1 B ehold, a king will reign in righteousness, And princes will rule with justice.

2 A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, And a cover from the tempest, As rivers of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

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

4 A lso the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

5 T he foolish person will no longer be called generous, Nor the miser said to be bountiful;

6 F or the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the Lord, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

7 A lso the schemes of the schemer are evil; He devises wicked plans To destroy the poor with lying words, Even when the needy speaks justice.

8 B ut a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand. Consequences of Complacency

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

10 I n a year and some days You will be troubled, you complacent women; For the vintage will fail, The gathering will not come.

11 T remble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, And gird sackcloth on your waists.

12 P eople shall mourn upon their breasts For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

13 O n the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, Yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city;

14 B ecause the palaces will be forsaken, The bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks—

15 U ntil the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. The Peace of God’s Reign

16 T hen justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

17 T he work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.

18 M y people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,

19 T hough hail comes down on the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation.

20 B lessed are you who sow beside all waters, Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.