be broken. 21 But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams, in which shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass by it. 22 For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us. 23 Your tacklings are loosed; they could not strengthen the foot of their mast, they could not spread the sail: then was the prey of a great plunder divided; the lame took the prey. 24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell in it shall be forgiven their iniquity.
