Isaiah 33

Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

1Trouble is coming to you, destroyer. No one has ever destroyed you. You break your promises, but no one has broken promises with you. When you finish destroying, someone will destroy you. When you finish breaking promises, someone will break promises with you.

Note"Woe" is an old word. It warns that great trouble is coming.

2O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

2LORD, please be kind to us. We have waited for you. Be our strength every morning. Save us when trouble comes.

3At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

3People run away when your voice thunders. Nations scatter when you stand up.

4And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

4The things you nations took will be gathered up and carried off. Men will sweep over them like locusts, bugs that swarm and eat everything.

5The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

5The LORD is lifted high, for he lives up above. He has filled Zion, the city of Jerusalem, with fairness and right living.

6And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

6He will keep your times safe and steady. He has a full storehouse of rescue, wisdom, and knowledge. Deep respect for the LORD is Zion's treasure.

7Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

7Look. Their brave men cry out loud in the streets. The men sent to make peace weep hard.

8The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

8The roads are empty. No one travels on them anymore. The peace agreement has been broken. Its witnesses are treated as worthless. No one cares about people's lives.

9The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

9The land is sad and drying up. Lebanon is shamed, and its trees are rotting. Sharon has become like a desert. Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

NoteLebanon, Sharon, Bashan, and Carmel were known for tall trees, flowers, and good farmland. Their drying up shows how bad things had become.

10Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

10"Now I will stand up," says the LORD. "Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be lifted high."

11Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

11Your plans are as empty as dry straw. What you make is only chaff, the useless part of grain. Your own breath is a fire, and it will burn you up.

12And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

12The nations will be burned down to ashes. They will be like cut thorns thrown into a fire.

13Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.

13You who are far away, hear what I have done. You who are near, admit how strong I am.

14The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

14The sinners in Zion are afraid. The people who only pretend to be good are shaking. They say, "Who can live with a fire that eats everything? Who can live with flames that never go out?"

15He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

15Here is who can. It is the person who does what is right and speaks honestly. He says no to money gained by cheating others. He will not take a bribe, money paid in secret for a favor. He will not listen to plans to hurt people. He shuts his eyes so he will not look at evil.

16He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

16That person will live up high and safe. A strong rock fort in the mountains will keep him safe. He will be given bread to eat. He will always have water.

17Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

17Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. You will see a land that stretches far away.

18Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

18Your mind will think back to that scary time. You will ask, "Where is the man who counted the money? Where is the man who weighed it? Where is the man who counted our towers?"

NoteWhen an army beat a city, a scribe counted the money the city had to pay. Officers counted the city's towers to plan the attack.

19Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

19You will not see those rude, rough people anymore. They spoke words you could not make sense of. Their language was too strange for you to understand.

20Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

20Look at Zion, the city where we hold our feast days. Your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet, safe home. It will be a tent that is never taken down. Not one of its pegs will be pulled up. Not one of its ropes will break.

21But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

21There the great LORD will be with us. He will be like wide rivers and streams around us. No warship with oars will row there. No proud, fancy ship will pass by.

22For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

22The LORD is our judge. The LORD gives us our laws. The LORD is our king. He is the one who will save us.

23Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

23Your ship's ropes hang loose. They cannot hold the mast up. They cannot spread the sail. Then a big pile of treasure will be shared out. Even people who cannot walk well will carry some away.

NoteThis verse pictures an enemy ship that can no longer sail.

24And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

24No one living there will say, "I am sick." The people who live there will be forgiven for the wrong they have done.