The Holy Bible: Revised Common Version

1  Woe to you destroyer,/
and you were not laid waste,/
and you who deal treacherously,/
and they did not deal treacherously with you!/
When you cease to lay waste,/
you shall be wasted,/
and when you make an end to deal treacherously,/
they shall deal treacherously with you.

2  O LORD, be gracious to us./
We have waited for you./
Be their arm every morning,/
also our salvation in the time of trouble.

3  At the noise of the tumult the people fled./
At the lifting up of yourself the nations were scattered.

4  And your plunder shall be gathered/
like the gathering of the ravaging-locust./
As the running to and fro of locusts/
he shall run upon them.

5  The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high./
He has filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

6  And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times/
and strength of salvation./
The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

7  Behold, their valiant ones shall cry outside./
The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

8  The highways lie waste,/
the way-faring man ceases./
He has broken the covenant./
He has despised the cities./
He regards no man.

9  The earth mourns and languishes./
Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down./
Sharon is like a wilderness./
And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

10 "Now I will rise," says the LORD./
"Now I will be exalted./
Now I will lift up myself.

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

12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime./
As thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.

13 You who are far off, hear what I have done./
And you who are near, acknowledge my might."

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid./
Fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites./
"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?/
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?"

15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,/
he who despises the gain of oppressions,/
who shakes his hands from holding of bribes,/
who stops his ears from hearing of blood/
and shuts his eyes from seeing evil,

16 He shall dwell on high./
His place of defense shall be the fortresses of rocks./
Bread shall be given to him. His waters shall be sure.

17 Your eyes shall see the king in his beauty./
They shall behold the land that is very far off.

18 Your heart shall meditate terror./
"Where is the scribe? Where is the receiver?/
Where is he who counted the towers?"

19 You shall not see a fierce people,/
a people of deeper speech than you can perceive,/
of a stammering tongue, that you cannot understand.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities./
Your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation,/
a tabernacle that shall not be taken down./
Not one of its stakes shall ever be removed,/
neither shall any of its cords be broken.

21 But there the glorious LORD will be for us/
a place of broad rivers and streams,/
in which no galley with oars shall go,/
neither shall gallant ship pass through it.

22 For the LORD is our judge./
The LORD is our lawgiver./
The LORD is our king./
He will save us.

23 Your tacklings are loosened./
They could not well strengthen their mast./
They could not spread the sail./
Then the loot of a great plunder is divided./
The lame take the plunder.

24 And the inhabitants shall not say, "I am sick."/
The people who dwell therein/
shall have their iniquity forgiven.