Isaiah 32

 

הֵן לְצֶדֶק יִמְלָךְ־מֶלֶךְ וּלְשָׂרִים לְמִשְׁפָּט יָשֹׂרוּ׃   32:1

Isai. 32:1   Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness,

                             and concerning princes, they shall rule in justice.

וְהָיָה־אִישׁ כְּמַחֲבֵא־רוּחַ וְסֵתֶר זָרֶם כְּפַלְגֵי־מַיִם בְּצָיֹון כְּצֵל סֶלַע־כָּבֵד בְּאֶרֶץ עֲיֵפָה׃   32:2

Isai. 32:2   And each shall be like a spiritual haven,

                            and a protection

                    overflowing like streams of water in a desert,

                             like the shadow of a great rock on a listless land.

וְלֹא תִשְׁעֶינָה עֵינֵי רֹאִים וְאָזְנֵי שֹׁמְעִים תִּקְשַׁבְנָה׃   32:3

Isai. 32:3   And the eyes of the seeing shall not be dim,

                            and the ears of the hearing shall remain attentive.

וּלְבַב נִמְהָרִים יָבִין לָדָעַת וּלְשֹׁון עִלְּגִים תְּמַהֵר לְדַבֵּר צָחֹות׃   32:4

Isai. 32:4   And the heart of the hasty shall attend to knowledge,

                            and the tongue of stammerers shall be quick to speak clearly.

לֹא־יִקָּרֵא עֹוד לְנָבָל נָדִיב וּלְכִילַי לֹא יֵאָמֵר שֹׁועַ׃   32:5

Isai. 32:5   A noble name for a fool shall no longer exist,

                            and concerning the scoundrel,

                    he shall not be supposed noble.

כִּי נָבָל נְבָלָה יְדַבֵּר וְלִבֹּו יַעֲשֶׂה־אָוֶן לַעֲשֹׂות חֹנֶף וּלְדַבֵּר אֶל־יְהוָה תֹּועָה לְהָרִיק נֶפֶשׁ רָעֵב וּמַשְׁקֶה   32:6 צָמֵא יַחְסִיר׃

Isai. 32:6   For a fool will speak villainy,

                            and his heart will prepare iniquity

                    to do wickedness and to speak deceit to the Lord,

                             to make the soul of the hungry empty,

                    and cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

וְכֵלַי כֵּלָיו רָעִים הוּא זִמֹּות יָעָץ לְחַבֵּל עֲנָוִים בְּאִמְרֵי־שֶׁקֶר וּבְדַבֵּר אֶבְיֹון מִשְׁפָּט׃   32:7

Isai. 32:7   And the niggardly? His instruments are evil.

                            He will devise wicked ideas

                    to injure the needy with words of deceit,

                             and the beggar of justice with speech.

וְנָדִיב נְדִיבֹות יָעָץ וְהוּא עַל־נְדִיבֹות יָקוּם׃   32:8

Isai. 32:8   But a generous one will devise liberal things,

                             and he will abide by liberal ideas.

נָשִׁים שַׁאֲנַנֹּות קֹמְנָה שְׁמַעְנָה קֹולִי בָּנֹות בֹּטחֹות הַאְזֵנָּה אִמְרָתִי׃   32:9

Isai. 32:9   O haughty women!  Rise up, hear my voice!

                             Confident daughters! Weigh my words carefully!

יָמִים עַל־שָׁנָה תִּרְגַּזְנָה בֹּטְחֹות כִּי כָּלָה בָצִיר אֹסֶף בְּלִי יָבֹוא׃   32:10

Isai. 32:10   Days over a year the confident [women] will be troubled,

                              for the vintage has failed,

                       the ingathering shall be with nothing brought.

I added the word women in the brackets although the corresponding word in the Hebrew is not there.  I did that because it was a way of indicating that the noun translated as the confident is in the feminine plural form, so it refers to the females mentioned in the preceding verse.

חִרְדוּ שַׁאֲנַנֹּות רְגָזָה בֹּטְחֹות פְּשֹׁטָה וְעֹרָה וַחֲגֹורָה עַל־חֲלָצָיִם׃   32:11

Isai. 32:11   Tremble, haughty ones!

                              Be troubled, confident ones!

                      Strip and be bare,

                              and gird yourselves on the loins,

עַל־שָׁדַיִם סֹפְדִים עַל־שְׂדֵי־חֶמֶד עַל־גֶּפֶן פֹּרִיָּה׃   32:12

Isai. 32:12   beating upon the breasts,

                              mourning over the fields of delight,

                      over the fruitful vine!

עַל אַדְמַת עַמִּי קֹוץ שָׁמִיר תַּעֲלֶה כִּי עַל־כָּל־בָּתֵּי מָשֹׂושׂ קִרְיָה עַלִּיזָה׃   32:13

Isai. 32:13   Because the soil of my people

                               shall bring up thorny briar.

                      Yes, despite all the houses of joy,

                                the jubilant city!

כִּי־אַרְמֹון נֻטָּשׁ הֲמֹון עִיר עֻזָּב עֹפֶל וָבַחַן הָיָה בְעַד מְעָרֹות עַד־עֹולָם מְשֹׂושׂ פְּרָאִים מִרְעֵה   32:14 עֲדָרִים׃

Isai. 32:14   For the palace is forsaken;

                               the multitude of the city leaves.

                      The stronghold, with the watchtower,

                               is to be used as dens forever,

                       the joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks,

עַד־יֵעָרֶה עָלֵינוּ רוּחַ מִמָּרֹום וְהָיָה מִדְבָּר לַכַּרְמֶל וְכַרְמֶל לַיַּעַר יֵחָשֵׁב׃   32:15

Isai. 32:15   until the spirit will be poured out upon us from above,

                               and the wilderness will become for a fruitful place,

                      and the fruitful place will be esteemed as a forest.

וְשָׁכַן בַּמִּדְבָּר מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בַּכַּרְמֶל תֵּשֵׁב׃   32:16

Isai. 32:16   Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness,

                               and righteousness shall dwell in the fruitful place.

וְהָיָה מַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה שָׁלֹום וַעֲבֹדַת הַצְּדָקָה הַשְׁקֵט וָבֶטַח עַד־עֹולָם׃   32:17

Isai. 32:17   And peace shall be the product of righteousness,

                                the effect of righteousness, quiet and safety forever.

וְיָשַׁב עַמִּי בִּנְוֵה שָׁלֹום וּבְמִשְׁכְּנֹות מִבְטַחִים וּבִמְנוּחֹת שַׁאֲנַנֹּות׃   32:18

Isai. 32:18   And my people shall dwell in a peaceful habitation

                               and in secure dwellings

                      and in quiet resting places.

וּבָרַד בְּרֶדֶת הַיָּעַר וּבַשִּׁפְלָה תִּשְׁפַּל הָעִיר׃   32:19

Isai. 32:19   And it shall hail with the downfall of the forest,

                               and the city shall be humbled in the valley.

Here is another verse that makes little sense on the surface.  There is a great deal of speculation about the meaning of the forest and the city, with at least three candidates for each.  I suspect these words have a general meaning and the verse refers to all the bad things that will be happening everywhere outside of Jerusalem (Israel), whose inhabitants will be safe and peaceful in secure dwellings (v. 32:18).

אַשְׁרֵיכֶם זֹרְעֵי עַל־כָּל־מָיִם מְשַׁלְּחֵי רֶגֶל־הַשֹּׁור וְהַחֲמֹור׃   32:20

Isai. 32:20   Happy are you who sow beside all the waters,

                               dispatchers of the feet of oxen and of asses!

 

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