Isaiah 33 Expanded Bible
Warnings to Assyria and Promises to God’s People
33 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] you who destroy others
but have not been destroyed yet.
·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] you, traitor,
whom no one has ·turned against yet [betrayed].
When you stop destroying,
others will destroy you.
When you stop ·turning against others [betraying],
they will ·turn against [betray] you.
2 Lord, be ·kind [gracious; merciful] to us.
We have waited for your help.
·Give us strength [L Be our arm] every morning.
·Save us [L …our salvation] ·when we are in [L in times of] trouble.
3 ·Your powerful voice makes [or At the sound of tumult] ·people [the peoples/nations] run away;
your ·greatness [majesty; or rising up] causes the nations to run away.
4 Like ·locusts [or the caterpillar], your enemies will ·take away [gather; harvest] ·the things you stole in war [your plunder].
Like locusts ·rushing about [swarming], they will take your wealth.
5 The Lord is ·very great [exalted], and he ·lives in a high place [T dwells on high].
He fills ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 1:27] with ·fairness [justice; judgment] and ·justice [righteousness].
6 He will ·always be your safety [be the foundation/stability of your time].
He is ·full [a rich store/abundance] of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
·Respect for [The fear of] the Lord is the greatest treasure [Prov. 1:7].
7 See, ·brave people [heroes; valiant ones] are crying out in the streets;
·those who tried to bring [envoys/ambassadors of] peace are weeping ·loudly [bitterly].
8 ·There is no one on the roads [L Highways lie desolate/deserted],
no ·one walking [travelers] in the ·paths [roads; way].
People have broken the ·agreements [treaties; covenants] they made.
They ·refuse to believe the proof from [L despise its] witnesses.
No one ·respects [cares about; regards] other people.
9 The land ·is sick and dying [dries up and withers; or mourns and languishes];
Lebanon is ashamed and ·dying [shrivels; withers].
Sharon [C a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast] is like the desert,
and ·the trees of Bashan and Carmel are dying [L Bashan and Carmel shake off; C their leaves; these places were known for their lush trees and vegetation; 2:13; 35:2].
10 The Lord says, “Now, I will ·stand [rise] up
and ·show my greatness [L be exalted].
Now, I will ·become important to the people [L be lifted up].
11 You people ·do useless things [produce nothing; L conceive chaff/straw]
·that are like hay and straw [L you give birth to straw/stubble].
·A destructive wind [or Your breath] will ·burn [consume; devour] you like fire.
12 ·People [or The nations] will be burned ·until their bones become like lime [to ashes/lime];
they will burn quickly like ·dry [cut] thornbushes.”
13 You people in faraway lands, hear what I have done.
You people who are near me, ·learn about [or acknowledge] my ·power [might].
14 The sinners in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 1:27] are afraid;
those who are ·separated from God [godless] shake with fear.
They say, “·Can any of us [L Who can] live through this fire that ·destroys [consumes; devours]?
Who can live near this ·fire that burns on and on [unquenchable/everlasting burning]?”
15 A person who ·does what is right [walks righteously; Ps. 15]
and speaks ·what is right [truthfully; uprightly],
who ·refuses to take [rejects; despises] ·money unfairly [profit from oppression/extortion],
who ·refuses to take money to hurt others [L shakes off his hands from grabbing a bribe],
who ·does not listen [closes his ears] to plans of murder,
who ·refuses to think about [closes his eyes to looking on] evil—
16 this is the kind of person who will ·be safe [L dwell on high/the heights].
He will ·be protected as he would be [find refuge] in a ·high, walled city [rock stronghold/fortress].
He will always have ·bread [food],
and he will not run out of water.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his ·beauty [splendor].
You will see the land that stretches far away.
18 ·You [L Your heart] will ·think about the terror of the past [L meditate on terror]:
“Where is that ·officer [scribe; taxation officer; L counter]?
Where is the ·one who collected the taxes [L weigher]?
Where is the ·officer in charge of our defense towers [one who counts the towers; C for taxation purposes]?”
19 No longer will you see those ·proud [defiant; or fierce; or barbaric] people,
whose ·strange [obscure] ·language [speech; lip] you don’t know [C the Assyrians].
whose stammering ·speech [tongue] you cannot understand.
God Will Protect Jerusalem
20 Look at ·Jerusalem [L Zion], the city of our festivals.
·Look at [L Your eyes will see] Jerusalem, that ·beautiful place of rest [quiet dwelling].
It is like a tent that will never be moved;
·the pegs that hold her in place [L its stakes] will never be pulled up,
and her ropes will never be broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
That land is a place with streams and wide rivers,
·but there will be no enemy boats on those rivers [L no galley with oars will go];
no ·powerful [majestic] ship will sail on them.
22 This is because the Lord is our judge.
The Lord ·makes our laws [is our lawgiver].
The Lord is our king.
He will ·save [rescue; T deliver] us.
23 The ·ropes on your boats [L ropes; cords] hang loose [C perhaps referring to the enemy ships or metaphorically to Judah].
The mast is not held firm.
The sails are not spread open.
Then ·your great wealth [an abundance of plunder] will be divided.
·There will be so much wealth that even the crippled people will carry off a share [L Even the lame will take the prey].
24 No one living in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 1:27] will say, “I am sick.”
The people who live there will have their sins forgiven.
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