הֹוי שֹׁודֵד וְאַתָּה לֹא שָׁדוּד וּבֹוגֵד וְלֹא־בָגְדוּ בֹו כַּהֲתִמְךָ שֹׁודֵד תּוּשַּׁד כַּנְּלֹתְךָ לִבְגֹּד יִבְגְּדוּ־בָךְ׃   33:1

Isai. 33:1   Alas, spoiling, but you were not spoiled,

                            and dealing treacherously,

                    but they did not deal treacherously with you!

                            Upon your ending of spoiling,

                    you shall be spoiled.

                            Upon your completion of dealing treacherously,

                     they shall deal you treachery.

יְהוָה חָנֵּנוּ לְךָ קִוִּינוּ הֱיֵה זְרֹעָם לַבְּקָרִים אַף־יְשׁוּעָתֵנוּ בְּעֵת צָרָה׃   33:2

Isai. 33:2   O Lord! be gracious to us!

                             We have waited for You.

                    Be their Strength every morning,

                              also our Salvation in a time of trouble!

Notice that in this verse Isaiah freely changes person of pronouns.  Us, we, their, and back to our!  I believe he is demonstrating that he will adopt different perspectives in this chapter, which is what he seems to do in numerous verses below.  It seems to me that in the first two lines (in the English) he is speaking for the people.  In the third line he is speaking for himself.  And in the last line he is back to speaking for the people again.  He will also change time perspective as well, moving between future and present, or even past views.

מִקֹּול הָמֹון נָדְדוּ עַמִּים מֵרֹומְמֻתֶךָ נָפְצוּ גֹּויִם׃   33:3

Isai. 33:3   The peoples have departed

                              from the sound of the tumult.

                    The nations have scattered from Your lifting Yourself up.

In this verse Isaiah seems to be speaking as if he is in the future, looking back at the past.

וְאֻסַּף שְׁלַלְכֶם אֹסֶף הֶחָסִיל כְּמַשַּׁק גֵּבִים שֹׁוקֵק בֹּו׃   33:4

Isai. 33:4   Then He will gather up your spoil,

                              the gathering of a caterpillar

                     like the running about of locusts,

                              running greedily into it.

Here he is in the past again referring to the future.

נִשְׂגָּב יְהוָה כִּי שֹׁכֵן מָרֹום מִלֵּא צִיֹּון מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה׃   33:5

Isai. 33:5   Exalted is the Lord, for He dwells on high.

                             He fills Zion with justice and righteousness.

וְהָיָה אֱמוּנַת עִתֶּיךָ חֹסֶן יְשׁוּעֹת חָכְמַת וָדָעַת יִרְאַת יְהוָה הִיא אֹוצָרֹו׃   33:6

Isai. 33:6   And wealth, salvation, wisdom, knowledge,

                             reverence of the Lord,

                    shall be the stability of your seasons.

                             It is His treasure.

The pronoun it in this verse is feminine, so seems to refer back to Zion in v. 33:5.  This kind of reference will be repeated below.  Notice also that he is in the past again here.

הֵן אֶרְאֶלָּם צָעֲקוּ חֻצָה מַלְאֲכֵי שָׁלֹום מַר יִבְכָּיוּן׃   33:7

Isai. 33:7   Behold, their heroes cry outdoors,

                             ambassadors of bitter peace shall weep.

נָשַׁמּוּ מְסִלֹּות שָׁבַת עֹבֵר אֹרַח הֵפֵר בְּרִית מָאַס עָרִים לֹא חָשַׁב אֱנֹושׁ׃   33:8

Isai. 33:8   The highways are brought into desolation,

                             the crossing of the traveler is ceased.

                    He has broken the covenant, despised the cities.

                             He does not esteem mankind.

And here (and in the next verse) he seems to be in the intermediate future, contemplating the destruction of Israel.

אָבַל אֻמְלְלָה אָרֶץ הֶחְפִּיר לְבָנֹון קָמַל הָיָה הַשָּׁרֹון כָּעֲרָבָה וְנֹעֵר בָּשָׁן וְכַרְמֶל׃   33:9

Isai. 33:9   He laments the weakness of the land.

                              Lebanon is hewed down, brought to shame.

                    The Sharon has become like a wilderness,

                              and Bashan, with Carmel, is overthrown.

עַתָּה אָקוּם יֹאמַר יְהוָה עַתָּה אֵרֹוםָם עַתָּה אֶנָּשֵׂא׃   33:10

Isai. 33:10   “Now will I rise,” the Lord shall say.

                               “Now will I be their Most High.

                       Now will I be lifted up.”

Now he is back in his present foreseeing the future.

תַּהֲרוּ חֲשַׁשׁ תֵּלְדוּ קַשׁ רוּחֲכֶם אֵשׁ תֹּאכַלְכֶם׃   33:11

Isai. 33:11   You shall conceive chaff,

                                you shall deliver stubble.

                      Your breath shall be a fire;

                                 it shall devour you.

וְהָיוּ עַמִּים מִשְׂרְפֹות שִׂיד קֹוצִים כְּסוּחִים בָּאֵשׁ יִצַּתּוּ׃   33:12

Isai. 33:12   And the peoples shall be the burnings of lime,

                                 thorns cut down, in fire burned up.

שִׁמְעוּ רְחֹוקִים אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי וּדְעוּ קְרֹובִים גְּבֻרָתִי׃   33:13

Isai. 33:13   “Hear, remote ones, what I have done!

                                And acknowledge, near ones, My power!”

Now he is speaking God’s words again.

פָּחֲדוּ בְצִיֹּון חַטָּאִים אָחֲזָה רְעָדָה חֲנֵפִים מִי יָגוּר לָנוּ אֵשׁ אֹוכֵלָה מִי־יָגוּר לָנוּ מֹוקְדֵי עֹולָם׃   33:14

Isai. 33:14   The sinners in Zion are afraid;

                                terror has seized the impious ones.

                      “Who will abide for us the devouring fire?

                               Who will abide for us the burnings of the world?”

Now he seems to be in the intermediate future again, contemplating the destruction of Israel and the people’s reaction.  He responds to the questions in the next verse.  Then in v. 33:16 he once more projects a hopeful scene of tranquility for the righteous one.

הֹלֵךְ צְדָקֹות וְדֹבֵר מֵישָׁרִים מֹאֵס בְּבֶצַע מַעֲשַׁקֹּות נֹעֵר כַּפָּיו מִתְּמֹךְ בַּשֹּׁחַד אֹטֵם אָזְנֹו מִשְּׁמֹעַ   33:15 דָּמִים וְעֹצֵם עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹות בְּרָע׃

Isai. 33:15   The walkers of righteousness,

                               and the speakers of uprightness,

                       the haters of the greed of oppressors,

                                the one who shakes his hands

                       against the taking of bribery,

                               who stops his ears from hearing of blood,

                       and closes his eyes from looking on evil.

הוּא מְרֹומִים יִשְׁכֹּן מְצָדֹות סְלָעִים מִשְׂגַּבֹּו לַחְמֹו נִתָּן מֵימָיו נֶאֱמָנִים׃   33:16

Isai. 33:16   He will dwell on high places,

                               fortresses of rocks his defense,

                      his bread given, his water secure.

מֶלֶךְ בְּיָפְיֹו תֶּחֱזֶינָה עֵינֶיךָ תִּרְאֶינָה אֶרֶץ מַרְחַקִּים׃   33:17

Isai. 33:17   The King in His beauty shall your eyes behold.

                               They shall see the land of remote places.

לִבְּךָ יֶהְגֶּה אֵימָה אַיֵּה סֹפֵר אַיֵּה שֹׁקֵל אַיֵּה סֹפֵר אֶת־הַמִּגְדָּלִים׃   33:18

Isai. 33:18   Your heart will ponder the terror.

                               Where is the counter?

                      Where is the weigher?

                               Where is he who counted the towers?

The traditional explanation of this verse is that it refers to the Assyrians who levied taxes on the people of Israel.  I can accept this.  Are you surprised?  No, shocked?

אֶת־עַם נֹועָז לֹא תִרְאֶה עַם עִמְקֵי שָׂפָה מִשְּׁמֹועַ נִלְעַג לָשֹׁון אֵין בִּינָה׃   33:19

Isai. 33:19   You shall not see fierce people,

                               people of speech strange to understand,

                      babbling of tongue without wisdom.

חֲזֵה צִיֹּון קִרְיַת מֹועֲדֵנוּ עֵינֶיךָ תִרְאֶינָה יְרוּשָׁלִַם נָוֶה שַׁאֲןָן אֹהֶל בַּל־יִצְעָן בַּל־יִסַּע יְתֵדֹתָיו לָנֶצַח   33:20 וְכָל־חֲבָלָיו בַּל־יִנָּתֵקוּ׃

Isai. 33:20   Behold Zion, city of our assemblies;

                               your eyes shall see Jerusalem a secure habitation.

                      A tent shall not be taken down;

                                its stakes shall not ever be pulled up,

                      and not any its ropes be broken.

כִּי אִם־שָׁם אַדִּיר יְהוָה לָנוּ מְקֹום־נְהָרִים יְאֹרִים רַחֲבֵי יָדָיִם בַּל־תֵּלֶךְ בֹּו אֳנִי־שַׁיִט וְצִי אַדִּיר לֹא   33:21 יַעַבְרֶנּוּ׃

Isai. 33:21   For if the majesty of the Lord would be there for us,

                               a place of rivers, a broad watercourse of power,

                       no oared ship shall go through it,

                               and no mighty ship shall cross it.

כִּי יְהוָה שֹׁפְטֵנוּ יְהוָה מְחֹקְקֵנוּ יְהוָה מַלְכֵּנוּ הוּא יֹושִׁיעֵנוּ׃   33:22

Isai. 33:22   For the Lord is our Judge,

                               the Lord is our Lawgiver,

                      the Lord is our King.

                               He is our Deliverer.

נִטְּשׁוּ חֲבָלָיִךְ בַּל־יְחַזְּקוּ כֵן־תָּרְנָם בַּל־פָּרְשׂוּ נֵס אָז חֻלַּק עַד־שָׁלָל מַרְבֶּה פִּסְחִים בָּזְזוּ בַז׃   33:23

Isai. 33:23   Your ropes are loosened;

                                they shall not hold their mast afterward,

                       they do not spread the sail.

                                Then an increasing spoil of the prey is divided;

                       the lame gather the spoil,

וּבַל־יֹאמַר שָׁכֵן חָלִיתִי הָעָם הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּהּ נְשֻׂא עָוֹן׃   33:24

Isai. 33:24   and no inhabitant would say, “I am infirm.”

                                 The people dwelling in it takes away iniquity.

In the second part of this verse, we have a further demonstration that the term people is treated as singular in the Hebrew bible.  Also I believe the pronoun it, which is feminine, refers back to Zion in v. 33:20, as we have seen above in v. 33:6..

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