32
The Glorious Future
1 Behold, a
Aking will reign righteously
And princes will rule justly.
2 Each will be like a
Arefuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like
1Bstreams of water in a dry country,
Like the
Ashade of a
2huge rock in
3a parched land.
3 Then
Athe eyes of those who see will not be
1blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The
1mind of the
Ahasty will discern the
2truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.
5 No longer will the
Afool be called noble,
Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.
6 For a fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart
1Ainclines toward wickedness:
To practice
Bungodliness and to speak error against the Loʀᴅ,
To
2Ckeep the hungry person unsatisfied
And
3to withhold drink from the thirsty.
7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;
He
Adevises wicked schemes
To
Bdestroy
the afflicted with
1slander,
CEven though
the needy one speaks
2what is right.
8 But
Athe noble man devises noble plans;
And by noble plans he stands.
9 Rise up, you
Awomen who are at ease,
And hear my voice;
You complacent daughters.
10 Within a year and a few days
You will be troubled, O complacent daughters;
AFor the vintage is ended,
And the fruit gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
ABe troubled, you complacent
daughters; BStrip, undress and put
sackcloth on
your waist,
12 ABeat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 AFor the land of my people
in which thorns
and briars shall come up;
Yea, for all the joyful houses
and for the
Bjubilant city.
14 Because
Athe palace has been abandoned, the
1populated
Bcity forsaken.
2Hill and watch-tower have become
Ccaves forever,
A delight for
Dwild donkeys, a pasture for flocks;
15 Until the
ASpirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a
Bfertile field,
And the fertile field is considered as a forest.
16 Then
Ajustice will dwell in the wilderness
And righteousness will abide in the fertile field.
17 And the
Awork of righteousness will be peace,
And the service of righteousness,
Bquietness and
1confidence forever.
18 Then my people will live in a
Apeaceful habitation,
And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed
Bresting places;
19 And it will
Ahail when the
Bforest comes down,
And
Cthe city will be utterly laid low.
20 How
Ablessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,
Who
1let out freely the ox and the donkey.