ה֣וֹי שׁוֹדֵ֗ד וְאַתָּה֙ לֹ֣א שָׁד֔וּד וּבוֹגֵ֖ד וְלֹא־בָ֣גְדוּ ב֑וֹ כַּהֲתִֽמְךָ֤ שׁוֹדֵד֙ תּוּשַּׁ֔ד כַּנְּלֹתְךָ֥ לִבְגֹּ֖ד יִבְגְּדוּ־בָֽךְ׃ {ס} Ha, you ravager who are not ravaged,
You betrayer who have not been betrayed!
When you have done ravaging, you shall be ravaged;
When you have finished betraying, you shall be betrayed.
יְהֹוָ֥ה חׇנֵּ֖נוּ לְךָ֣ קִוִּ֑ינוּ הֱיֵ֤ה זְרֹעָם֙ לַבְּקָרִ֔ים אַף־יְשׁוּעָתֵ֖נוּ בְּעֵ֥ת צָרָֽה׃ O ETERNAL One, be gracious to us!
It is to You we have looked;
Be their armaBe their arm Emendation yields “You have been our help.” every morning,
Also our deliverance in time of stress.
מִקּ֣וֹל הָמ֔וֹן נָדְד֖וּ עַמִּ֑ים מֵר֣וֹמְמֻתֶ֔ךָ נָפְצ֖וּ גּוֹיִֽם׃ At [Your] roaring, peoples have fled,
Before Your majesty nations have scattered;
וְאֻסַּ֣ף שְׁלַלְכֶ֔ם אֹ֖סֶף הֶחָסִ֑יל כְּמַשַּׁ֥ק גֵּבִ֖ים שֹׁקֵ֥ק בּֽוֹ׃ And spoilbspoil Heb. “your spoil.” was gathered as locusts are gathered,
ItcIt Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “booty”; cf. v. 23. was amasseddamassed Taking sh-q-q as a cognate of q-sh-sh. as grasshoppers are amassed.eas grasshoppers are amassed Apparently for food; cf. Lev. 11.22.
נִשְׂגָּ֣ב יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֥י שֹׁכֵ֖ן מָר֑וֹם מִלֵּ֣א צִיּ֔וֹן מִשְׁפָּ֖ט וּצְדָקָֽה׃ GOD is exalted,
Dwelling on high—
[Of old] filling Zion
With justice and righteousness.
וְהָיָה֙ אֱמוּנַ֣ת עִתֶּ֔יךָ חֹ֥סֶן יְשׁוּעֹ֖ת חׇכְמַ֣ת וָדָ֑עַת יִרְאַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה הִ֥יא אוֹצָרֽוֹ׃ {פ}
Faithfulness to Your chargefYour charge Meaning of Heb. uncertain. was [her] wealth,
Wisdom and devotion [her] triumph,
Reverence for GOD—that was hergher Heb. “his.” treasure.
הֵ֚ן אֶרְאֶלָּ֔ם צָעֲק֖וּ חֻ֑צָה מַלְאֲכֵ֣י שָׁל֔וֹם מַ֖ר יִבְכָּיֽוּן׃ Hark! The ArieliteshArielites So a few manuscripts; cf. 29.1. cry aloud;
Shalom’siShalom’s I.e., Jerusalem’s; cf. Salem (Heb. Shalem), Ps. 76.3. messengers weep bitterly.
נָשַׁ֣מּוּ מְסִלּ֔וֹת שָׁבַ֖ת עֹבֵ֣ר אֹ֑רַח הֵפֵ֤ר בְּרִית֙ מָאַ֣ס עָרִ֔ים לֹ֥א חָשַׁ֖ב אֱנֽוֹשׁ׃ Highways are desolate,
Wayfarers have ceased.
A covenant has been renounced,
CitiesjCities 1QIsᵃ reads “A pact.” rejected
MortalskMortals Emendation yields “an obligation.” despised.
אָבַ֤ל אֻמְלְלָה֙ אָ֔רֶץ הֶחְפִּ֥יר לְבָנ֖וֹן קָמַ֑ל הָיָ֤ה הַשָּׁרוֹן֙ כָּֽעֲרָבָ֔ה וְנֹעֵ֥ר בָּשָׁ֖ן וְכַרְמֶֽל׃ {ס} The land is wilted and withered;
Lebanon disgraced and moldering,
Sharon is become like a desert,
And Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
עַתָּ֥ה אָק֖וּם יֹאמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֑ה עַתָּה֙ אֵֽרוֹמָ֔ם עַתָּ֖ה אֶנָּשֵֽׂא׃ “Now I will arise,” says GOD,
“Now I will exalt Myself, now raise Myself high.
תַּהֲר֥וּ חֲשַׁ֖שׁ תֵּ֣לְדוּ קַ֑שׁ רוּחֲכֶ֕ם אֵ֖שׁ תֹּאכַלְכֶֽם׃ You shall conceive hay,
Give birth to straw;
MylMy Heb. “your.” breath will devour you like fire.
וְהָי֥וּ עַמִּ֖ים מִשְׂרְפ֣וֹת שִׂ֑יד קוֹצִ֥ים כְּסוּחִ֖ים בָּאֵ֥שׁ יִצַּֽתּוּ׃ {פ}
Peoples shall be burnings of lime,mlime Emendation yields “brambles”; cf. 32.13.
Thorns cut down that are set on fire.
שִׁמְע֥וּ רְחוֹקִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֑יתִי וּדְע֥וּ קְרוֹבִ֖ים גְּבֻרָתִֽי׃ Hear, you who are far, what I have done;
You who are near, note My might.”
פָּחֲד֤וּ בְצִיּוֹן֙ חַטָּאִ֔ים אָחֲזָ֥ה רְעָדָ֖ה חֲנֵפִ֑ים מִ֣י ׀ יָג֣וּר לָ֗נוּ אֵ֚שׁ אֽוֹכֵלָ֔ה מִֽי־יָג֥וּר לָ֖נוּ מוֹקְדֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם׃ Sinners in Zion are frightened,
The godless are seized with trembling:
“Who of us can dwell with the devouring fire:
Who of us can dwell with the never-dying blaze?”
הֹלֵ֣ךְ צְדָק֔וֹת וְדֹבֵ֖ר מֵישָׁרִ֑ים מֹאֵ֞ס בְּבֶ֣צַע מַעֲשַׁקּ֗וֹת נֹעֵ֤ר כַּפָּיו֙ מִתְּמֹ֣ךְ בַּשֹּׁ֔חַד אֹטֵ֤ם אׇזְנוֹ֙ מִשְּׁמֹ֣עַ דָּמִ֔ים וְעֹצֵ֥ם עֵינָ֖יו מֵרְא֥וֹת בְּרָֽע׃ Whoever walks in righteousness,
Speaks uprightly,
Spurns profit from fraudulent dealings,
Waves away a bribe instead of grasping it,
Stops their ears against listening to infamy,
Shuts their eyes against looking at evil—
ה֚וּא מְרוֹמִ֣ים יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן מְצָד֥וֹת סְלָעִ֖ים מִשְׂגַּבּ֑וֹ לַחְמ֣וֹ נִתָּ֔ן מֵימָ֖יו נֶאֱמָנִֽים׃ Such a one shall dwell in lofty security,
With inaccessible cliffs for a stronghold,
With food supplied
And drink assured.
מֶ֥לֶךְ בְּיׇפְי֖וֹ תֶּחֱזֶ֣ינָה עֵינֶ֑יךָ תִּרְאֶ֖ינָה אֶ֥רֶץ מַרְחַקִּֽים׃ When your eyes behold a king in his beauty,na king in his beauty Emendation yields “perfection of beauty”; cf. Ps. 50.2.
When they contemplate the land round about,
לִבְּךָ֖ יֶהְגֶּ֣ה אֵימָ֑ה אַיֵּ֤ה סֹפֵר֙ אַיֵּ֣ה שֹׁקֵ֔ל אַיֵּ֖ה סֹפֵ֥ר אֶת־הַמִּגְדָּלִֽים׃ Your throatothroat As in 59.13 and elsewhere; lit. “heart.” shall murmur in awe,
“Where is one who could count? Where is one who could weigh?
Where is one who could count [all these] towers?”
אֶת־עַ֥ם נוֹעָ֖ז לֹ֣א תִרְאֶ֑ה עַ֣ם עִמְקֵ֤י שָׂפָה֙ מִשְּׁמ֔וֹעַ נִלְעַ֥ג לָשׁ֖וֹן אֵ֥ין בִּינָֽה׃ No more shall you see the barbarian folk,
The people of speech too obscure to comprehend,
So stammering of tongue that they are not understood.
חֲזֵ֣ה צִיּ֔וֹן קִרְיַ֖ת מוֹעֲדֵ֑נוּ עֵינֶ֩יךָ֩ תִרְאֶ֨ינָה יְרוּשָׁלַ֜͏ִם נָוֶ֣ה שַׁאֲנָ֗ן אֹ֤הֶל בַּל־יִצְעָן֙ בַּל־יִסַּ֤ע יְתֵדֹתָיו֙ לָנֶ֔צַח וְכׇל־חֲבָלָ֖יו בַּל־יִנָּתֵֽקוּ׃ When you gaze upon Zion, our city of assembly,
Your eyes shall behold Jerusalem
As a secure homestead,
A tent not to be transported,
Whose pegs shall never be pulled up,
And none of whose ropes shall break.
כִּ֣י אִם־שָׁ֞ם אַדִּ֤יר יְהֹוָה֙ לָ֔נוּ מְקוֹם־נְהָרִ֥ים יְאֹרִ֖ים רַחֲבֵ֣י יָדָ֑יִם בַּל־תֵּ֤לֶךְ בּוֹ֙ אֳנִי־שַׁ֔יִט וְצִ֥י אַדִּ֖יר לֹ֥א יַעַבְרֶֽנּוּ׃ For there GOD in divine greatness shall be for us
Like a region of rivers, of broad streams,
Where no floating vessels can sail
And no mighty craft can travel—
TheirpTheir Heb. “your.” ropes are slack,
They cannot steady the sockets of their masts,
They cannot spread a sail.qTheir ropes … spread a sail Moved up from v. 23 for clarity. The passage means that GOD will render Jerusalem as inaccessible to enemies as if it were surrounded by an impassable sea.
כִּ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ שֹׁפְטֵ֔נוּ יְהֹוָ֖ה מְחֹקְקֵ֑נוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה מַלְכֵּ֖נוּ ה֥וּא יוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ׃ For GOD shall be our ruler,
GOD shall be our monarch,
GOD shall be our sovereign
And shall deliver us.
נִטְּשׁ֖וּ חֲבָלָ֑יִךְ בַּל־יְחַזְּק֤וּ כֵן־תׇּרְנָם֙ בַּל־פָּ֣רְשׂוּ נֵ֔ס אָ֣ז חֻלַּ֤ק עַד־שָׁלָל֙ מַרְבֶּ֔ה פִּסְחִ֖ים בָּ֥זְזוּ בַֽז׃ Then shall indeed much spoil be divided,rshall indeed much spoil be divided Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “even a blind man shall divide much spoil.”
Even the lame shall seize booty.
וּבַל־יֹאמַ֥ר שָׁכֵ֖ן חָלִ֑יתִי הָעָ֛ם הַיֹּשֵׁ֥ב בָּ֖הּ נְשֻׂ֥א עָוֺֽן׃ {ס} And no one who lives there shall say, “I am sick”;
It shall be inhabited by folk whose sin has been forgiven.