Hope in the Lord – Isaiah 33:1-24
33 Woe to you, O destroyer, you who were not destroyed! Woe to you, O treacherous one, but they did not deal treacherously with you! When you have finished destroying, you shall be destroyed. When you have stopped dealing treacherously, they will deal treacherously with you. (2) O Jehovah, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, and our salvation in the time of distress. (3) At the thundering of your voice, the peoples flee; when you arise the nations scatter. (4) Your plunder, O nations, shall be gathered like the young locusts gather the crops; men shall pounce upon it like locusts swarm over the harvest. (5) Jehovah is exalted, for he dwells on high; he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. (6) There will be stability in your times; he will provide a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge—the fear of Jehovah is your treasure.
(7) Listen! Their brave men cry out in the streets; the ambassadors who seek peace weep bitterly. (8) The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty has been broken, its witnesses are despised; he respects no one. (9) The land mourns and wastes away; Lebanon is ashamed and withers; Sharon has become like a desert; and Bashan and Carmel have lost their foliage.
(10) Now will I arise, declares Jehovah. Now will I be exalted. Now will I be lifted up. (11) You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble—your wrath is the fire that will consume you. (12) The people will become like the residue of burnt lime; they will be like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire. (13) You who are far away, hear what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge my power!
(14) The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless ones. They ask, Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burning? (15) He who walks in a righteous manner and who speaks what is right; he who rejects gain gotten by means of extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes; he who covers his ears so as not to hear about plots to shed blood and shuts his eyes so as to avoid looking at evil things. (16) This man will dwell on the heights, his refuge will be the impregnable rocks; his bread will be provided for him, and he will have a sure supply of water.
(17) Your eyes will see the King in his beauty; they will look upon a land that spreads out to great distances. (18) Then your mind will muse on the former terror, wondering, Where is the one who collected the tribute money? Where is the one who weighed the revenue? Where is the officer in charge of the towers? (19) You will no longer see those fierce people—those people who spoke an unintelligible speech that you could not comprehend, who spoke a foreign language that you could not understand.
(20) Look upon Zion, the city of our sacred festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem as being a peaceful dwelling place, a tent that shall not be removed—its stakes will never be pulled up, nor will any of its cords be broken. (21) But there Jehovah will be with us in his majesty. It will be a place of broad rivers and streams, along which no galley with oars will travel, neither shall any mighty warship sail upon those rivers. (22) Because Jehovah is our Judge, because Jehovah is our Lawgiver, because Jehovah is our King, he will save us.
(23) Your rigging hangs loose! The mast is not held secure; the sail is not spread out. Then the prey of an abundant spoil was divided—the lame took the plunder! (24) The resident of that city will not say, I am sick. The people who reside there shall have their iniquity forgiven.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
