1 B ehold, a king will reign righteously And princes will rule justly.

Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice.

2 E ach will be like a refuge from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry country, Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.

And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land.

3 T hen the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, And the ears of those who hear will listen.

And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

4 T he mind of the hasty will discern the truth, And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.

And the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

5 N o longer will the fool be called noble, Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.

The fool shall be no more called noble, nor the churl said to be bountiful.

6 F or a fool speaks nonsense, And his heart inclines toward wickedness: To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord, To keep the hungry person unsatisfied And to withhold drink from the thirsty.

For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise profaneness, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

7 A s for a rogue, his weapons are evil; He devises wicked schemes To destroy the afflicted with slander, Even though the needy one speaks what is right.

And the instruments of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the meek with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.

8 B ut the noble man devises noble plans; And by noble plans he stands.

But the noble deviseth noble things; and in noble things shall he continue.

9 R ise up, you women who are at ease, And hear my voice; Give ear to my word, You complacent daughters.

Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice; ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech.

10 W ithin a year and a few days You will be troubled, O complacent daughters; For the vintage is ended, And the fruit gathering will not come.

For days beyond a year shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come.

11 T remble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent daughters; Strip, undress and put sackcloth on your waist,

Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.

12 B eat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,

They shall smite upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

13 F or the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up; Yea, for all the joyful houses and for the jubilant city.

Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

14 B ecause the palace has been abandoned, the populated city forsaken. Hill and watch-tower have become caves forever, A delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks;

For the palace shall be forsaken; the populous city shall be deserted; the hill and the watch-tower shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

15 U ntil the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest.

until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest.

16 T hen justice will dwell in the wilderness And righteousness will abide in the fertile field.

Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field.

17 A nd the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence for ever.

18 T hen my people will live in a peaceful habitation, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places;

And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.

19 A nd it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low.

But it shall hail in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low.

20 H ow blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters, Who let out freely the ox and the donkey.

Blessed are yet that sow beside all waters, that send forth the feet of the ox and the ass.