1 W oe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, You will be plundered; When you make an end of dealing treacherously, They will deal treacherously with you.

Woe to you, O destroyer, you who were not yourself destroyed, who deal treacherously though they did not deal treacherously with you! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have stopped dealing treacherously, they will deal treacherously with you.

2 O Lord, be gracious to us; We have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, Our salvation also in the time of trouble.

O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be the arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

3 A t the noise of the tumult the people shall flee; When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered;

At the noise of the tumult, the peoples flee; at the lifting up of Yourself, nations are scattered.

4 A nd Your plunder shall be gathered Like the gathering of the caterpillar; As the running to and fro of locusts, He shall run upon them.

And the spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap and run to and fro, so leap upon it.

5 T he Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).

6 W isdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.

And there shall be stability in your times, an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His.

7 S urely their valiant ones shall cry outside, The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

8 T he highways lie waste, The traveling man ceases. He has broken the covenant, He has despised the cities, He regards no man.

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases. The enemy has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities and the witnesses, he regards no man.

9 T he earth mourns and languishes, Lebanon is shamed and shriveled; Sharon is like a wilderness, And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. Impending Judgment on Zion

The land mourns and languishes, Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 “ Now I will rise,” says the Lord; “Now I will be exalted, Now I will lift Myself up.

Now will I arise, says the Lord. Now will I lift up Myself; now will I be exalted.

11 Y ou shall conceive chaff, You shall bring forth stubble; Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

You conceive chaff, you bring forth stubble; your breath is a fire that consumes you.

12 A nd the people shall be like the burnings of lime; Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.

And the people will be burned as if to lime, like thorns cut down that are burned in the fire.

13 H ear, you who are afar off, what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might!

14 T he sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the godless ones. Who among us can dwell with that devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with those everlasting burnings?

15 H e who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises gain from fraud and from oppression, who shakes his hand free from the taking of bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes to avoid looking upon evil.

16 H e will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure. The Land of the Majestic King

will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; water for him will be sure.

17 Y our eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off.

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; will behold a land of wide distances that stretches afar.

18 Y our heart will meditate on terror: “Where is the scribe? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?”

Your mind will meditate on the terror: Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?

19 Y ou will not see a fierce people, A people of obscure speech, beyond perception, Of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.

You will see no more the fierce and insolent people, a people of a speech too deep and obscure to be comprehended, of a strange and stammering tongue that you cannot understand.

20 L ook upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, A tabernacle that will not be taken down; Not one of its stakes will ever be removed, Nor will any of its cords be broken.

Look upon Zion, the city of our set feasts and solemnities! Your eyes shall see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be taken down; not one of its stakes shall ever be pulled up, neither shall any of its cords be broken.

21 B ut there the majestic Lord will be for us A place of broad rivers and streams, In which no galley with oars will sail, Nor majestic ships pass by

But there the Lord will be for us in majesty and splendor a place of broad rivers and streams, where no oar-propelled boat can go, and no mighty and stately ship can pass.

22 ( For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us);

For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us.

23 Y our tackle is loosed, They could not strengthen their mast, They could not spread the sail. Then the prey of great plunder is divided; The lame take the prey.

Your hoisting ropes hang loose; they cannot strengthen and hold firm the foot of their mast or keep the sail spread out. Then will prey and spoil in abundance be divided; even the lame will take the prey.

24 A nd the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.

And no inhabitant will say, I am sick; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity and guilt.