Isaiah
Chapter 33
1
Woe, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; when wearied with betraying, you will be betrayed.
2
O LORD, have pity on us, for you we wait. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of trouble!
3
At the roaring sound, peoples flee; when you rise in your majesty, nations are scattered.
4
Men gather spoil as caterpillars are gathered up; they rush upon it like the onrush of locusts.
5
The LORD is exalted, enthroned on high; he fills Zion with right and justice.
6
That which makes her seasons lasting, the riches that save her, are wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is her treasure.
7
1 See, the men of Ariel cry out in the streets, the messengers of Shalem weep bitterly.
8
The highways are desolate, travelers have quit the paths, Covenants are broken, their terms are spurned; yet no man gives it a thought.
9
2 The country languishes in mourning, Lebanon withers with shame; Sharon is like the steppe, Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
10
Now will I rise up, says the LORD, now will I be exalted, now be lifted up.
11
You conceive dry grass, bring forth stubble; my spirit shall consume you like fire.
12
The peoples shall be as in a limekiln, like brushwood cut down for burning in the fire.
13
Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my might.
14
On Zion sinners are in dread, trembling grips the impious: "Who of us can live with the consuming fire? who of us can live with the everlasting flames?"
15
He who practices virtue and speaks honestly, who spurns what is gained by oppression, Brushing his hands free of contact with a bribe, stopping his ears lest he hear of bloodshed, closing his eyes lest he look on evil--
16
He shall dwell on the heights, his stronghold shall be the rocky fastness, his food and drink in steady supply.
17
3 Your eyes will see a king in his splendor, they will look upon a vast land.
18
Your mind will dwell on the terror: "Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed? Where is he who counted the towers?"
19
To the people of alien tongue you will look no more, the people of obscure speech, stammering in a language not understood.
20
Look to Zion, the city of our festivals; let your eyes see Jerusalem as a quiet abode, a tent not to be struck, Whose pegs will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes severed.
22
Indeed the LORD will be there with us, majestic; yes, the LORD our judge, the LORD our lawgiver, the LORD our king, he it is who will save us.
21
4 In a place of rivers and wide streams on which no boat is rowed, where no majestic ship passes,
23
The rigging hangs slack; it cannot hold the mast in place, nor keep the sail spread out. Then the blind will divide great spoils and the lame will carry off the loot.
24
No one who dwells there will say, "I am sick"; the people who live there will be forgiven their guilt.
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Footnotes

1 [7] Ariel . . . Shalem: Jerusalem; cf Isaiah 29:1; Genesis 14:18.

2 [9] Sharon: the fertile plain near the Mediterranean.

3 [17] King: the messianic king, or God; cf Isaiah 33:22.

4 [22-23] Boat . . . majestic ship: of a foreign oppressor.


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December 09, 2002 Copyright © by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops