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33 Woe to you who destroy, but you weren’t destroyed,
    and who betray, but nobody betrayed you!
When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed;
    and when you have finished betrayal, you will be betrayed.

Yahweh, be gracious to us. We have waited for you.
    Be our strength every morning,
    our salvation also in the time of trouble.
At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled.
    When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.
Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers.
    Men will leap on it as locusts leap.
Yahweh is exalted, for he dwells on high.
    He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
    The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.

Behold, their valiant ones cry outside;
    the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
The highways are desolate.
    The traveling man ceases.
    The covenant is broken.
    He has despised the cities.
    He doesn’t respect man.
The land mourns and languishes.
    Lebanon is confounded and withers away.
    Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
10 “Now I will arise,” says Yahweh.
    “Now I will lift myself up.
    Now I will be exalted.
11 You will conceive chaff.
    You will give birth to stubble.
    Your breath is a fire that will devour you.
12 The peoples will be like the burning of lime,
    like thorns that are cut down and 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 ones.
Who among us can live with the devouring fire?
    Who among us can live with everlasting burning?
15 He who walks righteously
    and speaks blamelessly,
    he who despises the gain of oppressions,
    who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe,
    who stops his ears from hearing of blood,
    and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—
16 he will dwell on high.
    His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks.
    His bread will be supplied.
    His waters will be sure.

17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.
    They will see a distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on the terror.
    Where is he who counted?
    Where is he who weighed?
    Where is he who counted the towers?
19 You will no longer see the fierce people,
    a people of a deep speech that you can’t comprehend,
    with a strange language that you can’t understand.
20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals.
    Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation,
    a tent that won’t be removed.
Its stakes will never be plucked up,
    nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty,
    a place of wide rivers and streams,
    in which no galley with oars will go,
    neither will any gallant ship pass by there.
22 For Yahweh is our judge.
    Yahweh is our lawgiver.
    Yahweh is our king.
    He will save us.

23 Your rigging is untied.
    They couldn’t strengthen the foot of their mast.
    They couldn’t spread the sail.
Then the prey of a great plunder was divided.
    The lame took the prey.

24 The inhabitant won’t say, “I am sick.”
    The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.

Distress and Help

33 Woe(A) 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;(B)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.(C)

Lord, be gracious(D) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength(E) every morning,
    our salvation(F) in time of distress.(G)
At the uproar of your army,(H) the peoples flee;(I)
    when you rise up,(J) the nations scatter.
Your plunder,(K) O nations, is harvested(L) as by young locusts;(M)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

The Lord is exalted,(N) for he dwells on high;(O)
    he will fill Zion with his justice(P) and righteousness.(Q)
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation(R) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear(S) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a](T)

Look, their brave men(U) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys(V) of peace weep bitterly.
The highways are deserted,
    no travelers(W) are on the roads.(X)
The treaty is broken,(Y)
    its witnesses[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
The land dries up(Z) and wastes away,
    Lebanon(AA) is ashamed and withers;(AB)
Sharon(AC) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan(AD) and Carmel(AE) drop their leaves.

10 “Now will I arise,(AF)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;(AG)
    now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive(AH) chaff,
    you give birth(AI) to straw;
    your breath is a fire(AJ) that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;(AK)
    like cut thornbushes(AL) they will be set ablaze.(AM)

13 You who are far away,(AN) hear(AO) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners(AP) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling(AQ) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?(AR)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously(AS)
    and speak what is right,(AT)
who reject gain from extortion(AU)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,(AV)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes(AW) against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,(AX)
    whose refuge(AY) will be the mountain fortress.(AZ)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail(BA) them.

17 Your eyes will see the king(BB) in his beauty(BC)
    and view a land that stretches afar.(BD)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:(BE)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?(BF)
19 You will see those arrogant people(BG) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.(BH)

20 Look on Zion,(BI) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,(BJ) a tent(BK) that will not be moved;(BL)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(BM) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(BN)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship(BO) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(BP)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,(BQ)
the Lord is our king;(BR)
    it is he who will save(BS) us.

23 Your 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(BT) will carry off plunder.(BU)
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;(BV)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.(BW)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities