Isaiah

CHAPTER 32

The Kingdom of Justice

1See, a king will reign justly

and princes will rule rightly.^a

2Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind,

a refuge from the rain.

They will be like streams of water in a dry country,

like the shade of a great rock in a parched land.^b

3The eyes of those who see will not be closed;

the ears of those who hear will be attentive.^c

4The hasty of heart shall take thought to know,

and tongues of stutterers shall speak readily and clearly.

5No more will the fool be called noble,

nor the deceiver be considered honorable.^d

6For the fool speaks folly,

his heart plans evil:

Godless actions,

perverse speech against the LORD,

Letting the hungry go empty

and the thirsty without drink.^e

7The deceits of the deceiver are evil,

he plans devious schemes:

To ruin the poor with lies,

and the needy when they plead their case.^f

8But the noble plan noble deeds,

and in noble deeds they persist.

The Women of Jerusalem

9You women so complacent, rise up and hear my voice,

daughters so confident, give heed to my words.^g

10In a little more than a year

your confidence will be shaken;

For the vintage will fail,

no fruit harvest will come in.^h

11Tremble, you who are so complacent!

Shudder, you who are so confident!

Strip yourselves bare,

with only a loincloth for cover.ⁱ

12Beat your breasts

for the pleasant fields,

for the fruitful vine;^j

13For the soil of my people,

overgrown with thorns and briers;

For all the joyful houses,

the exultant city.^k

14The castle^* will be forsaken,

the noisy city deserted;

Citadel and tower will become wasteland forever,

the joy of wild donkeys, the pasture of flocks;^l

15^* Until the spirit from on high

is poured out on us.

And the wilderness becomes a garden land

and the garden land seems as common as forest.^m

16Then judgment will dwell in the wilderness

and justice abide in the garden land.

17The work of justice will be peace;

the effect of justice, calm and security forever.ⁿ

18My people will live in peaceful country,

in secure dwellings and quiet resting places.^o

19And the forest will come down completely,

the city will be utterly laid low.^{* p}

20Happy are you who sow beside every stream,

and let the ox and the donkey go freely!^q

* [32:14] The castle: the fortified royal palace in Jerusalem. Citadel: Ophel, the fortified hill, with its stronghold called “the great projecting tower” (Neh 3:27).

* [32:15–18, 20] Extraordinary peace and prosperity will come to Israel under just rulers.

* [32:19] Probably from a different context, perhaps after v. 14a.

a. [32:1] Is 9:6; 11:4; 16:5; Ps 72:1–4; Jer 23:5–6.

b. [32:2] Is 4:6; 16:4; 25:4.

c. [32:3] Is 6:10; 29:18; 35:5.

d. [32:5] Is 5:20.

e. [32:6] Prv 15:2.

f. [32:7] Is 29:20–21; Mi 2:1.

g. [32:9] Is 3:16–24; Am 6:1.

h. [32:10] Zep 1:13.

i. [32:11] Is 20:2; Jer 4:8; Mi 1:8.

j. [32:12] Is 16:9.

k. [32:13] Is 5:6; 7:23–25; 22:2; 34:13.

l. [32:14] Is 7:25; 24:10–11.

m. [32:15] Is 44:3; Ps 104:30; Ez 37:9–10; Jl 3:1–2.

n. [32:17] Is 9:6; 30:15; 33:15–16; Ps 72:2–3, 7; Jas 3:18.

o. [32:18] Jer 23:6; Mi 4:4.

p. [32:19] Is 10:33–34; 26:5.

q. [32:20] Is 7:25; 30:18, 23.