Isaiah 32
Expanded Bible
A Good Kingdom Is Coming
32 A king will rule in ·a way that brings justice [righteousness; justice],
and ·leaders [rulers; princes] will ·make fair decisions [rule in justice].
2 Then each ruler will be like a shelter from the wind,
like a ·safe place [refuge] in a storm,
like streams of water in a dry land,
like a cool shadow from a large rock in a ·hot [thirsty; weary] land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will ·see the truth [not be closed],
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 ·People who are now worried [or Those who are reckless; L The heart of the hasty] will be able to understand.
·Those who cannot speak clearly now [The stuttering/stammering tongue] will then be able to speak clearly and quickly.
5 Fools will not be called ·great [noble; honorable],
and people will not respect the ·wicked [scoundrel; deceiver].
6 A fool says foolish things,
and in his ·mind [heart] he ·plans evil [or commits sin].
A fool ·does things that are wicked [practices ungodliness],
and he ·says wrong things [spreads error] about the Lord.
A fool does not feed the hungry
or let thirsty people drink water.
7 The ·wicked person [scoundrel] uses evil ·like a tool [or schemes; methods].
He plans ·ways [wicked schemes] to take everything from the poor.
He destroys the poor with lies,
even when the ·poor person [needy] ·is in the right [L speak justice].
8 But a ·good leader plans to do good [honorable/noble man plans honorable/noble things],
and those ·good [honorable; noble] things make him ·a good leader [or stand firm].
Hard Times Are Coming
9 You women who are ·calm [complacent] now,
·stand [rise] up and listen to ·me [L my voice].
You ·women [L daughters] who feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now,
hear what I say.
10 You women feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now,
but ·after one year [L in a year and some days] you will ·be afraid [shudder; tremble].
There will be no grape harvest
and no summer fruit to gather.
11 Women, you are ·calm [complacent] now, but you should shake with fear.
Women, you feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now, but you should tremble.
·Take [Strip] off your nice clothes
and put ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth] around your waist [C a sign of sorrow or despair].
12 Beat your breasts [C a sign of mourning or grief], ·because the fields that were pleasant are now empty [L for the pleasant fields].
·Cry, because the vines that once had fruit now have no more grapes [L …for the fruitful vine].
13 ·Cry for [L …for] the land of my people,
in which only thorns and weeds now grow [Gen. 3:18].
·Cry for [L …for] the city that once was happy
and for all the houses that once were filled with joy.
14 The ·palace [or fortress] will be ·empty [abandoned; deserted];
the ·noisy [bustling; populous] city will be abandoned.
·Strong cities and towers [or The citadel and the watchtower] will be empty.
Wild donkeys will love to live there, and sheep will go there to eat.
Things Will Get Better
15 This will continue until ·God pours his Spirit [L the Spirit is poured] from ·above [heaven; T on high] upon us.
Then the desert will be like ·rich farmland [a fertile/fruitful field]
and the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field] like a forest [29:17; 35:1, 2].
16 Justice will ·be found [L dwell] even in the desert,
and fairness will be found in the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field].
17 That fairness will bring peace,
and it will bring ·calm [quietness] and ·safety [trust; confidence] forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful places
and in ·safe [secure] homes
and in ·calm [quiet] places of rest.
19 Hail will destroy the forest,
and the city will be ·completely destroyed [brought down; laid low].
20 But you will be ·happy [blessed] as you plant seeds near every stream
and as you let [L the feet of] your cattle and donkeys wander freely.
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