Font Size
Isaiah 33:20-24
New English Translation
Isaiah 33:20-24
New English Translation
20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!
You[a] will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful settlement,
a tent that stays put;[b]
its stakes will never be pulled up;
none of its ropes will snap in two.
21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king.[c]
Rivers and wide streams will flow through it;[d]
no war galley will enter;[e]
no large ships will sail through.[f]
22 For the Lord, our ruler,
the Lord, our commander,
the Lord, our king—
he will deliver us.
23 Though at this time your ropes are slack,[g]
the mast is not secured,[h]
and the sail[i] is not unfurled,
at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot;[j]
even the lame will drag off plunder.[k]
24 No resident of Zion[l] will say, “I am ill”;
the people who live there will have their sin forgiven.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 33:20 tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 33:20 tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”
- Isaiah 33:21 tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”
- Isaiah 33:21 tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”
- Isaiah 33:21 tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”
- Isaiah 33:21 tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”
- Isaiah 33:23 tn The words “though at this time” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first half of the verse is addressed to Judah and contrasts the nation’s present weakness with its future prosperity. Judah is compared to a ship that is incapable of sailing.
- Isaiah 33:23 tn Heb “they do not fasten the base of their mast.” On כֵּן (ken, “base”) see BDB 487 s.v. III כֵּן and HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן.
- Isaiah 33:23 tn Or perhaps, “flag.”
- Isaiah 33:23 tn Heb “then there will be divided up loot of plunder [in] abundance.”
- Isaiah 33:23 sn Judah’s victory over its enemies will be so thorough there will be more than enough plunder for everyone, even slow-moving lame men who would normally get left out in the rush to gather the loot.
- Isaiah 33:24 tn The words “of Zion” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Isaiah 33:20-24
New International Version
Isaiah 33:20-24
New International Version
20 Look on Zion,(A) the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode,(B) a tent(C) that will not be moved;(D)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(E) One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(F)
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship(G) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(H)
the Lord is our lawgiver,(I)
the Lord is our king;(J)
it is he who will save(K) us.
Isaiah 33:20-24
King James Version
Isaiah 33:20-24
King James Version
20 Look 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.
21 But 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.
22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.
23 Thy 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.
24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
Read full chapter
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.