The Book of the Prophet Isaiah

⭑ Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 33 -

Terrible things will happen to you people of Assyria! You have destroyed others, but you have not been destroyed yet. You have betrayed others, but you have not been betrayed yet. When you stop destroying others, others will destroy you. When you stop betraying others, others will betray you.

Yahweh, act kindly toward us, because we have patiently waited for you to help us. Enable us to be strong every day, and rescue us when we have troubles.

Our enemies run away when they hear your voice. When you stand up and show that you are powerful, the people of all nations flee.

And after our enemies have been defeated, we, your people, will take away all our enemies’ possessions, like caterpillars and locusts strip off all the leaves of plants.

Yahweh is greater than anyone else, and he lives in heaven, and he will rule justly and righteously in Jerusalem.

When that happens, he will enable you to live securely; he will fully protect your possessions, he will enable you to be wise and to know all that you need to know; and revering Yahweh will be like a valuable treasure that he will give to you.

But now, look, our messengers are crying out in the streets; our ambassadors have gone to other countries to make peace treaties, but they will cry bitterly because they will not succeed.

No one travels on our roads. The leaders of Assyria have broken their peace treaty with us; they despise the people who made those treaties, and they do not respect anyone.

The land of Judah is dry and barren. The cedar trees in Lebanon are drying up and decaying. The Plain of Sharon along the coast is now a desert plain. There are no more leaves on the trees in the areas of Bashan and Carmel.

Yahweh says, “Now I will arise and show that I deserve for everyone to honor me.

You people of Assyria make plans that are as useless as chaff and straw. Your breath will become a fire that will burn you up.

Your people will be burned until only ashes remain, like thornbushes are cut down and burned up.

You people who live far away and you people who live nearby, pay attention to what I have done and realize that I am very powerful.”

The sinners in Jerusalem will tremble because they are very afraid; godless people will be terrified. They say, “None of us can remain alive because this fire is burning everything; it is like the fire on Yahweh’s altar that will burn forever!”

Those who act honestly and say what is right, those who do not try to become rich by forcing money from people, those who do not try to get bribes, those who refuse to listen to people who are planning to murder someone, those who do not join others who urge them to do what is wrong,

they are the people who will live safely; they will find places to be safe in the caves in the mountains. They will have plenty of food and water.

You people of Judah will see the king wearing all his beautiful robes, and you will see that he rules a land that extends far away.

When you see that, you will think about when you were previously terrified, and you will say, “The officers of Assyria who counted the tax money that we were forced to pay to them have disappeared! Those men who counted our towers are gone!

Those arrogant people who spoke a language that we could not understand are no longer here!”

At that time, you will see Mount Zion, the place where we celebrate our festivals; You will see that Jerusalem has become a place that is calm and safe. It will be secure, like a tent that cannot be moved because its ropes are tight and its stakes are firmly in the ground.

Yahweh will be our mighty God; he will be like a mighty river that will protect us because our enemies will not be able to cross it; no one will be able to row across it and no warships will be able to sail across it.

Yahweh is our judge; Yahweh is the one who gives us laws, and Yahweh is our king. He will rescue us.

The ropes on our enemies’ boats will hang loose, their masts will not be fastened firmly, and their sails will not be spread out. The treasures that they have seized will be divided among us, God’s people, and even lame people among us will plunder some spoils.

And the people in Jerusalem will no longer say, “We are sick,” because Yahweh will forgive the sins that have been committed by the people who live there. (Jam. 5:16)

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.

LORD, 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.

The LORD 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 the LORD 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.

“Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted.

You will conceive chaff. You will give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will devour you.

The peoples will be like the burning of lime, like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.

Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”

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?

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 bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—

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.

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will see a distant land.

Your heart will meditate on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed? Where is he who counted the towers?

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.

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.

But there the LORD 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.

For the LORD is our judge. The LORD is our lawgiver. The LORD is our king. He will save us.

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.

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